Just moved to the city, living in North Beach (Telegraph Hill area) with 3 buddies. No real contributions yet, just hit up the same Triangle/Blue Light/Bar None bars that I went to when I was in college out of familiarity.

I did make it out to Lion's Pub the other night, and that was pretty sick. They make greyhounds and screwdrivers with fresh squeezed, pulpy grapefruits and oranges (literally, they squeeze them right in front of you). I was hammered and thought it was cool. While I was there, hit on a couple attractive older (than me) women, went well.

Also, hit up a bunch of the little Italy restaurants, they're all good but also very much on the beaten path so no need for TR's really.

The coolest place I went while back in the city this summer was the Bourbon + Branch. It's a speakeasy-themed bar/lounge, which is cool because the place was an actual speakeasy during prohibition and comes complete with secret entryways and exits, including a real revolving bookshelf door, which is awesome. Adding to the mystique is the fact that there's no sign for it, just an old sign that says "Anti-Saloon League" and a bouncer outside the door who you need to give a password to.

There are two sections--the library, which is just a bar, and the back room. To get into the private back area (which is the cool part of going) you need to make reservations online several days in advance. This lounge area is pretty much ballin out of control. They preserve a speakeasy feel--no cell phone use is allowed (though this isn't strict), the waitresses are all hot and dressed in 20's outfits, and you cram your party into little wooden booths which are cramped but give a nice sophisticated vibe to the evening, as you get some privacy and quiet.

The reason for going to the B+B are the drinks. It has a 20-page menu, including about ten pages of classic and original cocktails from $11-20 each, and then lists of rums, vodkas, absinthes, and their specialty, whiskeys and scotches. (To give you an idea, there is a long paragraph written about each of their best vintage whiskeys, and the best ones went for $125-200 for 2 oz.) These were easily the best cocktails I've ever had. Every single one tasted vastly different than I expected, and they were all excellent, whether they were interesting takes on standard drinks (an amazing gimlet with muddled cucumber, a Pimm's "tea" with gin, honey and lemon juice) or things I could never have dreamed of. Well worth the price IMO. If you're looking for a classy but not stuffy night out with a few friends or a date, this is a much overlooked gem.

Beatngreet,

I've been to Bourbon and Branch, but only to the Library part a couple of times. Agree that the drinks there are very good. I'll have to try and make it to the Backroom sometime just to check it out, but I don't live in SF anymore so it might be awhile. Very cool concept though, I always got a kick out of having to tell the bouncer the password in order to get it.

What's the password?

Sounds like a great place to hit up at the beginning of the night when you're only mildly buzzed and still care about what you are drinking, I'll have to check it out.

I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.

You can find the password on their website. Its not secret. Mostly to make you feel cool.

There's one password for the library which is always the same (I forget it but it's not a big deal), and another for the backroom which changes daily that you get when you book a reservation.

Hi! I really need some help. I'm going on a date this Saturday and I'm looking for a nice restaurant that has a bar/lounge area or a restaurant NEAR (10 mins walk) a bar/lounge. Looking for something nice but not too expensive. Plates can be a in the $20s and not higher because I don't really want to over do it on a first date.

Looking for a lounge that is fun but not too loud so we can talk.
It would be great if it is near Northbeach since we can just head to the bars or the piers if the mood is right.

OR if you guys got some top secret date ideas/places in SF that has worked well for you, im all ears!

i too, recommend Bourbon and Branch. such a cool experience.

Agreed - SF sushi is very solid and reasonably priced for the most part. My favorite spot is Hamano on Castro at 24th st.

I'm going to STRONGLY disagree with you here as I've had mexican in LA / SD and would put La Taqueria, La Coroneta, and some of the items at Cancun against any of the spots my friends have taken me to down there.

La Taqueria is hands down the best burrito in the world imo.

In other news, I'm a month or two away from buying my house on Valencia between 20th and 21st. WOO HOO!!!

Nice hood. I've got 2 friends on your block.

Visited "La Bergerie" a week ago. I think it's on Geary and 6th ish ave or so. I was walking with my girlfriend and we were hungry for french onion soup, so after 30 minutes of walking this is the first place that looked like it might get the job done.

Anyway, a few things jumped out as I entered the place at 9:30PM on a Friday.

1 - there was only one other table in entire restaurant (9:30 on a FRIDAY)
2 - there were many favorable reviews and newspaper clippings posted on the walls....FROM 1989
3 - I felt like I had been transported into a cozy eastern european tavern/restaurant with low ceilings and tacky decorations on the wall


The service was great...French accent and all but how tough can it be for the waitress when she's only covering 2 tables.

The food had some pleasant surprises. Delicious sweetbread course, nice portions of duck, some freebies from the kitchen. Nice homestyle cooking, rustic french. Onion soup was the biggest letdown. Total bill was $60 for 2 including bottle of $22 wine.

I would definitely choose this place over (overrated imo) "Chapeau!"

I been to both often, I much prefer pho clement. (this is the one with the green awning right?)

Mmmmmm, French Onion Soup.....................................

My favorite French Onion Soup is at Cafe Jacqueline - an incredibly charming tiny little souffle place in North Beach. Make sure you make a reservation with some solid conversationalists however, as, with only Jacqueline herself making the souffles, it's a looooong dinner (3 hours for me). Highly recommended.

MoMo's by the Ball Park (and my office) also has a very solid French Onion with a hockey puck of cheese.

Thang Long's on Judah

Get the GARLIC CRAB!!!, everything is good, Tiger prawns!!!

Some new recs:

For those who like spicy food: Spices on Clement and 6th... Amazing and authentic Taiwan style food

For those who love authentic Thai food: Sah Ja Thai on O'Farrell... Absolutely amazing

For those who want a more fusiony Thai food: Thai House Express on Geary and Larking (Don't go to Osha).

I'm leaving SF in about a month and I will miss these places the most

xpost from from dining:

I want to do 1 nice meal when I'm in SF: Cyrus or Gary Danko?

Agreed. It's two blocks from me and was a little put off the decor initially. Now have eaten there multiple times and it's delicious. And spicy!

Isn't Cyrus in Healdsburg? Maybe that's what you meant - never been there. Gary Danko is good, but they don't call it Gary Banko for nothing.

can't wait till they air the anthony bourdain No Reservations they just filmed in SF last week

Stella's in the Italian section... yummy, yummy, yummy

Oh snap. I had the perfect place to take him and I missed my chance!

Any good restauraunts OK with semicasual clothes in Mountain View/Palo Alto area? For late lunch or early dinner (4 ish)?

Or, regular good restaraunts, fancy fine, for dinner in S. San Fran near airport?

I'm sure there are some recommendations in the thread... On iPhone and can't scroll. Thx!

I'm organizing a small dinner for an old elementary school teacher (who is traveling in from Chicago) and five or six of us who went to that school together and later ended up settling in SF. The dinner is going to be paid for by the school, but ok, I don't think that's enough of an excuse to reserve the chef's table at Gary Danko.

I'm shooting for: Somewhere tasty of course, and maybe somewhere nice to semi-nice, but most importantly somewhere with a comfortable atmosphere, that's not too loud, and that's not so fancy/trendy that we're feeling rushed out the door if we overstay our welcome because someone had another joke about the weird art teacher. A decent wine list (or corkage fee option) would also be nice.

Ideas? A few suggestions so far: Foreign Cinema, Sociale, Town Hall, Sauce

http://tonyspizzanapoletana.com/

this place is AMAZING....best pizza i've had outside of italy.

the Margherita pizza won some crazy pizza award and they only make 73 per day, the best review of it i can give is that i generally need meat in every meal i eat, and this is one of my fav meals.

also, the guy bartender makes some amazing cocktails (i rec the "tony collins"

Tony's Pizza is terrific, I live a block away. They have some unusual pizzas (the truffle pizza is tasty), but my favorite there is actually called The Original Tomato Pie, ordered De Lorenzo Style.

And it's been mentioned upthread but for deep dish lovers it can't be mentioned enough: Little Star Pizza is some of the best deep dish west of Chicago, I definitely rank it over Zachary's (also good). I eat at the Little Star on Divis every chance I get; there are no reservations but if there's a half-hour wait then it's easy to pop across the street for a drink at Bar 821 or down the block at Fly Bar.