San Francisco and what to do in it

guys, just to reiiterate: Tony's in SF won the WORLD PIZZA CUP in 2007. In Naples, Italy. The first non-native Italian pizza maker to win this distinction!

there's nothing that compares in my opinion, although I think the 69 is seriously under-rating Delfina and flour+water (or needs to go to those places with me). his short shrift dismissal is pretty "whoa".

Pizza in Naples sucks

let me guess, you spilled some all over your computer?

flour+water is pretty great and right around the corner from my house. always a line out the door too. I felt stupid when we went there because everyone ended up ordering the same thing (by mistake), didn't really get a sense of the rest of their menu at all

Tony's is great but I still prefer the pizzas I make at home. Can't wait for Giuliana's in the Metro hotel, though, since it'll be 1/25 blocks from my house.

I haven't done flour+water but Delfina's pizza is pretty good so I'm no really sure where 69 is coming from. Yeah, it's fancy pants and all but I had a fiddlehead fern/ricotta pizza there (albeit ages ago) that I still recall quite fondly.

basically, im just not hurtin for fancy pizza ever, and there's always six places in any big city that do it fine. coppi's, 2amy's, and pizzeria paradiso in DC; delfina, flour+water, and a16 in SF. and it's FINE! and ive never had pizza in naples, but ive had it in sorrento and venice and florence and rome, and all these american places are doing FINE at DOC-style pizza.

but like, i just want a great NY-style slice, and i cant understand why that is so hard to find here! the ideal is koronet in manhattan, but (and i understand this is a rare opinion) DC jumbo slice from adams morgan pizza boli's (not really the same as the normal pizza boli's slice, so cant really be compared to their non-jumbo delivery style) is better than any slice ive gotten in SF. my other DC pizza favorites (baffetto's, vace, astor mediterranean) are kind of non-standard slices, so its not like DC is busting at the seams with great slices either, but it's there!

btw y'all should definitely go to flour and water, if not for the pizza! maybe the same is true for delfina; ive never had anything but pizza there...

mario batalli (i know ymmv) said that the pasta chef at flour + water is the best in the usa, maybe the world (but to be fair this was when that chef was at spruce).

batalli is bomb. just saying. babbo and both mozza's are amazing.

everything i had at flour + water was amazing (except for a weirdly cooked fish). i'm w/pete on fancy pizza. could take it or leave it. delfina is meh to me. i'll still rep for pizzaiolo in temescal

when i said spruce i meant quince 2 posts up. weird.

batalli is mediocre, just my opinion, everyone has diff taste buds and culinary background/points of reference.

We went to Quince the other night, and were kind-of bummed-out. Everything was way too super-buttery and rich. We had a couple of pastas that would have been PERFECT in a broth, but were instead swimming in butter-based sauces. The gnocchi at Frances were much better than anything from Quince (and maybe better than any THING).

yeah flour + water poached the chef from Quince who made my meals very memorable there.

annie and i are going back for our third dinner at frances next month, and im already excited!

pizzaiolo is great but I've been there maybe ten times now and it's not very surprising any more. but I should maybe get something other than what I normally get (except I'm vegetarian so that limits my options).

Yeah, I was just at Frances and we had enough people to get the whole menu. Going back in July. Great place.

http://www.millenniumrestaurant.com/restaurant/index.html

bit expensive. worth it?

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Millenium? If that's the veggie place in a hotel in downtown (and judging by the menu I just looked at, I think it is) then that is the HANDS DOWN BEST vegetarian food I've ever had in my life. Most creative, most "ooh, I've never eaten that", most utterly OMG DELICIOUS food I've ever experienced.

Granted, I was eating on my millionaire brother's tab, but honestly - I understood after the meal why it was worth it.

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I'm a dyed-in-the-wool carnivore and I like Millenium fine.

haven't been to millenium in many, many years after 3 visits but Ubuntu up in Napa was undoubtedly the best vegetarian restaurant in these parts. Unfortunately it is either no longer or the chef has moved on but the 3 times I went to Ubuntu were really amazing. They had this cauliflower dish that I still makes me smile just remembering it.

Way down the line but I'll be back up there in two months for On Land during Labor Day weekend -- the evenings are booked by default but most of the days otherwise should be free. More as the time gets nearer!

aww we will be in portland so no dice this time nedder

suxorz

pizzaiolo = awesome
delfina = awesome
little star = awesome
beretta = just ok

i'll back up any supporters of arinell's in sf. reaaaally good cheese slices there.

anyone hear about that guy in oakland who makes pizzas by appointment out of a garage or someplace? would like to try that.

and omg i have been wanting to try tony's for so so so long

boot and shoe service?

arinell's is good for drunken slices but i made the mistake of ordering a full pie there only once. ugh.

we get full pizzas from there a lot -- what was yr issue?

boot and shoe service is pizzaiolo's sister restaurant and the menu I looked at seemed similar, but maybe more options, not sure. haven't been yet.

millenium was good but I haven't been there in at least five years. it is better than Greens though for vegetarian food (Greens was just really boring the last time I went).

i used to work at green's - the food is always hit or miss (except the black bean chili, which rules)and they still do the same stuff they were doing in 1981, keeping it safe for the old people and tourists. the dining room is lovely though for the view.
millenium made me go "oooh and ah" back in '94 or so. but they've never progressed or changed so i don't think the place is exciting anymore. it's overpriced, of course, but the things they do are also easily recreated at home

@69 ha my issue was it sucked but maybe it was just a bad day

like what, too dry?

Anyone been here ... ?

http://burkescanoetrips.com/

*I realise this is a bit like having a thread about London and then asking a question about Oxford but hey ...

Nope but it looks fun.

yeah it hink we talked about it upthread, that's an especially gorgeous part of the bay area. one of my favorite drives/bike rides is along that route. I've never done kayak or canoe on that stretch though.

Am rubbish at deciding what to do on the day, so am hoping to plot out an itinary for a San Fran holiday. Do suggest things to do including places to eat and places to visit to break up some of the long journies. Ta.

Wed 08 September - The Powell Hotel, Cyril Magnin St, SF

Thurs 09 September - The Powell Hotel, Cyril Magnin St, SF

Fri 10 September - The Powell Hotel, Cyril Magnin St, SF

Sat 11 September - The Powell Hotel, Cyril Magnin St, SF

Sun 12 September - Best Western, Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa
To look up: Bella Winery, Zazu restaurant.

Mon 13 September - Best Western, Santa Rosa Avenue, Santa Rosa

Tues 14 September - Cedar Lodge, 9966 Highway 140, El Portal, Yosemite. CA 95318
To look up: John Muir trail

Wed 15 September - Cedar Lodge, 9966 Highway 140, El Portal, Yosemite. CA 95318

Thurs 16 September - Cedar Lodge, 9966 Highway 140, El Portal, Yosemite. CA 95318

Fri 17 September - Cedar Lodge, 9966 Highway 140, El Portal, Yosemite. CA 95318

Sat 18 September - Hotel Abrego, Abrego St, Monteray. CA93940

Sun 19 September - Hotel Abrego, Abrego St, Monteray. CA93940

Mon 20 September - Hotel Abrego, Abrego St, Monteray. CA93940

Tues 21 September - Hotel Abrego, Abrego St, Monteray. CA93940

Wed 22 September - Plane

Thurs 23 September - Home.

Drink wine or go kayaking or go kayaking and then drink wine ... Ah, the decisions ...

We'd like to do the wine *thing* on a visit to Santa Rosa and wonder if anyone has any recommendations? We're not hugely fussed about a tour but would like to have some wines that make us go "wow!" Should we visit a vineyard? Just go to a nice restaurant? Nip to the supermarket? I think we're mostly booked up in the day but free from late afternoon ... Ideas appreciated. Some snarkiness anticipated. I guess not wanting to drink-drive needs to be factored in.

this is just retarded - sf chron columnist has a problem with bike racks installed on Valencia St.

he's just saying they're ugly, isn't he? I don't have a problem with someone wanting to make them more attractive, as long as they serve the same purpose. kind of a silly thing to write an article about, though, I guess.

yeah otm

they are kinda ugly, but you don't need more than a sentence to express that thought

one of the most frivolous editorials i have ever read

yeah ok they're ugly but at least ~theyre there~

make em look nice later imo

it's just silly because a bunch of bike racks on a street with a lot of bike traffic is something that most everyone would agree is a great thing - except this guy who complains they are ugly.

guessing he is like the only person in the city who cares about this issue in the way that he has framed it ("racks ok but just not ugly ones ewww!")

it's such a bizarre middle ground

i actually think they are attractive

Maybe if the city was awash in cash it would make sense to criticize the lack of aesthetic value of something so practical.