Homey/Romantic/Comfort-food Restaurant for my Parents Anniversary
My parents will be visiting San Francisco this weekend for their 29th wedding anniversary. They were going to go to their stand-by "fancy" restaurant in the bay, The House of Prime Rib, but after 29 years I think it's time they mix it up a bit! They are unpretentious, sorta simple, comfort food eaters and I would love to set them up with reservations some place different, but not too different :) What I'm looking for is probably a steakhouse, seafood or American eatery maybe even Italian, somewhere very "San Francisco-ish", comfortable, romantic, warm and inviting, with a menu that will give them good options but not overwhelm. Places I was considering were Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Lark Creek Steaks, Bourbon Steak etc...does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you :)
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House of Prime Rib
1906 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco, CA 94109
Lark Creek Steak
845 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103
By kcdpg03
on Sep 6, 2011 10:10 AM
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Alfred's? Harris'? Wayfare Tavern? Hayes St. Grill?
Ruth's Chris is an out-of-town chain.
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Harris' Restaurant
2100 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94109
Hayes Street Grill
324 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Alfred's Steak House
659 Merchant St., San Francisco, CA 94111
Wayfare Tavern
558 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
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Boulevard
Hayes Street Grill isn't very festive and will be slammed with the opera gala this weekend.
(And whatever you choose, do call the restaurant and let them know it's an anniversary.)
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I think Boulevard is an excellent idea -- it's elegant and romantic (or can be, with the right table) and the menu is a little more interesting than a steak house but still very accessible.
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Not SF, but it sounds like Buckeye Roadhouse just over the bridge would fit your bill.
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Buckeye Roadhouse
15 Shoreline Highway, Mill Valley, CA 94941
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Why? I had an OK meal at Buckeye but had no desire to return. Seemed very professionally run but had a slightly corporate vibe, kind of like a hotel restaurant.
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Sorry to hear that. I get more of a lodge feel with excellent comfort food turned up a notch. I am always happy to return.
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Sounds like Zuni would fit the bill. You mentioned Italian as well as unpretentious and comfort food. You can get all of that at Zuni. Not much to intimidate and certainly SF-ish (it's been around for years). Have they ever been?
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Zuni Cafe
1658 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
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Thank you all for your fantastic suggestions! I thought the Wayfare Tavern was perfect after looking at the menu and photos online, but unfortunately it was booked solid! I sent my parents links to the other suggestions and they decided on Harris' Restaurant, I was surprised! It looks incredibly fancy, but they are really excited to do it up for their anniversary. I hope to surprise them in their hotel room with cupcakes from Miette :) Thank you all very much!
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Wayfare Tavern
558 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
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La Ciccia fits your bill if Italian (in this case, Sardinian) works, but it might be a bit out of their comfort range. Boulevard would work but is more expensive. Don't send them to any of the steak houses you mention; imo, easily the best steakhouse in SF is Harris'. And it is also an SF institution. Again, though, not cheap.
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La Ciccia
291 30th Street, San Francisco, CA 94131
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The people at La Ciccia are so friendly it's hard to imagine it being out of anyone's comfort zone, unless they're exceptionally narrow-minded about food.
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La Ciccia
291 30th Street, San Francisco, CA 94131
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Yes, obviously it fits "comfortable [ ] warm and inviting". Though Italian was mentioned, the fact that so much emphasis was put on steakhouses gave me some pause -- obviously it is not the "traditional" American-Italian eatery.
The parents probably made the right decision with Harris' . If their idea of a good meal out is a nice steak house and they are comfortable with the price, I fully believe that is the best steakhouse in town; though personally, I don't dine there often for both purely economic reasons and the fact that when I am spending that kind of money, a place like Ame -- which would not be appropriate in this case -- is more to my own personal liking.
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