Need some help with restaurants...for a non-foodie.

[umwife11]

So I'm in a weirdly mixed marriage.

My husband loves the 49ers. I love the Dolphins. He attended the University of Florida (ugh). I attended the University of Miami.

But even worse...I love eating out at wonderful restaurants and drinking amazing wine. He absolutely hates, hates, hates those experiences. Seriously, he would enjoy a meal at Friday's more than he'd enjoy a meal at, oh, Gary Danko. He tells me this often.

Needless to say, planning our food itinerary for SF has been a...challenge.

Fortunately, he's agreed to dinner at Gary Danko on our last night because I loved it so much on our last visit. (I'm just convinced he picked the wrong entrees, because I was wowed while he wasn't...)

That said, I'm trying to narrow down some more options that will make both of us happy.

So far, this is what I have planned:
*Lunch in the Mission. A few friends have recommended Papalote but I'm open to more ideas. (He likes Mexican, so this will be easy.)
*Dinner at Boulevard
*Breakfast at Dottie's
*Lunch at Brix in Napa
*Dinner at Gary Danko

I need to try and find one more dinner spot for a nice Sunday night after we go to a 49ers game. I looked into the menus at AME and Canteen and yeah, there's just no way those will make him happy.

Can anyone help with a suggestion on one more dinner? Or give me any feedback on the places listed above?

Thanks much...

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Gary Danko
800 N Point St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Brix
7377 St. Helena Highway, Napa, CA 94558

[whiner]

I dissagree with those who said to nix Boulevard. I think it has a great, laid back vibe and the food is VERY easy to negotiate, even for a non-foodie. I think your othermeal should be at Perbacco. Very big menu, lots of pastas if that is his thing. Also happens to be my favorite Italian in SF at the moment. (Yes, even more than A16 and Delfina.) Prices aren't too out of cntrol and the wine list is very well priced and has amazing gems from Italy.

http://www.perbaccosf.com/

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Perbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111

A16
2355 Chestnut St., San Francisco, CA 94123

Delfina Restaurant
3621 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

[sumi]

I'm not a fan of Papalote to be honest. If you want Mexican in the Mssion, I would recommend Poc Chuc, which serves very good Yucatecan cuisine, which you don't get every day, and is terrific. It is not upscale but pleasant, clean and painted, unlike most Mexican restaurants in the Mission, and in a somewhat hidden location on 16th St. @ South Van Ness (there's a big tree that hides the entrance). It is comfortable home cooking where the tortillas are handmade and fresh, and does meats and stews very well. The poc chuc, carne asada, pibil and agua frescas (homemade, not in a bottle) are of very high quality, very fresh and a bargain.

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Poc Chuc
2886 16th St, San Francisco, CA 94103

Fresca Restaurant
24 West Portal Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94127

[Paris Dreamin]

I like the recommendations for Zuni, Range, and One Market. However, I would not necessarily ixnay the Boulevard choice. Boulevard is nowhere near as formal as Gary Danko is, so your husband may not have a problem with Boulevard. I tend to describe it as comfort fine dining. That being said, even though Boulevard is good, I am not as enamoured with it as some others on this board are, just a matter of personal taste and opinion. I just don't find the food to be as interesting or of the complexity of the food at Gary Danko, for instance.

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Gary Danko
800 N Point St, San Francisco, CA 94109

One Market Restaurant
1 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

[pauliface]

I agree about Boulevard. I love the place.

But part of its genius, to me, is that it is upscale and swank, but I feel very comfortable.
And there are often pretty 'normal' things on the menu for the non-adventurous.
Peeking at the menu I see:
for apps, there's a crab salad. Last time I had it I thought it was one of the best of it's kind of had. Very fresh and clean, not rich or weird. Also, my dad loves their salad with pears/blue cheese and walnuts. Somehow steak-lovers seem to like these candy salads, so maybe your husband will.

And for mains, he's gonna be able to pick between filet mignon, rack of lamb, or squab (which is boneless and therefore not tricky). I think he could be just fine.

[vis]

i agree w jasmine...there are some great food places w/out the fancy feel...another great spot is firefly...like the delfina idea as well as Zuni.

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Delfina Restaurant
3621 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

[umwife11]

Thanks...putting all these on the web browser and I'll show him some menus (especially before cancelling Boulevard...I so had my heart set on it, but this weekend is really a trip for him, lol. I got spoiled a little rotten when we were there in July ;)

I also came across the sites for Range and One Market...those look promising. Does anyone have any experience with those...(off to search now...)

[JasmineG]

Range is great -- I think of it as a little more upscale than the others that I suggested, but I think that that's just because of the decor and the vibe of the restaurant. He might like that, check out the menu, but if you thought he wouldn't like the Canteen menu, Range might not be good either.

Another one that you and your husband should both like a lot is Nopa -- fun and rowdy for him, with lots of relatively simple preparations (including a fantastic pork chop), but great food for you with some interesting combinations.

Do you mean One Market? Or maybe Market Bar? In either case, no. They're both fine, but not worth a stop.

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Range
842 Valencia Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

Nopa
560 Divisadero St, San Francisco, CA 94117

[bobpantzer]

I think Range is pretty wonderful and it just was awarded a Michelin star, so I am not alone there. Check out the menu online (which changes frequently) to see how your husband might react. It's a smaller, low-key venue. Last time we were there I started with a delicious poached egg on toast and spinach with pancetta--I loved it. I also like Boulevard a lot and I'm not sure I'd recommend nixing it if you've got your heart set on it. One Market, just down the street from Boulevard has been getting excellent reviews lately and I really enjoyed a lunch I had there recently. You probably can't go wrong with any of these or Delfina, for that matter.

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Delfina Restaurant
3621 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

One Market Restaurant
1 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

[umwife11]

Thanks, everyone. I *so* appreciate the suggestions and I'm passing them along to him, along with menu links.

It does seem though that I thought of our little problem too late in the game, considering we're headed to SF next week. Range and Zuni, for example, are booked until 9:45 on Sat night...which normally wouldn't bother us too much but we're coming from the East Coast that same day. We might be beat by 9:45 that night.

But I'll keep working it. Also just got an email from a friend of mine who loved Frascati, so I guess that's in the mix now too.

And just to give you an idea of what I'm working with I just got an "I guess I can get the steak," email regarding the Boulevard menu. Not that there's anything wrong with steak...it's just all he ever has ;) -

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Frascati Restaurant
1901 Hyde Street, San Francisco, CA 94109

[JasmineG]

I would nix your dinner at Boulevard, I like it, but I'm not sure if your husband would. I'd recommend Delfina on Sunday night to please you both. Hmm, maybe Zuni instead of Boulevard? The service isn't fancy like Gary Danko, and the food is pretty classic, especially if you guys go in and get the roast chicken. Or you could go to A16 or Flour + Water for great pizza, which might be low key enough for him, but still fun for you with great food.

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Delfina Restaurant
3621 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Gary Danko
800 N Point St, San Francisco, CA 94109