MaxLTV

Agree on Slanted Door - I do not get why people like it. Around that same area I can recommend the following:

5A5 - good steaks and creative desserts, good seafood, lounge.
Kokkari - good but overrated in my opinion. I can cook most of the stuff there just the same.
Allegro Romano - italian, very nice, maybe pricey for what it is, but very very good food.
La Mar - Ceviche, pretty good.
Georges - I have a soft spot for this place. Small and usually not full, but surprisingly good stuff.

But there is a ton of good stuff there. Yelp in general is a good source, except there are a few places rated very highly there for reasons I cannot understand at all.

mooty

slanted door, ugh....

want oyster: swan depot (loooooooong line, get there 15 min before open, or you be sorry) but good stuff. bar onnly

brunch: cliff house, great view

bruch after brunch: absinthe

food before lunch after brunch or maybe breakfast: le garage (sausalito), soft boiled egg to die for. i drive 65 miles to eat just that.

sushi: kirala at berkeley/oakland.... make sure you tell hostess you want hamach kama as soon as you get in. they only have 1-2 a day. uni with quail egg will kill you with cholestra but you will die happy. soft shell crab and chowanmushi....

gary danko in the city. cheap but good. call NOW. probably already booked up to 12/31/13 but wont hurt to try.

benu and coi, think $ then add more $ to it. really nice. but if you take 6 ppl there, you probably will have to not take delivery of your 991. it is $$$$$$$$$$$ but it's really good.

if you really really want to eat good stuff, pm 996flt6. he knows every chef every restaurant in the city. and if you want to drink.... he drinks 10 bottles at dinner like it's water.

BBMGT3

^^ ++ roflmao

996FLT6

Recommend Saison($$$$) in the city other than what Mooty suggested. Chapeau is very good too and not too expensive. State Bird Provisions is another up/coming restaurant. Mike

mooty

COI is good too
benu as well
atelier crenn

eurotom

Swan Depot is owned by my wife's uncle . Mention me and you get beer while you wait out on the street

CAlexio

Did someone say Gary danko is cheap?... Compares to what?.. A gt3?

frayed

THanks all for the recommendations. Mooty as always you make me LOL. I will have two dinners w/o the group just wife and both benu and coi look solid. Budgeted one mortgage payment to blow on food so gonna let it roll.

eurotom, if i mention 'eurotom' can I get through the line any faster?

Edit: haven't made reservations anywhere so I may be screwed. While Gary Denko looks badass and less exp than Benu and Coi, none of those 3 are suitable for kids. So, if to pick only two for nice dinners out with the wife, which? Also, wife and I tend to like the gastropub scene. Great bar, great food, lots of variety but a festive scene. Suggestions?

EDIT: just booked Saison for Friday. Will see about Gary Danko for the other night. Thanks all, again.

008

Love Gary Danko. Best service and "creative" food that is outstanding.

silverrules

UHHHH, Kirala. Best Japanese restaurant. Long wait but wont be disappointed. Order the yellow tail and the BBQ stuffed chicken mushroom. Going there next weekend now that you guys reminded me.

frayed

kirala better than sebo? Whoa. I thought Sebo was fantastic. But I'm into very traditional sushi; love the stuff I've had in tokyo and like simply prepared nigiri. I'm more into the minimalist approach like Jiro / Masa .

MaxLTV

Been to Kirala last week. No line during week nights. Good ingredients and great presentation, but not mindblowing taste, IMHO. Rolls are a tad rice-heavy. Traditional Japanese rolls have less rice and/or less seasoning in the rice. Seared stuff was just a bit dried. Maybe it's just my taste or I ordered wrong stuff. But it's probably the best I've seen in this price range. I'll go again soon - it's one of the nearest good places to me.

Have not been to Sebo yet, so cannot compare.

996FLT6

Traditional sushi bar with no fry fru thrills- try out INO sushi in Japantown. The magic is the rice in nigiri. Only japanese nationals and locals go there. Mike

frayed

Thanks Mike what about Kappou Gomi

996FLT6

^ very good no thrills place too. Very extensive menu but pride more on cooked foods. Really not a sushi bar. U may not like ambience. Very drab looking inside. If u like ambience very nice and cozy try "kiss seafood" in japantown but can be pricey. Mike