After a long absence, I will be in San Francisco for a few days in July (a Conference at the Marriott). I am hoping for a chance to do a few favored things and need some recommendations for:

1. Dim Sum Lunch

2. Sushi (but with cooked options for a sushi averse colleage).

3. A good casual French/Bistro style restaurant with good wine list.

All help appreciated!!

#3:

Someone in SF can probably help you out a lot better than I can, but I love Gerald Hirigoyen's (Basque) cooking -- he is the top chef and owner of Fringale and Piperade. (Check out the Piperade link.) I've been to both restaurants (although when I went to Piperade it was called Pastis and co-owned with someone else). The wine lists are very reasonable, and offered a reasonably wide selection. (I don't recall many $75+ bottles on the lists, if that is what you're going for, however.) And the food is terrific and well priced for what it is. I recall both restaurants as being casual.

a

"What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?" -- W.C. Fields

Dim Sum - Yank Sing in Rincon Center. Downtown SF

Sushi - Kyo Ya in Palace Hotel Downtown. Very expensive. But the best. Kabuto Sushi Richmond District

French Bisto - Chapeau. Richmond District

Eat till your sleepy and sleep till your hungry.

I'm also a fan of Yank Sing but my favorite dim sum these days is Ton Kiang on Geary Blvd.

As for sushi, Harvey Steiman often recommends Kabuto, a small, funky place on Geary near 14th Street, and Grandeho's Kamekyo, which has a vaguely Hawaiian feel to some of the dishes. It has two locations, one on Hyde Street near Fisherman's Wharf.

The Geary street place is not as fancy but good food at half the price.

It is getting a little old, but here is a pretty lengthy discussion on dining in SF. Page 2 has some discussion on Dim Dum options:

SF Dining Discussion

No one likes Koi Palace for dim sum anymore? They have seasonal mantis shrimp. Blowfish isn't the traditional sushi place, they have excellent cooked entrees.

Used to love Baker Street Bistro, they have a 3 course prix fix dinner for under $20, small and quaint. First time I was there, some guy drove up in his porsche, dropped off a dinner plate that the owner gave him as a doggie bag the night before. Second time, kitchen was smoky, when the firemen came in, the whole place applauded but not one person stopped eating or stood up to leave.

blowfish sushilooks like they made some great changes, definite must try.

[This message was edited by amedemonet on Jun 18, 2004 at 03:54 PM.]

wonderful place - not suffy, awesome spanish food and the wine list got me absolutely addicted to spanish wines.

Someone already recommended the Palace Hotel. It is very good and very expensive, but if you're downtown, you can't beat the location and atmosphere.

We like North Beach Sushi on Columbus and out in the Sunset, Ebisu on 9th.

Randy Sloan
Match Vineyards