my husband is taking me to san fran for 3 days this sunday to celebrate my birthday. we havent been there in three years. i need great budget friendly recommendations for dining, as well as any suggestions you might have for holiday decorations and great shows that might be there. plays, singers appearing at any cabaret venues, etc. any help would be appreciated.

Here are websites to check for fun/interesting events and activities in San Francisco in the next couple of weeks:

http://events.7x7.com/

http://sf.funcheap.com/

http://sosh.com/home/

For dining recommendations that will make sense for you, it's best if you tell us what part of the city and what kind of food you are interested in, and what price range you would consider budget friendly.

You may run into The Lovely Mrs Kal and her two sisters on their annual Christmas trip to SF.

They are taking a Christmas Lights Tour, Beach Blanket Bingo and probably some stuff they aren't telling me about.

Please define budget friendly?

Not cheap, but Cirque du Soleil is at ATT Park.

http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/sho...francisco.aspx

The big hotels have beautifully decorated lobbies.

The Garden Court at the Palace Hotel is beautiful.

By budget friendly I guess I mean dinner for 2, $100 or less. If some visited Los Angeles, I would have a bunch of quaint reasonably priced places to suggest with good food and ambience. What's in San Fran. .? We are staying in union square, but am willing to dine anywhere in the surrounding area..Castro, nob hill, etc

The Castro is not close to Union Square.

Does $100 include wine (bottle, or 1 glass each?), tax, tip, & "healthy San Francisco" charge??

Stu Dudley

Nothing shouts "old San Francisco" like Tadich Grill - so I'll nominate that

Dinner for 2
Sourdough bread with plenty of butter & re-fills (free)
Cup of Clam chowder.........................................$1 3
local Sand Dabs or Rex sole (pan sauteed & boned).. $50
Creamed Spinach - 1 order to share.......................$9
Apple Tort.............................................. ......$9

Total......................$86
tax........................$7.50
Tip 18%.......................$17

Grand Total............$110.50

1 bottle of white wine (incl tax & tip) $35-40 (guess)
2 glasses of wine $25

http://www.tadichgrill.com/img/menu.pdf

Stu Dudley

Just so you know - San Francisco got more rain Sun - Thur 11/30 -12-4 than they got in ALL of 2013.

Yuk..hope it doesnt rain this Sunday, monday, or Tuesday

Thanks stu...we are fond of italian...but it doesn't have to be. Also, even if we stay in union square, I think of all the surrounding areas as do-able. ..like nob hill, north shore , etc. not opposed to a bus ride for good food. We went to a place called FIREFLY IN NOE VALLEY..definitely worth the walk and ride. As far as price stu, I'd love $125 or less, including dinner and a bottle. We liked stellines a few years ago...and. Eureka was nice. It's my birthday weekend, so something with charm is always good. We may head to martunis Monday night..I heard its fun

>>Yuk..

Firefly is within 2 blocks of where we lived in the Noe Valley. I don't know how you could have paid $125 or less for dinner there - unless you ordered the Fixed Price menu - which I think has now disappeared. Also, their famous seafood pot-stickers are no longer on the menu.

If I pick the second least expensive appetizer, second least expensive main, second least expensive bottle of white wine - the tab is around $141 with a 17% tip for 2 people.

If keeping the tab around $125 with a bottle of wine is "required" - we go to Pomelo - also in the Noe Vally on the J-Church line (get off at 30th St). Not as much "charm" as Firefly - but the food is quite diverse/interesting, and inexpensive considering the quality. I get the Cabo San Lucas (seafood taco) for an appetizer, Havana (skirt steak with other interesting stuff)) for a main, and Capay Voignier or their Rosado (pink).
http://www.pomelosf.com/church%20fal...4%20dinner.pdf

Is "north shore", North Beach? I don't think you'll find too many $125 dinners on Nob Hill.

Stu Dudley