San Francisco in July

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
21

I’m staying nearby for one night in June. Solo diner on a Tuesday night, can I just show up?

Michael

22

Love Atelier Crenn. I think Danko gets a bit of a bad rep b/c it hasn’t changed in years. The food is always very good but it wouldn’t be at the top of my list, either. Boulevard and RN74 last year were very good.

23

maybe… but best to call ahead for a seat at the counter.

24

If we wanted to do a tasting menu, but without the $175++ per person price tag, what would be the best option?

25

what about places you might actually have a chance at getting into same day (today/saturday) after 7pm

26

La Folie for french.

27

There are many places that have no-reservations seating for the bar. Full menu and service.

28

I’ve been to Saison twice; loved it the first time, the second time I was not wowed. Unami can get motononous if that’s all there is.

I like but don’t love Cotogna as I prefer something other than meat. Perbacco is one of my favorites (as is Quince), still my #1 choice is Boulevard.

Perbacco has tables today at 9pm

29

My favorites have been mentioned.

Here are more votes for:

Commonwealth
Rich Table
La Ciccia

None of these are going to wow you or make you feel like royalty with their atmosphere, but if uncommonly great food and interesting wine is what you’re after, these would be at the top of my list.

30

And I just took that 9pm table, but don’t know if I can stay awake that long.

31

Quince’s 5-course Seasonal Menu is $130 I think, and is excellent.

32

If you guys are adventurous eaters and up for something very casual, you might try Mission Street Chinese.
It won’t be the fanciest place you eat, but it might be the most delicious. Supremely inventive and affordable Added bonus: $8 corkage.
http://missionchinesefood.com/sf/
I’m just a tourist, too, but also would plug Arlequin wine shop. A very good wine shop that has a courtyard with tables in back where they’ll open your just purchased wine for free. Nice respite in the city.

33

Thanks again all. I’m excited for the trip even though its still two months away!

34

One tip, though. Don’t call it San Fran (or even worse, Frisco). [snort.gif]

35

I was wondering when someone was going to mention that! “The City” works well, “SF” if you must, and just plain ol’ “San Francisco” will never get you into trouble! San Francisco is a great city. Hope you have an equally great time.
[cheers.gif]

36

I’m gonna go on calling it San Fran.

37

My wife and have lived in SF for seven years, and we love to eat out. I agree with the general consensus advice above but thought I’d offer the perspective of a resident who has eaten at most of these restaurants several times.

Right now, in my mind, the best restaurant in the city is Quince. We ate there two weeks ago and had the best meal we’ve had in the past 12 months. We’ve dined there 4 times now, and it has gotten better each time. If you’re up for a big night, I think this is the place to do it. The sister restaurant next door (Cotogna) is also great and much more casual at a much lower price point. Just note: despite it’s pedigree, Quince is not an “Italian” restaurant anymore.

If you are interested in very high-end Italian, you’re better off at Acquerello, which is a true classic. The best sommeliers at Acquerello as much about Italian wine as anyone in the world.

Gary Danko is tired and touristy. We don’t plan to go back after our last two experiences have been quite bad.

I agree that if you want something French-leaning, that La Folie is much better. For a long time, La Folie was our favorite restaurant in the city. I’ve eaten there 8-9 times now, and it’s a little less exciting to me now that I’ve had everything on the menu a few times, but it’s a great place.

Saison, Coi, and Benu are each extremely inventive and capable of providing you with a meal unlike anything you have ever had in your life. Among the 3, Saison is my favorite, but it’s incredibly expensive, and the last time we went, we left feeling for the first time that it just is not worth the price, no matter how good our food was.

A few more favorites, most of which have already been listed, you can’t go wrong with:

  1. La Ciccia – Sardinian. Outstanding, affordable, and unique. I recommend it to just about everyone who visits.

  2. Piperade – Basque. For some reason it flies under the radar. The food is fantastic, the space is lovely, and it’s relatively easy to get a reservation.

  3. Contigo – Catalan/Spanish tapas. Also flies under the radar, but this is our absolute favorite place to go with friends for a fun night in a casual setting. Ask questions about the wine; the wine director is awesome, and if you show an interest, he’ll let you taste just about anything and loves introducing people to interesting wines they have never heard of.

  4. Rich Table – Californian. last year’s hot restaurant (along with State Bird Provisions). This restaurant will give you a good idea of what the current trend is in San Francisco. Extremely high-end food in a verycasual setting. Prices are reasonable. Has a bit of the hipster vibe, but not obnoxious.

  5. Bar Tartine – Californian/Hungarian/Japanese. I love this place. It’s one of the most inventive restaurants I’ve ever visited, but it feels like a neighborhood restaurant. Similar vibe to Rich Table. Another place I recommend all the time because, unlike all the Cal-Ital places around the city (which I do love), the food you’ll get here you won’t be able to get anywhere else in the world.

  6. Mamacita – Fancy Mexican. I’ve probably eaten here a dozen times, and it’s been awesome every time. Really good food. It’s noisy and gets a bet raucous as the night goes on, but I still think it’s the best place to get a fine-dining interpretation of Mexican food in San Francisco. If you are interested in high end Mexican in a slightly more conservative mode, Nopalito is also really, really good.

38

Awesome post. Thank you. I’m going to save for future reference.

39

Damn hick from P-town. [snort.gif]

40

Michael Bauer/SF Chronicle just released the latest version of his Top 100 Restaurant list for the Bay Area (fwiw), published yesterday in the Chron. Not available online yet unless you are a paid subscriber to the Chron website, but should be available (for free) on the sfgate website in about a month. w/o having it in front of me I’d say many/most of the recommendations above are on it. Danko is also still on there, which may or may not speak to the overall validity of his reccs.