In Desperate Need of Fine Dining Restaurants for Business Dinner in SF (Near Convention Center)

[yyuen]

Hi CH'ers:

My boss is at a conference in San Francisco mid-May and she's asked to research restaurants. As the dinners will be business functions, the ambiance and food are important, and there is no cap on the price.

However, there are some requirements:

1. has to be within 15-min. walk from Moscone Center

2. can't be a restaurant inside a hotel

3. no tasting menu (although prix-fixe menu is okay)

I've looked at many restaurants but none of them are to his liking, so I need your help.

I've suggested and his comments:

Fleur de Lys – doesn’t like décor
Boulevard – on the waitlist for a large table
Masa's
Michael Mina
Quince – too far
Benu – not into Japanese fusion
Salt House
Gary Danko – too far
La Folie – too “French” – I don’t know what that means
One Market
Perbacco – don’t like the set-up of the tables; at one section (with lower ceilings), he refers the picture as it looks like a cafeteria
Prospect - don't like the booths

Are there any other restaurants I'm missing?

Thanks for your help!

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Perbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111

La Folie
2316 Polk St., San Francisco, CA 94109

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

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

Masa's Restaurant
648 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA 94108

Salt House
2 Shaw Aly, San Francisco, CA 94105

Benu
22 Hawthorne St, San Francisco, CA 94103

[thew]

benu is not japanese fusion.

[wolfe]

Maybe yyuen got hung up on the Japanese cucumber.
http://www.benusf.com/menu/a-la-carte...

[artemis]

What about Alexander's Steakhouse on Brannan? Google thinks that's a 10 minute walk, though it does involve walking under the freeway. Unlike most steakhouses, they also have strong non-steak options, too. It is also not in a hotel, though I agree with Carrie that our "hotel restaurants" are much better than a hotel restaurant normally is. But sometimes the Boss wants what S/He wants.

[yyuen]

Thanks everyone for your assistance. My boss has now said he prefers a place with a private dining room - the dinner is for 10-12 people, so a private dining room that's not TOO big would be ideal.

Unfortunately, Perbacco is not open on Sundays, which is the day the dinner is on.

Any other recommendations appreciated!

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Perbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111

[Robert Lauriston]

Maybe Boulette's Larder. At dinner they do only private events.

http://www.bouletteslarder.com/bl_eve...

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Boulettes Larder
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111

[steve h.]

Slanted Door has a lovely, glass-enclosed private dining room with views that would be ideal for your group. Food is very good. Open Sundays. Not cheap.

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Slanted Door
Ferry Slip, San Francisco, CA 94111

[bobpantzer]

Wayfare Tavern is open on Sundays and has a private room--just about a block further than Perbacco.

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Wayfare Tavern
558 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA 94111

[Ruth Lafler]

One that hasn't been mentioned: Farallon. Have you talked to Boulevard since you decided to look for private rooms? I think their wine vault is about the right size for your group. 25 Lusk that Paul suggested has a private room the right size, also.

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Farallon
450 Post Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

[ML8000]

I'd check opentable.com or www.sfpdv.com/ to see what's available...and cross reference here.

[CarrieWas218]

Depending on where your boss is coming from and his general traveling experience, I can sort of understand the "no hotel restaurant" mentality, but perhaps there is a way that the OP can advise her that after doing extensive research he/she has learned from knowledgeable sources that San Francisco's dining scene is a bit of an anomaly and that many of the better restaurants in the city are, in fact, within hotels...

Based on that, as others have suggested, Perbacco and Fifth Floor are great suggestions.

Also, considering you are trying to find something about a month away, you are going to be rather limited it what may be available. Rooms like this book up quickly.

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Perbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111

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

[nocharge]

Boulevard and One Market are both fairly safe bets for a business dinner, but a bit of a walk from Moscone. About a mile, so probably more than 15 minutes.

Fifth Floor would be ideal if not for the silly "not in a hotel" requirement.

Wouldn't do Salt House for a business dinner. Maybe Town Hall, but it can be loud, too, and I definitely wouldn't do their private dining room.

Of the places on your list, Michael Mina would make sense, as would Perbacco, but both are also a bit of a walk.

An additional suggestion: Farallon.

[pauliface]

Chez Spencer may be a little too far a walk (distance is 1.5 miles. Taxi possible? then it's 5 minutes)

But you'll definitely feel like you have gotten away from downtown, away from the whole convention scene, into a lovely SF-feeling restaurant.
And it's a great restaurant.

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Chez Spencer
82 14th St., San Francisco, CA 94103

[steve h.]

One Market.

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

[Paul H]

If Quince is "too far" - One Market is likely to be "too far".

How about 25 Lusk?

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

Twenty Five Lusk
25 Lusk, San Francisco, CA

[steve h.]

Are you sure? I usually stay at the Hyatt Embarcadero (across the street from One Market) and make it to the Moscone Center in under 20 minutes. Making the trek up to Jackson Square to Quince is a longer walk, but well worth it.

Edited to add: One Market and Quince, according to Google Maps, are equidistant from the Moscone Center. Maybe the walk up to Jackson Square just seems longer to me.

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

[Stephanie Wong]

Masa's is also in a hotel.

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Masa's Restaurant
648 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA 94108

[ceekskat]

My first two thoughts were Ame & Fifth Floor...both in hotels & former is Japanese fusion : ( On the ground floor inside the St. Regis, Ame is very sleek & stylish...perfect for business dinner.

[CG09]

Ame is far better than Fifth Floor. We had a similar business dinner at FIfth Floor tonight and it was disastrous. Horrible service, bad cocktails (that when we reported the vodka sodas tasted like predominantly water and were flat the response was "I don't believe that but I'll have them remake them), and 50/50 on good meals and bad meals at the table.

Too bad Perbacco is closed the night you need it - it consistently pleases our very picky and opinionated group! Boulevard is excellent as well if they could accomodate you. One Market was ok, definitely better than Fifth Floor by a mile! We've actually had several good meals at XYZ at the W Hotel also, and we expected not to like it because it is in the W but were pleasantly surprised. Alexander's had good food but was very pretentious (they started off with a long spiel about how elegant they consider themselves to be, and many in our group still chuckle about it -- we are here just about every month so we are making the rounds!).

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Perbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111

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

XYZ
181 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

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

[CarrieWas218]

CG09, XYZ shut down about three weeks ago - it is being remodeled and redesigned and will be called TRACE, probably a completely different iteration than what you experienced.

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XYZ
181 Third Street, San Francisco, CA 94103

[Robert Lauriston]

Perbacco is awesome. Looks nothing like a cafeteria when you're inside.

Technically, Fifth Floor is in a hotel, though you wouldn't know it.

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Perbacco
230 California St, San Francisco, CA 94111

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

[Ruth Lafler]

Fifth Floor. Apparently back in top form under a new chef and only a very short walk from Moscone.

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

[Stephanie Wong]

Isn't Fifth Floor in the Palomar Hotel? Definitely not a typical hotel restaurant, but the boss specified "not inside a hotel". Is there a separate entrance?

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

[nocharge]

You enter through the lobby and take the hotel elevator to the fifth floor.

[Ruth Lafler]

Sorry, I didn't see the "no hotel" request -- although Fifth Floor isn't a "hotel restaurant" -- it's a restaurant that happens to be in a hotel.

Salt House I think you'll find is more casual than your boss is looking for.

One Market actually sounds like exactly what your boss is looking for: upscale "new American" in a very polished setting. Plus, it has a Michelin star, which is always good when you're trying to impress people.

5A5 (steakhouse)?

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

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