Dining on Nob Hill &/or Union Square, San Francisco - help, please?
 

Has anyone eaten at the Laurel Court Restaurant at the Fairmont?? Went by there recently, & it seemed *very* quiet. Not sure if this is a reflection of the food, or of the economy?

Any reviews for other Nob Hill restaurants, such as Fournou's Ovens (at the Stanford Court)? Trying to figure out a couple of nice spots to hit, while staying at the Fairmont, for my Mom's 80th b-day. (having a family reunion, with a bunch of children, too, (6) so not sure the Ritz is quite appropriate)

Might do tea at the Fairmont...
but heard a negative review of it, it seems.
Pizza in the area? Uncle Vito's, perhaps? Maybe you have a favorite dining spot on Union Square you'd recommend more for our group? (18 people in total w/the kids)

Any dining assistance would be most appreciated. Thank you!!! :-)

Try The Cheese Factory.

Group dining with kids at US is tough at best.

Tea at the Fairmont is fabulous...not with kids though. The Ritz has an excellent tea AND they have a "special" tea time for those with kids.

Enjoy your travels!

Thanks for the tea review!
Probably won't be doing tea w/the kids. However, they *did* do it at the Empress in Victoria, once, & it went pretty well.

Cheese Factory...you've got to be kidding, right?! ;-)
They can handle a WHOLE lot more than that, without disturbing other diners.

Any other restaurant reviews, folks?

Hi R, I would also post your question at chowhound.com; lots of good advice over there.

It will be a challenge to find a place to host 18 people -- maybe Farallon has a private room? Without knowing your price range, I would suggest you also check out Shanghai 1930 and Kokkari; both are within a mile or 2 of Union Square and can probably handle a party your size. I was at Kokkari again yesterday and it was really great.

Good luck and have fun!

This is probably not appropriate, but there's a Wolfgang Puck Express Marketplace in the basement of Macy's in Union Square. It's definitely casual, though.

It's not really a restaurant, but my girlfriend and I enjoyed the Top of the Mark at the Mark Hopkins Intercontinental, just across from the Fairmont. HUGE prawn platters, great cocktails, etc. We drank ourselves silly on our first night in SF and lived to tell! :-)

You might try the Tadich Grill and see if they have a private room.

Thank you everyone for the ideas!! :-)
Was hoping not to have to take many cars out, in order to get to dinner from Nob Hill, as the parking situation can be a bear...and with *so* many people in our party, kids, etc.

I know for my mom, who only gets around w/a walker, that we'll HAVE to take a car. For the others, was hoping they could walk or take cable car from Nob Hill to wherever we go. I'll check into some of these ideas. So, far haven't had much luck w/the places I'd heard about close to the Fairmont. (eg. Scala's at the Sir Francis would have to seat us at 3 separate tables & possibly not even in the same room together!) Appreciated you taking the time to share ideas...thanks again!

Hello R:

Ooops???? on The Cheesefactory?

I rarely opt to dine publically with extended family and the "minors" for various reasons...oh, public picnics, camping trips and urban street festivals are the ONLY exceptions to the rule...

I did get dupped into a situation to celebrate a family "something" and the "minors" attended AND this dining event was very successful at The Cheesefactory in SF which is located "ontop" of Macy's.
It is nice, it worked, hence, I made the suggestion.

Tea at The Empress, years ago, with our darling son was excellent!

As posted previously (2001 & 2002)we have done Tea with our child and his friends at the Ritz, Fairmont and at Neiman Marcus in US so I know kids can dine "appropriately".

I hope your event is successful. What a great celebration.

You may consider Chinatown in SF. I know that the restaurants can do upscale to noscale preparations for families of all sizes, budgets etc.

Best Wishes

Oaktown

Sincerest apologies, Oaktown Traveler! I misunderstood your original posting, & thought of some cheese named place, like Chuck E. Cheese's, or similar.
;-) Oops! Sorry I didn't think about or remember the Cheesecake Factory in Macy's, which is clearly now, what you were referring to. Just leaving that little bit of the name off, shouldn't have thrown me so much! (guess it's the 'stress' over trying to pull this family reunion/80th bday thing off okay)

That IS a good suggestion. I've even thought about it, too. Haven't called yet, but will. It *can* be a bit of a zoo, as they don't usually let you reserve tables (or didn't use to let you). However, for a large group, I'm sure that's not the case. And, it was a very pretty interior, I remember! (been there once) I hesitated calling it, I think, as half of our group is from southern Calif. where Cheesecake Factories are pretty common. I was hoping to make this sort of Bay Area "unique." But, again, w/our size group, that's not been easy. And, I *did* think this Cheesecake Factory was much more snazzy than ones I'd seen in Southern Calif. Thanks for being so polite, after I seemed so dismissive of your suggestion, when I thought you were suggesting a kid's pizza place chain. That just didn't seem like it had enough 'local flavor.' Appreciate your ideas & feedback again on the tea....thrilled to hear the Fairmont's was okay, after having read one negative review. Did you happen to do tea there fairly recently? Thanks again for being so gracious... :-)

North Beach, The Stinking Rose (i.e. garlic) for Italian food. Or one of the 3 restaurants on Belden Place (between Kearny/Montgomery & Pine/Bush) very near Union Square.

W/ 18 folks I'd sure call ahead but Stinking Rose has large picnic table style seating and a fixed price menu (very good) and Belden Place has 3 different restaurants with outside seating in the alleyway between them all, besides the restaurants indoors.

Was just down last month from Seattle.

R:

I am laughing so hard and it is not because it is 4:24am either...TOO FUNNY!

I told my darling Husband that I had "messed-up" and he said to not worry it is only "cyberspace".

Next, we actually put our heads together to try and come up with something more to your liking...

My maternal Gandma passed right before her 80th so,...I FELT REALLY BAD that I had offended you...

On a brighter note, thanks for the good laugh.

We did do Tea at the Fairmont during the December Holiday season...most restaurants do try and put their best foot forward at that time of year...most.

My Junior League had an event there in the Spring and we did have Tea then...but, it was the Junior League and we do give them "the business".

Ok, got it!!! Tell them you are in "The League" and you will be just fine!(GIGGLE)

Seriously, give them a try...I do like The Ritz better and if your "heirs" are good in public then I say...The Ritz.

The Stinkin Rose is Fab.
This is really the name of the restaurant...really (HUGE SMILE)

My Best

Oaktown Traveler

And what about asking the concierge for recommendations including having a dinner catered in the hotel for your family.

Thanks for the ideas! :-)
Still no one who has eaten at Fornou's Ovens or the Laurel Court restaurant at the Fairmont? Kinda surprising. Makes me wonder if they aren't that great...

I have entertained large groups at the Waterfront Restaurant (on the Embarcadero). The food is good and pretty reasonably priced. They can accomodate large groups and have parking for a reasonable fee. You might want to go early so it is a little quieter. Some in your group could walk or take the F line. I haven't used it for a party, but the Carnelian Room at the Bank of America Center would be very "San Francisco" - with a great view. The Boulevard has valet parking and a private dining room. It's expensive, but wonderful.

No one I know has ever eaten at those restaurants. Belden Place is adorable, combines Bay Area charm with European flair. Instead of eating outside (weather can be iffy), try Cafe 52 on Belden Place. Not a fancy name, but very nice restaurant, and they can accomodate large groups upstairs. Very good food. Do an internet search for more info. A website I use a lot for local reviews of neighborhood restaurants is www.sfgate.com. You can search by neighborhoods.

http://sanfrancisco.citysearch.com/profile/35815950/

The more I think about it, the more I think this is perfect for you.

Thank you...I'm checking it out for sure & the Waterfront place. :-)

Wow, this discussion really nibbles around the edges of terrific restaurants in SF, and never quite bites into the center.

May I suggest you look at a Zagats, but just for starters, and see what's available. This will help you get organized. The best places in SF, not the most expensive necessarily, are not even being mentioned.

Rather than go into a list, I recommend you do some research on this website and you will find a ton of great suggestions. This issue has been discussed repeatedly over the past 2-3 years.

If you believe terrific restaurants are on Nob Hill or in Union Square, you are mistaken. Come on SF dwellers, give this person some useful help.

Just an idea. Good hunting.

Don't overlook chowhound.com for restaurant reviews. Gets very heavy postings from SF foodies.