Originally Posted by
RCyyz
Hi gang. I need some current dining recommendations in SFO please. They need to be in the Union Square area, suitable for business lunches or dinners with existing and potential clients. I would personally prefer to go outside of Union Square but that's where the (very packed) conference is and we won't have time to wander afar.
I assume the major hotels (St. Francis, Hilton, Westin, FS etc) are all adequate. Anywhere else?
Thanks!
Some of the hotels have better restaurants than others. The St. Regis, for example, has Ame, which I think is just fantastic and can be very creative. The St. Francis has an expensive but apparently very good steak house. The Westin has some generic Italian place that Michael Bauer (the newspaper critic) loved but my friends all tell me is just OK. I have no idea what is in the Hilton or the FS.
You should also consider Fifth Floor, which just got a glowing review from the local critic. See:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...FDRP1IEK2A.DTL. It is probably still an easy reservation, too.
I agree with the recommendation for The Rotunda, but I've had some friends tell me they don't like it much. I like it for the "ladies who lunch" atmosphere. The food is fine but not amazing.
I haven't been to Farallon for many years, but I remember it being just OK. Lots of blown glass in the dining room, which I think is done as a fad, but that's not a reason not to go there.
Also, not mentioned yet, but the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton is probably best avoided right now. I had a mediocre experience there recently, and so did Michael Bauer. Not OK at those price points, IMHO.