special occasion omnivore dinner in SF

[guenevere51]

My husband and I will be in San Francisco in roughly 2 weeks and would like to have a nice dinner for our anniversary. After a decent bit of research, I'm having a tough time deciding on a place. Here's our parameters:

*I'm vegetarian but he's not, and I'd prefer a place that does both meat and veg well. That's been the sticking point so far. Most of the nicer restaurants that I've been reading about here on the boards seem to have vegetarian options as more of an afterthought, where I'd have to piece together a few appetizers/small plates and probably get no protein to boot.
*Open to pretty much any cuisine, but no seafood-heavy places. We're both pretty adventurous eaters and are particularly fond of Middle Eastern food.
*Good wine and/or cocktail list.
*Not so loud we'd have to shout across the table. We enjoy a lively atmosphere, but not a racket. That being said, a quiet, romantic sort of atmosphere would be fine as well.
*Would prefer not to break the bank - let's say under $150 for the 2 of us, not including drinks.
*Somewhere in the city proper; we're staying in Hayes Valley and will not have a car. MUNI is fine but would rather not have to spend an hour each way.
*Open Sunday night would be good, since that's our anniversary, but we're flexible if there's somewhere appealing that isn't open then.

Aziza had been sounding very good, but I've seen some very recent, very negative reviews from people who'd been before and previously loved it, so I'm wary of that now. Greens will likely be our fallback if we can't come up with an omni-type place.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. We're really looking forward to eating our way through the Bay Area soon!

[ceekskat]

Kokkari
http://www.kokkari.com/home/

[guenevere51]

Thanks for the suggestions. Sons & Daughters is a little more than I was hoping to spend, though it does look tempting. Commonwealth's à la carte menu didn't really do much for me, and the tasting menu is not an option for vegetarians.

AQ and Incanto's menus both look good, but I worry that Incanto might sneak in bacon fat or the like into its ostensibly vegetarian-sounding dishes.

farmersdaughter - I'm curious if your dislike of Greens is recent. We ate there during our last trip in August 2008 and had a very enjoyable meal. Maybe it was just me being overwhelmed at having more than a sad pasta dish to choose (vegetarians don't get a lot of love in Baltimore), but my husband still remembers it fondly, and he's an exceptionally dedicated lover of meat.

[Robert Lauriston]

Incanto is vegetarian-friendly, no sneaky pork. Pretty much essential in that neighborhood.

[farmersdaughter]

I was at Greens less than a year ago and had a meal I would say is just OK. The food was fine, just done with a heavy hand, and service was not as crisp as it had been on past visits. It certainly isn't as interesting as the other restaurants you are considering, which is why I would dissuade you from going. I would pick something a little more special for your anniversary. I don't think you can go wrong with either AQ or Incanto. I was just at Sons & Daughters in July and had a very special meal, but you are correct that it's a little more than your stated budget. The room is very romantic and it's a nice setting for a special meal.

[CarrieWas218]

Guenevere - Greens has taken a substantial dive since 2008 in quality and originality.

San Francisco is a VERY vegetarian-friendly city and most of the high-end and special occasion restaurants will have some exceptional vegetarian options for you. That said, I would recommend Aziza.

[guenevere51]

FD & Carrie, thanks for the feedback about Greens. That's really disappointing to hear that it's gone downhill. I've been a fan ever since my aunt, a Bay Area resident and foodie before her time, bought me the Fields of Greens cookbook when I was still a teenager quite a few years ago. *cough*

Has anyone eaten at Aziza fairly recently to report? As I'd mentioned, that was my original choice before I found some very poor recent reviews. Red flags included sloppy service and small portions for the price, particularly for the duck basteeya.

Another question: thoughts on recommended attire? I keep reading about how San Franciscans tend to dress casually in restaurants, but I'm wondering if that holds true for these higher-end places as well.

[CarrieWas218]

Yes, even higher-end places tend towards the casual dresser. Maybe a guy will wear a jacket but many are seen in jeans and button-down shirts.

Like you, I got the Field of Greens book after my first experience over twenty years ago. The problem is that they have gotten mired in their reputation and the time of being a vegetarian restaurant coming out of the late 70s and have changed little since then. With so many restaurants sourcing from local farmers and offering great farm-to-table offerings, there is nothing innovative or original at Greens anymore.

[Robert Lauriston]

In SF, regardless of the price range or fanciness, some people will be dressed very casually, but at any of the places mentioned here you won't be out of place if you feel like dressing up either.

You think Field of Greens dates you? The original Greens cookbook by Deborah Madison and Edward Espe Brown came out in 1987.

[Kirk_T]

Was at Aziza a couple of months ago, and thought the service was terrific. We asked quite a few questions to our waitress, and she answered them pleasantly and with great knowledge about the menu.

As for the basteeya, it's listed under the appetizers, but it seems pretty close to an entree size. We ordered two entrees in addition to the basteeya, and agreed that next time, we'd just order the basteeya as one of our entrees. Along with the dessert (chocolate brioche french toast), it was the best thing we had that evening.

[smatbrat]

Agreed, its an Entree size. Also, if you order the dips, order xtra bread

[grayelf]

I still remember our Aziza dinner in March 2009 (can it really be so long ago?) with great fondness, particularly the cocktails. The only thing we didn't like was the lack of circulation in the front room booth we had. We were all hot and uncomfortable for the entire 2.5 hr meal. Perhaps they have addressed this in the interim?

[farmersdaughter]

How about something like Sons & Daughters or Commonwealth or AQ? Check the menus of each. Would be a nice special meal. I have been to all within the past three months and they are terrific. Please don't go to Greens. It's just not that good - heavy and uninspired cooking.

[Robert Lauriston]

Incanto, despite its reputation as offal central, does great vegetable and vegetarian dishes.

http://incanto.biz/food-wine/sample-m...