Foodie Bees &laquo; Weddingbee Boards

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Bumble bee

mandalynn17 June 19, 2010 Medford, OR

My fiance and I are planning on honeymooning in SF for a week next June. We've both been there more than once and done the typical touristy stuff (pier 39, golden gate, etc.) For this trip, we are more interested on relaxing and eating good food! Please give me some awesome recommendations of your favorite restaurants (along with some info about the type of food they serve and the pricepoint).

Thanks so much bees!

2 years ago

2.

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1,512 posts

Bumble bee

mandalynn17 June 19, 2010 Medford, OR

bump

2 years ago

3.

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1,512 posts

Bumble bee

mandalynn17 June 19, 2010 Medford, OR

I could really use some suggestions, girls!

2 years ago

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514 posts

Busy bee

lisalulu September 19, 2009 Santa Barbara,CA

Sociale on Sacramento St. (wine country cuisine)

E' Angelo (great Italian on Chestnut. Cheap)

Nick's Crispy Tacos (Cheap)

Coi (awesome, expensive)

Chez Panisse (Alice Waters over in Berkeley pricey)

Zuny Cafe (pricey) great atmosphere

Matrx Fillmore (for a drink)

My FI knows more. I'll ask him to add some. Is there a type of cuisine that you are looking for in particular? Then I will tell you the best.

2 years ago

5.

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Bumble bee

mandalynn17 June 19, 2010 Medford, OR

Thanks sooo much for the recommendations!!

We love Italian, so thanks so much for the E'Angelo tip. We also would love a good Chinese and BBQ place.

2 years ago

6.

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175 posts

Blushing bee

DarlingNikki586 January 22, 2011 Orangevale, CA

We ate at Michael Mina a few years back for an anniversary. It was probably the most expensive meal we've ever eaten, but it was also delicious! My favorite thing was the lobster pot pie!

I've gotten recommendations for Farallon, which is a seafood restaurant that is decorated really cool. And someday, I'd love to go to Gary Danko, though I've heard it's probably even more expensive than Michael Mina!

Ummm... I've heard the best pizza is Little Star or Blondie's, and I hear Pizza Orgasmica is a pretty fun place as well, all of which I've yet to try! While it's kind of a chain, I love Rainforest Cafe. Marcello's Pizza in the Castro was great too!

A place I've been wanting to try is Opague, where you dine in pitch black.. You kind of have to rely on your senses, which could be a really cool experience.

Anyway, we don't get to dine in the city too often, especially now since we're saving for a wedding, but when we do plan meals for SF, we head over to Yelp. I highly recommend you check it out, because more than likely, you'll find places that locals love!

Good luck, have fun, and if you venture out of SF, especially to the South Bay, I could give you a ton more recommendations!

2 years ago

7.

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175 posts

Blushing bee

DarlingNikki586 January 22, 2011 Orangevale, CA

yelp.com, that is! Sorry, it's late...

2 years ago

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43 posts

Newbee

soontobemrskeho September 26, 2009 San Francisco

Nopa - my fav place in the city ($100 for 2)

Range / Spork -- good trendy places in the Mission

Farina -- one of the docs that my fiance works with is Italian, and this is his go to place

The Slanted Door - pretty famous restaurant on the water at the Embarcadero

Pete's Bbq -- a bbq institution...

Dosa - Fun, trendy "Indian" (more like fusion place) on Fillmore in a beautiful beautiful building

PM me if you have more questions about the city! :)

2 years ago

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43 posts

Newbee

soontobemrskeho September 26, 2009 San Francisco

omg, sorry just realized that this is way late

2 years ago

10.

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Bumble bee

mandalynn17 June 19, 2010 Medford, OR

thanks so much for the recommendations girls! I will definitely check out yelp.com. We would definitely be willing to venture out into the bay.

@soontobemrskeho - why is this way late?

2 years ago

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Bee

545 posts

Busy bee

sunbeam

EOS in cole valley & TownHall in SOMA, both favorites of mine. You could also hit up a wine bar. One that just opened up in the city is the Press Club on Market St. We go there sometimes, and I highly recommend it.

2 years ago

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169 posts

Blushing bee

cfitz621 July 17, 2010 Memphis, TN

@mandalynn17 - i bet they saw your date and read it as June 19, 2009. So they probably though your wedding - and therefore honeymoon - already happened.

2 years ago

13.

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1,512 posts

Bumble bee

mandalynn17 June 19, 2010 Medford, OR

thanks for the recommendations Sunbeam! I should probably mention that neither FI or I drink. :)

@cfitz621 - Oh, yeah, I guess if they read it wrong then I would have already been married!

2 years ago

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99 posts

Worker bee

cleesmile May 19, 2012 Boston

anything in chinatown is aways great for dimsum :) my favorite boba (tapioca bubble) tea place is Ten Ren's or Ray's in Chinatown.

i read about a creme brulee cart that i've been wanting to try: http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/05/creme-brulee-cart-man-san-francisco-bay-area-dolores-park-ca.html

and after you find the creme brulee cart in the mission district, there are tons of sweet eats you can hit up: http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/05/creme-brulee-cart-man-san-francisco-bay-area-dolores-park-ca.html (i esp recommend tartine!)

now for some savery eats:

Stinky Rose (if you love garlic!) i think its in the $$ price range.

InNOut bugger is always a must! first thing i crave when i get off the plane! def a cheap eat!

Ferry Buildling, great san franciscian food! http://www.ferrybuildingmarketplace.com/

also, here's a list of 100 things to try in SF before you die : http://7x7.com/content/eat-drink/big-eat-sf-100-things-try-you-die

hope this helps! ;)

2 years ago

15.

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175 posts

Blushing bee

DarlingNikki586 January 22, 2011 Orangevale, CA

I second the Stinky Rose!

Since you said you'd be willing to venture out a bit, I gotta recommend my two favorite restaurants in the South Bay!

The first one is La Fondue in Saratoga. It's probably about 45ish minutes from the city, but the only word I can use to describe the place is orgasmic. It's pretty expensive, but well worth it. If you haven't guessed from the title, it's a fondue place! They have delicious cheese fondue and dessert fondue, and for the main course you cook your food yourself. They let you choose from four or five different methods, then they give you tons of different dipping sauces and it's just a delicious and super fun date!

My other favorite restaurant is Cascal in Mountain View. Mountain View is probably 35ish minutes from the city. Cascal is a tapas place. In case you've never heard of them, tapas are Spanish small plates (kind of like appetizers), and you just order a bunch of different tapas to eat. Cascal could either be cheap or expensive depending on what and how much you order. SO GOOD though!

Both La Fondue and Cascal are really fun date spots in my opinion. My fiance and I have had a lot of fun at both places and I'd say they're definitely worth the drive out of the city for. Also, both are located in the downtown regions of the cities they're located in, so before or after you eat, you can walk up and down the street (Saratoga and Mountain View both have small downtown areas, so they're really only one street!) to check out all the little shops. The areas both have pretty cool ambiances!

2 years ago

16.

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Bumble bee

mandalynn17 June 19, 2010 Medford, OR

@cleesmile -- Thanks for the link! Tons of places on that list that look good. I love InNOut. I always visit every time I go down to CA.

@DarlingNikki -- Thanks for the recommendations! I've actually heard of La Fondue before (on Food Network) I had forgotten though. We will definitely try to go there.

The Tapas place sounds amazing, too!

2 years ago

17.

864 posts

Busy bee

Nexus-6 March 12, 2010 Portland

my post from another SF food thread:

oh man, I am all over this! My fiance and I are such foodies!

Orson: http://www.orsonsf.com/ Owned by Elizabeth Faulkner from Top Chef! The food is very creative and modern, not going to be your thing if you're a classic meat-and-potatoes girl. Beautiful industrial space. Great drinks too, but avoid Thursdays unless you want to go to a very crowded lesbian Happy Hour!

La Briciola: http://www.labriciola-sf.com/ the best Italian I've ever had. Kicks the a$$ out of any of the touristy places in North Beach. Fun fact- I live across the street!

Heaven's Dog: http://www.heavensdog.com/heavensdog.html Very modern Chinese food. The cocktails here are to die for.

Farmer Brown's: http://www.farmerbrownsf.com/ OH MY GOD. The best soul food ever. Also amazing cocktails. Fun modern/urban vibe.

5A5 Steak Lounge: http://www.5a5stk.com/ Great steaks, gorgeous loungey atmoshere, yummy drinks.

Terroir: http://terroirsf.com/ Fantastic wine bar, eclectic space. Owned by fun French dudes who are always playing old records.

Rickhouse: http://www.rickhousebar.com/ Classic and esoteric cocktails. Take some time to check out the drink meu, it's incredibly detailed. Don't just order a vodka tonic, the bartenders will hate you for being "that douchb@g." Can get crowded as it's unfortunately located in the Financial District.

Several people also mentioned places I love:

BiRite Creamery (get the Salted Caramel)

Suppenkuche

Lime

Emmy's Spaghetti Shack

Beretta

Michael Mina

Anyway, the point of this long-winded post is to say that there are amazing restaurants and bars in SF, don't waste your time going to chains that cater to tourists! (hint: avoid North Beach, the Piers, and most of Union Square.)

2 years ago

18.

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Bumble bee

mandalynn17 June 19, 2010 Medford, OR

@Nexus-6 -- did someone say salted caramel? I'm soooo there!

2 years ago

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85 posts

Worker bee

BrownEyedGurl September 2010 San Francisco, CA

The food in SF is quite amazing!

Steak: House of Prime Rib, Harris, Boboquivari

Sushi: Zushi Puzzle, Kiss, Sebo

Pizza: Little Star, Delfina Pizza, Beretta

Italian: A16, SPQR, Delfina

Asian: R&G Lounge, Ame, Slanted Door, Burma Superstar

Americana: Salt House, Town Hall, RN74

Fancy: Gary Danko, Michael Mina

So many places, I know I'm blanking out on a ton. Let me know if you have any questions. I'm all about the food!

2 years ago

20.

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Bumble bee

mandalynn17 June 19, 2010 Medford, OR

thanks for the recommendations @browneyedgurl. I will definitely look into them!

2 years ago

21.

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55 posts

Worker bee

veradevera 10/10/2010 Oakland, CA

Hi Mandalyn,

I'm a big foodie myself and yet have only gotten through 20% of 7x7's 100 Things to Eat Before You Die. You will have fun eating the things on this list. http://www.7x7.com/content/eat-drink/big-eat-sf-100-things-try-you-die
I highly recommend stopping at BIX just for the bananas foster for dessert. It's a beautiful art deco space.
Also, if you love pork and celebrity chefs, stop in at Incanto for Chef Chris Cosentino's "exotic" menu. Being filipino, some of the ingredients (offal) aren't too off the beaten path but if he can make lamb balls appetizing, the man is gifted! I've had the Head to Toe menu for $70. Incanto was recently featured on Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations and Chris is on Food Network's Chef vs. City.
Finally, don't miss the Ferry Building. Definitely get the fleur de sel caramel at Michael Recchiuti Confections and the chocolate-lavender or rose geranium French macaroon at Miette. Stop in at Cowgirl Creamery and ask if they've got the Drake cheese in. It is divine if you love pungent cheese.

2 years ago

22.

Member

94 posts

Worker bee

CrstnBeach May 30, 2009 New York, NY

three more unique spots that nobody's mentioned... I moved away from SF about 18 months ago, but here were some places we used to take guests

1- Brunch at Sam's in Tiburon - take the ferry over or you can drive. If you drive, then stop in Sausalito for a short wander. Sam's is all outdoor, waterfront dining on a dock. Its casual, but its a local favorite for afternoon drinks & snacks too. I used to like going there for the very filling breakfast/brunch.

2- Julius' Castle in North Beach. The food here isn't great (its kind of heavy) but the location is amazing. Its shaped like a castle. Make sure you go all the way upstairs to the deck (if they don't have an event that night). They do brunch on the deck too, but if you get there around sunset, you'll have an amazing view. Good spot for dessert or brunch.

3- AsiaSF in SoMa. Depending on how liberal you and your fiancee are - this place is run by transvestites in a Coyote Ugly fashion. The cuisine is Asian. Food's good, but you come here for the tranny cabaret.

Less unique but better food:

§ Eclectic Family Fusion: Cafe Kati, in lower Pacific Heights – 1963 Sutter Street, near Fillmore. Pacific fusion-y, run by a really nice family. Service can be erratic, depending on the night, but I absolutely love the food. It has more flavors (and variety of flavors) that anywhere I've been. I recommend the duck spring rolls and the hangar steak.

§ Steak & Crab Combos - Boboquivari's, in Marina – 1450 Lombard Street, between Franklin and Van Ness. Insanely good steak and crab combos. Best steak ever - only tourists hit up the Ruth's Chris around here! Expensive and fancier feeling, although also trendy.
§ Little Italy in North Beach: Rose Pistola – 532 Columbus Avenue, between Green and Stockton, mid-level priced, I love the Bolognese. Casual, family atmosphere. Consistently good and not as "touristy" as some of the other NB restaurants that get more press.
§ Dine on the Ocean: Cliffhouse – 1090 Point Lobos Avenue - expensive and the food's not as good as the view. More formal downstairs than the casual upstairs, which is open for drinks. Harder to get to – need a taxi or patience on a very long bus ride. If you are facing the water, look to your right and see the remnants of the bath houses that once existed on the ocean before a fire.
§ Dinner and a Movie: Foreign Cinema, in the Mission district, south of financial district – 2534 Mission Street, between 21st and 22nd Streets. Grittier part of town, but very very cool restaurant. The bar next door, Medjool, has a rooftop deck with awesome views. Really love this restaurant, again, little pricey. The restaurant screens films (not all foreign) on an outdoor movie screen and has heatlamps, so you shouldn’t get too cold.
§ Dinner in the Gay-borhood: Lime, in the Castro – 2247 Market Street, between 16th and 15th Streets. Good spot for brunch, with complementary champagne cocktails and good people watching of the people who are still dancing to the DJ up front… Dinner is all small plates. Good value for money. Casual but fashionably judgemental.
§ Easy, Inexpensive Vietname: Three Seasons, in Marina - 3317 Steiner St, between Chestnut and Lombard. Vietnamese food that is my fall back when we want to walk to dinner somewhere. Love it & its not expensive. Quieter, not usually too crowded.
§ Easy, Inexpensive Thai: Osha Thai, with several locations – 2033 Union Street, b/w Webster and Buchanan OR 696 Geary @ Leavenworth. Pricier than Three Seasons, but good food. The volcano beef was a favorite. Geary location is ghetto.
§ Brunch at the Beach: If you want to eat on the water but not pay as much as the Cliffhouse, go about ½ mile father south to the Beach Chalet, which is also a microbrewery. Views aren’t as good, but you can still take a walk on the beach afterwards!
§ Mamacita’s – 2317 Chestnut Street, between Divisadero and Scott - Gourmet Mexican in Marina. Have the pomegranite margaritas! Not terribly cheap. Big happy hour spot, noisy and crowded.
§ Plumpjack – 3127 Fillmore St, between Greenwich and Fillmore. Romantic-y and quiet. Owned by the Mayor. In the heart of the “going out” part of the Marina. Get the duck! Pricey.
§ Laola – 2031 Chestnut, between Fillmore and Steiner. Spanish tapas. Small restaurant, small portions, quiet. Good flavor. Not terribly cheap.
§ Awesome Asian – Betelnut Café – 2030 Union Street, bw Webster and Buchanan. My favorite Asian Fusion restaurant, get the green beans. Popular restaurant, not a quiet date night. Great mixed drinks and great variety of fusion food.

2 years ago

23.

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156 posts

Blushing bee

connoCat 9/5/2010

farmer brown or little skillet (Southern)

e'tutto qua (italian)

alegrias (spanish)

pho clement (vietnamese)

Koi Palace (in Daly City; really good dimsum)

Gary Danko's (for a splurge)

Ike's Place (sandwiches)

Beach Chalet (American)

21st Amendment (Brewery)

Use Yelp.com to find all these

2 years ago

24.

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156 posts

Blushing bee

connoCat 9/5/2010

ooo and dessert!! can't forget about that

Tartine Bakery

Bi-Rite Ice Cream

Marco Polo Gelato

*drooll*

2 years ago

25.

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1,512 posts

Bumble bee

mandalynn17 June 19, 2010 Medford, OR

I'm gonna resurrect this thread to ask for a good burger place recommendation. My dad used to live there and recommended a place called Hippo Burger near Lombard St. but we think it might have closed? At any rate, any great Mom & Pop type places are also welcome. We definitely won't be able to eat at the spendy places every night!

2 years ago

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25 posts

Newbee

Humuhumu May 15, 2010 San Francisco

I'm not familiar with Hippo Burger, but I can recommend:

Burger Meister: http://www.burgermeistersf.com/

It's a local chain, five locations total, three of them in the city. When we lived in Cole Valley, we ate there pretty frequently.

Joe's Cable Car: http://www.joescablecarrestaurant.com/

This is our new burger joint, now that we've moved to Mission Terrace. Ignore Guy Fieri stinkin' up the home page there, this place is FANTASTIC. "Joe Grinds His Own Chuck Daily" the building proudly proclaims. It's legendary, and all our friends are envious that we live so near it now.

2 years ago

27.

Member

137 posts

Blushing bee

lifeinshutterclicks August 10, 2009 San Francisco, CA

You should try Bang San Thai... good Thai food at a great price.

2 years ago

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97 posts

Worker bee

Miss Shortstop September 18, 2010 San Jose, CA

If you like Italian you have to check out Mona Lisa in North Beach. We stumbled across it one weekend and it is just awesome!

2 years ago

29.

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156 posts

Blushing bee

connoCat 9/5/2010

@mandalynn..check out bistro burger or barney's

2 years ago

30.

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1,135 posts

Bumble bee

DanielleZara August 21, 2010 California

Ok how did no one mention Zachary's Pizza? Best pizza in the world (deep dish and good thin crust too) There's one i Berkeley, Oakland, and San Ramon.

La Fondue is awesome. Go there.

For Burgers:

Vals Burgers in Castro Valley

Flippers in Berkeley/Oakland?

Gordon Biersh Brewery

If you don't know the areas, I would say go to Jack London Square in Oakland and eat at Everett & Jones (live music Saturdays) because it's the best BBQ in the bay. All the other restaurants in jack London Square are good too...especially La furia chalaca (peruvian- order Lomo Saltado) and they have Farmer's Market on Saturdays. Yoshi's is a jazz house that serves Sushi - very interesting mix, def. check that out.

Berkeley has a lot of nice restaurants too - go hang out on Telegraph ave., try Blondies pizza and you'll feel like you're back in Oregon (hippies everywhere lol).

San Jose is a nice place to visit too. If you go downtown, they have Gordon Biersch, a Cuban restaurant and bar, nice place to just walk around and try things.

Obviously there's San Francisco and you have to have clam chowder there too...maybe at Boudin.

I could go on and on but I'll stop here...oh but dont forget about Napa and Big Sur. Big Sur is my favorite place in the world. And Nepenthe is the best restaurant too, overlooks the ocean and it's on a cliff surrounded by redwood trees. You could make a day trip from the bay to Carmel/Monterey then Big Sur and have dinner at Nepenthe. Romantic and AWESOME!!! If you don't go anywhere else, go to Nepenthe. Have fun!!!!!!!!

2 years ago