San Fran. Seafood?
 

Hi any suggestions for a moderately priced restaurant, where we can get a nice taste of west coast seafood? Maybe somewhere near union square? (thats where we are staying)
Thanks!

The hands down best seafood you can get are the fresh steamed dungeness crabs at Fisherman's Wharf. I'm not sure if they are seasonal, I just know that I have been there 3 times in late Sept (for the Blues Festival) and each time our Fisherman's Wharf "Crab Fest" has been a highlight! Have fun!

Look, also, for the fishing boats returning before noon with fresh salmon, halibut, cod, tuna... Great stuff on the water.
At union square, maybe the cafe inside Nordstrom.

Dungeness crab season starts in the winter (Dec. - March), so it is during that time that you'll be guaranteed fresh dungeness crab...what you get at Fisherman's wharf other parts of the year is probably previously frozen.

Tadich Grill is a good place to go for cioppino and other seafood. It borders on being moderately priced ($20+ entrees). It is also an SF institution - old school.

I was just talking about this with a bunch of my girlfriends who also grew up in SF (we're all natives), but we've never thought of SF as a place for seafood the way you think of getting lobster in Maine or crab cakes in Maryland. If anything, try your hand at the ethnic eats that are everywhere here especially some of the asian foods or central and south american cuisine. Just trying to provide some insight as to why that's not the easiest question to answer....

Aqua is wonderful, but pricey...moderately priced? Farallon gets mixed reviews (some raves), but is seafood and is off of Union Square. I'm curious what others will recommend. Good Luck!

We enjoyed a nice meal at Farallon in June. Request a table in the main pool room. We had great service and loved the funky decor of the place. Have fun in SF! ***kim*** ((l))

>>>>moderately priced restaurant....
seafood<<<
Two thumbs up for
Swan Oyster Depot
1517 Polk St. (at California)
San Francisco
(415) 673-1101

No true Dungeness crab until 'round Christmas,as acwsf sez,
enjoy !
R5

YAY!! Rejoice, everyone, our STARlett is back!!

Help me out a little R5 (or anyone else). How much of a hike is Swan Oyster Depot from Union Square? We'll be staying around there for a couple nights next month.

Thanks for all the great advice, as far as dungeness crabs (not my thing) I'm from S. Florida where I'm a stone crab lover!! I'm staying at the Cartwright (Sutter and Powell) and we get in around 6ish pm, was thinking nice dinner near hotel followed by some drinks at the starlight room? Anything good nearby for dinner? I guess it doesn't HAVE to be seafood, but something WEST COAST style (if there is such a thing). Thanks!!!

Hog Island Oyster Bar or Swan Oyster Depot for seafood.

Hello LKravitzDo, you might want to check out the website for Scala's. The webaddress is www.scalasbistro.com
They are located right next to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. The Starlight Room is on top of the Sir
Francis Drake Hotel. On Scala's website you can check out their menu and prices etc. I personally love this restaurant as do many people I know. Welcome to San Francisco!

beachbum-Swan is about a mile. You could hike up hill to Powell to California
and catch the cable car over to Polk.
Put your address in mapquest and end with Swan. It'll give you a wierd route
like Geary to Leavenworth over on Pine
to Polk, but you can see how far it is.
...and you could you bring us some warmer weather please :)
R5

Razzledazzle, no, no, no more warm weather please, LOL. I have been in heaven with our cool weather. Well OK, warm weather for you but don't send it to Vacaville I beg you!!

LoveItaly-Gawd, we are not getting above
60 and the crush is on hold because
the sugars aren't there for the grapes ! OK, I'll arrange a stationary
low just on the other side of my request for a stationary high.
:)
R5

One of my favorite places is LuLu. I guess you would call it Californian with a definite Provençal twist. Not specifically seafood but they can do wondrous things with sole and trout on the rotisserie. (the menu changes daily, so not every night) The best thin-crust pizzas too. Excellent salads. Extensive wine list. The place is a very large open-plan, loft-like, warehousey space with an enormous wood-burning oven. It's located on Folsom just west of 4th Street, SOMA (South of Market Area). If you feel like a walk, it would be about 4 long blocks south from where you're staying (just ask for easy directions at your hotel), or it is a short cab ride away.

razzledazzle, I hadn't heard the sugar content was low for the grapes. For wonderful wine in the future I will suffer with some hot days! So tell the weather god. Take care!

I met my friend from Ohio and we went over to the San Francisco Ferry building for lunch. There's a couple of seafood places there. She said that was the seafood she had flown over to taste!

LKravitz
Plouf's in Belden Place- which is not far from Union Sq.- is loved by the locals, known for their variety of mussel dishes.
It is right off of Bush St., just east of Union Square.

Oh Scarlett, that is a great suggestion!! I didn't even think about Plouf's!! But of course you would in that Beldon Place is full of French restaurants, LOL.

LKravitzDo, if you get a chance one evening do go there. If you like mussels there are about a dozen different ways you can order them. I don't know about Scarlett but I love the dish of mussels in the garlic broth. Other items you can order too of course. And Scarlett is correct, it is just a few blocks east of where you will be. Just walk up Powell to Bush, turn right and walk down and you will see Beldon Place (it use to be an alley) with all the lights, restaurants etc. on your left. Good suggestion Scarlett. When you get back to SF that is where we will have to go to!

Thanks for all the great suggestions! I'll check them all out! Can't wait to go!!!!



..."can't we all just get along?"...

I don't think tht there would be one winery in Napa or Sonoma who would like to be spoken in the same breath as the wineries in Vacaville.

But, other than the cheap outlets and factories, are there really wineries in Vacaville ?

I'll probably get stoned for saying this but I kind of agree with Bluestar. It is a bit annoying when you open a post that interests you only to have to navigate through a lot of unrelated chatter. Don't get me wrong, I think its great that people have developed friendships here, have their GTG, etc. But if they really want to chat, perhaps they could open a post "Lets Talk" or something. Maybe they could use one of the instant messenger service or perhaps Fodors could be talked into adding a chat room for these folks. Anyway, I just think it would be nice if people could stick to the subject. Just my two cents worth - let the stoning begin.

LKravitzDO, I also suggest Hog Island Oysters at the Ferry Terminal, if that's not too far for you, but according to its web site, it's only open until 8 p.m. weeknights and only until 6 on weekends! I guess we roll up the streets early in this little town. As for the temperamental posters on this thread, I'm with Elaine, whose gentle response was so apt. If I need snide remarks, there are all sorts of other places I can go, so let's agree to ignore them and perhaps they will be deleted from future posting that contain otherwise kind and helpful information. Just think of this as one more vote for civility.

LK, the good news about SF is that almost all restaurants serve a good selection of fresh seafood. That means you can choose from the many seafood places, any ethnic restaurant, or a hotel restaurant and you'll get some good choices. One of my favorite things to do is get a calamari fritti primi and fresh salmon at one of North Beach's Italian restaurants. I would avoid the tourist places and pick a place that appeals to you.

Wow!
Tuff board!!!

Can I be Chief of the Diatribe? \:D/

Did I miss what the definition of "West Coast Seafood is".

Tattoo, earring, piercings?

We had a GREAT meal at O'Reilly's Holy Grail on Polk (not their pub on Green)and while we didn't order the seafood dishes, the people next to us order's looked/smelled very good.

Very nice selection of West Coast oysters.
It used to be Mayes' Oyster Bar.

Had some good fish at Cafe Pescatore next door to The Tuscan Inn just off FishWharf area.

I know both aren't "near UnSq" but everything is just a $5-10 cab ride away in SF.