Current SF bay area restaurant recs

poorsod · Aug 20, 2010

Originally Posted by iammatt

I hear Sebo is really good for sushi. Going tonight. I'm mixed on Zuni. I generally love it, but it is a lot of hype for a roast chicken. Still, good food. I do love Perbacco, probably my fave in the city these days.

So how was Sebo?

Originally Posted by drbaw

Go to Manresa in Los Gatos. David Kinch is unreal.

Sushi in SF is pretty mediocre. Ebisu is my favorite but it's nothing special. It's not sushi per se, but Kaygetsu in Menlo Park is amazing.

It may be cliche, but the chicken at Zuni really is fantastic.

For Chinese, Shanghai dumplings on 34th and Balboa is great and Beijing restaurant on Alemaney serves food that's exactly like the food I've had in Beijing.

Manresa is on my list but Manton seemed ambivalent about it on his review. I mention sushi because I get more bang for the buck in SF than in NYC. You can get good quality stuff in NYC but you really have to pay for it. I'll have to look into Kaygetsu. Thanks.

drbaw · Aug 20, 2010

Originally Posted by iammatt

OK, for all the Zuni chicken fans, isn't it pretty simple to make just as good a roast chicken at home? The bread salad is amazing, I'll give you that, and I appreciate that roast chicken in restaurants is usually horrendous, so the Zuni one is different in that it is very good, but I have trouble these days getting excited over it. I used to be a true believer, but not so much these days.

The same argument could be made about all sorts of restaurants, no?

If you're a competent chef it's possible to cook a chicken like that at home. They even have a Zuni cookbook that tells you how to do it. But the chicken's gotta sit in salt and spices for a day or two and that takes a lot of preparation and planning ahead.

In any case, you don't go to Zuni to push your culinary boundaries. That's what places like the French Laundry and Manresa are for. You go to Zuni to eat very well made comfort food.

poorsod · Aug 20, 2010

Originally Posted by iammatt

OK, for all the Zuni chicken fans, isn't it pretty simple to make just as good a roast chicken at home? The bread salad is amazing, I'll give you that, and I appreciate that roast chicken in restaurants is usually horrendous, so the Zuni one is different in that it is very good, but I have trouble these days getting excited over it. I used to be a true believer, but not so much these days.

Have you had the blue foot chicken at Eleven Madison Park? It's good. Real good.

itsstillmatt · Aug 20, 2010

Originally Posted by poorsod

So how was Sebo?

Very good. Expensive, but very good. I would say the quality of fish is at least as good as any place in SF, and the atmosphere and service are great.

Originally Posted by drbaw

The same argument could be made about all sorts of restaurants, no?

If you're a competent chef it's possible to cook a chicken like that at home. They even have a Zuni cookbook that tells you how to do it. But the chicken's gotta sit in salt and spices for a day or two and that takes a lot of preparation and planning ahead.

In any case, you don't go to Zuni to push your culinary boundaries. That's what places like the French Laundry and Manresa are for. You go to Zuni to eat very well made comfort food.

You don't need to be a chef to cook an excellent roast chicken, and you don't need to let it sit in spices all day. Not saying theirs is bad, it isn't, it is very good. I just start to chuckle when people say "oh my God, it is such an amazing roast chicken!!!" I've certainly said it myself, but now I chuckle at that as well. It is a good roast chicken, but is that something that deserves massive praise? I don't know.

kwilkinson · Aug 20, 2010

Originally Posted by iammatt

OK, for all the Zuni chicken fans, isn't it pretty simple to make just as good a roast chicken at home? The bread salad is amazing, I'll give you that, and I appreciate that roast chicken in restaurants is usually horrendous, so the Zuni one is different in that it is very good, but I have trouble these days getting excited over it. I used to be a true believer, but not so much these days.

Originally Posted by iammatt

You don't need to be a chef to cook an excellent roast chicken, and you don't need to let it sit in spices all day. Not saying theirs is bad, it isn't, it is very good. I just start to chuckle when people say "oh my God, it is such an amazing roast chicken!!!" I've certainly said it myself, but now I chuckle at that as well. It is a good roast chicken, but is that something that deserves massive praise? I don't know.

It was only like 6 months ago when you told my exgirlfriend and I to go there and get the chicken.

itsstillmatt · Aug 20, 2010

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

It was only like 6 months ago when you told my exgirlfriend and I to go there and get the chicken.

I know. I now laugh at myself.

drbaw · Aug 20, 2010

Originally Posted by poorsod

Manresa is on my list but Manton seemed ambivalent about it on his review. I mention sushi because I get more bang for the buck in SF than in NYC. You can get good quality stuff in NYC but you really have to pay for it. I'll have to look into Kaygetsu. Thanks.

I just read Manton's review and I wonder if he was just there on an off night. I've been to Manresa about a half dozen times and while I've had a few bad dishes scattered amongst the gems, I've never experienced the service issues that he mentioned. I've also never been let down by the tasting menu and bottle/glass recommendations from the sommelier.

Cary Grant · Aug 20, 2010

Originally Posted by iammatt

Very good. Expensive, but very good. I would say the quality of fish is at least as good as any place in SF, and the atmosphere and service are great.

The izakaya menu looks interesting.

Parker · Aug 20, 2010

I've heard good things about Sebo but have never been. Will have to try it as it's around the corner from my office. If you want sushi and happen to be near The Richmond, my favorite sushi in SF is Kabuto A&S on Geary and 15th. The main chef retired a couple years ago and left it to his protegÃ

. I think it was a little better back then, but it's still really good. Inventive (whacky?) rolls (if you like that kind of thing) and really fresh fish. Atmosphere is homey/neighborhoody.

UpperWestie · Aug 20, 2010

OK SF SF'ers, please riddle me this:

Aside from only very recently with Sebo and maybe one other restaurant, why has Japanese food in SF been...eh? Sushi, Izakaya, Ramen, Robata, Yakiniku...they have all for years skirted around the edges, especially the suhi-ran styled fare, but nothing really to write home about for true Japanese authenticity. I have some Tokyo friends who transplanted to SF in the last year and have only shrugged their shoulders.

I always thought SF had a large Japanese population, no? Where are the places to go?

jungshoe · Aug 20, 2010

delfina. foreign cinema. halu. old shanghai. spices II. zarzuela. la taq. and of course, the awesomest restaurant in all of the bay area -- sahnmaru on telegraph.

acidboy · Aug 22, 2010

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

It was only like 6 months ago when you told my exgirlfriend and I to go there and get the chicken.

was this the reason you broke up?

kwilkinson · Aug 22, 2010

Originally Posted by acidboy

was this the reason you broke up?

Yes. I blame Matt. Thanks Matt.

kiya · Aug 22, 2010

My do not miss list:
Spruce
Wayfare Tavern
Woodhouse Fish
Prospect (from the Boulevard people)
Quince

I'd say those are the best five restaurants in SF that are somewhat new.

Classics:
Zuni
Town Hall (still the most consistently solid meal in SF)
Fifth Floor

Overhyped:
Flour & Water
Foreign Cinema (brunch is great, everything else not so much)

Parker · Aug 22, 2010

Originally Posted by UpperWestie

OK SF SF'ers, please riddle me this:

Aside from only very recently with Sebo and maybe one other restaurant, why has Japanese food in SF been...eh? Sushi, Izakaya, Ramen, Robata, Yakiniku...they have all for years skirted around the edges, especially the suhi-ran styled fare, but nothing really to write home about for true Japanese authenticity. I have some Tokyo friends who transplanted to SF in the last year and have only shrugged their shoulders.

I always thought SF had a large Japanese population, no? Where are the places to go?

Good question. I don't really know. The Japanese population is pretty small here actually. There's certainly a lot of sushi places around town, but I can't think of many other restaurants with different Japanese cuisines. SuZu Noodle House on Post and Fillmore is pretty good for a casual noodle place. LA seems to have many more Japanese options.

Current SF bay area restaurant recs

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