612310 Wed Apr 15 13:55:23 -0700 2009 23 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 4598976 hey all, I'm going to be in San Fran in 2 weeks for a long weekend. I'm from NYC and a big foodie. I adore california/new american/market-driven cuisine and want some recs for 1 or 2 must-hit dinner spots. I am leaning more towards hip/fun spots with amazing food that aren't too over-the-top and pricey (i.e. no $150 prix-fixe, etc.). I am also open to hear some other top spots that fit my criteria but that are other cuisines. your help is appreciated! Wed Apr 15 13:55:23 -0700 2009 283005 nbags 1 4599404 Bar Tartine, Zuni Cafe, NoPa. If they don't have reservations, they may reserve tables for walk ins so if you get there towards the start of dinner service you would have a good chance. Wed Apr 15 16:12:32 -0700 2009 4598976 17221 SteveG 2 4599463 Also, there is Aziza for Cal-Moroccan and Slanted Door for Cal-Vietnamese. And of course, there is the grandmamy of cal cuisine just over the bridge in Berkeley...Chez Panisse. Wed Apr 15 16:32:24 -0700 2009 4599404 13300 Civil Bear 1 4599439 I love COCO500. They have a section on the menu dedicated to the riches of California agriculture called "California Dirt." Great for small plates and cocktails. I adore their truffled mushroom flatbread. They usually have a flatbread on-hand and they use whatever what is in season. Owned by Loretta Keller - with a last name like that how can you go wrong? You can't find food like this anywhere else. This is a post from last year around the same time. I checked the menu just now and they seem to have similar things. http://jobostonisafoodie.blogspot.com/2008/06/coco500-cant-talk-eating.html Wed Apr 15 16:23:04 -0700 2009 4598976 101827 jobostonisafoodie 1 4599627 Go to Chez Panisse. If you can't get a reservation downstairs, go for the cafe upstairs (you will also need a res). I think "cafe" is a bit of a misnomer -- it's a full on restaurant and a nice one at that. I guess they call it a cafe because the menu is a la carte and somewhat limited. Anyway, this might sound a little crazy but I think CP is good bang for the buck, considering the quality of the food. I have complaints about every restaurant -- at least some component(s) of the meal -- but after CP Cafe I had nothing but praise. Not only is the food fantastic, the staff is very friendly (but not annoyingly so) and the ambiance is really simple and cozy in an elegant way -- very inviting. $120 for 2 including a pizzetta app, 2 entrees, 2 desserts, coffee, tea, tax, and tip. I consider that a great deal since the food there easily outshone places costing 2x. Wed Apr 15 17:34:35 -0700 2009 4598976 123941 kimchee411 2 4601395 Downstairs at Chez Panisse (i.e. the restaurant) is definitely one of the best values among high-end restaurants, especially on Mondays. Thu Apr 16 10:04:21 -0700 2009 4599627 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 4602885 I was horribly disappointed in the Cafe at Chez Panisse. I quite liked Boulevard's lunch offerings. Thu Apr 16 18:29:05 -0700 2009 4599627 160718 uhockey 1 4600948 Be sure to try some Cal-Italian, which is different from NYC Italian. My favorite is Delfina in the Mission, and there is Oliveto in Rockridge, though I've read some less than stellar reviews of the cafe at the latter recently. Bay Area Hounds can probably give you more up-to-date recommendations in the Cal-Ital vein. Thu Apr 16 08:20:06 -0700 2009 4598976 18466 a_and_w 1 4601445 Camino in Oakland is the first of the numerous places opened by former Chez Panisse chefs that I think surpasses it. The chef is so uncompromising in pursuit of his vision that he alienates some people. In SF, Zuni Cafe. Thu Apr 16 10:16:27 -0700 2009 4598976 11369 Robert Lauriston 2 4601502 "uncompromising in pursuit of his vision" = judgmental a**hole to many people. If you don't want to take seriously the "hospitality" aspect of running and restaurant that's open to the public, then just pursue your vision among your friends and family. Thu Apr 16 10:28:39 -0700 2009 4601445 10159 Ruth Lafler 3 4601525 To me it's like Whole Foods' policy of not stocking products that contain artificial trans fats. I know that whatever Camino serves is stuff that I'd buy myself. For somebody with my prejudices, that makes the place more hospitable than places that serve the kind of factory-produced "foodish" products I don't want to eat. Thu Apr 16 10:36:08 -0700 2009 4601502 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 4601565 This is interesting. When you start thinking about "California/new American/market-driven" spots in SF you quickly come up against a brick wall. Chez Panisse, of course, fits that definition, but what else does? Zuni Cafe really is a bit too much of a Cafe to fit. There are lots of "cali-influenced" places, like Slanted Door, Delfina, Quince, and Oliveto, but they aren't "new American." My guess is Camino is about it, but it isn't in San Francisco. The only "New American" place I can think of in SF is Coi, but that is going to set the OP back $150 and is probably more sophisticated that they had in mind. Boulevard is another possibility, but it doesn't quite fit. What am I missing? Or is "California/New American" so popular that no one goes there any longer? Thu Apr 16 10:46:56 -0700 2009 4598976 11277 Paul H 2 4601628 There must be a hundred restaurants in the Bay Area that belong in the market-driven Cal-cuisine category. A good way to identify them is to look at farmers' and ranchers' Web sites. There are around 50 on Mariquita Farm's "restaurants we sell to" list, and that doesn't include the numerous restaurants that own their own gardens (like the French Laundry, Manresa, Pauline's Pizza, and Cancun / Tlaloc) or farms or buy from other local organic farms (like Oliveto and farmerbrown). http://www.mariquita.com/Restaurants/sfrestaurantlist.html http://www.marinsunfarms.com/places_to_buy.html http://www.estanciabeef.com/buy/where-to-find Zuni Cafe outgrew its "cafe" name decades ago. Brasserie Zuni would be a more fitting name for the place today. Thu Apr 16 11:11:16 -0700 2009 4601565 11369 Robert Lauriston 3 4601714 Lot's of restaurants march under this banner, but very few of them are "New American" as specified in the original request. For instance, the Mariquita Farms website lists 51 "restaurants that buy from us every week" but few of them fit into a "Top Californa/New American" category (though there are few more names here I hadn't thought of ). There are three more SF places from the list that the OP might consider: Bar Tartine Range Spruce (plus the already mentioned - Boulevard, Chez Panisse, Coi, and Zuni Cafe). Thu Apr 16 11:29:19 -0700 2009 4601628 11277 Paul H 4 4601781 Maybe nbags can clarify, but I read the slashes in "california / new american / market-driven" to mean OR, not AND, especially given the topic title. To me, "New American" is the same thing as California cuisine except not in California. If by New American you mean places with entrees that are sort of a spin on Midwestern farm food, then Boulevard. I like Bar Tartine, but it doesn't make my top 10 Cal-cuisine list. Top 20, yes. Thu Apr 16 11:42:20 -0700 2009 4601714 11369 Robert Lauriston 5 4601856 I translate "New American" as not Midwestern farm food (that wouldn't qualify as New), and not based on some ethnic cuisine - that eliminates places like Slanted Door, Delfina, A16, Ame, and Oliveto. As to calling the food at Boulevard "a spin on Midwestern farm food" here is the first appetizer on the current menu: AHI TUNA TARTARE Pickled Hearts of Palm & Mariquita Farm Carrots, Fried Fennel, Smoked Paprika Romesco, Spanish Almonds, House Made Sesame Olive Oil Crackers Boulevard absolutely falls into my "New American" category. Thu Apr 16 12:00:30 -0700 2009 4601781 11277 Paul H 6 4601884 Italian's "ethnic cuisine" and French isn't? Most of the appetizers at Boulevard are Asian-influenced / fusion, many of the entrees are sort of Midwestern with a French accent. Many of the dishes on Delfina's menu are straight-up American with no Italian influence. Thu Apr 16 12:09:27 -0700 2009 4601856 11369 Robert Lauriston 7 4601923 I'm confused. Are you suggesting that Boulevard is French food? Or, did that comment refer to some other place I've listed as "New American"? Thu Apr 16 12:21:17 -0700 2009 4601884 11277 Paul H 8 4602070 You're striking Delfina from the "New American" category because it's "based on some ethnic cuisine," by which you mean Italian, right? I think Boulevard's entrees are more French (they have a full-time saucier) than Delfina's are Italian, though like most Cal-cuisine places both draw on both traditions, as well as others. Some examples: Roasted Fulton Valley Chicken with olive oil mashed potatoes and king trumpet mushrooms Berkshire pork prime rib chop (Iowa) with olive oil fondant potatoes, artichoke hearts, green olives, & house-cured bacon, County Line spigarello, parsley, melted garlic, & mustard seed pistou, roasted pork jus Sonoma Liberty Duck with house-made sauerkraut and kumquats Cavendish quail (vermont), breast wrapped in pancetta & slow roasted leg, pyramid ravioli with "Bolognese" & polenta fonduta, shaved truffles, sauteed mariquita farm chard with garlic & chili flakes, toasted hazelnut & parmesan relish, roasted quail jus Thu Apr 16 13:04:12 -0700 2009 4601923 11369 Robert Lauriston 9 4602478 Nopa. Range. Maverick. Zinnia. Fish and Farm. Just off the top of my head. Thu Apr 16 15:18:23 -0700 2009 4602070 10159 Ruth Lafler 2 4602579 When I started updating Places in 2006, I was confused as to what was the difference between New American and California Cuisine. Melanie cleared it up for me, though I'm going to paraphrase her badly. Basically ... and this is NOT exaclty what she said but my interpretation ... California Cuisine is New American cuisine using local, fresh and usually sustainable ingrediants. It is the places that lists sources on the menu ... xxx farm, xxx beef, xxx beans (ok, that's Rancho Gordo), etc. Coco500 no longer does that ,but it still sources locally, so it is California Cuisine. So is Zuni, 1550 Hyde, Slanted Door, Azizia, etc ... in thae last two they become hyphenated ... Cal-Vietnamese, Cal-Morrocan. BYW, to the OP, it is STILL not acceptable to use Cali in this area. Neither is Frisco, or using the airport designation as SFO. You can choose to do that and argue up this side of the wall and another how acceptable that is elsewhere. The bottom line is that it will mark you as a tourist and outsider except in certain small groups. Anyway, I'd nominate Aziza as it is probably different than what is in NY. Also the new Nopalito might be a good choice given NY's supposed dearth of good Mexican. This is ... heh ... Cal-Mexican. I love 1550 Hyde, but it is a little sedate I'm thinking. Thu Apr 16 15:57:02 -0700 2009 4601565 10264 rworange 3 4604189 Aziza is indeed different from anything I ever found in NYC -- well worth a trip. Be sure to try a Mission-style burrito, which I consider to be the zenith of Cal-Mexican cuisine LOL! Fri Apr 17 08:31:28 -0700 2009 4602579 18466 a_and_w 1 4602208 1550 Hyde is another one to toss into this category. Here's a link to a sample menu http://home.earthlink.net/~zootster/id2.html This is a smaller, neighborhood place on Russian Hill. One of the fun things about it is that it's on the Hyde street cable car line. Thu Apr 16 13:40:31 -0700 2009 4598976 130031 Shane Greenwood 1 4602528 Reading your description, Bar Jules came to mind first because they use seasonal products and I feel the place has the hip but cozy vibe you're looking for. I also second all the votes for Bar Tartine, one of my favorite restaurants. Thu Apr 16 15:37:51 -0700 2009 4598976 43882 singleguychef