Former SFer visiting - need recs for pre Wicked meal (Saturday matinee)

[nancyhudson]

Hi 'hounds - Renoites headed to SF this weekend to see Wicked at Saturday's 2 pm showing. I am an adventurous eater, husband is not, and 20 year old daughter is a vegetarian. Was set on going to the Tipsy Pig, but after reading reviews I'm a bit hesitant - not sure if that's our scene.

Please tell us where we need to go - we're out of touch with the SF restaurant scene. Thanks much.

[nancyhudson]

Back from SF and happy to report that we enjoyed a really terrific brunch at Farmer Browns on Saturday morning. Thanks so much for the recommendation. We arrived at noon and the place was hopping. There was a trio playing music and there was a lively vibe from the patrons. We had the $15 brunch and enjoyed perfectly done (not overcooked - very soft and velvety) scrambled eggs, buttermilk pancakes, bacon, grits, biscuits with gravy (sausage or mushroom gravy was available), fried chicken, fresh fruit, and sweet potato pie. Everything was perfect. And, the dinner menu looked terrific. All 3 of us were very happy with our choices and would definitely pay Farmer Brown another visit.

[rworange]

Thanks for reporting back. Sounds great

Ninth Annual Chowing with the Hounds Picnic! October 3rd, 2009
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/652687

[rworange]

Forgot the link

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Farmer Brown
25 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

[c oliver]

GRITS in SF????? I'm in love with the place already. We used to live in the city also and have had any number of meals in the block or so but not Farmer Browns. We will definitely check it out.

[kingwheel]

Farmer Brown is a neat place maybe after the show
but for vegetarian Ananda-Fuara is right next door.

[tvham]

I took my mom on a 'date' to see Wicked - we had a very nice meal at Heaven's Dog before the show and as an added bonus, it's walking distance to the theater.

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Heaven's Dog
1148 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

[Scott M]

Heaven's Dog does not open until 5:30 PM on Saturday.

[nancyhudson]

Farmer Brown looks interesting and now has brunch on Saturdays...this may be the ticket, thanks for the rec.

[cvhound]

We went to Farmer Brown last month on a Sunday evening after catching the matinee showing of "Wicked." We didn't have reservations, but took Bart to Powell right after the show and managed to get seated without a wait. Shorly after we arrived, the restaurant soon filled with Wicked patrons, so you might want to make reservations if you choose dinner over brunch. There was quite a wait by the time we finished our meal.

The table next to us ordered the fried catfish (huge portion easily enough for two) and fried okra. Both dishes received rave reviews. My husband and I ordered the taste of gumbo and a biscuit (okay, but wouldn't order again), fried chicken (good, enjoyed the sides, but chicken pieces were tiny), shrimp/crawfish with grits (tasty grits) and the chocolate pecan pie which was out of this world good, and I'm generally not a fan of chocolate desserts.

FYI, service was on the slow side and our food took quite a while to arrive. We enjoyed our meal and would definitely return to check out more of their menu. If you try their brunch, I hope you'll report back.

[Scott M]

Can you narrow down cuisine or your scene?

Something that comes to mind is Dosa, very vegetarian friendly.

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Dosa
995 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

Dosa on Fillmore
1700 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA 94115

[nancyhudson]

Thanks, Scott. Well, after SF we lived in Yountville for 15 years. To give you an idea of what we like, some of our favorite restaurants in the Napa Valley were Mustards, Bistro Don Giovanni, and more recently Ad Hoc and Ubuntu. We don't have to have the latest hot spot, someone's favorite neighborhood find is great, too. Since we're breaking the bank to see the show, cost is somewhat of a consideration. Thanks again.

[Scott M]

I still think Dosa is a viable option. If you are looking for more of a gastro pub then Urban Tavern may work for you.

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Urban Tavern
333 O'Farrell St., San Francisco, CA 94102