I am looking for a nice, moderately priced restaurant close to the Moscone Convention center and the W hotel. Is this the Union Square area? I printed out some of the 100 best SF restaurants but I can't tell where they are in relation to the above. Thanks!
Sylvia

Union square is a quick walk from the convention center, maybe 3-4 blocks and 5 minutes.

There are lots of good restaurants within a block or two of the W hotel. For groups, LuLu's (family style mediterranean) or Thirsty Bear (tapas/brew pub) are good. For just a few people, Le Charm is a great inexpensive french bistro nearby and Dine is a good American place.

Other close by places: Pazzia which serves up some good homemade pasta and pizzas and Cha Am which is a decent thai place.

Moving up pricewise, there's XYZ in the W hotel, Azie (asian/fusion) down folsom, next to and owned by the same people as LuLus. There's a new sushi place on third across from XYZ, I haven't tried it yet though. There's also a new Roys that went in at 2nd and Mission, havent tried that one either.

There's at least a hundred restaurants within walking distance, many around Union Square and also several good ones down 4th street, Bizou and Fringale are very good french places and reasonably priced), Bacar is more expensive but is a good wine bar with about 100 wines by the glass.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by carlhaynes:
There's a new sushi place on third across from XYZ, I haven't tried it yet though.</font>

The sushi restaurant in question is Shibuya, located at 329 3rd Street x Folsom. The food is quite good at this sushi house, compared to other sushi restaurants in the immediate area and has become quite popular with the lunch crowd.

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by carlhaynes:
... down 4th street, Bizou and Fringale are very good french places and reasonably priced)...</font>

Here is a recent write up on Bizou from the SF Chronicle:

No chef does rustic food better than Loretta Keller, chef-owner of Bizou. She can take a lowly beef cheek and make it as luxurious as caviar or foie gras. The braised pork shoulder that appears on the Bizou menu from time to time tastes better than filet mignon, and her rabbit braised in pumpkin sauce ($23.50) with truffles, leeks and basil could turn a vegetarian into a meat eater.

She serves all these warming dishes at her charming SoMa restaurant, which features window flower boxes and glazed mustard-colored walls inside. The huge bouquets of fresh flowers over the door and the tight mound of cut roses on the host stand offer a peek at her keen attention to details.

As the weather turns chilly and we seek refuge from grim current events, Bizou is a restorative place to dine.

On our most recent visits, a few of the dishes weren't as good as we remembered, but the rustic fare still makes us want to come back for more. Keller's beef cheeks ($20.25), for example, are crusted in mustard and breadcrumbs and fried to a golden crunch. The tender cut of meat is served on a peppery bed of cool watercress and surrounded by halved new potatoes roasted to a perfect bronze crust. The wood oven-baked rigatoni in red wine and braised beef ($18) is so hot that you have to wait about 10 minutes to eat it. As you continually poke and feel the steam swirl around your face, the anticipation is akin to a 5-year-old's on Christmas morning. And once you're teased into taking the first bite, the flavors don't disappoint.

For a lighter touch, Keller has been featuring line-caught New York swordfish ($23.50), which she pairs with romano beans, tomatoes and oregano.

However, in her pursuit of homey-style fare, her classic bent is still evident. She peels all her tomatoes, even the cherry tomatoes featured with the delicious crab cake ($11.75) decorated with glistening leaves of arugula and served on a translucent pool of tomato jus .

Desserts (all $6.50) include a Meyer lemon granite with shortbread cookies or the bittersweet chocolate and coffee vacherin, with layers of meringue, creme anglaise, chocolate sauce, coffee ice cream and candied almonds.

While the food has a casual edge, the service is professional, but not stiff. The waiters are well trained and move about the 76-seat dining room with assurance.

In all, Bizou is an enticing package, one of the best places to go when you want to feel nurtured and revived.