dmlove

Fast food:

In n Out is better than your average fast food burger, but it's still fast food. At least the hamburgers come with "special sauce" and fresh lettuce and tomato. The french fries, however, are pathetic -- they taste like cardboard.

Noone comes to San Francisco for pizza, so that's out.

We do have Chipotle, at least in the city and near where I live -- not sure about the Sonoma area.

Other:

If you want "less expensive" food options, I'd say to stick to Mexican and Chinese.

More expensive (not extreme):

Slanted Door is wonderful - you will definitely need reservations, lunch or dinner.

We love the brunch at Foreign Cinema.

easytraveler

In Yountville (Napa Valley) - you'll find that Bistro Jeanty has good French food at a fairly good price (not inexpensive!). Do make reservations!

In Southern California there's a chain of hamburger places called ISLANDS Restaurants. A sit down restaurant where the burgers are quite good.

http://www.islandsrestaurants.com/

In-N-Out is a good recommendation. They serve healthy food, so don't go thinking you are going to get exceptional taste. It's just a good healthy hamburger at a reasonable price.

In-N-Out has a "Secret Menu":

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-N-Out_Burger_menu_items

Surfergirl

Quick question on Harris Ranch (which I saw for the umpteenth time yesterday) -- does the wind blow AWAY from the ranch?!? We put on air on circulation before hitting Coalinga due to the pong. I always wanted to stop there for a bite, but worried that my clothes would reek getting out of the car.

To the OP, we've been going different mini-5 routes the last couple of times just to break up the Hwy 5 exhaustion. Since we were heading down yesterday from SF rather than Berkeley, we took the 101 to the 152 east, stopped for a bite, rest, and fruit stop at Casa da Fruita, then over to the 5. The 152 is really a nice drive and breaks up the monotony.

Alternatively, you can continue down the 101 to the Paso Robles cut-off (41 or 46, I forget which), and stop in Paso Robles, then to the 5 and down. Takes a little longer, but beautiful scenery.

The route we went yesterday took us 6 1/2 hrs from the Marina district in SF to West L.A., including the fruit stop!

dmlove

They serve healthy food, so don't go thinking you are going to get exceptional taste. It's just a good healthy hamburger at a reasonable price.

What's healthy about the food at In N Out? Between the beef, the bun, the sauce, the cheese, the fries and the milkshake, I just don't know how it can be characterized as healthy. Adding lettuce and tomato to all of the above does NOT make it healthy!

NeoPatrick

dmlove, so true, but you left out the healthiest part -- the tomatoes (in the form of ketchup!

easytraveler

dmlove: Here's a link to In-N-Out's own website. clink on "food Quality":

http://www.in-n-out.com/default.asp

you'll see that their burgers are made of 100% beef with no additives, perservatives, etc. etc. Never frozen.

There are no cow skin, intestines, hoofs, and who-know-what-else that is ground into their meat.

Their milkshakes are equally "healthy", although a bit fattening.

Surfergirl

Their fries suck.

Surfergirl

I want to say one more thing about the Harris ranch, and this is really a random comment, but every time I pass the place, I seriously consider becoming a vegetarian again.

easytraveler

Surfergirl: yes, the smell is pretty awful.

That's the way it is with pig farms, cattle ranches...

Everyone talks dreamily about Switzerland and those wonderful mountains. Wait till you get to the countryside where those great cheeses are produced!

Suzie

The only thing In & Out can claim is that they don't use freezers. All of their food, in that sense, is fresh, not frozen. Healthy? Not likely.

lvk

Other relatively "healthy" fast food places, ie: where the chicken/fish is grilled and not fried, and serve pretty good salads & sides:

Rubio's Baja Grill, Baja Fresh, La Salsa, El Pollo Loco.

surfergirl, I always had the same question about Harris Ranch. I can't drive through that area fast enough, and could not imagine actually stopping there. Other posters have assured me that the stench doesn't carry to the restaurant, but I don't know......

psy_dr

In & Out burger sounds like a great fast-food option. I looked at their website & it does say "100% beef - never frozen, no additives, fillers, etc." Sounds just right since they have a ton of locations throughout California. And thanks for the secret menu link --- too funny!

I'll check out Nepenthe for sure...I saw the view on their website & it looks amazing. I would risk a not-so-fabulous lunch just for that view!

I'm not sure about stopping at Harris Ranch. Although it sounds like they have fabulous steaks (which I LOVE) I have a REALLY sensitive sense of smell -- and I think I would feel so sick-to-my-stomach driving towards the restaurant that I would lose my appetite. But thanks for suggesting it!

We actually have a Baja Fresh over here & their burritos aren't bad. Is Rubio's better than Baja Fresh?

Islands seems like a good alternative for take-out and they have a ton of locations as well. Thanks for the suggestion.

Bistro Jeanty's in Napa sounds right up our alley --- I've already printed out their contact information.

Someone had mentioned Foreign Cinema to us a few months back & we loved the idea of watching a foreign film while eating. Is the food good? The menu sounds great.

Has anyone been to House of Nan King or Quince in SF? (I don't know if I spelled them right) --- my brother-in-law went to House of Nan King last year and to Quince a few months back & he enjoyed both. I was hoping to get more feedback on these two restaurants.

Thanks!

jamesr3939

The feed lot is several miles from the resturant and the smell is really not that bad even driving past the lot.

I agree that to do this in two days is not smart. However, I am leaving this Saturday from northern CA to LA and coming back on Sunday for our grandson's first flag football game and birthday; so I guess I don't have much room to talk.

However, I am doing I-5 both ways and leaving really early. My route is 4.5 hours each way.

If it were me I would do I-5 down and take Hwy 101 back. That way you get some different views both ways, but still make pretty good time.

If you want to see some coast, but not the really good part, go over to Hwy 1 north of Calabassas and go through Malibu up to Oxnard and then hit Hwy 101 all the way back to SF.

Otherwise you have to take Hwy 101 to about San Luis Obispo then over to Hwy 1 and then along the coast to Monterey and back to Hwy 101.

That is a long drive for one day, but still do-able. If you have a couple of days to rest up once you get back to SF than I guess it would be OK.

You are probably looking at 10-12 hours depending on traffic.

MichelleY

jamesr is correct. The feedlot is not next to the restaurant. Don't worry about the smell. The place is very successful and popular and wouldn't be if there was "the smell"

Have fun and post a trip report.

MY

dmlove

I hold my nose and breathe through my mouth when driving past the cattle lots, but I've eaten at the restaurant and there is no smell whatsoever (and the food is very good, that is, if you don't take surfergirl's suggestion and become a vegetarian on your way in! -- surfergirl, I've considered it myself )

And surfergirl, I agree (and said somewhere in this thread) that In N Out's fries are awful -- they taste like cardboard. As for "healthy", their food may be healthier (?) than the hamburgers at other fast food chains -- that does NOT make it healthy. I repeat, beef, bread, mayonnaise, french fries, oil and milkshakes. Even without fillers, that does not a healthy meal make.

Neo, remember when one of our former presidents actually did want ketchup to be considered a "vegetable" on school menus?

psy_dr, I love the brunch at Foreign Cinema but I don't think they show movies at lunchtime. Sit outside if you can. Everyone I know who has been there for dinner (other than Stu Dudley) has really liked it a lot.