One night in San Francisco - need bar / restaurant recommendations
 

Hi all. I've searched for this information here, but have not found it, so I would appreciate some of your excellent opinions. I will be in San Francisco on Thursday for a job interview. The interview will last from 12:30 to perhaps 2:30 or maybe 3:00, and after that, I'll be on my own. The interview is at the Mark Hopkins hotel, and I am staying at the Sir Francis Drake in Union Square.

I am looking for a neat, out of the way bar for an evening cocktail, followed by a nice dinner. While price is really not an object, I don't want to go somewhere just because it is $65/entree. Funky and out of the way wins over snooty and trendy. I would probably prefer steak, sushi or chinese, although I'm pretty adventuresome, and if someone has a really cool place, I'd try that, too. I will be travelling alone if that is a consideration.

Thanks for your help.

If you like seafood, I highly recommend Farallon near Union Square. Great food and great ambiance.

Unfortunately out of the way in SF usually becomes trendy, as one of the favorite past times here is the perpetual search for a place that hasn't been "discovered". You might want to check chowhound.com and post this question.

Wadda 'bout Brazen Head out on Buchanan?
Good steaks, bar...about a $10 cab ride from UnSq.

There's always Washington Sq Bar and Grill in No Beach. Less snooty and trendy as it used to be.

Fino in the Andrews Hotel on Post. Just a few blocks W of UnSq. Italian and nice, snug bar area.

I've hear good things about Jianna in NOBeach. We stopped by and had some appies on our SF tour a few months back.

Good luck on the job interview. Break a tongue! ((Y))

The Farallon, as noted above, is a nice choice. Great decor and upscale yet friendly. You mentioned Asian and steak; that makes me think of Anzu in the Hotel Nikko. It is not too far from Union Square and offers good sushi and wonderful steaks (and it's not that idiotic fry-it-up-in-front-of-you stuff either). And please have a drink at the Compass Rose at the Saint Francis. Never stayed there, but it is a great peice of history.

I'd hop on BART and go over to the Inner Mission. I'd have my drink at Dalva, and then head over to Delfina for dinner.

oooo. Delfina! Better have reservations.

There is a good restaurant next door to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. WE had reservations for dinner the first night we were staying there. It was very good. Check out the Sir Francis Drake website and the restaurant is listed. Reservations are a must, as this is a popular place. You can enter the restaurant without leaving the hotel. Ask to be seated away from the bar area.

The name of the restaurant is Scala's Bistro. You can make a reservation on line at the Sir Francis Drake website. We found the food to be delicious and the service was grat. Hope this helps.

LuLu's is also TERRIFIC for a Bar scene and GREAT food....

cab it there! not tooo far and it's in the SOMA area...

I'd vote for Aqua(can't spell for my life) for dinner - have a drink at the top of the Mark. For the quintessential old style dining, try the Tadich Grill.

There is plenty to do around your hotel, so no reason to cab anywhere. My personal favorite is The Grand Cafe bar & restaurant on Geary (in the Hotel Monaco), about 4 blocks from the Drake. Also, the bar in the Clift Hotel lobby just across the street from the Monaco is usually hopping. The crowd is 20s/30s, drinks are overpriced but it is almost never dead.

BTW-LuLu's is notorious for snotty waiters, though the atmosphere and food are both superb. Love the frito misto appetizer. Farallon looks great, but very pricey and not the best menu in town. If you go anywhere in a cab, try Bix for drinks and Jardiniere for food (opposite directions)

Hey! I've eaten at the Grand Cafe and Bar in the Hotel Monaco and it was really cool. Nice style to the place, good crowd, not uber-trendy and not touristy at all. It's about the perfect size, and since you are on your own, I think you'll find it just right. Also eaten twice at LuLu's, once with my husband and once with a big group from work. Wonderful experiences both times. No probs with the waitstaff at all, but that was 2 years ago so that clearly could have changed. (too bad) Suddenly I realize this post was from last week. :) hope you had a good interview!

Ditto the Grand Cafe. We had brunch there one morning and it was outstanding.
The bar was very nice.

The Redwood Room is the bar in The Clift. How I got in there, I'll never know! 8-}