Narrowing list of restaurants

[lacontessa]

Good morning. Have been spending many hours on the board, with guidebooks, checking out menus etc. and think I am ready for further direction for our 5 night stay mid-September. I will be attending a conference, hubby will be sightseeing.

Friday
Dinner-Aperto (Bib Gourmand, Blackboard Eats 30% discount code)

Saturday
Breakfast-Ferry bldg
Lunch-me at conference, hubby?
Dinner-near union square (have Shopping the Musical tickets), Colibri?

Sunday
Wok Wiz tour & lunch for hubby, conference for me
Dinner-near union square (long day at conference)

Monday
Drive/tour for hubby, conference for me
Dinner- near California Academy of Sciences?

Tuesday
Drive/tour in am for hubby, conference for me
De Young/Legion museums in pm
Dinner-near De Young/Legion museums?

Not sure about Beach Blanket Babylon for either Sunday, Monday or Tuesday evening, so suggestions for near there would be appreciated as backup

Thanks so much

[lacontessa]

Thanks again for the suggestions. As I noted earlier, Frances is already booked for the entire 5 nights we will be in San Francisco.

What about a prix fixe meal? I see that South Park Cafe, Chapeau, Bisou, Bistro Central Parc are recommended on the board for their prix fixe, and L'ardoise is also recommended as an alternative?

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South Park Cafe
108 South Park, San Francisco, CA 94107

Bistro Central Parc
560 Central Ave, San Francisco, CA 94117

Bisou
2367 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94114

[BernalKC]

Heirloom cafe is on my to-do list, and their prix fixe menu with the wine pairing is the main reason. I don't like recommending things I haven't tried, but in this case I'll make an exception.

[abstractpoet]

Just wanted to mention that if you arrive at Frances shortly before they open for dinner, you can usually secure a seat at the spacious counter -- those aren't available for reservation. If you go on a weekday and get there at around 4:50, you shouldn't have a problem.

[lacontessa]

Thanks for the suggestion about arriving early for Frances. Do you think it would be possible to nab two seats early on a Friday--we arrive at 2 pm so would have plenty of time to get there. Or, would Tuesday be better (they are closed on Monday)?

[abstractpoet]

I would imagine that if you got in line 15 minutes before the restaurant opened (being sure to leave plenty of time to find parking if you're driving), you would be fine even on a Friday. But I haven't been recently, so I don't know if that has changed.

I'd just call the restaurant up and ask for their advice. I've found they're pretty upfront about your odds.

My report (along with others in the thread): http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/6784...

[originalfig]

For a place near Golden Gate Park, you might try Zazie, a cute French bistro with a sweet little garden out back (you'll be here in September, when the weather will finally be fantastic!) It's a 5 minute walk from the entrance to the park on Stanyan Street. Tuesday nights are their "no corkage" nights, too, so if your husband finds a fantastic bottle of local wine in his wanderings you can bring it to enjoy with dinner for no fee.

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Zazie
941 Cole St, San Francisco, CA 94117

[sfbing]

Friday: Instead of Aperto, how about Delfina (not the pizzeria, the actual restaurant) or SPQR as someone else has suggested?

Mexican: Gracias Madre gets good reviews. Consider Poc Chuc-- just skip the tortillas.

The de Young and Cal Acad are right next to each other. Closest restaurant is the Moss Room. Just outside the park in the Sunset: Koo, Park Chow, Marnee Thai, Beautifull, Social Kitchen & Brewery. More of a schlep but with some planning is very doable is Aziza.

Other possibilities for dinner: Barbacco, Bocadillos, Cafe des Amis, Commonwealth, Frances, Prospect

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

Park Chow
1238 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

Bocadillos
710 Montgomery St, San Francisco, CA 94111

Marnee Thai Restaurant
1243 9th Ave, San Francisco, CA 94122

SPQR
1911 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA 94115

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

Aperto
1434 18th St, San Francisco, CA

Gracias Madre
2211 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Barbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111

Cafe des Amis
2000 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94123

[susancinsf]

why would one want to skip the tortillas at Poc Chuc? I think they are lovely...and with that house habanero sauce...yummm... (my last visit to Poc Chuc was about four months ago, maybe).

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

[abstractpoet]

OP mentioned above that she can't eat wheat or corn.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7278...

[susancinsf]

oops, sorry, missed that.

[susancinsf]

I think Mexican can be problematic at some places if one is avoiding beef, corn and pork, but actually, Poc Chuc might be an exception with some good turkey and chicken items on the menu.

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

[originalfig]

Good suggestions. FYI I believe the Moss Room is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays for dinner....

[Joan Kureczka]

Personally, I find Aperto mediocre with way over-sauced pastas so never bother even though I live in the neighborhood. If you want to eat on Potrero Hill or nearby and have your heart set on Italian, I much prefer Piccino Cafe and even Pizza Nostra (we love the lemon pasta in particular). Otherwise, I prefer Chez Papa or Chez Mama to Aperto myself.

Looking at your dietary constraints, Chez Papa might be a good French choice (bistro or resto) as they are Southern French -- more reliance on olive oil than butter and cheese in their cooking.

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Chez Papa
1401 18th St., San Francisco, CA 94107

Piccino Restaurant & Coffee Bar
1001 Minnesota St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Aperto
1434 18th St, San Francisco, CA

[lacontessa]

Hi--thanks for the comments. Actually was looking at something other than pizza (Piccino Cafe) or pasta--both have wheat which triggers my hives. Chez Papa Resto appears a bit expensive ($26-35 for just the entree), do you mean the bistrot? Am wondering what is considered budget and moderate prices for lunches and dinners in San Francisco? Any other suggestions for our stay in San Francisco?

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Chez Papa Resto
4 Mint Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94103

[Joan Kureczka]

Chez Papa Bistro is the one just down the block from Aperto, and definitely more affordable. Also their small plates aren't that small.

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Chez Papa
1401 18th St., San Francisco, CA 94107

Aperto
1434 18th St, San Francisco, CA

[lacontessa]

Thanks so much for the comments and suggestions. Yes, we do like ethnic food and have traveled a fair bit internationally. We live in Silver Spring, MD--suburb to DC--and eat mostly ethnic food (Bolivian, Lebanese, Vietnamese, Thai, Italian etc.). We eat amazingly well considering that I avoid beef, pork, shellfish, wheat and corn (hive triggers) and hubbie avoids milk products. We don't need to stick to Italian or French. We are open to all kinds of food, however, hubbie is doing a Wok Wiz tour of Chinatown on Sunday which includes tons of food tasting so probably not Chinese. As a public health person, I won't eat raw fish/meat though hubbie loves sushi. He does avoid ceviche ever since he got horribly sick with food poisoning from ceviche at a supposedly good restaurant in Quito Ecuador. Would like at least one Mexican meal--but someplace that has items without wheat or corn. I love French (Paris is one of my favorite cities), but, would need to be someplace that offers options without milk products (e.g., cream, butter, milk, cheese) for hubbie. Hubbie particularly wants good seafood but it looks like SF restaurants often serve fresh seafood. Would prefer budget to moderate places that don't require dressing up--hubbie is retired 3 years and swears he will never put on a suit again. I already checked Frances--they are not available at that time. Does that help?

[myst]

Ahhhh lots of important information here. Thanks for the details.

[JasmineG]

You don't have to wear a suit anywhere in San Francisco. You might need to clarify what you mean by budget or moderate -- what is your price range? Gracias Madre might be a good choice for you; it's a vegan Mexican restaurant that recently opened.

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Gracias Madre
2211 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

[myst]

Saturday
Breakfast-Ferry bldg
Lunch-Depends--where he is headed? Maybe Chinatown - R&G Lounge or Takeout food - maybe grab a Banh Mi? What kind of cuisine does he like?
Dinner-near union square: Colibri is a good place to have appetizer and quick margarita - not really a destination, but for a quick bite its fine. Where are you visiting from? Do you like ethinic food?

Sunday
Dinner-near union square: Ame, Perabacco

For dinners out near Golden Gate Park it would help to know cuisine type/preferences.

Beach Blanket Babylon is in North Beach. Were you interested in Italian food or something else?

[steiny33]

I'm poaching off of this thread for my upcoming trip...

Why is Saturday special at the Ferry Building? And where specifically is good for Breakfast there?

[Joan Kureczka]

Saturday at the Ferry Building is the huge farmers' market with (at this time a year) probably around 100 or so vendors. Lots of great breakfast stuff including Primavera's Mexican stall, Namu for Korean fusion, Hayes St. Grill, and others for cooked to order stuff, pastries from many other places, and lots more.

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Namu
439 Balboa Street, San Francisco, CA 94118

[bbulkow]

It's hard to make recommendations without knowing the styles of food you prefer and your price range.

If you'd like to stick to french/italian, you could try right now to get a table at Frances for one of those nights. Eating at one of our more well known and more californian places - Delfina, SPQR, ... ) would seem a treat compared to Aperto, which is a fine neighborhood place but doesn't highlight anything local.

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

SPQR
1911 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA 94115

Aperto
1434 18th St, San Francisco, CA

[vis]

Near Union Square: Gitane or Bix; a quick walk will get you to Chez Papa Resto - for a little pricier but excellent - Fifth Floor at the Palomar Hotel

Near Beach Blanket Babylon: House restaurant...asian fusion - small restaurant and great food...reservations are needed.

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Bix
56 Gold St., San Francisco, CA 94133

Fifth Floor Restaurant
12 Fourth St., San Francisco, CA 94103

Chez Papa Resto
4 Mint Plaza, San Francisco, CA 94103

Gitane Restaurant & Bar
6 Claude Lane, San Francisco, CA 94108

[Shane Greenwood]

Bix is fun, has a good bar, and the food isn't bad. It is 12 blocks from Union Square though. It's on the north edge of the Financial District closer to north beach.

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Bix
56 Gold St., San Francisco, CA 94133

[wolfe]

Capp's Corner as North Beach as it gets just around the corner.
http://www.cappscorner.com/