See also Help please: San Francisco Restaurants thread. I took a date to Fringale on Sat night based on the recommendation, very nice, very reasonable, nothing too fancy.

Also last Fri: Holy Cow, not as good as I remember it used to be, very quiet, ridiculously cheap drinks though and a barmaid in a tiny plaid skirt and a fine wiggle. Elbo Room, crowded but fun place, still easy to get drinks. Wanted to check out Wish to take a girl to on Sat night, unfortunately my date for Fri was a big dude in a lavendar shirt. We still couldn't get in. I wasn't too surprised.

Any suggestions for a fun place on a Sat night for a birthday group?

If you're hanging out near the museums/metreon, etc. (I believe this is SOMA), try some cream puffs over at Beard Papa's on Mission between 3rd and 4th. Good stuff!

BCF,

Fringale is very solid. I especially like the steak frites and the lamb. Right on the corner is Coco 500, one of my favorite restaurants in the city. Highly recommend it.

Wish is OK but sucks on the weekend, way too crowded.

What sort of place you looking for for the birthday, and how many people?

I saw Coco 500, and it was recommended by a friend, but I couldn't get a reservation (last minute). It's up there on my list to try out though.

My b'day is Weds but I'm getting old and mid-week shenanigans isn't as easy to deal with the next morning as it used to be...that'll be a more civilised night. Sat would need to be somewhere fun to make me forget 37 sounds significantly older than 36 Lively, pretty people to look at, clubby but not too clubby (last year we VIP'd it at Ruby Skye). Probably a dozen or so twentysomethings to thirtysomethings, small cover charge is ok (my friends are all over the chart financially, and this year I want them all around).

If I end up at anyone's recommendations, I'd be very happy to let them buy me a drink Since Bruiser left town before I could meet him, anyone else with some good stories to tell would be most welcome!

BCF,

I am not much of a club guy anymore, so can't really help you out there. I do like Mighty, but I suspect that's not the right vibe for you.

For a nice lounge type place with a bit of a club type atmosphere/music, you might want to check out Slide, right next door to Ruby Skye. It is basicaly a really nice bar with a club feel to it.

If you want to hang out w/ pretty Marina folk, you can hit The Matrix on Fillmore. It is not my style at all, but it's definitely a nice bar with pretty people.

I'd heard this forever, and it didn't make sense to me. It often gets mentioned as a Great Thing To Do in SF That a Local Never Does. So a couple years ago I took a visitor on the tour on a spectacular summer day. And I tell ya, I still don't get it. The answer came to me in the form of a question as I stood in front of a cell and listened to the audio tour: Why visit a prison on your day off/vacation? Seems of limited historical interest. There's a small Hollywood connection easily taken in through views of the thing. Different strokes...

I didn't read all of this thread. Here's a couple I didn't see:

Angel Island (better ferry and picnic option, imo).

There's a nice trail that hugs land's end through GG National Rec Area accessible from the parking lot above the Cliff House. It goes out to painted rock and sneaks up on the GG to provide a different view of it. It spits out in Sea Cliff, giving options to head back the way you came, cut through Lincoln Park GC, take the street up to the Legion of Honor. I suppose you could carry on to China Beach or the Presidio if you wanted, as well.

One thing I like is when I'm at 22nd/Irving right next to the market there is a Mediterranean deli (Palistinian?) called "Sunrise" I think, where I get the falafel and/or mujeddara. Yeah, I know, all the great asian stuff in that neighborhood, and a great sushi place, but give it a look.

I didn't see Rose Pistola in North Beach mentioned, seems like I usually drop in when I'm in the neighborhood.

I'm gonna stop here...

Hey guys, first time posting in EDGDF, though I like reading it. I'm going up to San Fran this weekend for a nice meal with my friends and was trying to decide which restaurant to hit. We're all college students, so this isn't something that happens a lot. We're looking for a good steakhouse, most likely.

In this thread, El D recommended Harris, and in an older OOT thread he recommends Bobo's, Harris, and ACME. I was hoping you guys could go more in depth on this or provide some more suggestions (mostly steakhouses, unless something is just an AMAZING meal for ~75 bucks).

We're looking to spend between 50 and 100 each, and we're not getting alcohol (we're all 20). I'm going with surf and turf, most likely, if that changes the restaurant. I usually get filet mignon and lobster- I'm still getting the lobster this weekend since I LOVE lobster, but I was hoping to try something besides filet mignon. My friends probably won't get as much as me, and will go with some type of steak. Any suggestions on the place and the meal?

duke,

I retract my Bobo's recommendation. I've been there a few times and always had a great time, and when they are at their best, it is one of the most fun steak places to go. However, multiple people who have been their recently have had very different experiences - sometimes it's great, but other times the food is uneven and service is horrible. Too much of a risk. Also, they took their best app off the menu.

I like both Acme and Harris' a lot. Acme is a more casual fun nice restaurant vibe, whereas Harris' is more of an old school steakhouse vibe.

I don't think Acme even does lobster. Even if they do, Harris' would clearly be better for surf and turf. Overall, Harris' is just a better steakhouse with a wider range of choices. Harris' is slightly more expensive, but $50-100 without alcohol is more than enough. Steaks are probably around $40 each at both places.

The only reason I go to Acme more often than Harris' is because it is two blocks away from my house and three friends of mine bartend there.

Acme is more casual than Harris', but slacks/shirt is plenty dressed up enough for Harris'. Plenty of folks there will be wearing jeans, plenty will be wearing jackets. I like being in the middle with slacks/shirt.

Awesome, thanks El D. I guess I'll call and make a reservation for Harris for next Saturday.

Do you have any recommendations for what we should try, not only for an entree, but also for the appetizers and desserts?

duke,

I've tasted a few steaks there, all have been outstanding. I usually get the Harris bone-in NY steak. Note that they come w/ vegetables and potato, which is another thing I like about Harris' (high-end steakhouses nowadays often don't come with any sides).

I've just had the regular steaks. A friend had this: "Filet mignon Rossini - A filet mignon with grilled Sonoma foie gras and black truffle, cabernet sauce" and said it was spectacular.

I've never had the prime rib and wouldn't order that. If you guys want Prime Rib, go to House of Prime Rib down the street and have great prime rib for far cheaper than premium steakhouse prices.

Everything I've had at Harris' has been good. Some highlights...

The fried onion rings and mushrooms are f'ing great at Harris'. Definitely get those. My sister said the crab cakes were excellent. The onion soup was delicious.

Have had a few desserts there, all really good. Cheesecake I remember being especially good.

Haha, that filet mignon Rossini seems like it'll be too expensive for us. Sounds delicious though!

I'll make sure to get the mushrooms. And I just love good cheesecake, so I think I'm getting some of that. Thanks again for the recommendations.

duke,

If you want to go one notch down from really high-end steakhouse, Izzy's and House of Prime Rib are both really good options. At Izzy's you get a full meal of very good steak plus two sides for about $25, at HOPR you get a really big dinner of salad + great bread + prime rib + sides for about $35.

too late now but last night watched the chinese new year parade for three hours. it was the year of the boar but not boring. its one of the things i like to do when i come down here and try to time it for the event.
on the advice of the sucker i ate a small meal at pinoccios or something like that on columbus. and italian joint, small and casual but good. thirty five bucks for two with no booze. then got ice cream from trader joes.
took the cable car from fishermans wharf to the end at union square then walked thru chinatown and back thru north beach and down to the wharf. nice day.
did the bay boat tour and fun as usual. some things are fun if repeated.
i also like to eat lunch at joes crab shack and watch the bushman from the window tables.
food is fair view is good.
fun to walk from embarkadero to the wharf then to fort mason and see what events are going on, then to the national park by the bridge. eat at the greens along the way if you are not a carnivore like el diablo.
best place to eat for 5 dollars is the san fran art institute on chestnut and jones for lunch on seekdays. you get the best view in the city and a homemade lunch or breakfast for earlier risers. yes thats five dollars in san francisco.

HOPR is the big winner here. Only a couple blocks or so from Ruth Chris, for a fraction of the cost. Hit up some bars on that end of Polk after dinner. Fun fun times.

I was in S.F this weekend and noticed that the Gap at Haight and Ashbury is closed.

Hippie justice?

Does the Buccaneer still hire nothing but smoking hot female bartenders, who like to get sweaty in their tight sports-bra-ish-style tops, and lightly brush fingers across each others sweaty bodies each time they pass behind the bar? Hmmmm?

suzzer,

Alas, no.

I live just up from the Distillery and it has awesome views. Def a good place to take a date though it is a rip off but worth it for the ambiance. There are some awesome tidepools just below the MBD that are certainly worth checking out. I believe that it is 1 hour behind the Golden Gate low tide but they perfect when you can find a minus 1.0+ tide. There are a lot of other good reasons to check out the coastside including good beachs, Montara Mountain, the new Ritz Carlton, etc.

For food on the coast I would check out a mediterranean place called La Gibraltar, San Benito House for sandos, El Gran Amigo for awesome mexican food and Sushi Main St for good/fresh sushi.

...and the last possible regret of moving to LA is erased.

For beers by the liter Schroeder's is a fun after work place I enjoy a lot.

So I thought I'd provide a trip report of Harris' Restaurant for you guys. My friends Jim, Corey, Casey, and I went out to eat and then went to the IMAX in San Francisco.

Overall, my friends and I were satisfied with Harris'. We weren't blown away, but the food was pretty good.

We got there and the valets promptly opened the doors for us and took our car - no wasting time to find parking.

We were seated right away since we had a reservation, and got the menus quickly, but we had to wait a while before our drink orders were taken. A note on the drinks: I'm a big fan of real lemonade (especially strawberry lemonade) and since I'm not 21 and thus couldn't get an alcoholic drink, I decided to get a lemonade. I flat out asked them if it was real lemonade and not the fake Minute-Maid crap, and our waitress said "yes, it's real." We got our drinks (and not right away, either) and IT WAS THE FAKE MINUTE-MAID STUFF. WTF??? Our waitress lost big points for that.

The bread they gave us was nothing amazing. It was good warm, but once it cooled, became too crunchy. The servers quickly brought out more bread when we ate ours, so that was good. We all ordered salads but they forgot Jim's (they later brought it out without us reminding them, but this was after they had cleared our salads).

We got the fried mushrooms appetizer, per El Diablo's suggestion, and we all thought it was fantastic. They served it hot and fresh, and the dipping sauce complimented the mushrooms very well.

They food, once we ordered, came fairly quickly. I think we all agree that the food was delicious. Jim got the 49er cut, as did Corey, and Casey got the filet mignon. I got the surf and turf (filet mignon and Maine lobster). They were really big cuts of meat, which was nice, and the entrees included steamed vegetables and potatos (mashed or baked). My filet mignon was perfectly cooked, and very juicy and tender, although the flavor wasn't as bold as I might have liked. Corey thought his 49er cut was very juicy and flavorful, and definitely enjoyed it. Casey thought much the same of his filet mignon. All in all, the steaks were very good. They met or exceeded expectations.

My lobster was very good and pretty big, although nothing incredible. It came in the shell, although they cracked the tail open for you. I'd have preferred to have it cracked for me, but whatever.

As for dessert, they didn't have any cheesecake (El D said the cheesecake was good, so I was looking forward to that... wtf?) so we shared a chocolate timbale. Pretty small serving, and I wasn't blown away by it, but it was very good. Very rich and the rhubarb sauce was delicious.

Overall, we all thought the food was great. The service was quite another matter though. Our waitress was slow and didn't really seem to care about us. I expected much better from Harris' so I'm going to attribute that to a bad waitress and the fact that we are college kids, so maybe they thought we wouldn't tip and served accordingly. I was fully prepared to tip well, though, so her loss.

The busboys, water fillers, and other servers were outstanding though. Our waters were kept full, but the filler never interrupted our meal. He stealthily came around and did his job well. The bread guy kept our table stocked with bread, and the busboys cleared our plates quickly and kept the table cloth crumb free. Corey and Casey, who are both Asian, were disappointed to see that almost all of the busboys and water fillers were Asian, and none of the waiters and waitresses were. Overall, the service was good, but because the waitress did such a poor job, we cut the tip a little bit.

Overall, I think we were satisfied with where we went. Excellent food, but the waitress definitely hurt the experience. My total came to 110 before tax (85 for surf and turf, 10 for salad, 7 for drink, 3 for share of appetizer, 8 for dessert), Jim, Casey, and Corey were all ~70 each. About what we expected to pay, so that was good.

After the dinner, we went and saw 300 on IMAX, which was absolutely amazing... all in all, a great night.

The North Beach Festival in summer is a blast - lots of great Jazz, Blues and others together with an ecclectic mix of food and people make it a lot of fun.

Hiking Mt Tam on a clear day, checking out the surfing action under the GG Bridge and walking through the Presidio Golf Course?, through GG Park and up to the coffee house up on the cliff are all great ways to spend a day.

And nobody has mentioned the G&L Mardi Gras which is an absolute hoot

Tadich Grill - B+ seafood, lots of history, sit at the bar

COME ON EL D!!! How on EARTH are you going to mention La Taqueria in the same breath as El Farolito!!!!! BLASPHEMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!

La Taq is HANDS DOWN THE BEST BURRITO PLACE ON EARTH (unless you are one of those people who really loves rice - this place has none). El Farolito is nowhere near the same quality IMO.

If you want solid burrito alternatives, you don't have to go far -

La Coroneta <sp> on 23rd and Mission is fantastic (get the super steak and prawn quesodilla <sp> - incredible).

For nightlife, I suggest the following:

Brunos - a very classy location with a very night dependent crowd - from collegy to investment bankery - really runs the gamut - $5 dollar cover is PERFECT to keep the rif raf out and not bother you much.

Medjool - the roofdeck is sweet on a nice night - hectic to get a drink, but between the 3 floors, you should be able to find a spot. Very close to Brunos.

Zeitgeist - best bloody marys in the city, and about as Mission alt hipster. Tons of picknic tables out back to enjoy the sun with a beer or bloody. BBQ ain't too shabby either (particularly after a few of the afformentioned beverages).

Ruby Skye - you really have to be feeling the 'big euro club' urge to go here, but if you are, it's the best choice in the city. Always hot girls and you can escape upstairs if you need a beak from the electronica.

Just a few additions off the top.

You are one skeevy chode.