San Francisco Restaurant advice...

[josephml1]

Hello everyone...

I am looking for an advice about where to eat in San Francisco I am going to stay in the Westin on Market st, but I will have a car... and I don´t mind to drive.

My personal preferences:
One good Chinese...
A good but moderate price steak house.
A good traditional homemade Italian Restaurant.
Fast food like a good cheeseburger.
If you also have any favorite place for breakfast, lunch or a most go in SF please mention it.
Mhhh also a good place to buy some desert

I am a big fan of the public markets with food...If you have any good choices please let me know.

As always I am open to suggestions by locals all the counseling and advice is welcome and truly appreciated.

Thank you all.

[josephml1]

How is the crab in the fishermans wharf? Does anyone remember how much it cost and if it worth it.

[c oliver]

Local crab season is over. What you will get would be from probably Washington State. Still good though.

[josephml1]

One more question...Where I can eat a good salt and pepper crab?
:),

[wolfe]

Kim Thanh.
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/7721...

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Kim Thanh
607 Geary St, San Francisco, CA 94102

[josephml1]

Nice link...thanks.

[CarrieWas218]

PPQ Dungeness - specializes in crab and especially salt & pepper crab!

[Civil Bear]

PPQ serves peppercorn crab. It's probably my favorite crab dish in the City, but it is different from the salt & pepper crabs found at R&G Lounge and other Chinese restaurants.

[ML8000]

I think the salt and pepper crab at R&G Lounge is the best...but it isn't cheap.

[bbulkow]

I would dearly like to know how to eat a chinese style crab without making a complete mess of myself. I'm used to eating blue crab by the dozen with my fingers, so can pick a crab, but any of the preps like garlic sauce get everywhere. Salt and Pepper isn't so bad.

[CarrieWas218]

It is an impossible dream. I've never seen anyone eat Chinese crab without needing the cleaning bowls after...

[ML8000]

S&P crab isn't bad but anything sauced and wok cooked...I avoid, unless they have hot towels as CW218 mentions (and I ask for extras). Sauced crab is not only messy but dangerous given how slippery it is...flying crab leg anyone? Heck if I could make it at home...I'd avoid or just wear a bathrobe while eating.

[MeredithR]

Steak: Harris' Steak House
Chinese: R&G Lounge or Sam Wo's for late night
Pasta: Flour & Water or Delfina Restaurant
Brunch: Town's End or Mama's Restaurant (both in SF) or Dip Sea Cafe (Marin)

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

Sam Wo Restaurant
813 Washington Street, San Francisco, CA 94108

[josephml1]

Excellent choices, thansk for taking the time to post in this thread your contribution is very useful
:)

[AdamD]

Since you have a car, drive up to Marshall on tomales bay and get some oysters at the marshall general store or the tomales bay oyster co. Bring your own wine and sit outside=awesome!

[josephml1]

Love your post Thanks for sharing Definitive I will try it... :)

[Keesey]

I'll try to give you some local recs and suggest restaurants that aren't repeated over and over.

Chinese - Hakka Restaurant, Kingdom of Dumpling
Steak - I rarely eat steak, but I love HOPR. But since it's pretty pricey and it's difficult to snag a table, drive down to Broadway Prime in Burlingame.
Italian - Da Flora.
Cheeseburger - In n Out (mainly a West Coast chain). Broken Record makes a fine burger though. Bob's Burger, total greasy spoon kind of place.
Breakfast/Brunch - Olea makes a custard french toast to die for. The Butler and The Chef Bistro makes the best Croque Monsieur I've ever had.
Markets - No better one then the Ferry Bldg Farmer's Market on Saturday's. On a much smaller scale try the Stonestown Farmer's Market on Sunday's 9am-1pm. http://www.agriculturalinstitute.org/...

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Kingdom of Dumpling
1713 Taraval St, San Francisco, CA

Broadway Prime
1316 Broadway, Burlingame, CA 94010

Da Flora
701 Columbus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94133

Olea
1494 California Street, San Francisco, CA

Broken Record
1166 Geneva Ave, San Francisco, CA

[Robert Lauriston]

It's easy to get a table at House of Prime Rib, just make a reservation.

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

[josephml1]

Excellent choices...thank you very much for sharing..I am taking notes.

[Civil Bear]

Just a note that House of Prime Rib does not serve steak other than prime rib. It is also a bargain compared to most steak houses of its caliber since the salad and sides are included in the price. I would recommend it for someone wanting good prime rib in a San Francisco institution.

Probably the best bang for the buck steak house in the City would be Izzy's in the marina district.

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

Izzy's Steaks & Chops
3345 Steiner St., San Francisco, CA 94123

[bobpantzer]

I concur with both Civil Bear's paragraphs. Love HOPR for what it is and Izzy's is our favorite place for a reasonably priced steak. I like Izzy's creamed spinach better thatn HOPR version and Izzy's potatoes are excellent,.

[Robert Lauriston]

House of Prime Rib does not serve steak, period. The only choice other than roast beef is a fish of the day.

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

[Civil Bear]

Sorry I wasn't clear enough. I was afraid if I said HOPR didn't serve steak someone would reply they serve prime rib.

Webster's definition of a steak:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictio...
"1 a : a slice of meat cut from a fleshy part of a beef carcass"

To some that could include a slice of prime rib.

[Robert Lauriston]

If you slice a piece of raw meat off a prime rib roast, that's a prime rib steak. If you cook the roast first, it's a slice of roast beef.

[Civil Bear]

Although I believe your are technically correct, most slices of roast beef aren't cut to the size of a steak and plated to resemble one.

[Robert Lauriston]

It's quite traditional to serve prime rib roast in thick, bone-in slices, au jus, with horseradish sauce and Yorkshire pudding. HOPR can satisfy a craving for that dish.

[DavidT]

I would suggest going to the upper right hand corner of this page and doing searches for each of items you have mentioned (Chinese, steak house, burger, breakfast, etc.). You will find there are hundreds of suggestions already here and available to you.

Here is a recent thread on burgers:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/776932

Here is a thread on breakfast:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/725619

[doubledeuce80]

Here are my picks:

1. Chinese- Yank Tsing for Dim Sum (Embarcadero location) or San Tung Chinese (dry fried chicken, honey walnut shrimp, stir fried green beans, etc...) or Bund Shanghai in Chinatown or Shanghai Soup Dumpling for Xiao Long Bao

2. Steak- Harris restaurant.. u may not consider it moderate price but blew away orther steak dinners I've had in San Francisco (steak scene one of letdowns for me of living in SF)

3. Don't know for homemade Italian per se? My favorite Italian places are Perbacco/Barbacco, Quince, or for more low-key local Jackson Fillmore Trattoria

4 Cheeseburger: I like Joe's Cable Car (admittedly only person on this board that seems to like it). Also, hamburguesa at Don Pisto's in North Beach is sooo good (though more of Mexican take on a burger). For fancier burgers people seem to like Zuni or Spruce, but I haven't been, yet!

5. Brunch: My go to is Brenda's in TL. Also read a lot of great reviews about Canteen which I want to check out.

6. Dessert: Bakeries- Tartine or Schubert's. Truffles- XOX in NB is sooooooooo good. Ice Cream- Birite or Humphrey Slocombe.

7. Markets- + 1 Ferry Building Sat morning

8. If u like Crab peppercorn crab at PPQ with garlic noodles is really good. Also pizza Tony's in NB for New York Style (or any style really) or Golden Boy for Sicilian style (get the combo or clam and garlic if feel like something different. Cheap Mission Mexican food- Taqueria Vallarta on 24th (great street tacos) or La Taqueria (more fancy/expensive but good ingredients. Burritos I like Taqueria Cancun or Papolote (again more fancy/expensive, but salsa is damn good).

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Zuni Cafe
1658 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Taqueria Cancun
2288 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

Taqueria Vallarta
3033 24th St, San Francisco, CA 94110

La Taqueria
2889 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

San Tung Chinese Restaurant
1031 Irving St, San Francisco, CA 94122

Joe's Cable Car
4320 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94112

Bund Shanghai
640 Jackson St, San Francisco, CA

Jackson Fillmore Trattoria
2506 Fillmore St, San Francisco, CA 94115

Don Pisto's
510 Union St, San Francisco, CA 94133

[josephml1]

Excellent post...I am taking notes and right now I am printing your advice.

Thank again I truly appreciated...

[c oliver]

Also scroll to the bottom of this thread and there are plenty of other threads listed.

[wolfe]

Ferry Plaza Market best on Saturday Morning.
http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.c...

[josephml1]

Nice choice thanks...