cornhole

4/22/2013 12:23:48 PM

If you want something unique, try Locanda (in the Mission). Guanciale pasta, wood grilled bread with butter, or bone marrow pizza. The drinks are phenomenal and the food is unbelievably good. They have a huge charcoal/wood fire grill that sends massive fireballs the hipster cooks have to dodge. If you like cocktails they are also great, bordering best in the city. The first time I went with a party of three we ran up a $200 tab on just the drinks. If that's too adventurous you can just eat at Pizzaria Delfina (in the Mission and Pacific Heights) and see what SF people consider pizza; thin crust with sparse, but good toppings. Add a side of tripe or fried pig ears with chili oil to get the full experience. It shows the "hip" SF dining trends well.

If you want upscale there are two 2-michelin star restaurants, Coi (Little Italy) and Benu (SOMA), that are more in the $200/head range. I have eaten at Coi, and it's very different using a lot of local foraged ingredients. Gary Danko (Fisherman's Wharf) is referred to as overrated and has 1 star but in my experience it's been better than the others and has an ala cart menu so you don't have to give your first born to eat there.

SF is big on offal, esoteric meats and dining styles having a healthy mix of vegetarian organic thrown in.



[Edited on April 22, 2013 at 1:42 PM. Reason : a]

4/22/2013 1:39:26 PM

Multiple places in the Mission worth checking out. Our friends that live right in SF took us to La Taqueria the first night we were there this past summer. We ate at a lot of good places in the couple days there, but that place was both cheap and delicious.

4/22/2013 2:10:07 PM

Just booked my flights for San Francisco for mid-November and wondered if there are any hotel recommendations? I was thinking of staying near Union Square but it isn't set in stone.

4/23/2013 3:21:41 PM

Union Square is certainly convenient, but be prepared to drop like $200+ a night on a room

4/23/2013 5:21:21 PM

Had dinner at 25 Lusk last night in SOMA and it was absolutely exceptional. Definitely recommended and worth the price.

4/29/2013 12:21:05 PM

Anyone eating in the Mission area, I implore you to pop in Paplote's. Their burritos are doooooooooope. At least the one on 24th that I ate at.

4/29/2013 1:54:03 PM

What makes them so great? Frankly, I'm a burrito snob and I prefer the ones down in SoCal (no rice, toasted tortilla, more meat and cheese, not wrapped in fucking tin foil), but I've found that taco trucks with long lines are usually better/cheaper than anything in the Mission. I'd be willing to give this place a shot if you explain why

4/29/2013 3:26:21 PM

had a fantastic time...did 10-12 miles every day (4 full days) walking around the city

we had a lot of great food, but sotto mare had to be our favorite...the owner was a trip

we also did a day trip to angel island and had lunch on top of mt livermore...if you don't mind the (relatively short) hike, it's absolutely beautiful and a great view of...everything

stopped by russian river brewing in santa rosa on our way up to healdsburg...got the full flight of 15 beers and was very impressed (ended up having 3 or 4 solid favorites)

healdsburg was a perfect for us for a day of wine tasting (and the views were amazing!)...we visited 6 wineries between 10:30am and 6:30pm, and then enjoyed a 7th that was doing a private tasting at the B&B we stayed at...only one winery (lambert bridge) annoyed me because they don't comp the (comparatively expensive at $15/person) tasting with the purchase of wine...also, their wine was overpriced compared to the others, and nothing stood out...rafanelli was our favorite, hands down, followed by...dutcher crossing?

opted to visit armstrong redwoods state reserve while up there (instead of muir) and then did a 5 mile loop at point reyes national seashore

overall, very fun...thanks for all of the advice!

[Edited on May 13, 2013 at 1:01 PM. Reason : angel island]

5/13/2013 12:55:47 PM

Go to Berkeley and eat at Burma Superstar. You're welcome.

5/23/2013 2:52:32 PM

There is no Burma Superstar in Berkeley.

There's one in Oakland on Telegraph, but Temescal, despite its hipster presence, is NOT in Berkeley...

5/23/2013 4:48:00 PM

heading out for a long weekend in 2 weeks - 2 days in san fran and 2 in napa

we have a driver for wineries - any recommendations? will be traveling with some young non-serious wine drinkers

5/26/2013 1:10:01 PM

VJB in Kenwoord, St Supery in St Helena, Matanzas Creek in Santa Rosa.

All three of those wineries rock and are great for even casual wine drinkers.

5/27/2013 12:24:17 AM

Just arrived the other day and found a place in San Ramon that is pretty nice. Got a book called Eating your way to the bay so I can't wait to get started on that. I did meet a girl that is really into beekeeping and doing some sort of Tour de Hives in Aug where people sample honey.

Its reaaaally granola here.

6/26/2013 10:53:36 PM

San Ramon is granola?

Try walking around the Haight or People's Park in Berkeley...

6/27/2013 1:24:18 AM

San Ramon isn't granola. But the first couple places I looked at were "interesting". I like the area i am in even if it lacks the crazy culture. Plus it's super dog friendly and a lot of people on bikes. Can't wait for the bart strike to end. Its messing withmy commute.

7/4/2013 8:32:48 PM

wtf is granola, other than cereal or something you mix with yogurt?

7/4/2013 8:46:50 PM

Earthy, organic, grow your own food, knit your own underpants, love all your neighbors and save the planet.

I'm a firm believer in being an asshole.

7/4/2013 8:52:48 PM

It's all pretty relative.

When I moved to San Diego back in 2005, I thought it was the most progressive, open-minded, liberal place on the planet. Now, San Ramon reminds me a lot of Orange County, which is actually pretty conservative by CA standards. In reality, the sheer number of people that are crammed into the Bay Area can fool you into thinking that everyone is a vegan, transexual, archanist that works for a start-up company that's working on an app for abortion clinics. Not really true, but relatively speaking, these types show up way more frequently than other parts of the country...

7/6/2013 1:02:51 AM

Finally checked out Locanda last night per CaelNCSU's recommendation. So, so good. I got the lamb chops and would have gnawed on the bones if I hadn't been in public. Wife got some tortellini-like pasta and loved it as well. With appetizers, drinks, and tip, spent a little over $100 for the two of us which was definitely worth it.

7/6/2013 11:59:28 AM

You have more will power than I. Did you try the church? Being a gin fan that was always my favorite.

7/9/2013 11:57:32 AM

Hotel recommendations? Spending two days in San Francisco, four days in Monterey with friends for Thanksgiving, then two days back in SF again.

9/17/2013 1:45:04 PM

What's your budget? Union square is perfectly located, but $$$

Will you be renting a car? If that's the case, Emeryville, or Downtown Oakland/Jack London Square will be WAYYYY cheaper. You can BART into SF and not have to deal with the hassle of not only finding parking, but paying out the ass for it.

9/17/2013 1:49:02 PM

Not renting a car. Mostly looking at places convenient to BART; nearish to Market St. I prefer a safer area even if it's more money.

[Edited on September 17, 2013 at 2:04 PM. Reason : <-- Knows nothing about SF]

9/17/2013 2:04:20 PM

I live in Jack London Square in Oakland and I'd say it's probably safer than anywhere near Market Street in SF, but if you want to be right in the city, I'd stay in Union Square or Nob Hill. With that said, you definitely want to avoid any hotels in the Tenderloin, especially near Turk/Taylor or anything by 6th/Mission.

Right by Union Square there are some great hotels, but expect to pay $200-300 a night, maybe even double that if it's Thanksgiving week. I've stayed at the Fairmount and I thought it was really nice.

[Edited on September 17, 2013 at 2:15 PM. Reason : .]

9/17/2013 2:14:15 PM

What about the financial district? Hilton on Kearney St?

Also, suggestions for craft breweries in the area, other than Anchor?

[Edited on September 17, 2013 at 2:30 PM. Reason : beer ]

9/17/2013 2:30:20 PM

I'll be out there the weekend before Thanksgiving and I found some pretty good hotel deals around Union Square (150-200 range for pretty solid hotels).

9/17/2013 3:50:05 PM

^^ 21st Amendment is pretty cool by the ball park.

The FiDi is fine too, but it's pretty dead at night. Kearny St= Chinatown, which is fine, but I'm not sure if that's what you're looking for.

[Edited on September 17, 2013 at 5:15 PM. Reason : .]

9/17/2013 5:13:51 PM

I got a cottage in rockridge right by the BART for $75 a night. Rockridge is really nice.

9/17/2013 5:38:03 PM

Rockridge IS nice, but JLS is a much quicker BART ride into downtown SF. It takes me 12 mins from Lake Merritt to get to Embarcadero. Or you could always take the ferry to the Ferry Building in SF. 15 minute ride across the Bay and really scenic.

9/17/2013 5:43:45 PM

15 vs 25 minute bart ride... not a huge deal if you're going over and back once/day. plus if you're in rockridge then you can walk up college to berkeley, which is awesome during the day (not shit to do at night).

9/18/2013 12:59:03 AM

Again, Rockridge is very nice and I'd argue it's Noe Valley 2.0 for the East Bay, but Jack London Square is Oakland's answer to SOMA. If I were a tourist, I'd much rather ride the ferry from JLS to the Ferry Building on a warm day than take an unscenic, noisy BART ride to the city that takes 10 mins longer. Both neighborhoods are great areas of Oakland, but you can't beat the proximity to SF from JLS. Besides, Lake Merritt is absolutely GORGEOUS this time of year and Rockridge is overrun with drunk and obnoxious Cal students, although in November the weather is a different story

Oh, and if you're in Oakland and looking for craft beer, hit up the Trappist in Old Oakland and Beer Revolution in Jack London Square. Thank me later


[Edited on September 18, 2013 at 3:22 AM. Reason : .]

9/18/2013 3:12:33 AM

We do want to stay in SF, rather than Oakland. How are the hotels below? ...Good/bad? Sketchy area?

Hotel Nikko (Mason St.)?
Wyndham Parc 55 (Cyril Magnin St)?
Intercontinental (Howard St. or California St.)
Serrano (Taylor St.)
St. Francis Drake (Powell St)?
Marriott Marquis (Mission St.)?
Westin Market St (3rd St)?

9/18/2013 2:50:13 PM

The W in SOMA is cool, but it's like a half a mile from the nearest BART station. Of those, I'd say the St Francis Drake would be my pick.

9/18/2013 5:33:45 PM

Sir Francis Drake would be my personal, since its one of the oldest and most historic hotels. Those are all pretty close to Union Square, so they wouldn't be as sketchy. Once you go past Leavenworth, you'll be in the Tenderloin (avoid as UJustWait said)

As a Monterey resident, I hope you enjoy the Monterey area with your friends.

9/19/2013 10:00:50 AM

Quote :

"As a Monterey resident"

hey i didn't know that. good for you.

9/19/2013 12:07:36 PM

Monterey is lovely. How long have you been there?

[Edited on September 19, 2013 at 2:19 PM. Reason : .]

9/19/2013 2:18:56 PM

I got to Monterey at the beginning of March. I'm getting my Master's in Mechanical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. I'll be here until summer of 2015. I love it.

9/19/2013 7:05:23 PM

The bellhop with the cab whistle thing at the Sir Francis Drake scares the shit out of me a good 3x/week.

9/20/2013 1:23:57 AM

^^ My husband tried to get shore duty at NPS to get his masters, but the masters he wanted wasn't a pri-1. Then he tried to do a lat transfer to the EDO community, but didn't get one of the two slots open. Guess it's not meant for us to move there

Our friends we're visiting in Monterey are there for NPS.

9/20/2013 9:08:13 AM

I'm one of the few non-EDO's in my program, just a straight-stick SWO. What does your husband do?

[Edited on September 20, 2013 at 6:07 PM. Reason : Did he sumbit a second package yet?]

9/20/2013 6:07:18 PM

Just booked our Alcatraz tickets.

9/22/2013 3:56:10 PM

I've never actually been to Alcatraz, but most people who live here haven't either. I've always wanted to do the sunset tour, but each time I've tried to get tickets, they are sold out way in advance

[Edited on September 23, 2013 at 11:12 AM. Reason : .]

9/23/2013 11:10:31 AM

That's the one we're doing - we heard it's the way to go.

9/23/2013 6:19:42 PM

bttt

9/12/2015 12:22:10 AM

i hear the tenderloin is nice this time of year...

9/12/2015 10:32:52 PM

It hasn't really rained since last December, so the stench of human urine and feces is particularly potent on Market St, especially near Civic Center.

Also, there's this:
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/video/3292097-inside-san-franciscos-newest-rentals-bunkbeds-for-1800-a-month/

9/13/2015 11:35:20 AM

As someone who has never been to SF, I recommend bar and restaurant hopping

9/13/2015 6:20:03 PM

any palo alto recommendations?

2/27/2016 11:10:31 PM

for what? restaurants? hotels? bars?

tbh, I try to avoid the place. Downtown Mountain View is pretty close and has a much, much better vibe.

2/28/2016 1:30:24 AM