dinner near SFO

[Ricochet Lemon]

I'm staying one night at the Westin SFO next week and am trying to figure out what to do for dinner. I'm hoping people can give some feedback/suggestions (but responses like, "it depends what type of food you want" aren't really helpful ;-))

My current short list:

- prime rib at Gulliver's (just down the street)
- Kincaid's (just down the street)
- Sushi Kei in Millbrae (was there two years ago... I remember it as tasty)
- Sakae Sushi in Burlingame (highly rated on a site I can't find ATM)

At Kincaid's, the hotdog on the Happy Hour menu sounds intriguing... has anyone had this? Is it good? Worth it? I'd get it without the cheese.

Last time I visited and stayed a night at the airport, I went into SF to House of Prime Rib. It was delicious but I don't want to travel into the city just for dinner. I'll be coming up from Palo Alto, so any must-try suggestions in between are fine too.

Off-topic (to my own thread), I'll add that earlier in the week, I plan on:
- pastrami sandwich and belgian beer at Refuge in San Carlos
- burger at Gordon and Biersch (unless people say it's not worth it)
- jerk chicken at Back-A-Yard in Menlo Park (love this place)
- chicken burrito at Tres Potrillos in Sunnyvale (love this place)

-----
House of Prime Rib
1906 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94109

Sakae
243 California Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010

Sushi Kei
407 Broadway, Millbrae, CA 94030

[vulber]

some good recommendations here; but i am now in teh same situation of needing to find a restaurant for wednesday night in the SFO/burlingame area for my aunt and uncle who like good food, but have pretty conservative tastes; the only place below that's sounded appealing that's in that area is broadway prime, which is a bit pricier than i think they'd like...other suggestions?

[vulber]

also, how does broadway prime compare to HOPR? they seem nearly identical....

[Windy]

Will they eat Cantonese? HK Flower Lounge has always been where I've taken relatives with conservative tastes.

[vulber]

hmmm....they have a pretty americanized view of chinese food; but they do enjoy good seafood....

[Windy]

I think my family is reassured by the lavish surroundings, and valet parking. Excellent noodles, soups, meats. And lots of familiar items on the menu.

You don't have to get chicken feet or abalone or tripe.

[vulber]

so they're staying at the holiday inn express in s. san francisco, 373 airport boulevard. is this as dead of a food area as yelp maeks it out to be? i can't even find much appealing places within 5 miles.....

[Robert Lauriston]

Oops, confused about the address.

Basque Cultural Center, Bertolucci's, Villa del Sol

-----
Basque Cultural Center
599 Railroad Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080

Villa Del Sol Argentinian
423 Grand Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080

Sodini's Bertoluccis Ristorante
421 Cypress Avenue, South San Francisco, CA 94080

[Windy]

There are decent places to eat in San Bruno and Millbrae, both within a couple of miles. No need to go all the way to Burlingame unless you want to.

[vulber]

what are some good ones besides HKFL (haven't ruled that out, just trying to figure out other options). i rarely spend any time in that area....

[vulber]

also, any reports on bertolucci's?

[Robert Lauriston]

Bertolucci's is traditional Italian-American but done pretty well. Nice old-school 50s atmosphere with booths.

[Ruth Lafler]

And any recent reports on Ming's? http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/2344...

-----
Ming's Restaurant
436 San Mateo Ave, San Bruno, CA 94066

[Windy]

Asian Pearl is great. But I've only been for dim sum. It's right on the Millbrae-San Bruno border and has a parking lot in the back.

-----
Asian Pearl
3288 Pierce St, Richmond, CA 94804

[chaseshadows]

Shanghai Dumpling Shop on Broadway is a good place for Shanghai soup dumplings and Shanghai cuisine in general. The "red oil wontons" are also very good.
This restaurant has the same Chinese name as Shanghai Dumpling King on Balboa in SF, which has it's own little cult following. We've asked the workers at the SF shop and though they're not owned by the same people, the chefs were apparently trained under the same "master."

-----
Shanghai Dumpling Shop
455 Broadway, Millbrae, CA 94030

Shanghai Dumpling King
3319 Balboa St, San Francisco, CA 94121

[chuckl]

Gourmet haus staudt in redwood city has some of the best german beer and sausages on the peninsula

[scarmoza]

Mom's Tofu House, if you're in the mood for Korean.

-----
Mom's Tofu House
217 Grand Ave, South San Francisco, CA 94080

[foodsnobs]

Can I add a question to this chain..... we are taking a 6a flight into SFO and arriving at 8a Pacific time. We will be starving by the time we get our luggage/car and get on the road for Napa. Any recommendations for a great breakfast on our way out? The map says we are traveling across the Bay Bridge and through Vallejo.

[Ruth Lafler]

What day of the week? Because if it's a weekday you might want to stay south of the City and not risk getting stuck in commute traffic, but if that's not a factor there are more choices.

[foodsnobs]

We fly in Sunday morning. Thanks!

[scarmoza]

Plow is on the way there. It's not very far off from 280 (exit Mariposa), easy street parking, serves a very lovely breakfast everyday of the week - except Mondays.

Just for You is another good one with not so bad parking, not far from 280. They serve breakfast every day of the week.

-----
Just For You
732 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94107

Plow
1299 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94107

[foodsnobs]

They both sound great. Thank you so much.

[artemis]

I had brunch at Just For You last weekend - very good and well priced. The best dish on our table was my SO's daily special egg scramble with tomatoes, bell peppers and other tasty things. Just for You is next to 280 though, so it's not exactly convenient to 101/80 on the way to Napa. If you have a GPS, it will be pretty easy for you to get back on 80 via surface streets.

-----
Just For You
732 22nd St, San Francisco, CA 94107

[RWCFoodie]

http://www.eatatplow.com/

[Scrapironchef]

Joann's Cafe in South San Francisco. Great food just north of the airport area.

-----
Joann's Cafe
1131 El Camino Real, South San Francisco, CA 94080

[ROCKLES]

Nini's or Christies in Burlngame.
Marin Joes in Marin

[Robert Lauriston]

Kincaid's is a chain, one step up from hotel food. I wouldn't have high hopes for their chili dog, and for $10 you're not getting Kobe beef.

[snw]

I know this area well. I get the impression you are looking for nearby dinner recs. If you are thinking prime rib and do no want to go to San Francisco, I suggest Broadway Prime on Broadway in Burlingame, five minutes away. Much better than Gullivers, former HOPR people who copied the whole concept. Sakae is very good, as is Mingalaba in Burlingame for burmese. Not fancy, but Taste In on Broadway Burlingame has great middle eastern food. If you want a more high end meal, 231 Elllsworth in San Mateo is very good. .

-----
Sakae
243 California Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010

Broadway Prime
1316 Broadway, Burlingame, CA 94010

Mingalaba
1213 Burlingame Ave, Burlingame, CA 94010

[Ricochet Lemon]

Thanks, snw, that's really helpful.

For prime rib, I guess I'll choose Broadway Prime instead of Gulliver's (though Gulliver's seems cheaper).

If I end up at sushi, I guess I'll choose Sakae instead of Sushi Kei.

But, I'm still thinking hard about the kobe beef hot dog at Kincaid's. I wish I had some anecdotal evidence of how it was! Or, a picture of it at least!

-----
Sakae
243 California Drive, Burlingame, CA 94010

Broadway Prime
1316 Broadway, Burlingame, CA 94010

Sushi Kei
407 Broadway, Millbrae, CA 94030

[golfingfool]

I would consider Zen Bistro in Millbrae for Sushi and Japanese food. Very modern decor and it's right across the street from Sushi Kei. Walk by and take a look, if you don't like what you see then go back to Sushi Kei.

[mhuang]

I haven't found Gordon Biersch's food all that interesting, but I'm not a big burger guy -- in Palo Alto, there's a The Counter and Calafia; Califia is more "california cuisine" -- you have Lamb Burgers, and Traditional Beef Burgers, along with chicken, etc. The Counter is a build-your-own burger type place, and they're kind of a chain here.

I think Jin Sho (in Palo Alto) has some very wonderful sushi (omakase lunch is the bargain here, though pricy ~45 IIRC). Nami Nami Kappo in Mountain View on Castro is also a wonderful lunch choice -- they have great lunch specials between $12-28.

Old Port Lobster Shack in Redwood City is a recent new favorite of mine; they do a mean Maine-style Lobster Roll.

Alexander's Steakhouse in Cupertino is probably as good as House of Prime Rib, though I'd look at both menus first and see if they have what you want.

-----
Old Port Lobster Shack
851 Veterans Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94063

House of Prime Rib
1906 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94109

Gordon Biersch
2 Harrison Street, San Francisco, CA 94105

Jin Sho
454 California Ave, Palo Alto, CA

Alexander's Steakhouse
10330 N. Wolfe Road, Cupertino, CA 95014

Calafia
855 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, CA

[wolfe]

If this the hot dog to which you are referring,Smoked Kobe Beef Chili Dog with Spicy ale chili, Cheddar and Jack cheese, grilled onions, yellow mustard on a French roll, please let us know how it was.

[Ricochet Lemon]

Yup, that's the hotdog that I was referring to. If I end up there, and get it, I'll be sure to report.