Favorite Restaurant?

Okay--cliche alert! Turn away if you can't bear it! I really like the Stinking Rose! I love garlic and I think they do it right. I like the atmosphere and I even like watching the tourists there. I know, it is such a cliche. I might as well had said I like one of the seafood places on Fisherman's Wharf.

But we like what we like.

Oh, and as to outside SF (although there is one in SF too). I really love the buttermilk squash raviolis at Il Fornaio. We have one in Walnut Creek and everytime I get the chance, I try to wrangle anyone with a good job to take me there. There is one right across the street from Teatro Zanzinni in the City. On Bay I think.

No shame in liking the Stinking Rose - I have heard great things and have been hoping to get there myself for some time now!

The Rockridge area at edge of Berkeley on College has some my favorite places too. The Crepevine is great for lunch (there's one in Castro too I think). There is a Zachary's Pizza there and a Barney's burgers as well. There's also a great market place where you can get exotic wines and cheeses right accross from there.

Yes, there is a Crepevine in Palo Alto as well. Must be a Bay Area thing. Ironically, I've been to the one in Berkeley but not near me - and I can attest to that market being great. It almost made me move to Berkeley when I was apartment-hunting.

Is Pizza My Heart any good? That seems to be a popular local chain as well.

I have never been to Pizza My Heart. As far as pizza goes, I like Mangia Pizzeria--we have one in Lafayette and it is quite good. I think it is a chain too.

Orinda Pizza is good too, but a bit more expensive than I want to pay for pizza.

Oh yes, and if you have been to Rockridge on the other side of the freeway just past the supermarket, you can find a Zachary's Chicago Style Pizza--(its basically a deep dish place) people around here really like it--as you'll see by the crowds if you go for dinner. I personally think it is just okay but it might be worth a try.

(Truth is, the best pizza I ever had was in this little joint in New York, on First Avenue between 14th and 17th street. I used to get it when I was coming back from school and in my nostalgic fantasy it was the ideal pizza, just enough cheese and dough dust. I bet though, if I returned today, I wouldn't be as impressed with it. It may be nostalgia is the secret ingredient.)

I was just reminded while on another thread of one of my favorite restaurants. Skates on the Berkeley Marina. Its a steak place with a view of the Bay. It is outstanding. My wife and I had our rehearsal ceremony dinner there and it was really good. (Although a touch expensive.)

Gary Danko is my favorite restaurant - although it's pricey - but so worth it. Classy, consistently good food and good wine list. For cheap eats I also like Cafe deLucchi, Slanted Door (or Out the Door for take-out), Tony's Neopolitana (for pizza) and Aux Delices (best Vietnamese).

@Nightowl - Pretty much any generic pizza place in NYC beats every pizza in SF (sorry!) I love Ray's on Third Avenue in the East Village, although the original is on 6th Ave. and 11th.

@StephSF - I completely agree with you, but you have to try Tony's Neopolitana on Union. I really think that SF locals will finally get a taste of what real east coast pizza tastes like!

Ahh the Village--My school was on Bleecker Street and I remember there was this great little bakery across the street where we would by bread with mustard on it before getting on the bus. Oh the nostalgia.

Oh man, I am actually in New York visiting for the week - good stuff! I went back to my favorite Ray's (it's actually not my favorite any more). John's on Bleecker is probably the best that I know. I am getting way way off topic.

@Tracypie - I'll check out Tony's Neopolitana next time. East Coast pizza is definitely a surefire bet over Chicago-style, and I trust this city in general for food quality.

Here's another great restaurant where you can go if you would rather have a great night out than pay the mortgage--the Big Four Restaurant on California in Nob Hill. You can feel like William Randolph Hearst for night--very 1920's upper-class feel--you have expect cigars and monacles. But be sure to raise your credit limit before going. It will cost you.

Just had Crepevine in Palo Alto tonight, and was impressed, again. I wouldn't go so far as to call it one of the best in the Bay Area, but I do enjoy their crepes (although it is always a toss-up between a sweet and a savory...)

I think my liking for Crepevine has a lot to do with location. I really like the whole Rockridge area and I'm usually there with friends so its a nice chill time for me. You're definitely right about taste, etc. It is certainly not the best meal in the world or even in the Bay Area--though, at the moment, I'm hard pressed to think of a better place for crepes specifically.

I really like the Pesto crepe they have there and the side of potatoes are pretty good too. Time for midnight snack, I think.

There's a Crepevine on Polk Street in the city (Russian Hill). But Susie Crepes in Japantown has the BEST crepes. They do sweet and savory. So good.

Oh hey, I wanted to share this with everyone. As I said earlier in this forum, my favorite restaurant is Gary Danko and Bloomspot is offering a contest to win a $450 gift certificate there. Deadline for entries is 8/17. You just need to give them your info. I'm throwing my hat in the ring and I hope I win.

http://www.bloomspot.com/san-francisco-travel-edition/gary-danko-sweepstakes/

@Nightowl - My dad is French, and therefore, I can't enjoy regular crepes at restaurants. While they always smell good, nothing compares to what I grew up with.

@Tracypie - Thanks, good find.

Does SF have a restaurant week - i.e., a week where all the restaurants give out deeply discounted coupons? That's a big thing in New York that they do annually or semi-annually. It's a great way for people to sample expensive fare without breaking the bank, and is simultaneously stellar marketing tool for restaurants...

I don't think we do have anything like that, but given the times it sounds like a really great idea. Some of the businesses should try to get that started.

@Steph SF @NighOwInOrinda - Yes, SF has something like that. It's called Dine About Town and it's usually offered via Open Table (http://www.opentable.com). They offer it several times a year and there are select restaurants that participate. Usually the restaurants all agree to prix fixed menus for a set price, like 2 can dine for $29.99 or something like that. It's very cool. It also allows you to try some restaurants that you normally would not be able to afford to try.

I hadn't heard about that--good to know.

Killer - I'll have to check it out! Any idea on when they offer this?

Oh, here's another one to add - shameless plug - I know the guy who just opened this restaurant and although I haven't been yet, the Yelp reviews are fantastic. It is seafood fusion with French and California influences, in Potrero Hill:

http://www.skoolsf.com/

Hey - I just had some delicious crepes today in the Mission at Ti Couz (16th and Valencia). It's been around for 18 years and I had completely forgotten about this place until we went there today. De-licious! Savory and sweet (had them both), kind of hard to pass up. They are true french style crepes (thin). So yummy. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.

@Tracypie: That is a great location too! Lot's to do around there afterwards.

@Tracypie - well done on the crepe thread. Food should probably be subdivided more deliberately. I also found a wine bar in that exact neighborhood, which I replied to on another post (it is called Parea). Ali Baba on 19th and Valencia has great Mediterranean food, a la falafel/hummus/kebab variety. Go south of 19th and on the next block you will find the Phoenix, a fun, somewhat divey bar with actually very good bar food.

I really enjoy that neighborhood in general...

This weekend I went to a Turkish place called Pera (in Portrero Hill)--it was really an adventure. I shared a plate with the guy I was with, so I had a bit of Dolma and a bit of Tsiziki (something like that) which I thought would be gross (yoghurt and cucumber did not sound appetizing to me) but it turned out to be fantastic, well worth checking out if you aren't familiar with Turkish food--which I'm not.

@Tracypie - how was Benu? What kind of food is it?

@Flowergirl - I LOVE Turkish/Mediterranean food. I'm with you on the yogurt/cucumber mix, but it tastes better in realtime than it sounds. Did they have any hummus/pita combos?

I know it's WAY out of the way but if you ever end up in the town of Sonoma, Himalayan Grill is just about the best food I've had in that genre. Great dishes balanced out with rice, bread, and good wine equate to a priceless combination.

Another good place for Mediterranean food is Aziza in the Richmond District (Moroccan place.) Very very good!

@StephSF - how was Benu? You can read my review at http://foodiefool.com/2010/09/05/benu/ - that should sum it up.
And thanks for the tip of Himalyan Grill in Sonoma. I get there often so will definitely check it out.

@Tracypie: Nice review! $150-200, yikes!

@NightOwl: Did they have belly-dancers--I heard there was a place in the Richmond that had belly-dancers.

I have a new favorite to add to this list that I went to last night. Baker & Banker located at Octavia and Bush St in the Pacific Heights neighborhood in SF. Moderately priced. Farm-to-table American cuisine. You will feel like you got 4 star quality food for 3 star restaurant prices. Reservations are required. Highly recommend leaving room for dessert. Everything was beautifully prepared and tasted delicious. This is the former home of Quince (which has moved to Financial District in the old Myth space). It's brasserie style so jeans and a nice shirt/top are all you need. Nothing too fancy, but sure did taste good. Better than the whole Benu experience.

@Tracypie: Baker and Banker sounds like a good date spot--is it that kind of vibe?

Say, I've had a hankering lately to go into the city to try to get some Brazilian food. Has anyone been to Canto do Brasil in Hayes Valley?

Haven't been there, @Nightowl. Sounds like a great idea. New favorite to add - Cafe Epi in Palo Alto. A bit expensive but some of the best French Toast I've ever had (sorry it's not in the city, @Nightowl!) and beautifully prepared desserts. Their build-your-own omelettes are quite good as well, and the fruit that they serve are fresh strawberries/blueberries - none of the cantaloupe/honeydew nonsense that you see at most places.

Oh, and my burrito spot in the Mission is called Cancun, if anyone is still wondering.

Went to Baker and Banker last week - delicious. It's in the old Quince space @ Octavia & Bush (and Quince is in the old Myth Space and Myth is no more). I'd recommend it. Not too expensive, delicious and something that Quince didn't have in that space, a bar (albeit only 6 seats) but still.

@Tracypie: Was the atmosphere good there too? I tried to check it out on Yelp! but it is hard to tell how big it is from the pictures there.

@StephSF: Was the cheese place perhaps called The Cheeseboard--probably had a chalk board outside with the day's specials? Anyway, that is the classic cheese place in Berkeley that everyone talks about and that avenue it on--Shattuck, just off of University right by the campus is known as the gourmet ghetto because of the high number of very nice restaurant lead by Chez Panisse.

My favorite right there is the Liaison Bistro right by there, though it is unfortunately always packed to the gills.

As to neighborhoods,the really quaint ones tend to be closer to the hills. My favorite area is just about any part of College avenue all the way down till it ends in Rockridge. I briefly lived just off of thee in college and loved it. (West Berkeley where University is, is kind of unpleasant and somewhat crime ridden (had my car broken into twice when I lived off of it.)

It might've been the Cheeseboard - but it was a shop, not a restaurant - right next to a deli that was very meat-heavy. I'm not quite sure I get the "gourmet ghetto" reference but now I'm intrigued. Please explain!!

I'm surprised that West Berkeley is as bad as it is, although I guess it kind of has that look. I've been in the foothills several times and always found it very pleasant.

I shouldn't exaggerate. It's not like I feared for my life while I lived there. (I lived about three blocks from campus over the flower shop on the corner MLK Jr.Way.) I would go for walks in the middle of the night, for example, when I was blocked writing papers and I never ran into any dicey situations (though I would definitely not recommend it--I have heard of people getting mugged--and the homeless people seem get reaally aggressive in the summer for whatever reason). One summer there was a homeless guy that sat under my window in the alley way there just screaming every night for like a week--I still have no idea why.

That makes it sound much worse than it was though. Most of the time it was not that big a deal. Anyway South Berkeley and especially North Berkeley are much nicer and safer. Downtown is the main area of worry in terms of crime, I think.

As to the Gourmet Ghetto--its the stretch of Shattuck Blvd. just north of campus. Just about every restaurant there is a pretty good (sometimes pricey though). You got everything from Sushi, to Tapas to French food. Chez Panise is Alice Waters' restaurant--she started that healthy food movement. Very nice!

Any way, I have my review of it on here. Just search under Gourmet Ghetto!

Will do, @Nightowl. I love your Berkeley reviews - I've been spending more time there recently and that has helped tremendously.

Anyway, I have to speak to an earlier post on here - I went to the Stinking Rose with a friend who was in town last night, and although I know it is completely cliche, I absolutely loved it. The olive oil/garlic clove/bread roll appetizer is to die for - we could have gone with that alone and been perfectly happy, but the ravioli and garlic/gorgonzola salad were great, too.

From an ambiance standpoint, it is in North Beach on the edge of Chinatown, which means lots of tourists, but it could be a lot worse. The Little Italy neighborhood almost has a local feel and is worlds away from nearby Fisherman's Wharf and Union Square.

The only thing I can't speak to is the garlic ice cream, which I did pass on.

Here's another one that I recently rediscovered - Half Moon Bay Brewery, on Cabrillo Highway, has some of the best brewery food I have ever had. You pretty much can't go wrong with any of their seafood options - their cheesy crab garlic bread is a staple (weird I know, but I even have a friend who doesn't like crab and swears by this). The oysters are fantastic, they have whole crab and lobster available, and their beer selection is constantly rotating. You can go with the $1 per sampler option, but they also have $3 pints during happy hour.

On Tuesdays, the chef serves complimentary appetizers to the tables. The first time I experienced this, I actually thought that the server got the wrong order and was ready to turn him away before I realized that he was just passing along some samples. They certainly aren't as good as the seafood staples, but it is a nice option.

And of course, it's a block from the beach. The summers are filled with people and their dogs hanging out at the outdoor tables, and in the winter they fire up the heat lamps and fire pits, maintaining the outdoor bar atmosphere year-round.

Locals and tourists alike can enjoy hanging out here. For those of you living in the city, this is a great spot to integrate in with a day trip to the beach - if you can stomach the drive on Highway 1, of course.