San Francisco restaurant recs, please
 

We are spending four nights in San Francisco. One of our reasons for choosing this city is for the great restaurants.

We have reservations at Campton Place and Gary Danko. We would like a French meal...Jeanty at Jacks, Cafe Claude or......? We also would like to find a good Italian restaurant in North Beach.

Do any of you have recommendations? I have searched this site and others but can't decide where to go for great French and Italian food.

Thanks!

It's not only my personal opinion, but of 6 people in our department - Palio (across from Jeanty) is much better!

we always go to the california culinary academy for one meal. at polk and turk.

the thursday night buffet used to be incredible. (entrés chosen from list and prepapred and served, all first plates and dessert buffet style.)

haven't been for a couple years..

Jeanty is french, Palio's is italian, very different, both wonderful. Please give us the names you have searched and we can comment as there are so many great ones. Cafe Claude is very casual and fun.

Hi Judi, you might want to check out Ploufs in Belden Pl which is off of Bush St. If you like mussels this would be a restaurant you might like..eveyone has different taste of course. Have fun in SF!

A casual restaurant in North Beach is the Mona Lisa. It is on Columbus, just a few doors south of Vallejo St. Eveyone that has gone there has been happy with it to my knowledge with the exception of one couple. Not fancy, but good food. The owner, Maurizio, is from the AC in Italy and all the waiters are from Italy.

Restaurant suggestion are so touchy as everyone has different idea as to what they are looking for and everyone has different ideas as to what they want to eat and what they like so I have gotten so I am hesitant to suggest restaurants. But those are some I always enjoy. Mangia!!

we ate at Mona Lisa last time in SF--it was great!!!

another little gem we found was Hyde Street Seafood restaurant. very good!!

You will have a fabulous meal at Gary Danko. I love it there.

French - Fleur de Lys or La Folie

I quite like Clementine in the inner Richmond - a great neighborhood place, but maybe not worth a trip.

If you go to SF Bay Area Board chowhound.com, you will get great suggestions from other locals.

As for Clementine, I meant that there are good french restaurants that might be closer to where you are staying. OOPS!

A good website to check for local San Francisco recommendations is www.yelp.com.

Cafe Claude is fine for lunch but it is very casual, very much in contrast to Gary Danko, Campton Place, et al.

Belden Lane is a gold mine for good restaurants. Plouf is a perennial favorite and so is B44, the Catalan place a few doors down (you must have one of the made-to-order individual paellas at B44).

If you want to explore the Portrero Hill neighborhood, then check out Chez Papa (French, always crowded, extremely convivial) and Baraka (Morrocan/Meditteranean, romantic and fun).

Funky Valencia Street also has terrific restaurants. Range just opened last year to rave reviews. It has a very eclectic, seasonal cuisine. I had dinner on Sunday at Dhosa - a southern Indian place that is way, way more hip and elegant than most "ethnic" places. Dhosa is named for the signature savory crepe-type dish of the region.

Italian? Well, a host of regular posters here love Incanto on Church Street - you might become one of them!

Thank you all so much for replying to my post.

For our French dinner I think we may choose Jeanty at Jack's just because years ago I had such a great experience at Jack's that I might want to return to that spot. Yes, I know it is not the same restaurant.

As for North Beach, here are some restaurants that I have in mind: Pinocchio, Rose Pistola, Ideale, Da Flora and Antica, although I don't think it is actually in North Beach. Any opinions on those?

Thanks again!

Favorite French:
La Folie - by far
Fleur du Lys
both of the above, if someone else is paying. If I'm paying:
Clementine
not a big fan of Chez Papa
Mixed experiences at Chapeau - have not been there since the owner Felippe went behind the stove.

I consider Gary Danko to have a major French influence. Gary's mentor & teacher was Madeleine Kamman - a "biggie" French chef, teacher, & cookbook author

Italian
Incanto
Delfina
after that there is a big drop-off, IMO

Stu Dudley

It's been a while since I've been to Antica, but it's always been steady contender, IMO. Let's see... the last time I was there I had monkfish. Pan-roasted monkfish with winter veggies. For desert, my dining companion had the panna cotta, while I had the rose-flavored gelato which came garnished with rose petals - it made me feel very decadent. Overall, I would say Antica does not have the buzz of A16 or Incanto, but that could be a good thing. I tend to think of it as a more sedate (not more formal) place, secure in its reputation and always enjoyable.

FYI - The chef at Campton Place left very recently to go to a restaurant in NY. Not sure if the food will be up to par with the new chef. Give us a review if it after you go!

We have some good Italian restaurants in Atlanta but we don't have a Little Italy. That is why I specifically wanted North Beach recs. I realize there are some restaurants that are not worth going to in North Beach.

Perhaps Antica will do. It gets good reviews. Thanks, Dovima for your review.

Antica Trattoria is on Polk St in the Russian Hill area - not North Beach. We dined there about 6 months ago & it was OK. My favorite in North Beach is "North Beach Restaurant". Downstairs is a little quieter. I also like Rose Pistola, but some people don't think it's that great.

If this were my trip, I would have lunch outside at Rose Pistola (they have heaters), and for dinner take the J-Church to 27th st & walk 1 half-block south to Duncan & dine at Incanto. They are known for their wine selection, in addition to the "non-traditional" Italian fare. You can order wine flights at the bar or at your table. I've dined there many times and don't think it's too formal at all - just the opposite. Formal would not sell in the Noe Valley. They have a web site with a sample menu. They change the menu frequently.

I've never dined at A16, but I've checked out the menu several times & it does not seem unique & original enough to lure me in - the perparations may be very good, however (don't know since I've never dined there).

Stu Dudley

Does anyone know the name of the little alley/street with the five or so restaurants in the financial district? Friends took us there last year and I had the most wonderful ravioli I've ever eaten in my whole life. I just haven't a clue of the name of the street or the restaurant.

The alley may be Belden Place. Does that sound like it? It has a lot of nice dining options.

We ate at A16 on saturday. Very nice wine list. Terrific pizza according to my daughter. My dishes were interesting and well prepared but not quite to my tasting. Prices were reasonable so will try it again.
Doing Quince in a few weeks.

Hi pdx, I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't referring to Cafe Tiramisu at Beldon Place. It is an "alley" so to speak off of Bush St., just east of Kearny.

Their website is http://www.cafetiramisu.com so you can go there and see if that is the restuarant you are thinking of.

I have to agree with StuDudley on Antica Trattoria. I went about a year and half ago and was underwhelmed. I had high hopes, though, because of all the positive reviews. Needless to say, I haven't been back, but I should try it again just to see.

I liked A16 but it isn't in North Beach. I've heard North Beach Restaurant is good also. I wish I could give you more recs for the area. I don't go there to eat that much b/c of the very difficult parking and when I am there, I eat at the non-italian places like El Raigon or House.

I frequent the message boards at chowhound.com (my source for restaurant info), the consensus there is that Ideale and Da Flora are good choices as well as Osteria del Forno, all of which are in North Beach.

Although not in North Beach, we LOVED Jackson Fillmore, which is on the corner that the restaurant is named for, and is in Nob Hill.

Jackson Fillmore is very good. It's actually in Pacific Heights and not Nob Hill in case you are trying to find it on a map...

the locals know that pizetta 211 (for great pizettas!) and mescolanza are two great italian options. remember, not all good italian is in north beach! l'ottavo in nob hill is also a great choice.

the richmond restaurant and wine bar is also a delicious option, and it's on balboa near 8th. make sure you have a reservation for this one.

myth downtown is a new (opened in the past year) restaurant, and it's a french/american mix. i've never been, but most of my friends rave about it.

also check out delfina in the mission!

fleur de lys is one of my favorites, just be prepared to roll yourself home afterwards!

mmmm...I think you are right, LoveItaly and tpp. Makes me want to finagle a little trip to SFO somehow. I swear, I've never had pasta like that and it really was the pasta of the ravioli, not the filling.

I really like some of the items (not all) at Da Flora in North Beach, but it's been ayear since I've been over.

Dovima and Stu: I live right near (30th St.) Incanto and it's been closed in the evening as of last week. They can't possibly be closed, right? Perhaps I've just walked by during their holiday closing or on Mondays?

FWIW I like Chez Papa too, but I've always had really cute waiters so...?

Too many restaurants, too little time!

Thanks everyone. I will report on our dining experiences when I return. We are not going until March; I just like to research and plan.

My favorite place to eat in San Francisco is L'Osteria del Forno in North Beach. 519 Columbus, between Union and Green. When I'm in town, I try to go on Friday afternoon for lunch, since it's always such a long wait for a table (there are only about 10 tables) in the evening. One of the specials on Fridays is pumpkin-stuffed ravioli ($13). It's truly a superb dish. The tiramisu is so fantastic, I've been spoiled for any other preparation of the dessert.

For me and SF Italian food, there is L'Osteria del Forno, and then there's every place else.