<<<you can take the 82 (if I recall the # correctly)>>>

Not quite. Take 92 (not 82) toward San Mateo (not Palo Alto) :-). You can then head to Napa either via 280 (19th Avenue - Golden Gate Bridge) or via 101 (Bay Bridge)

Thanks Tom, ohh im going to get very tempted when i click on that FL link :-)

and thanks for directions too :-)

Actually - from Half Moon Bay - via 82 over the hill - you first come to the 280 freeway - which is a pretty drive in to SF and then on to Napa over the Golden Gate. see: http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Ha...20Bay&state=CA

And just read your last post. There are plenty of good places to dine that are not super pricey - so just ask/google, etc and you should have plenty of choices/recommendations.

I usually like to include one 3 star type place and then find the bargains - that are still fine places to dine. :)

For a very good but much less expensive dinner in Yountville, try Redd.

OTOH, we have twice been very disappointed by the baked goods at Bouchon Bakery.

all this help pretty cool, maybe i wont need a GPS....thanks sf7307!

LOL. Speaking of more recommendations. You could fill a book with what the SF7307 and others from SF can recommend. :)

Same goes for here in SD - and if you want good fish - with a great view - you can go to the Fish Market - next to the USS Midway- along the Embarcadero - or if you want more gourmet - go upstairs to their gourmet - Top of the Market. :)

IMO - doesn't get any better than those two choices for fish.

Tom, yeah it would be nice to have the three star experience in California....ooh this is going to be difficult

sf307. Redd- ok cool will check it out thanks!

Here is the webpage for the Fish Market - which has a case from which they sell fresh fish - and also - a shushi bar. So many choices. :)

I know the head Sushi Chef - and he is super. He gives a demonstration during Day at the Docks - in Pt. Loma - and gave some good tips to my wife for making sushi when I bring home a Bluefin or a Yellowfin tuna - or a Yellowtail/Hamachi. :)

http://www.thefishmarket.com/locations.aspx?id=6

oh my so many places!! wow not sure how i will ever pick the ones to go for

We also like the look of the Santa Barbara fish company on the pier so hoping they will be good. Would you say seafood is going to be pretty dominant then? we are quite keen on some good mexican and london is pretty poor in the mexican food department in my opinion and we hear California does it pretty well

tom, cool have added to my bookmarks :-) ta!

This is a local "joint", but it's great. I'm not suggesting you go out of your way to go there, but if you happen to be passing by the airport area (SFO) on your way from somewhere to somewhere else. The food is excellent, not your run-of-the-mill Mexican at all.

http://www.donpicosbistro.com/

I know you're in the advance planning stages, and here we are jumping in with restaurant recs! So of course you'll have plenty of time to determine the big meals... But while I'm thinking of it, for on-the-fly decisions:

I always find Yelp.com restaurant listings helpful when I'm in an unfamiliar area. Their smartphone app with the "nearby" feature helped us find a great local seafood joint on a random beach day (among other finds), though IMO it's not as easy an interface as the full site - and of course requires paying for data.

Here in NYC, menupages.com is an even better resource. I know they also cover LA and SF, but can't vouch for those personally.

// IMO, Malibu Seafood would fit the Man vs. Food (or Dives, Diners and Drive-ins) bill!
:)

hmmmm looks good, maybe we can get a late flight home from SF :-)

You can find good/"inexpensive" Mexican food everywhere in So Cal - and elsewhere in Cal - including SF - and there used to be some great little places out in the Mission but I think many of those have gone more upscale now.

For a great little place here in SD (semi hole in the wall) - try El Zarape on Park Ave - (great fish tacos) - or our favorite now - reasonably priced and very good quality - is Casa Guadalajara by old town. We (with my sister) - had a marvelous dinner at Casa Guadalajara before we left on our trip - and went to a nicely recommended place in Sedona - which was good but not the quality of what we had in Casa G.

Will post the webpages in a bit as when I go to try and retreive them - I lose this post.

dives, diners and drive inn....this is new to me. Do you mean there is another similar show i didn't know about!! :-)

bookmarked your links too

Tom, thanks again

i am uber keen.... http://www.casaguadalajara.com/

looks yummy

uh oh! ;)

I may have the order of the names wrong. But yeah, and they've even been to some of my own local places here on the east coast!

see: http://elzarape.menutoeat.com/ and http://www.yelp.com/biz/el-zarape-san-diego

and forgot about the great Marichi band at Casa Guadalajara: http://www.casaguadalajara.com/

I had the 3 combo dinner special ($10.99 as I recall) - and it was uber delicious. :)

(LOL - I used uber even before reading your last post. :))

<<<I always find Yelp.com restaurant listings helpful when I'm in an unfamiliar area. Their smartphone app with the "nearby" feature helped us find a great local seafood joint on a random beach day (among other finds), though IMO it's not as easy an interface as the full site - and of course requires paying for data>>>

I used yelp recently when we were back east very successfully -- picked among nearby restaurants, and found at least 4 very good choices (even a Thai place in a suburb of Albany, and a terrific ice cream place in Cold Spring). You do have to read the actual reviews though, not just look at the stars.

Besides Yelp - as ggr suggests - I also like chowhound. Between those two - and just googling the name of a place - you can find mucho info. www.chowhound.com, I believe is the webpage.