I'm planning our trip to SF and am in search of restaurants that offer SF signature dishes; dishes that I can't find in the midwest, or they aren't as good in the midwest...like cioppino. Any suggestions?

Rice-A-Roni is the San Francisco treat!

How about clam chowder in a sour dough bowl? Sour dough bread, Ghiradelli chocolates

hard to find anymore, but hangtown fry for breakfast!

I did a search and found that Home Plate on Lombard St. serves a decent hangtown fry.

I used to love the cioppino at Scoma's, but it's been over 20 years since I had any.

Lee Ann

'k, I'll bite, what's a hangtown fry?

And there's nothing better on a cold foggy day than clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl.

love
roxy

What's a Hangtown fry? Only the most expensive meal in all of Placerville! You must not have been paying attention in fourth grade Social Studies class! Gosh, don?t the treachers bring Hangtown Fry to eat in class anymore? At least tell me they still do the fourth grade mission project. Every child in the state really MUST eat Hangtown Fry and construct a mission from toothpicks in the fourth grade. I thought this was compulsory!?

When I think of San Francisco signature food, I think of eating crab at Fisherman's Wharf. Or, just crab....anywhere in the city.

This past October, I met my friend from Ohio at the SF Ferry Building. She immediately wanted anything with shrimp or crab....she said she couldn't get the same quality of seafood back home!

Try the sand dabs at the Tadich Grill

I am happy to report fourth graders at my childlren's school still construct mission projects but, unfortunately, Hangtown Fry has not made an appearance.

San Francisco is well known for its seafood but you can also find wonderful ethnic food (Thai, Korean, Japanese, etc.) that may not be so plentiful in the midwest. Have you tried dim sum - a fun (and tasty) experience?

When I opened this thread I immediately thought of cioppino. I think the beauty of SF is that you can find food of any ethnicity here. It's like cheap international travel.

Found this on Google:

Hangtown fry could possibly be the first California cuisine. It consists of fried breaded oysters, eggs, and fried bacon, cooked together like an omelet. In the gold-mining camps of the late 1800s, Hangtown Fry was a one-skillet meal for hungry miners who struck it rich and had plenty of gold to spend. Live oysters would be brought to the gold fields in barrels of sea water after being gathered in and around San Francisco Bay. Such a meal cost approximately $6.00, a fortune in those days.

Not exactly a "dish", but nothing says San Francisco like an Irish coffee at the Buena Vista!

Dim Sum at Yank Sing; Canolis from bakeries on Columbus Ave; Lemon Souffle Pancakes with fresh raspberries and raspberry sauce at Hot. Stanford Court.
M

Yeah, we did the Mission thing when I was in fourth grade, but no hangtown fry. That sounds...like something my boyfriend would like; that is, gross.

love
roxy

It's not really anything specific to San Francisco, but I lived there for years, and Zuni Cafe's roasted chicken and bread salad is always what I think of.

Oysters at Hog Island Oyster Co. in Ferry Plaza or crab at Swan Oyster Depot on Polk St. The Zuni Cafe recommendation is a great one; that's an SF classic. If you can get to Berkeley and are will to make a reservation a bit in advance, Chez Panisse will blow you away with their local, seasonal menu. Definitely something you cannot get in the midwest. And I second the dim sum (or, really, anything Asian) suggestion.

Only eat chowder in a sourdough bowl or, really, anything from Fisherman's Wharf if you want to eat the typical SF tourist fare.

Make certain you don't let anyone talk you into a cioppino served over pasta. That is not San Francisco style.

Dungeness Crab? Sand dabs? Abalone?

If you come when the herring are running (swarming? schooling?) just off the coast, a good seasonally-oriented restaurant will have them on the menu - usually grilled and served very simply with fresh lemon. Ditto for the sardines when in season. These are fish you may not have encountered except in their pickled or canned incarnations. Eating them fresh and within hours of being caught is an incredible experience.

I second all the local oyster suggestions and the Dungeness crab. Do go to a good sushi bar and try something you thought you'd be afraid to eat - like sea urchin or geoduck (long-neck clam). I really think being in a coastal city with the salty tang and sea breezes in the air does enhance the seafood-eating experience - I think you'll find it enjoyable.

For desert - XXX rated Fortune cookies, sold in China-town.