Since 3 of the top 4 are also on my list, I have to agree And a couple of the names are unfamiliar to me (the two Mexican places), so thanks for those recs! I see Fatherās Day dinner at one of them
Brian, where did you end up? Donāt forget the bar/lounge at a lot of places, generally easier to get into on short notice (and sometimes more enjoyable).
We wound up at Boulevard because they had a 6:30 open up and it was more appealing than my 9pm at Perbacco. Was solid but not exciting. Iāll make a point of Rich Table very soon. Basically every place we mentioned was booked solid. I just called Boulevard from the car on the way up and said, āoh yeah? 30 minutes? yup, we can make that.ā
Eating out is too expensive. I quit. Iām gonna buy all the damned kitchen stuff I ever wanted AND the pizza oven in the backyard.
Boulevard was fine of course. But two courses, and coffee, and a bottle of Peay plus tip and I donāt remember exactlyā¦ 300+ bucks? Just to eat well?
Havenāt been to Boulevard, I assume itās like other restaurants in the group: solid if unexciting. And yeah, hard to get out much under $200 these days, kind of depressing. One reason we really like Scopa in Healdsburg (not that this helps you in SF, just an example). We just go out less frequently, and expect to pay more when we do something on the fine dining front.
We found a new place last night that I think should be on peopleās radar: itās called Prubechu. The restaurant offers Chamorro cuisine. Chamorros are the people from Guam and the other Marianas islands. Iād call the food a fusion of Filipino, Latin American, and Southern US cuisines.
Itās a hole in the wall in the Mission. The setting doesnāt look like much, and the service is very casual. But the food is fantastic, unique, and reasonably priced. The chef is a young guy from Guam, and heās definitely passionate about interpreting the food he grew up with through the lens of cutting edge techniques and preparations. I thought the food was as good as any of the places mentioned in this thread charging $100+ per person. Also, they donāt charge corkage. You can do the chefās tasting menu for $40 per person, which I highly recommend.
If you are looking for a really delicious meal in SF unlike anything you can get anywhere else, I highly recommend Prubechu. I still enjoy fine dining and love many of the high end French, Cal-Ital, and Spanish restaurants in San Francisco, but if I was a tourist, I think Iād actually prefer a place like Prubechu (or to a lesser extent, La Ciccia or Bar Tartine), where I would have an experience unlike anything I could get in most other cities in the US, and for not too much money to boot.
Update: Wife brought up the subject, no prompting. Walking around yard, andā¦ āHmmmā¦ this would be a good place for our wood oven!ā
Gimme maybe another year. Itās not as though itās the only home project on the wish list. But this is a nice development.
For better or worse, when I saw the thread title with āFriscoā I thought the poster wasnāt serious and skipped it. Anywayā¦ My impression is that Boulevard and Danko depend heavily on the out-of-town crowd, though Iāve not been. One that Iāve not seen mentioned is Plaj. (Pronounced āplayā.) Scandinavian, including some ingredients like fish flown in, they make their own variety of acquavits, and do some wonderful things with lobster. Not cheap but not high end. Also Zuni Cafe, especially if you have the hour it takes for the chicken with bread salad for two, but even solo they do a great job with oysters (and other shellfish; they typically have boulots) and French standards. However, donāt overlook the bar area, which has lovingly crafted cocktails. Both are easy to get to from the Palace. I also like Piperade, though Iāve had trouble getting reservations on Saturday nights. Completely on the other spectrum is Pier 23, which is basically a half-step above a dive bar, but if you want a whole crab for cheap it canāt be beat. Friendly staff and patrons, too. Another place I canāt help but recommend for AFWE folks is Terroir, which is in a semi-dumpy neighborhood in SOMA, but if youāre into low-sulfur, indigenous yeast āvins de soifā, thereās no place better. The menu is limited (rillettes, maybe a pate, always several artisinal cheeses) but Iāve met great people there as well, especially if you go in the afternoon.
Help me decideā¦La Ciccia or Zuni Cafe? I am leaning towards La Ciccia, but that wood fired chicken specialty at Zuni has my interest. Unfortunately, dinner plans for our other two evenings are already planned, so I must pick one of the above.
For an SF classic, Zuni is great. Iām a chicken fanatic, and theirs is worth the hour wait. But if you order it right when youāre seated, even before looking at the wine list, that hour goes by pretty fast.
Iāve been to La Ciccia four times, and I absolutely love it. Excellent food, and as interesting an Italian wine list as youāll get in the US. You wonāt find old Barolos and Brunellos for $300+, but you will discover Sardinian and southern Italian wines for $40 to $80 that you might not see most other places.
If I had to pick one of the two for pure enjoyment, Iād go with La Ciccia. For an SF experience, Zuni.
Iām surprised no one mentioned Foreign Cinema. Year in and year out, theyāve been so consistent on a very good level. Good wine list, the best oysters in SF, and a fun atmosphere.
Iāll skip the restaurant recs since itās been well covered but the number 1 tip I always give to visitors is:
Always have layers (cardigan, sweatshirt, hoodie, whatever) on you. Even if you wake up and itās 100+ out and not a cloud in the sky: bring layers.
Iāve seen too many tourists wandering around the Ferry Building on a gorgeous Saturday morning, enjoying the farmerās market in the sun (I love doing this by the way), in shorts and t-shirts with nothing else on them but sunglasses. Then a while later, they are walking up to Fishermanās Wharf (which I wouldnāt recommend going anyway) and suddenly, the fog rolls in, the temperature drops from a pleasant high-80s to a shitty mid-60s. Itās suddenly cold, windy, and wet, and they are miserable and have no choice but to buy the crappy āI LOVE FISHERMANāS WHARFā hoodiesā¦