Looking for dinner near Church & 30th

[Bay Gelldawg]

I am looking for a place to have dinner for eight people on a Wednesday night.

Criteria:

1. Within two blocks of Church & 30th Streets in San Francisco.

2. Not Thai.

3. Quiet enough for conversation without raised voices.

Any suggestions that fit the above would be greatly appreciated.

[escargot3]

How 'bout La Ciccia.

[Bay Gelldawg]

Thanks. Can anyone give me an idea of the noise level at La Ciccia? It is the front runner at this point.

[Windy]

It's a very small space--perhaps 30 seats altogether. Not clear they can accommodate a large party.

It's not quiet, but not that loud.

[c oliver]

Alice's at 29th and Sanchez

Incanto at Church and Duncan
http://www.incanto.biz/

[wolfe]

Henry's Hunan is 1 1/2 blocks.
Incanto is 5 blocks.

[c oliver]

oops, so it is. I miscounted. Where is Henry's Hunan?

[Windy]

On Church between 29th and Day. I'll second the nomination.

And Incanto, in addition to being farther, is loud.

[srr]

Go to La Ciccia. Awesome food, great service, interesting wine list.

[wolfe]

La Ciccia's a great choice with the possible exception of the 8 people. I tried Open Table for 8 on Wednesday with no opening for the next 2 weeks between opening and 8 PM. Can they handle a group that size easily?

[bbulkow]

Phone. Some restaurants don't expose their entire inventory on OT.

[susancinsf]

Eight is pushing it at La Ciccia, I think. I probably wouldn't go with a party larger than six. Definitely would be at the very top of my list if the group was smaller (and shouldn't be too noisy on a Wednesday.)

[BernalKC]

Pomelo is quite interesting. A family favorite around here. Seating is a bit cramped, but the noise level is not bad at all.

[Windy]

What do like there? I've only had mixed results and liked the idea better than the execution.

[BernalKC]

I agree they are uneven. I haven't had anything bad, but some are much more successful than others. And I may be more tolerant there because its pretty economical, so for an affordable meal it offers a pretty wide range of interesting choices. Definitely get the cabo fish taco starter. I like the aosta, polenta w/mushrooms. For mains I like the havana and koh samui, and some days the pacifica special gets me.

[Windy]

Thanks. Maybe I'll give it another try. I love fish tacos.

Aside from my regular potsticker night at Henry's or the occasional visit to La Ciccia or Incanto, I tend to walk over to Mission Street, where there are a lot more affordable options (Angkor Borei, Inka's, Yo's, Lotus Garden, Stefano's). They are almost but not quite in Bay Gelldawg's radius.

[grayelf]

Sorry to threadnap, but if you could provide a bit of detail on the Cabo fish taco starter at Pomelo I'd sure appreciate it, BernalKC. I'd walk on hot coals to sink my teeth into the kind of fish tacos I remember from our last trip to Baja :-).

[BernalKC]

These are not they, grey one. I too wish I could have of those tacos I remember from the fish pier at Ensenada...

No, this is something differnt. Borrowed perhaps, but not *that* thing. It is a fusion menu, and it takes some liberties. The fish is grilled, for one. And the salsas and everything else are way more Cali. But tasty.

[grayelf]

Okay, standing down, thanks. But still sounds worth checking out. The hunt for the fish tacos of memory is proving as elusive as finding "real" tacos al pastor, but the search sure is fun :-). I just heard that we have our first actual taco truck here in BC so I am contemplating a road trip to (gulp) Abbotsford to check it out. We now return you to your regular programming.

[10foot5]

My wife and I love Pomelo. We don't go as often as we'd like now that we're in the east bay.

She always gets the Koh Sumui (Kaffir lime coconut curry with veg and chicken). It's always great although the chicken (white meat) is the least interesting part. I always try something different and more often then not I love what they do.

Ask for some Sambal on the side if you like spicy condiments. They make it in-house and it really brightens up a lot of dishes.

[bbulkow]

Is Clay Oven any good? It's at the very beginning of the 3rd block from that intersection.

[tara]

Okay but overpriced Indian food.

[cinnamonhazelnut]

I order from Clay Oven often. Food is good, but yes I agree it is pricey.