Is the Slanted Door worth the hype? And does anyone know of a good restaurant that is walking distance from the theatre where Babylon Beach Blanket is playing....678 Green St.? Also, is there a nice restaurant close to where we will end up after the evening Alcatraz tour?

Elaine: San Francisco is a restaurant town.

Could you give us a bit more information, so we could narrow things down a bit for you?

What's "good" to you? French? Italian? American? Seafood?

What's the budget we should shoot for? $20 a person? $30? $50? $100?

The Slanted Door - I'm not the one to comment on this restaurant. We eat a lot of Vietnamese and have favorite dishes and favorite Vietnamese holes-in-the-wall. Maybe someone else could offer you better information on this restaurant.

I think Slanted Door is wonderful -- but you need to book way ahead and still it's difficult.

Within a few blocks of Beach Blanket Babylon are a couple dozen restaurants, mostly Italian, as that's North Beach. Mona Lisa is very good.

If you want to give more details of what you're looking for, I think we could give you more specific recommendations.

I also really like Slanted Door. I wouldn't compare it to hole-in-the-wall Vietnamese restaurants -- it's a different (and decidedly more expensive) take on the cuisine.

Where does the night tour of Alcatraz let you off?

Hellon Elaine, I am one that always enjoys the Mona Lisa and it is just around the corner from the BBB. Girlonthego and her family (husband and two daughters) saw BBB and afterwards ate at the Mona Lisa and enjoyed it also, I believe they went back a second time..and of course Patrick as he stated did also. It is casual, not overpriced etc. But not knowing your definition of "good" I do not know if it would fit your description. It is owned by a Maurizo from S Italy. All the waiters are from Italy. The address is 353 Columbus (just a few doors south on Columbus from the cross street Vallejo..on the right hand side). The phone # is 415-989-4917 if you want to make a reservation which is normally a good idea as usually there is quite a line of people outside on the sidewalk waiting for a table.

To get a lot of ideas about SF restaurants you should check out the SF Chronical..http://www.sfgate.com/
click on Food and Dining which is listed on the left hand side of their home page.

I have never been able to get a reservation at the Slanted Door. But several people I know who have had said it is not the most absolute fabulous restaurant that they had thought it would be. But that is all a matter of personal opinions of course.