the wave organ was much less impressive than I was expecting (knowing nothing going in). I still know very little, but you could only really hear it with your ear up against it.

the mirror maze is corny but actually pretty fun - good way to burn an hour if you're in the area, but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there.

Is Terroir still good? Seeing more bad reviews lately it seems like, and most seem to focus on one of the two main guys, who I do know to be not the friendliest sometimes (he once tried to make me look like an idiot for coming in with gum in my mouth). The other guy is great though; in fact too friendly so that now dates have questioned how I'm there so much to know him. Sometimes I worry that he's going to say "great to see you two again!" when I'm on a first date.

(This isn't a terribly serious concern, but it's a concern.)

BJ,

I went a couple weeks ago and thought it was the same as it ever was. They can be sorta dickish/snooty about wine. I only go there with people who are pretty into wine.

Somewhat off topic , but I tweaked my back a few weeks ago deadlifting and it hasn't fully healed. Anyone have a PT they would recommend?

Dan,

http://www.somaphysio.com

I'll jump in here and disagree with ElD somewhat (he's spot on about going in with wine geeks).

If Natural wine is your thing, they still scratch that itch in a way. But, they aren't the only game in town anymore (granted they weren't that when Mark Bright was running Les Clos, but, that's not the point) and aren't as special as they were for a long while.

Any proper spot that really focuses on their wine list will have natural wines on hand, so the selection ends up being more spread thin. On top of that, a lot more SF somms are on the NYC natural train, so one can find these wines in a lot more spots than they could even 3 years ago.

My experience as someone ITB is that Terroir totally gives off the NYC-natty wine crowd dick move way too often for my taste. Personally I'm not the biggest fan of the wines, and the smugness on top of it pisses me off.

I'm only in SF 6-8x a year for work/certifications, so I may not necessarily be able to give a ton of in depth recs. But, I've been pretty turned off by Terroir the past few visits. jmo

Hey guys, bit of a random/off topic question:

What are the odds I could get an uber/lyft driver to take us from Oakland Airport to Napa?

I'm guessing I'd need to request the ride, call the driver right after they accept the ping, and let them know how far we're going + promise a large tip since they're unlikely to get a customer for the trip back.

With that strategy, am I likely to get someone to do it? Only asking because we just need to get to Napa after landing then we are set for transportation so I don't want to deal with getting a rental just for that 1 hr drive.

Easy peasy. I've gone from SF/Oakland to wine country in an Uber multiple times, in both directions. There's certainly a chance one particular driver won't want to do it, but you can just call another one (this should be really easy going from the Oakland airport and only moderately tougher coming back).

Good to hear, we don't even need it for the way back so that should be easy.

My idea to immediately call them and offer a good tip ahead of time is the best play right?

Yeah, honestly might not even be necessary, but if you're in a time crunch this could save you a cancelled ride or two.

hey guys thanks for the input, just a quick trip report:

arrived around noon, decided to knock out the obligatory touristy **** around fishermans wharf first. A cow-orker recommended carmel pizza, which was ... ok.

Very few sea lions at pier 39. apparently they're all out in the ocean this time of year getting fat or mating or whatever. The sea lion center was pretty informative (they have a naturalist on duty, and since there wasn't anyone else in there the kids got their questions answered pretty quick and we moved on).

The infinite mirror maze was exactly as described, not bad for $5, as far as tourist traps go it's pretty high on the bang/buck scale.

The kids wanted to try in-and-out, and were... not impressed. A cow-orker has described the wharf location as "the worst in-and-out in the world" and it's definitely a huge step down from the LA locations I've tried before.

Got a getaround for the day and went up north, muir woods, muir beach, etc. The redwoods were absolutely amazing. Not a huge fan of sausalito, it's absolutely maddening dodging all the ****ing cyclists who are not paying attention to their surroundings.

Hit up the Battery Yates and Battery Spencer on the way back, absolutely stunning views of the city and the bridge (both of my kids are into photography and honestly they probably would have spent the whole trip up there).

Got up early the next day and got in line for alcatraz tickets at around 6:30, easily got them. We got on the 10:30 boat and spent much longer on the island than I expected. The kids were not expecting much but were really into it once they got there (they weren't expecting anything other than the cellhouse).

Cable car museum and the fortune cookie factory were both worth a quick stop while we were in the area (in the case of the fortune cookie factory, a VERY quick stop).

Hyde St. pier/aquatic park was more interesting than I had expected.

Yuet Lee was A+++++ though I was a bit worried when we walked in and I saw a pic of Guy Fieri.

We hit a ton of north beach restaurants up and down columbus avenue, and enjoyed most of them. Piccolo Forno (mushroom ravioli was off the charts), the Italian Homemade Company (the wife and I enjoyed it, kids thought it was just OK), gelato classico (very nice), la trappe (above average burger).

One note on hotels, we stayed up near the wharf at the sheraton. I've stayed in almost every marriott and starwood property in the city except this one. this week the options were pretty limited and my choices were this property or a couple down in the union square area (Marriott Union Square, the Palace (which would have been a lot more points)). I really wasn't sure this would be a good hotel, but the location was actually really good even though we barely spent any time in the wharf area, and it's been recently renovated. Lots of foreign tourists, which the kids enjoyed talking to (and they got to see how bad their spanish really is). It's certainly not the nicest SPG/marriott property in town but it's not a dump and for a quick trip with the kids it was fine.

Overall, a really good trip, I left out a lot, but thanks for all the recommendations.

If I book French Laundry for 8 people 10 weeks out and it turns out I can't make it, I assume it won't hard to resell the seats. Is that accurate? Don't care if I end up taking a small loss.

**** it, just booked it anyway even with plans up in the air. I'm not even a particularly big fan of over the top French meals but everyone just raves about how it's the best...

I won't be in town, but you guys should definitely grab Dan's reservation and have an EDF meetup at French Laundry if he dumps it

I like this ^ idea :-) Y'all can have dibs.


Good buddy's birthday today and we are throwing a big party. Where should I get cake for a lot of people? My best bet is getting a lot of little cakes from Tartine but I feel like there is an obvious, better answer.

My coworkers airways buy cakes in chinatown and they're gross so I don't recommend that

Ok not sure why I had any reservations about Tartine, these pies look incredible

What I can remember for a TR from a week long trip in mid-July. Many thanks to El D and other thread contributors for recommendations.

We landed around noon mid-week, grabbed a cab to where we were staying at Nob Hill and marvelled at the cloud/fog wall forming on the hills on the outskirts of the city on the way in.

The Bird for a chicken sandwich was our first stop after unloading our stuff at the Hotel. Surprisingly tasty. A+

Wandered down to the Ferry Building, Embarcadero and bits of the waterfront afterwards and then back up the hill.

Uma Casa for dinner. We had one of the Taste of Portugal options. Salt cod fritters and salt cod casserole were okay. My wife loved both. Braised pork shoulder dish was incredible. Arugula and fruit salad was great. Portugese egg custard tart was delicious. Great meal and ridiculously good value.

The next morning we did a Muir Woods tour with Tom. If you want to check out Muir Woods, don’t want to drive and don’t want to go with a big bus tour, look up Tom’s Famous Muir Woods Tour. Excellent time from pick up at our hotel until drop off in Sausalito. Hiked about five miles or so, the first chunk of which was out of the way of any crowds and then he picked us up at the main entrance which got increasingly busy as we got closer.

Lunch at Salito’s in Sausalito after we walked right past the burger joint we had been looking for. Crab chowder, brussel sprout chips, oysters and salads. Good service, good food, enjoyable. We took the ferry back to the waterfront and wandered a bit more before getting ready for some conference stuff that evening.

The conference group was heading to the SoMa Street food park the next night and we bailed to hit Cockscomb which we both really enjoyed. One of the daily specials with Wagyu and diver scallops was very good and the crispy squid and pig ears were awesome. Dessert was ho hum but the whole vibe of the restaurant was really cool and the mains were excellent.

Alcatraz Tour audio walking tour the next day was really well done. We didn’t have as much time as we would have liked to wander around the Island a bit but the trip was well worth it.

We had a couple dinners with the conference group at Bistro Boudin and McCormick & Kuleto’s which were okay. Braised rib at the latter of those two was pretty good. We walked back up to Nob Hill after each of those meals which made for a nice walk.

On the last afternoon of the conference we had some free time and we went for a lengthy self-guided walking tour of China Town, Russian Hill, Telegraph Hill, etc. We went by the fortune cookie factory which is worth checking out. We wandered up to Coit Tower. Walked up Lombard. Ducked into the San Francisco Art Institute which if you walk through has really nice views of the waterfront, back towards Coit Tower, etc. We wandered up and down several of the public stairways to houses enjoying incredible views. We stopped for a drink and margarita pita pizza somewhere along the way. Absolutely loved the walk and could do this over and over throughout various neighborhoods there.

On the Sunday following the conference we hit City View for dim sum with another couple. I can’t remember what we ate but everything was pretty good. No one was crazy about the Chicken’s Feet. Egg tarts were fantastic. We parted ways there sending them off on the same walking tour we had done the previous day and then we wandered China Town again, wandering through every alley we could find. Then we hopped on a train and headed to the Mission District and wandered around there. We grabbed some awesome ice cream at bi-rite. checked out the murals in Clarion Alley and Balmy Alley. Stood in line forever at La Taqueria and never regretted it for a moment. I’m not big on burrito’s or Mexican food in general but I would repeat for sure. Back to the Hotel to clean up and straight back to the Mission for Sushi at Sushi Hon where we had the smaller omakase option. Amazing meal, amazing service.

We took a bus tour to Yosemite for a day which meant a pick up at 6am and drop off after 10pm. We didn’t have enough time to really explore at stopping points but did get to hike Tuolumne Sequoia grove and hike part way up the upper Yosemite Falls as well as quick stops at a couple water falls and El Capitan. This was just a couple days before they had to close the park and visibility was pretty poor due to the smoke but everything is just absolutely beautiful out there and we will have to make a return visit with a few days to spare to take in more of the park.

On our last day we took a city tour in the back of a Mini Convertible for several hours just checking out random bits of the city and getting a mini history lesson. Super enjoyable time. Checked out China Town, Golden Gate bridge, the Presidio, Twin Peaks, Pacific Heights, Golden Gate Park, Painted Ladies, Castro, Haight-Ashbury, Sea Cliff, tiled steps, other neighborhoods I have forgotten, etc. We had intended to hit R&G Lounge for lunch but ended up in Z&Y instead for what turned out to be yet another delicious meal.

We finished off our visit with a meal at Commonwealth where we had a tasting menu with a wine pairing for me and a non-alcoholic beverage pairing for my wife. Another excellent meal and we thought the non-alcoholic beverage pairing was cool. And remarkably profitable if you can con any suckers into buying it. Burnt honey ice cream with their own rooftop produced honey was delicious.

Loved the trip, loved the city, enjoyed the restaurants and neighborhoods, absolutely loved the vibe throughout, can’t wait to go again and explore more.

Thanks again El D and thread!

Really nice mussels-centered dinner at Chez Maman last night. The Poulette broth for the mussels was to die for. We were drinking liberally so it was more expensive, but sans alcohol you could get out of there for under $30/person easily. I want to go back ASAP!

Is it just me or does SF have a lot more French food than other large US cities?

Welp. That didnt take long. I was in Potrero Hill again tonight and saw Chez Maman had an open seat at the bar so I went for it. Being a massive nerd, I actually had to use an RNG to determine what to order because so many options looked good. And the winner was...

Steak frites! $24, and at that price point obviously the beef isn't going to be elite, but the green peppercorn sauce certainly is. Man, I may have just found my new favorite casual restaurant in this city.

Does anyone know about decent places to play pickup basketball? I live in the TL but can go anywhere. Thanks!

Depends on how hood youre willing to get. Im not sure if they run anymore but Logan High school in Union city is a good safe spot. Its across the street from the police station and the high school services like 4000 kids so theres ususally people out there. All the other games I know that run I wouldnt feel comfortable sending people.

Well bros I'm officially out of the Peninsula. I needed a short term place before I leave the country for 6 months, so I leased a place just south of Duboce Park. Other than crossing the park to frequent Toronado, what are the cool spots I need to check out around here?

You guys know any good happy spots for a group of 10 people on Tuesday? Feels like it's going to be hard to find a place considering it's Giants game that day too.

Was thinking golden gate tap room since the place is huge so it shouldn't be a problem finding a table.

Schroeder's is perfect for this if that location is OK for you.

Closer to GGTR: I forget, can you fit 10 in the upstairs area at Hopwater? If so that's a great pick. Jillian's just reopened, rebranded as Tabletop, but it's been getting killed on Yelp so I won't recommend that.