Your suggestions: fun SF restaurant for lunch Nov.12
 

Taking a quick trip from Tahoe to SF this weekend with some girlfriends. Looking for your current suggestions for lunch in any of the following areas:

1) Downtown/Union Square/Market St.
2) Near GG park (De Young)
3) Near Wharf/Ferry Building

Open to most any type of food; not looking for super chi-chi (is that even a word?) or expensive. Atmosphere or interesting view or classic "SF" feeling would be nice...

Thanks!

Tadich on Calif St in the Financial district is about as traditional as you can get. It's about 1/2 way between the Ferry Bldg & Union Sq - closer to the Ferry Bldg. Get there about 11:00 to make sure you can get a booth.

The Ferry Bldg & the Wharf are not very close together - about 20-30 min walk between the two.

Will you have a car to get you to the De Young?? If not, your best bet is to walk south to 9th st & see what you can find amung the many eclectic places on 9th & also Irving. PJ's Oyster Bed would be a good "typical SF" place on Irving & 9th (737 Irving)www.pjsoysterbed.com

Dim Sum in Chinatown or the Financial disrict would be a good complement to the others I've mentioned. Yank Sing would be a good choice in the Financial District & close to the Ferry Bldg.

I wouldn't recommend anything in the Wharf.

Stu Dudley

Thanks! I know I was a little vague, just dashing this off from work. We won't have a car -- I won't bore you with the details of how/why we are doing this, but basically we can either get dropped off in the vicinity of Pier 39, which we are all familiar with and not interested in, thus the Wharf/Ferry Bldg question, or down at SF Center, thus the "Downtown" question. We may taxi to the De Young, so that's why it is in the mix.

Forgot about Tadich, good idea! Will ask the girls about Dim Sum (a go for me). Never been to PJ's, thanks for the idea.

Any more?

I just realized that you will be here on a Saturday. I thing Yank Sing will be closed in the Financial District. Tadich is open on Saturday night, but you should confirm that they will be open during the day. I don't think you need to arrive around 11:00 on a non-workday. You can get local restaurant reviews and open/close times at www.sfgate.com in the restaurant section.

Slanted Door (Vietnamese) at the Ferry Building is one of our most popular restaurants. However, I hesitate to recommend it because it is extremly noisy, and it is difficult for a group of 3 or more to carry on a conversation without shouting.

Stu Dudley

Hola Stu,
I have not been to your wonderful part of the world since Apr '02.
We really enjoyed Yank Sing, but we are using SFO as a jump off for 13 days in China in Spring.
Any new recs for non Chinese restaurants close to Nob Hill?
Muchas gracias.
M

Annabelle, you really won't need to take a taxi to the DeYoung. You can take the N Judah from downtown to 9th Ave and just walk to the deYoung. It has a fairly nice, reasonably priced cafe if you decide to do lunch. Park Chow on 9th is also a good dining spot.

Nob Hill is kinda out of my pocketbook range. There's a Italian restaurant on the fring of Nob hill that we have not dined at in about 15 years, but it was good then. Venticello, on corner of Taylor & Washington. www.venticello.com. Cable car goes right past there.

Stu Dudley

Thanks guys, and good tip on taking public trans. to the museum!

Hi mikemo,
I will 2nd Stu's suggestion of Venticello and add Swan Oyster Depot.
How about an evening at Fleur de Lys?
R5

How about Scala for Italian food? Just up from Union Square by the Sir Francis Drake hotel.

Thanks everyone

Well, this is how it ended up: another friend went ahead and made a reservation somewhere I never would have considered: the Garden Court at the Sheraton Palace. I've eaten brunch there over the years, but I was kind of dismayed, as I figured it would be overpriced and unexciting hotel food.

However, when I realized the group had grown and I didn't know a couple of them very well, I decided to just go with it.

We had oysters at the Ferry building --delicious -- and then walked to the Sheraton. We actually all had good, albeit expensive, lunches. Not what I would have picked, but probably easy enough for this group.

At the end of the day we did end up at Scala's and shared some very good plates. All in all, not my idea of a "food" day in SF, but, hey, the girls had fun...

Thanks!

Hi annabelle, I have always loved Scala's but their head chef recently left so I have wondered how the food has been this past month.

If you have time to give a quick reveiw I would appreciate it. Thank you.

Oka, loveitaly, here's the review of Scala's:

Beefeater Martini #1 -- not oversized, icy cold, nice and dry, 2 perfect olives, friendly bartender.

Frito misto of sorts, with calamari, onions, and green beans -- super-hot, light and crisp batter, yummy sauce. MMMM. I'd go back just for this dish.

Matini #2 -- just as good. Bartender cuter now; interesting!

Mussels -- female friends getting greedy and grabby. I HEARD these were delcious.

Slurping the last of that gooood martini. Popped a couple more olives on the sly.

Salad -- well, it tasted great but that could've been the gin talking.

Conventioneer on next bar stool starting to look very attractive.

Fortunately, time to go!

:)):)):))

To all visiting San Fran....I just returned from a 3 week California tour and stayed in San Fran 2 weeks ago. Do not leave anything valuable in your car, especially a rental, without an alarm. We went to dinner on Columbus and parked in a lot just around the corner. The "street People" are very adept at popping locks and sucking your car dry. And do not go to the launromat on Mason near the Wharf (3 blocks south of Northpoint, highly recommended by the concierge-what a joke). Two homeless guys were in there and one stripped down and brushed his teeth and the other was totally inept at behaving in public..talk about his prowess with the ladies in the sack. I left with my wet laundry. Don't count on the SF police to assist you unless your the criminal who broke into your own car
--the cop actually accused me of not being straight with him on times, location, etc. Ridiculous...By the time the officer interviewed me, I felt like the criminal. I learned a valuable lesson, but have been to NYC numerous times and nothing like this has happened to me there or LA. I never thought of San Fran as unsafe.
No one mentioned the Cliff House...great view, terrific food, beautiful surroundings. A little pricey, but not much more than any other restaurant in San Francisco.
The brunch was awesome, the best I've ever had anywhere.
Enjoy your trip, just be aware. I really do love SF.

LOL annabelle2, so you had a great time at Scala's and "as far as you know" the food is still delicious, right? ;;) I loved your restaurant reveiew, probably the most "honest" one I have ever read. And yeah, Scala's is fun! Take care.

Hi loveitaly
Just to add a slightly more helpful note to your query, another friend who went down to the Bay with us just happened to eat lunch earlier the same day at...surprise, Scala's, with her whole Italian family. I don't know what they ate, but she said it was very good, it that helps!
Cheers!

Hi annabelle (I am still chuckling over your restaurant review, Scala's would love it I am sure). But thanks for the follow up. I have loved Scala's since they first opened. Before than it was a funky little cafe, we use to get espresso, relax at the table by one of the windows and watch everyone walk by.

I am happy to hear that the food is still great. They have been consistant over the years but when the headchef leaves you just don't know. Thanks for posting back. Take care.

Just a few comments about Yank Sing. It is highly expensive for a dim sum place. We spent $60 for two! While the dim sum is good it's very overpriced.