Agreed that Rich Table is a fine choice. Unless things have changed in the past several months, they will waive corkage on a bottle for every bottle you purchase off their list. Here’s my short review of them:
I had a fantastic, custom dinner at Rich Table for a friend’s birthday. Foreign Cinema is also great. Pasta tasting at SPQR is wonderful. Pick based on what you like from the online menus; you can’t go wrong with these three choices.
Another vote for Foreign Cinema or Glenn’s recommendation of La Ciccia. Both are amazing restaurants, and I’ve been to F.C. with Glenn. I’ve never tried Rich, SPQR nor Outerlands.
Oh, don’t worry, already have two reservations for Outerlands (it’s 2 blocks from where we’re staying). I was actually thinking of going to La Ciccia for an early dinner with our daughter one night as it seemed like a more family-friendly place, would that be accurate?
You might try Aziza. It’s in the Richmond (closer to the Outer Sunset than any other place anyone is going to recommend for a nice dinner) and it’s a pretty special place. It’s Moroccan meets California. It has a Michelin star. Cozy.
If you want the Mission, I’d choose Bar Tartine over Foreign Cinema (or Range, Delfina, Flour & Water, etc.). It has an Eastern European (specifically Hungarian) influence.
La Ciccia is actually probably closer and easier for you to get to/park. Very homey (not elegant at all) but I love it. Sardinian.
If I remember correctly, you’re from New York. If it were me, I’d want to eat somewhere that has food I couldn’t find in New York. While I like Rich Table, I think it will remind you of literally dozens of places that have opened in New York in the past 5 years. Same goes for Foreign Cinema in a slightly older paradigm. I don’t think you will find it particularly special. SPQR is fantastic pasta, but again, probably not something you couldn’t find at home.
Oh, and for that other guy, Quince is in close competition with Saison for best restaurant in city. And it’s my favorite fancy place in the city, hands down. Meadowood is literally 75 miles away, so I’m not sure it’s a great recommendation for someone wanting something convenient to the Outer Sunset.
Perbacco last night-- the four of us were rocked. Great food, service and sommelier. Came up with a recommendation below the range I had given her, and it could not have been more perfect.
Two courses each, and we were so stuffed that we could only split their amazing burnt caramel gelato.
Chapeau! Great restaurant. Very interesting wine list. Close to where you are staying. You won’t be disappointed. Probably most underrated restaurant in SF.
The food was just OK. One dish under temp another over salted. Not a huge deal and probably could be overlooked. The kicker came when my dining companion who was diabetic asked for something for dessert that was slightly less sweet. The server did not know he was diabetic and the first answer was no we don’t substitute dessert on the tasting menu. My friend is pretty modest, I am not and I intervened saying that he is diabetic and it would be a better option for him if there was less sugar in his dessert. The answer was still no. They did offer the cheese plate supplement for IIRC $35, I asked if maybe we could just get a slice or 2 of cheese instead of the regular dessert and again the answer was no, he will have to eat what was on the menu. My friend ended up having just a cup of coffee and the server asked if he would like sugar with it? A letter was written to quince afterwards expressing disappointment with the restaurant’s refusal to work with a diner with an obvious health issue. There was no response.
Sounds like a problem both with the server and the restaurant’s attitude.
Having said that, if I had someone in my party who had an issue like diabetes, and if we were going to a restaurant with a set tasting menu, I would probably address the issue with the restaurant BEFORE going there. Most restaurants are willing to work with you on issues like food allergies or health issues. If they aren’t, then I would avoid the restaurant in the first place.
Bruce - I agree. I would add that I have dined with my friend many times all over the country. He never makes demands on the kitchen and is excellent at managing his disease so he doesn’t have to change set menus. There were no other changes to the menu that were requested. The dinner was obviously very rich and he was fine with that. If I wasn’t there he probably would just have not eaten the dessert and said nothing. He really just wanted a piece of cheese. The fact was there was no effort made what so ever to try to attempt even a minor change. That was what was frustrating. I would expect at least some effort from a Michelin 2 star.
Agree. But it should never have come to needing a reply. For what you’re paying to eat at Quince these days, it’s hard to imagine they couldn’t manage a substitution for dessert, even on short notice. Jeez, any of us doing dinner in our homes for guests would have accommodated this without blinking an eye.