We have a reservation at Harbor View in SF this weekend but I noticed there will be a huge convention Saturday, expected to snarl traffic.
Any suggestions? Husband is not too adventurous, but I am open to all suggestions.
I haven’t been yet but have been wanting to try this new place in the old Miss Ollies space.
For Italian, I think Belotti makes the best pasta in the Bay Area, but it’s pretty small so not sure about getting a reso for 6. (the College Ave location)
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Thanks!
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Hah - yes, avoiding downtown SF sounds like a good move!
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/apec-traffic-downtown-sf-2023-18473129.php
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Saigon Seafood Harbor, near 99 Ranch in Richmond, might not take reservations, but the wait is usually short. Dim-sum carts and a big Cantonese menu, steamed fish and crab recommended. Their lot can be full, but there’s parking in the 99 Ranch lot and on the street.
Los Moles on San Pablo in El Cerrito has a big parking lot and great Mexican dishes, including several varieties of mole mostly unavailable elsewhere. I see their weekend buffet is back, post-Covid.
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Oh, also in the 99 Ranch center is Daimo, also Cantonese with dim sum.
The website name is misleading–it’s not just to-go but a large dining room.
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One more: If the weather’s good, Sailing Goat, in the former Pirate BBQ at Point San Pablo . The setting is spectacular, tables are outside or under a tent, and reports are that the food is great.
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Thanks again!
Oh yeah Sailing Goat is a great choice, no reservations, gorgeous setting
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My dad requires close, easy parking and prefers to reserve ahead. We’ve had good family dinners at Townhouse in Emeryville and the Boathouse at the Berkeley Marina (yes, it’s attached to the hotel). The food is better at Townhouse, but my son approves of the cocktails at both places. My dad still likes to eat outside and both places have heat lamps, if that’s matters to you.
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Thanks!
Nearby and with a parking lot there’s Skates by the Bay. Also a drop off zone at the front door of the restaurant. I’d call it a “view restaurant”, food is okay…going for the view and ease. Lots of Thanksgiving business, lots of seniors.
Down the road, there’s Hong Kong East Ocean in Emeryville. Dedicated parking lot, ADA spaces. View of the Bay and Bay Bridge. Can’t comment on the food since it’s been at least 10 years. Kinda pricey if I recall…also a “view restaurant” but a nice room.
Side note, I was at the Berkeley Marina yesterday, took a walk at Cesar Chavez Park. My god…they finally fixed the access road (University Ave, past Frontage) to the Marina and CCP. That road has been a disaster and F’ed up for 30-40 years. Couldn’t go over 5 mph. I saw it earlier this year…but I’m still surprised they repaved it after all this time.
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As I recall, Daimo’s dim sum menu is very limited. It isn’t their specialty, the way dim sum is for Saigon Seafood Harbor. Service at both is typical for Chinese restaurants, neither is quite as upscale as Harbor View - they are family-style restaurants. Saigon is a little more polished than Daimo, but bathrooms at both are on the iffy side at times.
I’d second Belotti but much as I love them - and I adore Michele Belotti’s Northern Italian food (do NOT look for typical Neapolitan or Sicilian dishes here; Michele (pronounced Mee-kay-lah) is from Bergamo and trained in Milan) - the place is really, really tiny. Six is the absolute max that will fit and that’s about 1/3 of the total DR, not counting the bar.
ACRE in Rockridge’s Market Hall replaced Oliveto and can be up&down, but it is very nice inside (you want the upstairs) altho parking can be tight sometimes (does anyone know if BART allows outsider parking at night??) and when it’s “on”, it’s quite good.
If you are up for Japanese there is Iyasare on 4th St. Berkeley. Parking can be a bit tricky at popular times; we often park on 5t St. and cut through one of the several parking lots that allow one to shortcut from 5th to 4th.
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In the last few months I’ve had some pretty good lunches with > 6 people at the Left Bank location in Jack London Square in Oakland. French brasserie fare from chef Roland Passot. There is parking around JLS. They also have a patio.
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Thanks again everyone! Nothing available at Beotti when I checked on Tuesday. Right now it’s looking like Hong Kong East Ocean, but we have a reservation at Townhouse as well (which I will probably cancel shortly).
As is often the case for us, this outing is not mostly about the food, but my hopes were buoyed when someone here on HO said they had “upped their game” of late. I can’t seem to find that post now.
ETA Here it is! From the last time I asked about places in the East Bay. From @Lethe2020 . Thank you!
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Yoshi’s in Oakland?
Yoshi’s! I always thought of it as a place for entertainment! I’ll have to check it out again.
ISTR hearing about Yoshi’s (and environs) having increased trouble with vehicle burglaries recently. Is that the news overhyping it, or has it really gotten worse?
Hi shrinkrap, just FYI the dim sum restaurant I said had “upped their game” lately is East Ocean Seafood in Alameda, not HK East Ocean - all too easy to confuse the two, I know!
Also, for those who are fond of them, East Ocean Seafood is now offering the Portuguese egg tarts (Pasteis de Nata). Their regular custard tarts, the dan tat, have a shortbread-like crust. The Portuguese egg tarts use the traditional Chinese lard pastry, delicate crispy layers around an incredibly rich, barely sweet filling. We love them, along with the sai yun, sweet donuts.
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We’ve dined at The Fat Lady several times recently (they do have the best steaks, from a quality and execution standpoint), and they also recommend parking at the city garage. Said vehicle break-ins have been a serious problem recently.
We were brave enough last time to park on the street beside TFL, but we were right outside the front door where people are coming/going, and it was early enough in the evening that it was still daylight. Also, it was midweek, not weekend. Had no troubles, but I wouldn’t do this on a weekend or in the dark. For that matter, I probably wouldn’t do it in SF either, LOL…
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