cubbie

If you could only eat in one place in the downtown Union Square area in San Francisco, where would it be?

I'm looking for whatever's classic SF, OR great steakhouse, ORgreat seafood, OR great view, OR great experience ...

What do you think of Roy's, for example?

Please give me a suggestion before I wind up, a Chicago native, dragged to some place that puts baby corn on its pizza (yes, this has happened to me before).

fatfrog

Do you have a budget? Food preference?

If it's Roy's the chain, I would recommend against it -- so many other unique SF experiences. Michael Mina is in downtown Union Square, though I didn't think it was worth the price & they have MMs in other locations. Boulevard isn't quite downtown, but I think that's what many consider a classic SF restaurant. People love Campton Place. Are you really wedded to downtown Union Square, though? When I go back to SF, I love burritos in the Mission, fake meat (Golden Era) in the tenderloin, dungeness crab off fisherman's wharf, etc. almost more than the fine dining options.

rjque

Boulevard is classic SF but IMHO overpriced for pretty average food. It's best on an expense account.

For what most people consider the quintessential San Francisco restaurant, grab the F Market Streetcar or a cab to Zuni. You won't regret it.

sucheng

Roy's is fine, but not really unique (a chain from Hawaii, I think!) AsiaSF is probably a much more unique-to-SF experience, but may or may not be your cup of tea....

There are so many other great choices in different neighborhoods, it's hard to narrow it down without knowing your preferences: Michelin-starred? seafood with a view near Fisherman's Wharf? Italian in North Beach? Chinese or Vietnamese (lots of different places)? steak? trendy? price?

For straight up foodie places (and cost/location is no object), see these threads for more discussion.
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=652935
http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=820597

I tend not to eat nr. Union Square myself (crowded and touristy) but 2 good places I've been recently include the Grand Cafe (in the Hotel Monaco), or the cluster of restaurants on Belden Place - a good spot for outdoor dining/people-watching if the weather is nice.

fatfrog

*smack* I can't believe I forgot about Zuni. Make reservations and get the roast chicken.

TheDudeAbides

Here are two that have not been mentioned: 1. Aqua; 2. Le Colonial; Roy's: no

Non-NonRev

This was going to be my seafod recommendation. Fleur de Lys or Masa's for French (I had a birthday dinner at Masa's just before the death of Masa Kobayahsi that is one of the three best meals I've ever had). Harris's for steaks, although it is a bit of a distance from Union Square.

squeakr

I concur w/ Zuni, Harris for steak and will throw in Citizen Cake (close to Symphony Hall and Civic Center BART); Perbacco (Embarcadero area) and Absinthe (neo French) in Hayes Valley near Civic Center.

I also hear great things about Elizabeth Faulkner's newest, Orson , in the SOMA area, but it's a straight shot down 4th Street so pretty convenient to US.

I sepecially love Saha, in the Hotel Carlton neart Nob Hill. "Pan arabic fusion" but not frou frou. Excellent use of spices and especially good for lamb and all kinds of vegetables.

90minfromJFK-CDG

I disagree about Boulevard. I've eaten there quite a few times (thanks expense account) and it's consistently good to very good.

For the OP, I'd consider both Waterbar and Epic, the new restaurants along the Embarcadero near Folsom.

EDIT: Another darkhorse candidate would be Cortez, on Geary near Taylor. A few very good dishes there with excellent cocktails.

JerryFF

I would have to say that our dinner at Michael Mina was the best restaurant meal we ever had, but it was over $300 for 2. Is it worth it? That's a personal decision, but for us it was a unique experience. Aqua (also a Michael Mina restaurant) was a close second, but it's not right at Union Square. There are other well-known restaurants around Union Square that, in our experience, definitely fall short of the two listed above, including Postrio and Farallon.

For us, Masa's was good but fell well short of "the best meal ever". At $400 for 2, it should have been.

I have not eaten at a Roy's on the mainland that was worth the trip - nothing like our experience on Maui. I won't bother to try any more.

rjque

Boulevard is fine for generic "grill" place type food but the price point suggests something more special than what ends up on the plate. For that kind of money, I expect more creativity.

I have been to Orson twice and the food is very interesting but the service is really problematic. Most of the service staff seemed very inexperienced and it really impacted our enjoyment of the meal. It's a new place, so it may just be growing pains.