Am looking for a restaurant on our way down to SFO airport from Sonoma. I think the drive will be 1.5 hr from Sonoma to airport, so am looking for something south of Sonoma given it will be night time. Is Hwy 101 a difficult (read: curvy road) drive? Would like to eat prior to getting to airport. Will have already been in San Francisco so was hoping for something outside of the city. Thank you.

101 curvy???? Nope - it's a major freeway

Buckeye Roadhouse in Marin.

Not many good choices between SF & SFO.

Budget 2 hrs from Sonoma (I'm assumihg you're referring to the City, & not the county) to SFO.

Stu Dudley

101 could be slightly curvy from north of Petaluma to north of Marin in Novato.

I agree with Buckeye, it quite reliable, plus it doesn't divert out of 101 by much.

You can also consider making a little side trip to Sausalito and if you like sushi, I suggest Sushi Ran for some good ones; and there is Guernica's for some Spanish; and Christophe for some French bistro food. Fyi, it's been a while since I found myself in these restaurants.

My curvy inquiry was because I know no one will feel like driving that distance after a great filling meal. Highway we can handle, the likes of US 1 not so much

Both Buckeye Roadhouse and Christophe looks great! Thanks for your recommendations.

101 is nothing like 1!

First of all I thought about Spinnaker in Sausalito if you have time for a formal meal.

Depending on the time of day (what time is your flight?), you could go just past the airport (2 exits on 101) to Burlingame, which has many nice restaurants - on Broadway, just to name a few, there's Rocca and Broadway Grill. On Burlingame Ave., again just to name a few, there's Copenhagen, Ecco, Il Fornaio, YaYa Cuisine, and others.

If you enjoy great seafood, and other dishes as well, I'd skip Spinnaker and head straight over to Scoma's in Sausalito. It has a great view as well.

Hong Kong Flower Lounge. Legendary!

Excellent Chinese food in a trippy setting (like a glitzy pagoda, sort of), less than 10 minutes south of SFO. Extremely popular w/Asians. Need to make reservations.

http://www.flowerlounge.net/

Also: Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco. Nothing fancy, but a cultural experience that's pretty authentic. Fun, family-style, & lots to eat. http://www.basqueculturalcenter.com/

My first choice would be Sushi Ran if you are at all a sushi fan. You would absolutely need to make a reservation several weeks ahead of time. I'm not a big fan of the Buckeye but my opinion certainly doesn't seem to be hurting their business.

If it is really nice outside I would suggest Fish in Sausalito. It is on the water and has outside seating. It might be too cold at night though.

Just moved from Sausalito and wouldn't recommend the Spinnaker or Scoma's. They are both mostly tourist frequented restaurants.

Another option is the Presidio Social Club. It is just over the GG bridge and is a pretty fun place.

FYI- Guernica is long gone. It is now Saylors South of the Border and is pretty mediocre.

Ditto on Sushi Ran! And if you don't have res, you can just plant to wait about a half hour, (even on a Friday night, it's not more than 40 minutes). Then you'll be seated at the sushi bar...which is way more fun than sitting at a table anyway!

We ended up at Sushi Ran. We sat at the sushi bar and had great fun and food. Thanks!