Tom... I do understand one day at a time..sometimes that is truly all we can do. You remain in my thoughts.

cat-I have stayed at Columbus Motor Inn a couple of times when I was paying for my own hotel room. For the price, it's a good deal and you can't beat the free parking since most places in SF charge $45-55 a night to park (including the Argonaut).

North Beach is definitely walking distance from the Columbus Motor Inn as they both are on Columbus. Not a bad walk.

I think anyplace in North Beach would be good. We had our last GTG at El Tutto Qua and enjoyed that. What time are we planning on meeting? We should check with a couple of restaurants to make sure they can accomodate our group.

Tom, I look forward to meeting you! Glad to hear you are doing better and that you have family to help you through this.

Picking a place for these things is always such an issue, and there are so many tastes to satisfy. While I like some nice, fine dining, it never seems to work with a group -- 12 or more here?

Here's something I'll throw out. Capp's Corner at Powell and Green in North Beach (almost next door to Beach Blanket Babylon). To be honest I've never eaten there but walked by it so many times. When we rented an apartment a block away, the local owners who have lived there for many years raved about. They mainly feature family style dining, and have a lot of groups about our size -- that's supposedly what they do best, and I've mainly heard only great things about the food (for typical Italian, not gourmet dining). The way I see it working is that for $18 or $20 per person -- they'd serve tureens of minestrone and their house salad with beans and beets, and then offer a selection of dishes to be shared family style. You can look at the website and click dinner menu to see choices. I'm thinking there could be some meat dishes, some vegetarian dishes, etc. -- something for everyone and all bills would be the same -- except for separate bar bills. Does this sound like anything we'd want to do? I just worry about the usual "ouch. I didn't realize my dinner was going to be $45 with a salad" or that sort of thing. Any personal experience with it?

http://www.cappscorner.com

Neo, I have no experience to speak of with restaurants in SF. Just wanted to add, while I don't want to pay $40-50 for just an entree, I don't mind paying a good price if the food is great!

I just think some place where we can move around easily, don't have to worry about disturbing others if we get too loud, and that has good wine or cocktails.

<< just think some place where we can move around easily, don't have to worry about disturbing others if we get too loud, and that has good wine or cocktails.>>

Henry's Hunan on Sansome fits that bill. Family style, so you just order a bunch of dishes and pass around.

thereyet

Works for me, thereyet! Especially if it is one step closer to making sure you are there!

I too was wondering about Asian/Chinese.

I don't know Henry's. Here's what Zagat's says -- not that it means a whole lot:

"Make sure you have plenty of water on hand or better yet, bring a fire hose - because atomic spicy dishes are the trademark of these not for the faint of heart Hunan hole in the wall haunts. Though some can't wait to head back for the cheap indulgences, some wonder what the fuss is as everything tastes the same and can be really greasy."
Food: 21
Decor: 7
Service: 15
Average price $19

I am in for anything. If we do someplace like Henry's, just need to make sure they have some dishes for those that don't like spicy. (That's not me BTW, I love spicy!)

Before I retired I use to go to a pub in the Embaradro center. Forgot the name but could make an inquiry if you want.

Only five weeks to go and there are only 70 posts on this thread!?! Shock, horror and dread! You guys better get going. The last SF GTG thread had over 200 posts!

Enough with the snide comments. Are the newlyweds coming? :D

Snide? Me? Someone sent me a note today and aksed how the "nudely weds" were doing! I thought that was cute. We'll be out of town, but as with all SF GTG I have missed, I will be with you in spirit.

I'm late to this - please put me in the "maybe" camp. I have a trip to Tahoe planned for sometime between Oct 20 and Nov 1. If I don't go up the hill on that weekend, I can drive down to SF on Friday.

I'm in the "maybe" category, too. Depends on a family commitment.

Roger, was it the Holding Company? It's still there, and the food is pretty good (bar food).

Okay, I can get airfare for $131 on Virgin America. Now I could use some help finding a nice hotel. Somewhere nice at about $200 a night. But I am willing to go higher.

I will be either on crutches or walking with a cane. Any suggestions.

Tom

mdlove, no, not the holding company. It was one of a chain of pubs first opened in Canada. I have a call in to a friend and he will get back to me.

All I remember was great fish and chips, pies and the like. It was fairly large as well.

Biiilly -- So you read and count all the posts on the GTGs that you don't attend?! Tsk, tsk ...

<<I am in for anything. If we do someplace like Henry's, just need to make sure they have some dishes for those that don't like spicy. (That's not me BTW, I love spicy!)>>

They have plenty of non-spicy dishes as well.

NeoP, that zagats review...would probably read the same for ANY Chinese food joint in the city...with the exception of the "spicy" part...on those dishes that are clearly marked as "spicy". :)

Put me in the group that loves the place. :D

Plus, I think that the family style dinning works great for a group like this.

My vote is for Henry's Hunan!

thereyet

Put me in the group that thinks that point of all this is to meet and talk with other Fodorites -- not about a gourmet fine dining experience. Where we eat is not that important to me. The big questions -- will the place easily reserve and handle a group our size (whatever that is) by moving tables and chairs to set us up as a group -- or will they want to split everyone up in a series of tables for 4 or so? Will they do separate checks -- especially for drinks? It seems to always end up a disaster with a group like this and one enormous bill. Is it easy to get to for those driving (parking?) and those arriving by public transportation? Can we sit and relax and chat for something like three hours, or after one hour will we start getting the "time's up" look? In other words, is this a place that caters to long relaxing group dinners or is it a "get 'em in and out" place? From past experience, I find that not everyone arrives at once. Will they want everyone there and seated and will they start pressuring you to order right away, or is it a place where you can spend an hour having cocktails first before anyone bats an eye about making you order? (These questions refer to any place we choose, not specifically aimed at Henry's).

Regarding "spicy", I've never seen that before as a major comment on Zagat's or anywhere else -- even for Hunan food. If we are really doing "family style" how big a problem is spicy if that's what they are really noted for? If half the people end up wanting to order their own dish to avoid firey hot, is that then a problem that defeats the original purpose? Just asking.