mid-west guests want dinner with a view
Please recommend an S.F. restaurant for dinner next Saturday night with a view or near the water, preferably mid-priced. My guests are from the mid-west and will likely be astounded by our prices. As a foodie, I could care less about a view, but this is what they requested. I have wracked my brain for a place with both fresh, local food and the desired view. Thanks much,
gloryous
Jul 14, 2007 10:50AM
here are some post-
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/343175
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/400491
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You've encountered the great SF paradox. The place you are looking for does
not exist. Water, view, and tastiness exist in inverse relations to each other.
That said, the Slanted Door might be a reasonable if somewhat (though not
stupidly) expensive choice.
When I find myself trying to solve this exact problem a couple of times a year,
what I usually do if it's a warmish evening is Plouf followed by drinks at the
Top of the Mark or equivalent skyscraper bar. Belden Place doesn't have
a view per se, but it does have a scene.
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Chuckles, you nailed it! The last time 3/5 of this group visted me, I took them to Plouf. Thanks for the insightful comment. Still searching, I'll let you know what I come up with. Honestly, the Slanted Door is likely too avant garde for this group - we're talking Missouri here.
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There's nothing scary about the Shaking Beef. Or the spare rib appetizer. Or the rib eye. In fact, the red meat dishes should be totally comfortable. If I were feeding totally unadventurous but carnivorous diners at the Slanted Door, I'd feel comfortable ordering any of the following:
*crispy imperial rolls with shrimp, pork, glass noodles and peanuts
*barbecued Niman Ranch pork spareribs with honey-hoisin sauce
*live oven roasted spot prawns with garlic butter and sweet paprika
*Mariquita Farm baby beet salad with citrus-sesame vinaigrette
*Meyer Ranch shaking beef cubed filet mignon with garlic, watercress and red onions
*grilled Australian free-range lamb rack with crispy potatoes and tamarind sauce
*grilled Meyer Ranch rib-eye steak with wild mushrooms and garlic-soy dipping sauce
*grilled Niman Ranch double-cut pork chops with ginger-soy-shallot sauce and crispy potatoes
*Star Route Farm baby spinach with garlic and caramelized shallots
*sweet corn with green onions and morel mushrooms
I'd probably let them choose their own mains (to make them feel comfortable), and get a couple of appetizers and vegies for the table to share. You could even sneak in something a bit more adventurous this way--they might just step up to the plate and surprise you. I'd sell the project to them as 1)great location/view, 2)great reputation/reviews, 3)Bill Clinton ate at the original location, blah, blah, blah, etc., 4)Asian food is one of the things SF is known for.
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Don't necessarily assume that. There are a few of us in Missouri who are Chowhounds! Yes, we do eat meat, pork, potatoes and corn but that is what we grow out here in the Midwest. It is hard to get a lot of different kinds of food outside of the large cities so lots of Midwesterners might not have been exposed to anything but the overcooked, oversalted cuisine as you call it. Maybe you could use this as a learning experience for your guests and introduce them to something new. I love visiting new cities and eating local cuisine. I personally don't come to San Francisco to get "Midwestern" food!
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When we have guests who want a restaurant with a view, we drive them down the coast to Princeton -- Half Moon Bay Brewing Company brews excellent beer,and serves pretty good pub food -- the kind that appeals to many midwesterners. My sister's friend from Kansas City loved the place. They also have many ocean view tables. You can also eat outside around firepits.
http://www.hmbbrewingco.com/
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ohhh...
having mentioned Half Moon Bay, the Ritz there has both a fabulous view and a great restaurant.
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Leatherneck Steakhouse has a GREAT view although is more classic steakhouse than class SF.
http://www.marineclub.com/leatherneck...
609 Sutter St, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA
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How's the food?
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Marine's Memorial Club is very midwest. I found the food to be very middle American, too salty and overcooked non eventful food. Absolutely no local freshness there.
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Does one have to be a member to dine at Marines Memorial Club?
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No.
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Maybe they would like the Presidio Club. It's located in the beautiful Presidio and offers American food with a slight edge.
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i would highly recommend Scott's seafood in Jack London Square in Oakland. I had family from the NE visiting who wanted a special meal with a view. A friend recommended Scott's and I was verypleasantly surprised. The views are quite lovely you see SF from across the Bay and when we were there, it was shrouded in fog dramatically. The food and service were actually outstanding. A few people had the seafood saute which was average - but many of us had the ciopino which was truly top notch. Other fish dishs and oysters were also great. Desserts were fantastic and large. The manager of this place actually bought our table a bottle of wine after chatting with one of my family members and discovering they were from the same town. You can take the ferry there from the ferry building, which is also a nice touch. prices are high, but not for the view, quntity and quality.
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I really don't like the food at Scott's, and I think that the prices are incredibly high for the quality.
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interesting...maybe we got lucky. our experience was excellent across the board, and for a "view" restaurant the value was excellent compared to comparable places in SF like Sinbad's.
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The Cliff House always blows away visitors. Food is not as bad as people say. It's not top tier, but it's fine and they'll be so distracted by the amazing view that you could serve them cat food and they'd have the time of their lives.
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The Cliff House has no view when it's foggy or dark. Some recent reports:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/329588
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You might check out Waterfront Restaurant, right next to the Ferry Plaza. The prices will be on the high side but that's sort of goes with any place with a view.
In Jack London Square, there's also Kincaid's (small chain, safe pick, a little over priced but around $20-25 for an entre).
You could also check out Julius' Castle...although the reviews haven't been good.
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Julius' Castle changed hands and reopened less than two months ago with a new chef and new menu. No reports here yet. Still very expensive.
Skates in Berkeley is basically a branch of Kincaid's.
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i'll probably get whacked for this but here goes: alioto's at sunset. call ahead and explain all your requirements. get the grilled fish and hold the rest to a minimum. you'll escape with only minor injuries. take a street car there and you'll probably earn bonus style points.
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Or Forbes Island. I don't think anyone ever forgets a meal on Forbes Island. The food's passable, and whooopie! We're eating on an insane man's barge!
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Forbes Island is a tourist trap.
http://www.chowhound.com/search?searc...
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Have you actually been there? Or are you just saying?
West of Pier 37, everyone's a tourist. Think of it as an opportunity
to have a meaty, perhaps not expertly prepared, meal in the company
of visitors from around the world.
Been twice. Had a uniquely fine time.
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Did you post reports on those meals? I can't find them. Sounds like maybe you were luckier than some:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/33826...
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>>Did you post reports on those meals?
Yep. Two posts up. "Been there twice. Had a uniquely fine time."
Note that this entire subthread is in counterpoint to a recommendation
for Aliotos. I feel perfectly confident recommending Forbes in that context.
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I completely agree that Forbes is great for visitors and have enjoyed it 4 or 5 times only to get shot down here for saying so.
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What did you eat that was good and what would you not order again?
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Bravo for you. If you take a restaurant recommedation to include the entire experience, Forbes could be a fantastic, memorable night out for an out of town group if they want that kind of experience. Thanks for standing up for your recommendation, it's a fun one.
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You could say the same for Asia SF or Supperclub, but this being Chowhound, the question is, how's the food?
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Very nice all around.
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Yes, I think atmosphere, service, cost, and the overall experience can change how a diner preceives their meal. So in my mind, "how's the food" is always the critical question, but it's helpful to answer it in the context of the total experience. Depends on the diner too. If out of towners are looking for a unique experience, Forbes is fine, as long as their not serious foodies.
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The request has passed and I didn't read this before. I just want to note that Forbes Island doesn't have a view in the restaurant. The restaurant is underwater and most of the time the dinner hours are after dark which means there is no view even of the the fish, if any.
There's some sort of upstairs bar but on my one visit there it was closed. I'm not sure if it is open to the public in general or if the bar area is just for parties.
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If you don't mind the drive, or taking them somewhere new, Nick's Cove might be the answer to this eternal riddle. No reports yet, though.
www.nickscove.com
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love pt. reyes. these guys need a track record. looking forward to a first-hand report.
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Nicks Cove is in Marshall not Point Reyes Station
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It has a view of Point Reyes across Tomales Bay.
23240 Hwy 1, Marshall, CA 95450, USA
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Slanted Door
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The Caprice in Tiburon has probably the best view of any restaurant I know of. Get there in time to enjoy the sunset, and watch the evening lights go on in the City.
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Bella Vista, on Skyline near Woodside might be worth checking out. I haven't been in years and as I recall it's pretty expensive and the food is heavy and old fashioned, but the view is spectacular (request the view room). Also, we had some out of town guests recently who insisted on a drink at the Claremont. There was a view from the terrace. I have no idea if there's a worthwhile restaurant in there, but there are certainly plenty within reach.
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Revoke my chowhound credentials if you must, but I always took my Midwestern guests to the Beach Chalet. The food is overpriced and not exceptional. But, it's not awful and the setting and the view are stunning.
They used to serve some phenomenal onion strings, but took it off the menu because (as one server explained to me) the staff hated them--too messy and people would hang around for hours, monopolizing a table, nibbling at their onion strings.
I've heard their sister restaurant, Park Chalet, now has the onion strings, but I haven't been back to personally confirm it.
EDIT--but, some of the menu items will give your guests some exposure to "local" flair, including garlic fries, the crabcakes, crab louie, etc.
~TDQ
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Sorry--forgot to add places link for the Beach Chalet
1000 Great Hwy, San Francisco, CA 94122, USA
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I had some pretty bad food at Beach Chalet, but haven't given them another chance recently. Some of the beers (it's a brewpub) are decent, and the fries are passable, so it's an OK place for a drink with a view--unless it's dark or foggy, when there's no view.
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Garlic fries are still a new thing in the Midwest, so, yeah, I agree that the garlic fries are worth ordering. You've got to be careful with their beers--some are downright awful, but they do have little tasting sizes, so, you might try the tasting sizes first to see if you like.
RE: the view. I saw your similar comment, Robert, re: someone's Cliff House recommendation and, just FYI, a view of the foggy ocean and beach is a legitimate view in my opinion, unless it's tule fog, and even then, the fog is wonderous and mysterious, as is the ocean, especially if you don't experience them everyday as Midwesterners do not. Frankly, I could go for a little SF style fog, salty ocean air, and sourdough bread right now. It's 90 damn degrees here. Please send.
~TDQ
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There's also Greens. Fresh local food, check. Desired view, check. Mid-priced, well maybe not.
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Greens is 100% vegetarian. Prices midrange by SF standards (entrees around $20), cheaper than most other view places.
Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123, USA
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Anything worthwhile in Sausalito nowadays?? Such a primo location for views of the City, I'd think there must be at least one restaurant with a view that also has good food. I used to like the Chart House, and it had a breathtaking view of the City, but it closed several years ago.
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I had a nice lunch at Fish last week on a sunny afternoon. The view is of boats and the bay, though, not the city. One nice thing about Fish is that there's easy parking. Parking in downtown Sausalito is awful. Though they could take the ferry, I suppose.
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How 'bout Scoma's? Not a chow destination, but fresh fish in a classic SF setting...
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Scoma's reports:
http://www.chow.com/topics/307917
http://www.chowhound.com/search?searc...
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So parochial about Midwesterners... This one just ate at Slanted Door with a table full of Kansans. They all loved the food - especially the 14-year-old boy who caught a lot of waiters' eyes and never noticed. He was too busy chowing down. Only problem: too noisy and there are lots better water views around the Bay.
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