San Francisco and what to do in it

you make where I live sound so quaint and nice I almost like it when I read your description

Danko is really mediocre. Recently went there with one of ILX's most celebrated gourmands and we were both satisfied but not impressed, esp. at that price point (at which you can have a much better meal at TDR@RC).

The food is just there, everything's a beurre monte-based sauce. The kitchen is a weigh-station for cooks on their way to more "exciting" opportunities. The key to the place is its outlandish service (flaming carts, dessert carts, boisterous servers bordering on obsequious)... my grandma really enjoys a heavy dose of pomp and circumstance with her b-day dinners so this fit that pastiche.

yeah, i object to everything steve just talked about and i loved Gary Danko

i have a year-or-two-old book of restaurant capsule reviews by a longterm local critic (who steve thinks is fusty) who, while admittedly perhaps implying that the DR is more consistent than Danko, talks all about how grown-up and formal the former is, while saying literally nothing of substance about the food, but goes on about the latter's dazzling food with flavors singing of themselves

but i'm sure i'd see the light if i'd been to the DR

Burma Superstar (get the Samusa Soup)

While I did think this soup was unbelievably delicious, it completely wrecked me.

I like Mandalay better than BSS. Tea leaf salad is a must order (at either place). The catfish chowder is hit/miss, sometimes it's mind-blowing, othertimes tastes like it's been sitting idle or a clearing-house for less than fresh seafood.

The Mandalay/BSS distinction is something only someone who lives here might care about, but a big plus for the former is you might get a table. A tourist probably can't go wrong with either one.

oh wait, she (ahem) does say that it's Japanese-influenced and that the chef is fond of "Western luxury items" (which I typically care little about)

Yeah, you are right. I posted the phone # wayyyyy upthread which can be helpful at BSS, but Mandalay I've never had to wait for a table and I like the food a little more. Tourists tend to gravitate towards more bustling places (as tourists are wont of doing).

Also, we are on for Friday at La Trappe. :D

Excellent. Are you driving?

negative.

Didn't think so.

the now-banned Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃 is going to be in San Francisco from tue-sat. Send him a webmail if you'd like to bro.

the now-banned chaki would like to add that he gives "major props to the sandwiches at b*star, burma superstar's offshoot restaurant."

maybe the Ques want to check out Sentinel for lunch, too

Steve's list will be a useful guide for my next visit, as I've done none of it. seeing sand dabs in the Academy of Sciences did not encourage me to eat them, tho.

Somebody asks "what's a nice and cheap place to stay for a night?"

Hayes Valley Inn is cheap (and nice if you don't mind sharing bathrooms euro-style.)

This is cheap and nice, too.

http://www.metrohotelsf.com/

Yeah that's a great location too (I didn't realize it was so cheap!)

Plus there's Metro Katmandu downstairs.

If someone was staying for a while (like 2 weeks+) I would definitely recommend the residence hotels on Nob Hill. I stayed at one a couple of years back in between apartments and it was clean and nice with meals (not very good ones admittedly and the rooms were small) and a real bargain (like $250 or so a week for a single.)

On Pine @ Mason?

California between Powell/Stockton.

You'd better take off your high heels then.

Yeah it's a fun hoof.

John's Grill (of DHammett/Maltese Falcon fame) is having their 100 year anniversary today. Free apps and drinks until 3pm.

63 Ellis

Oooh. Free or not, I'm going to head over and have a martini after work.

One of my co-workers came back. Apparently he'd had a couple of 8 cent martinis.

Any ideas where to eat lunch around MOMA on a MONDAY? Chez Spence not open for lunch; Zuni closed on Mon. Actually any ideas on where to eat anywhere on a Monday would be good.

Sentinel

I took some pictures

some places open for dinner on Monday - A16, Ame (near MOMA), Chez Panisse and Cafe, Delfina, Gary Danko, Greens, Incanto, Range, SPQR

Most of those places aren't really near MOMA. For lunch I would go to Yank Sing or the Ferry building and just wander around there until you find something that looks tasty.

Sentinel is very close to MOMA for lunch, right?

Hog Island at the ferry building is open Mondays (til 8)

Yes that's very close.

On a Monday at lunch I imagine Sentinel gets quite crazy.

Scratch the Monday part of that sentence actually.

Actually if you really want sandwiches the place to go is Saigon Sandwiches on Larkin and Ellis(?). For probably the same price as one Sentinel sandwich you can get two Roast Pork sandwiches, a soda and some crazy congealed rice dessert thing.

Cue Steve Shasta to tell me that really the best Vietnamese sandwiches are at Sing Sing or whatever haha.

OK so SF is awesome and already we have enjoyed great meals at Chez Spence, Dottie's, Sentinal, and Bar Crudo. All excellent recs, thanking u. But now I am hotel-bound with a horrible fucking cold complete with fever, chills, and hurting hair. No way I will make it out for dinner--any ideas for take-out/delivery? We're on Bush at the Stockton tunnel. Chinese, pizza, anything.

Meanwhile Mr. Que is out having a good time at Amoeba, as he should be!

There's got to be some Chinese delivery nearby, but I've never ordered out from near there.

Zante's Indian Pizza! A local specialty I've never really seen anywhere else (even in India!) that I recommend to every SF visitor. Dunno if they deliver all the way over there though.

http://www.zantepizza.com/

Oh man that looks good, and it looks like they deliver anywheres! Thanks!!!

http://www.zantepizza.com/images/135_3595cook.jpg

hmm now I kinda want one

Mr. Que is expressing doubts about the awesomeness of Indian pizza wtf?

maybe we can get someone else who lives here to weigh in (gygax will probably complain that its too greasy or something)

Ah, foah wun, fahnd this pizza miscegenation, highly distuhbin'.

Now, I really want to try some. I am especially intrigued by the idea of cauliflower on pizza.

I am totally going to eat this. Is this a Zante-only thing or do other SF establishments make these things?