>> The other couples will have cars

Thanks, Stu. The other two couples are locals. One driving in from Marin. They know how to do it. But I appreciate the warning.

SAB...Tosca was re-opened? Yes! Last I heard it was one of the many institutions in SF to hit the bricks due to greedy landlords.

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog...gs-that-didnt/

Love the comment about the noise level.

As for reporting on Open Table, when we were leaving The Tipsy Pig one of the mgrs asked us if we liked it and I leaned in real close to him and said WHAT?
He laffed and said "we're working on it" which means "get a hearing aid old fart" in resto lingo.

SAB - this has been our second trip to SF during October. Weather is way better, but we do love Restaurant Week and Elephant Seals in January.

Have you seen this recent list?

http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog...ions/#16920-24

Delfina is on it. See any other of your favorites?

"Michelin has released its annual list of San Francisco Bay Area and Wine Country Bib Gourmand restaurants, the list of “value” spots that doubles as a precursor to the Michelin stars announcement next week. To recap, restaurants that qualify as Bib Gourmands are required to serve two courses and a glass of wine (or dessert) for $40 or less, before tax and tip.

This year, 83 Bay Area restaurants were deemed worthy of Bib Gourmand status, up from 70 last year and 77 the year before. The full list of restaurants is below, and for the visual folks in the bunch, the collection is in the gallery above as well.

New to the list are the following restaurants: Backyard (Forestville), Chalkboard (Healdsburg), Ebisu (SF), Evvia (Palo Alto), Fey (Menlo Park), Glen Ellen Star (Glen Ellen), Happy Noodles (San Mateo), Izakaya Yuzuki (SF), La Costanera (Montara), Mason Pacific (SF), M.Y. China (SF), Ramen Shop (Oakland), Regalito (SF), Rich Table (SF), Sana Marin (San Rafael), Sir and Star (Olema), 1601 Bar & Kitchen (SF), and Vesta (Redwood City)

The Bib Gourmand status also means that the selections will not earn a Michelin star, something that may have been a possibility for places like Rich Table and Sir and Star, which both earned 3.5 stars for food from the Chronicle this year.

Do note that La Costanera, the Peruvian restaurant on the coast in Montara, has carried a Michelin star for the last two years. With Bib Gourmand status this year, it would appear that its star run won’t continue this year.

Also, Sana Marin’s honor came a little too late: The San Rafael spot closed last week.

Five restaurants were removed from the list this year: Betelnut, Kabab & Curry’s, K & L Bistro, Le Cham, and the now-closed Bar Bambino."

2014 Bib Gourmand Selections in the Bay Area

Artisan Bistro, Lafayette
A16, San Francisco
Backyard, Forestville
Bar Tartine, San Francisco
Bellanico, Oakland
Bistro Aix, San Francisco
Bistro Jeanty, Yountville
Bistro 29, Santa Rosa
Boon Eat + Drink, Guerneville
Brick & Bottle, Corte Madera
Burma Superstar, San Francisco
C Casa, Napa
Chalkboard, Healdsburg
Chapeau!, San Francisco
Chevalier, Lafayette
Chu, Oakland
Comal, Berkeley
Contigo, San Francisco
Cook, St. Helena
Corso, Berkeley
Cotogna, San Francisco
Crouching Tiger, Redwood City
Cucina Paradiso, Petaluma
Delfina, San Francisco
Domo, San Francisco
Donato Enoteca, Redwood City
Dosa, San Francisco
Ebisu, San Francisco
Evvia, Palo Alto
Fey, Menlo Park
Five, Berkeley
flour + water, San Francisco
Fringale, San Francisco
Gajalee, San Francisco
Gather, Berkeley
Glen Ellen Star, Glen Ellen
Hachi Ju Hachi, Saratoga
Happy Noodles, San Mateo
Hot Box Grill, Sonoma
Insalata’s, San Anselmo
Ippuku, Berkeley
Izakaya Yuzuki, San Francisco
Kappou Gomi, San Francisco
Kokkari Estiatorio, San Francisco
La Costanera, Montara
LaSalette, Sonoma
Le Garage, Sausalito
Mamacita, San Francisco
Marinitas, San Anselmo
Marlowe, San Francisco
Mason Pacific, San Francisco
Monti’s Rotisserie, Santa Rosa
M. Y. China, San Francisco
Oenotri, Napa
Old Mandarin Islamic, San Francisco
Osteria Coppa, San Mateo
Perbacco, San Francisco
Plum, Oakland
Ramen Shop, Oakland
Redd Wood, Yountville
Regalito, San Francisco
Rich Table, San Francisco
Risibisi, Petaluma
Rivoli, Berkeley
Sana Marin, San Rafael
Sazón, Santa Rosa
Scopa, Healdsburg
Sichuan Home, San Francisco
Sir and Star, Olema
1601 Bar & Kitchen, San Francisco
Slanted Door (The), San Francisco
Slow Club, San Francisco
Sociale, San Francisco
Starbelly, San Francisco
Sushi Ran, Sausalito
Thai House, Danville
the girl & the fig, Sonoma
Troya, San Francisco
Vesta, Redwood City
Willi’s Wine Bar, Santa Rosa
Wood Tavern, Oakland
Yank Sing, San Francisco
Zero Zero, San Francisco

We ate at Rich Table on Friday. While you could get by with 2 courses and a glass of wine for $40, it would be THE least expensive app and vegetarian entree, and least expensive wine.

Deb, that's probably true of all of them. At least there is this mid-range classification that Michelin recognizes.