Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler What’s to do in San Francisco?

The lil lady and I are flying in/out of Frisco in October on our way to Napa for a week of wine consuming.

We’ll have two days up front and three days on the return trip to wander around the city. This is my first time going through Frisco with some time to kill and figured I’d ask y’all for some things to do and see. About the only thing I want to do is get up close to the GG bridge cables (I’m always interesting in how things are built), I want to ride on a cable car and I want to rent a vette and zip up and down a few of them killer city hills.

Sarah is a gourmet chief and we both like to frequent them fancy, but not over the top expensive restaurants were a tie in mandatory…

She likes to go to shows and I’ll suffer through them as long as they aren’t boring and have some half nude hot chics running around…. (it’s OK to look at the flowers, I just can’t pick them)

Are there any “can’t miss” things to see or do while we are there? I haven’t even booked a hotel room yet, but figured I’d stay downtown so I don’t have to have a car but the one day with the vette. I’d rather take cabs or walk verses finding parking spaces. Plus, I’m a country boy and do not get along well with traffic and stop lights.

Mike, I always like to visit Fisherman's Wharf and Ghirardelli Square when I'm down there, I've haven't been to Alcatraz yet but I hear it's cool.
The only restaurant that really stood out for me was Acquerello, it's a pricy Italian place but great.
But when you go to Napa, if you want to eat at one of the best restaurants in the world, go to French Laundry in Yountville, reservations must be made 2 months in advance.

Ken and Peter will be able to help

I LOVED the place Ken, Adam and I ate last time I was there - I think it was the Magnolia Brewpub. Great food and fine beer.

I'd eat some Chinese food, for sure.

Mike
There's a LOT of great restaurants in the City and Napa. Really depends on what you're looking for. Most of these restaurants can be found on Yelp, Zagat, Opentable (for reservations, etc. Also check http://www.sfgate.com/ for local reviews and events.

In the past few years nuevo Latino has been pretty big. I LOVE Limon and Fresca. For top of the line California cuisine, Michael Mina, House and Gary Danko are good bets. In the Italian North Beach area, I love the cheapo Michaelangelo for just good home cooked Italian food. Slanted Door has very good modern Vietnamese cuisine. Farmer Brown has a modern take on Southern cooking, great fried chicken, though it's a CRAPPY part of SF. Sushi Go Go is a great, unique sushi bar but there are a lot of those in SF. Firecracker has great "modern" Chinese. On the edge of North Beach is a Chinese dive restaurant on Columbus/Broadway. It's called House of Nanking and is always mobbed. The waiter asks if you've eaten there. If not, he asks if he can order for you, you just tell him things you don't like. Guarantee, it'll be a great meal. It always has for me. Yank Sing has some of the best Chinese dim sum, though not the cheapest. There are some good ones in Chinatown, but those you'll need a "real" local to take you.

For the GG Bridge, you can park nearby and walk. It's crowded but for a first timer, it's pretty cool. Careful trying to ride a bike. As an experienced cyclist, I can tell you it's a challenge dodging inattentive tourists and novice riders on a windy, narrow stretch right next to freeway traffic. Fisherman's Wharf, Coit Tower, new Asian Art Museum in Golden Gate Park, Union Street, Castro Street (if only for the novelty of it) are also good areas/places to visit.

Lots of good comedy at Cobb's and Punchline. Jazz in Oakland at Yoshi's and good concerts at the Fillmore, Great American Music Hall and Bimbo's 365.

GREAT places in Napa to eat and drink. I strongly recommend you get reservations at your desired restaurants and wineries now, as they can get filled on weekends. I'd recommend Domain Chandon and Opus One, very unique winery and FANTASTIC cab. Of course there's Thomas Keller's French Laundry but he's also opened a smaller (cheaper) restaurant called ad Hoc that's gotten great reviews. My favorite one, hands down EVER, is a place called Cyrus in Healdsburg, which received 2 Michelen stars (IIRC) last year, only a handful that have done so in California. It's a pricey fixed price menu but it's is outstanding food and even more outstanding service. Within 2 minutes of sitting down, the waiter comes by w/ the caviar bar, complete w/ vodka pairing. They have extremely unique drinks, I had one w/ balsamic vinegar that was great. The waiters give you exact detail of every ingredient in each course, proving that I'll never have the chance of making it in my own home, making it the perfect going out restaurant.

I could go on and on if I havent' already. I love great restaurants. PM if you want more info.

In the city, you can do fine w/o a car. You'll need it for Napa though. Also, remember that you are in San Francisco. Remember what Twain said, "The coldest winter I've spent is a summer in San Francisco." It could look like it's 80 degrees out, but then you go out to the water and it's 50 degrees. ALWAYS have a sweater or jacket. We can always spot the tourists walking around in tshirts and shorts, who end up w/ the requisite San Francisco sweatshirt they have to buy when it's too cold.

Thanks for the tips guys.....

That French Laundry looks pretty cool. I'm glad it's already booked through when we'll be there. $240 each is out of my league....

We've got Napa covered, I think anyway. All the wineries we wanted to see, we've already made reservations, I’ve already get a car lined up and we’re renting a house. I just need to find a good limo service. There will be five to seven of us and no one want’s to volunteer being the designated driver, so we’re all chipping in on a stretch to drive us around four of the seven days. The other three are hangover, lounge at the pool days…..and we’re taking the wine train on a lunch trip too. Michael said to take it, so I already booked it….

The Frisco part is what has me thinking. I just don't want to miss anything really cool while we're there.

If you just want a good burger, Clown Alley is the place to go. It's on the corner of Columbus and Jackson, just about in North Beach. Very close to the Transamerica.

I recommend doing Alcatraz (buy the tickets well, well in advance!) It's a great tour, and not nearly so tourist as one might believe.

As for the vette and the hills--you'll have to do it at 3 AM. Otherwise, there is traffic. Lots and lots of traffic.

If you're willing to dare crossing the Oakland Bay Bridge, my favorite restaurant is Jojo. It's a French restaraunt owned/run by some former chefs for Chez Panisse (think French Laundry, only slightly easier to get reservations and not quite as expensive). Jojo's in Piedmont, open Tuesday-Saturday for dinner only.

Quote:

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Twain said, "The coldest winter I've spent is a summer in San Francisco."

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Obviously Twain never spent any time North of the border. Its rainy here(Calgary) and a balmy 5 deg. Celsius or 41F for the metricly challenged.

I would say you will have a good time in San Fran with all the great suggestions. I wonder about the whole vette thing though, whenever I have been there the traffic wouldn't allow much fun.

Yeah, I'd agree w/ Ken. You're not really going to have a place in SF to open her up.

You'd had more fun renting a Mustang and doin' a Bullit a la Steve McQueen.

Make that Clown Alley->Pickles. I went there today, only to find the name changed. Same dude behind the counter, though.

OK, so the vette isn't a good idea. Bummer.....

I've already rented the convertable mustang for Napa, so I'll just have to improvise some.

Thanks for the eatery tips. I'll let the boss know so she can start making reservations. I forgot all about Alcatraz. It might be neat going to jail without the cuffs on.

Another quite tasty restaurant is Kokkari. It's a Greek/Mediterranean near North Beach. I'm not sure I've got the spelling right. I've had food catered from there, but never eaten at the restaurant itself. But the catered food I've had is marvelous.

One you can safely avoid (in my opinion) is Julius' Castle. Great views, but the service is mediocre, and the food simply isn't as fantastic as food you can get elsewhere in the Bay Area.

I second Kokkari. Great Mediterranean food and they do the Turkish coffee right. (Although, as my friend learned the hard way in the Greek Islands, don't order a Turkish coffee in Greece...order a coffee.) They warm it on the hot sand and you have your choice of sweetness. Perfect (though I'm an espresso drinker who grinds beans daily).

That sounds like my type of place…….

What’s a Turkish coffee? I had the best cup of coffee in my life last time I was at a steak house in Mazatlan. Twenty bucks and worth every penny. It had espresso, real cream, cinnamon, sugar and Irish whisky. Two waiters made it in front of us with a lot of showmanship and fire. Way cool and tasty.

It's a thick kind of coffee, very strong, it'll put hair (or more hair) on your chest. My favorite kind is usually made w/ cardamom blended into the grounds. Caution though, it's only w/ caffeine and if you drink it late at night, you'll be up for a while.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_coffee

3rd for Kokkari. I ate there 2 weeks ago and it was great. Probably the best halibut I've ever had. Also, the service was top notch. Standing near the bar waiting for our table my girlfriend asked if I wanted a drink. I mentioned disappointment at a lack of Chimay. When our waiter arrived he said rumor had it I like Chimay and they had both red and blue labels in bottles and would I like one. Oh, and the chickpea soup was great too.

If you order the Turkish coffee, I suggest you order it medium sweet. Medium refers to the strength.

Hi Mojo,

Turkish coffee actually comes in one strenth but in 4 different levels of sweetness (none, little, medium, and plenty). Whoever is going to prepare it for you would ask you how you would like it among these 4 choices. I was born in Turkey and lived there till age 14. If in California or elsewhere they are referring to "medium" as strength rather than sugar level, I am unaware of this. I just returned from Turkey last weekend and I can certainly use some coffee now as I am jet-lagged and sleepy. Best to all.

John

Ok, so let me clarify. Turkish coffee, when ordered in Greece, is available as light, medium and strong in "power" and sweet or bitter in taste.

"cikis yok" means no exit. "den" means from. So, the whole phrase implies no escape from the person named Ali Sami Yen. I can read and write Turkish, having gone to school there till H.S.

John

If you do end up going to the Greek place, here are some recommendations off its menu:

Appetizers

Gigantes - oven-baked giant beans with tomato sauce, olive oil & herbed feta

Dolmathes - grape leaves stuffed with rice, currants & pine nuts

Briami - traditional oven-baked summer vegetables with oregano & garlic

Soutzoukakia - grilled meatballs with tomato & green olive compote

Melitzanosalata, Tzatziki

Salads

Horiatiki - classic Greek salad of tomato, cucumber, bell pepper, onion, oregano, olives & feta

Main course

Psari Psito - traditional grilled whole fish with braised greens, lemon & Cretan olive oil or wood oven roasted with Greek olives, saffron potatoes & roasted tomatoes

Katsikaki Yuvetsi - stewed goat with orzo, tomato, spices, artichoke & feta

If you do decide on the goat, make sure it's fresh and not frozen. And remember to have a sip of Ouzo diluted in cold water as an aperitif.

There's a great place that sells woks there.
I bought one for Christmas.
Assuming that a wok shop is your sort of thing.

What? The Louvre? Never heard of it... but boy, gimme a good Woks R Us and I'll be there in a jiffy.

Bren R.

Wokka Wokka!

Waka waka waka.