Looking for some happy hour / dinner recs --- First San Francisco / Wine Country trip coming right up.

[JFarah]

Hello all,

My husband and I will be heading over to SF from Miami in May for our 2 year anniversary. Looking for some help with the planning of our trip...I'm so overwhelmed with the options available!

We will spend our first 2 days in Wine country... Staying at the Ivy Hotel in Napa. Right now, I have reservations for the wine tour & tasting @ Schramsberg upon our arrival on Wednesday. Looking for another couple of wineries to visit in the Napa & Sonoma area. Would love some suggestions on wineries that are worth a visit and not too expensive, but definitely offer something special. We enjoy both red and white wines, so any and all suggestions are welcome. To be more specific, I prefer cabernets & pinot noirs to merlots.... I also prefer sauvignon blancs to chardonnays, but am willing to try anything while there.

On Thursday night, we have reservations for Bottega - Michael Chiarello's restaurant. Looking for a place to dine at on Wednesday night in Wine Country- something more casual and in the $$ range rather than the $$$-$$$$.

On our way into SF on Fri, we're going to stop at Pt. Reyes for a hike and thought it would be fun to go to the Hog Island Oyster Farm for a lunch/ picnic. Will continue on into the city & check into our hotel in Union Square. Looking for a fun happy hour spot for that night. I read about Barrique in F&W magazine & it sounded interesting. Is that a good Fri happy hour spot? Any other suggestions? Thinking about doing sushi for dinner after happy hour and have seen several recommendations on this board that are quite pricey. Any options out there that are good and not quite at the $$$-$$$$ range? Looking for fresh fish - authentic sushi is great, but it would also be great if they offered some fusion / interesting rolls.

We'll probably head into Chinatown on Saturday for lunch -- Thinking about Golden Star Vietnamese for some pho. Is there a better place in the area for Pho or noodle soup?

Will do Sunday lunch @ Yank Sing on Spear St. as it's been mentioned repeatedly on the board and appears to be a well liked option for dim sum.

One last thing... Looking for a cute, quaint, romantic restaurant for dinner on Saturday night, since it will be our final dinner in SF before we head back home. Open to any and all suggestions here.... up to the $$$ ok.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions! As you can see, I am all over the place.

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Yank Sing
49 Stevenson St Ste Stlv, San Francisco, CA 94105

Bottega
6525 Washington Street Suite A9, Yountville, CA 94599

Golden Star Vietnamese Restaurant
11 Walter U Lum Pl, San Francisco, CA 94108

Barrique
461 Pacific Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

[chuckl]

For fresh fish i'd suggest bar tartine on divisadero. They have a happy hour too. Closer to union square, you might try anchor and hope.

[mariacarmen]

I like Artesa in Napa - beautiful, different tasting room, and I've always loved their pinots.
http://www.artesawinery.com/index1.html

In Yountville, check out Bistro Jeanty - cozy, delicious French country cooking. I don't consider it a super expensive restaurant, but i can't compare it to Bottega since they don't list their prices...

Near your hotel, if the nice weather holds up - Belden Place is a nice place for happy hour - it's a row of restaurants in an alley, very lively atmosphere, European. I've heard good things about Gitane, nearby, but haven't been myself. Both will be packed on a Friday night.

Saturday, you really should check out our justly famous Farmers Market at the Ferry Plaza Building. It knocks everyone's socks off who goes there! Make a morning of it, snack, and then if you're still hungry, go to Chinatown. I'm not familiar with Golden Star - my favorite Vietnamese places are Bodega Bistro, Out the Door (actually IN the mall food court, but the food's great) - but not Slanted Door - although others will totally disagree - SD has a great view, better vibe than being in a mall, and i would have to agree, but i don't like SD), and Sunflower (very casual, tho, in the Mission District.

Don't know much sushi in that area, expensive or not.... and i can't think of any cute romantic places right now! others will chime in.

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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111

Bodega Bistro
607 Larkin St, San Francisco, CA 94109

Belden Place
44 Belden Pl, San Francisco, CA 94104

Bistro Jeanty
6510 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599

Golden Star Cafe
1400 MacDonald Ave, Richmond, CA 94801

Out the Door
845 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103

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

Bottega
6525 Washington Street Suite A9, Yountville, CA 94599

[CarrieWas218]

I love Bistro Jeanty but would put it in the same price bracket at Bottega.

Honestly, your best bet would be to head to Oxbow Market and nosh around there; C Casa, Hog Island (save you a bit of a drive), Pica Pica, and Ca'Momi would provide some great noshing for considerably less money than a formal sit down.

The other "budget" restaurant which I keep touting (and am eating at tonight) is Grace's Table. Very low-key, no white tablecloths, and consistently busy with locals who like great food without $35+ entree prices.

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Bistro Jeanty
6510 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599

Bottega
6525 Washington Street Suite A9, Yountville, CA 94599

C Casa
644 1st St, Napa, CA 94559

Grace's Table
1400 2nd St, Napa, CA 94559