My wife and I are staying at the San Francisco Marriott in August or September and are looking for suggestions for nice restaurantss in the general vicinity. Also, does anyone know anything about a restaurant caled "The Holding Company"?

Bill, try searching for SFGate to see lots and lots of recommended SF restaurants. There are lots of them. If you are staying at the Marriott at Fisherman's WHarf, avoid the tourist traps of the Wharf and eat instead over in North Beach, Chinatown, or Ghiradelli Square. The main Marriott is convenient to all restaurants--lots of choices.

Bill-If you're at the Marriott near the SF Place, you'll be on Market St and a good restaurant we like is called Boulevard (Market nr Embarcadero.) For lunch, we like Tadiches (also near Embarcadero.) Or for great Indian food, we like New Delhi on Ellis St near Union Sq. (Worlds best Rogan Josh)!

Tommy Toys for Chinese food. The old Scoma's on the wharf is known for sea food. Tadich Grill is famous, would not allow Arnold Palmer any special treatment. This is good for lunch or dinner and is on California Street. Il Fornaio near Levi Plaza good for Italian food and the Fog City Diner is right across the street for burgers. You can also do a buffet at the Top of the Mark...so so food, but fantastic views of the Bay and City. Then there is........about 10,000 other equally great places. Ask in your hotel also. They know what is good and close.

My tips: The Helmand for Afgan 430 Broadway; L'osteria del forno www.bstudio.com/l'osteria and/or Rose Pistola (both are in in North Beach and much more than your standard Italian); LuLu 816 Folsom St (in Soma - that's south of Market St) www.restaurantlulu.com

I'd avoid The Holding Company... it's just a burgers and beer joint for the after-work crowd in the financial district. It's nothing to write home about.

Boulevard is good, Tadich Grill is okay to good, I mark it down because it's an old boys club (the servers treat you as if you're luck to be sitting at one of their tables), I mark it up because it's a San Francisco institution... try the cioppino.

Diane has it right on the mark.

L'osteria Del Fiorno is probably the best food bargain in the city. It's northern italian, so don't expect much, if any, pasta, but the daily roasts are always good and as cheap as anything you'll find in North Beach.

Rose Pistola is also excellent, although more expensive.

And Lulu is great too, although it can get noisy when full. I'd say stick with the rotisserie items, their speciality.

Right in the same part of town (south of market, or SOMA), is another favorite of mine called Fringale (fren-gahl, not frin-gal-i), California French cuisine, $15 entrees, and some of the best haute cuisine in the city -- or you can try it's sister restaurant near Levi Plaza called Pastis -- there seems to be slightly more emphasis on fish and seafood at the latter.

I'd avoid Fog City Diner unless you want to pay $12-$15 for a hamburger that you can get at two dozen other places in the city.

One of my all time favorites is way out in the outer Richmond (not much in the way of tourist attractions out there unless you continue out to land's end). It's a Yucatan mexican place run by twins called Tommy's -- note, not "Tommy's Joynt" -- which is another well-known restaurant on Van Ness. Really a family run place, since the hostess and waitresses are related and the bartender is the owner's nephew. Biggest selection of tequila's in the US (so they claim). And they do margaritas right (fresh squeezed lime-juice, no mixers -- they squeeze the limes right into the pitcher). Just don't go on a Thursday-Sat. evening since the younger "hipsters" seemed to have discovered this place and it gets very crowded these days.

If you take the cable car from Market to the Wharf, hop off in Russian Hill and try Frascati (Italian), Zarzuela (tapas), Sushi Groove (speaks for itself, and outstanding) or Elan Vitale (Provencale). Or walk down to Polk from there (three blocks) and try Yabbie's (seafood). These places are much better than anything you'll find further along the line and you can just hop right back onto the cable car. You should definitely avoid all the places in the wharf -- with one exception -- the vendors on the street sell shrimp sandwiches and whole crabs that are both really yummy.

For Indian, I choose consistency, and North India seems to be the most consistent.

About the only thing I didn't give you was Chinese, and if you want good Chinese, I think the best place is, ironically not in Chinatown, but in Noe Valley. It's a little place called "Eric's".

Oh... and Thai. If you want great Thai, my favorite is a place called Lemongrass on Van Ness.

I wouldn't buffet at the Top of the Mark, but the high tea is worth the high price. We take out of town guests to it all the time.

My wife and I have so many guests that we've compiled a list of restaurants and "mini reviews". If you want it, we can e-mail it to you.

There are so many good places to eat in San Francisco that my wife often says that she doesn't want to "waste a meal (and calories) eating food that isn't great".

How about Schroders? We do lunch there when in SF. And there used to be a interesting place to eat in China Basin in a redeveloped area. Anyone know the name? I think it was a halfway house type place and it had great food and an interesting menu and helped people all-in-one.

The Cypress Club: Bizarre as a 1950's cartoon and just as elegant. What an experience...you will love it.

Postrio(sp?): Everybody goes there even the president when he is in town...give it a shot.

Try "Delancy Street" for lunch. Great location on the Embarcadero just South of the Bay Bridge. Its'run by a non-profit organization that helps recovering substance abusers. Don't let that scare you the food and service are always great. Don't usually like to drop names but ran into the Rev. Jesse Jackson there and he loved it. So will you. Lunch is better because of the nice outdoor seating and better prices.