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Streets of San Francisco
...and the rest of the Bay Area.
- 86
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21 Places
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Jim’s 5-star review: In some bars, yuppie kids can pretend to be "slumming" because the bathrooms are nasty; in some bars, they'll have your favorite drink ready before you even sit down. In some bars, you get tremendous alcohol value for your drinking dollar. The Tonga Room is not that bar. The Tonga Room is about ginormous drinks that come in ceramic coconuts, imposing tiki jars, and huge bowls with umbrellas. At the Tonga Room, you'll discover that a fru-fru drink with a shit-ton of rum in it can actually not taste like fire and assplosions in your mouth. The Tonga Room manages to pull off the tiki-bar vibe without feeling shabby or run-down. You'll forget you're in one of the great old hotels of the city, until you sneak out to the immaculate bathroom and experience the amazing paper towels. In the Tonga Room, you'll dance with your friends and loved ones to a band that somehow manages to pull off both Christopher Cross and Bill Withers while floating in a thatched-roof boat. Whilst lounging at the Tonga Room, you'll see dancing children, waiters in floral shirts, hostesses bearing leis, and old men in white tuxedos dining with photographs of their dead wives. The Tonga Room will let you make it rain without dropping the cheddar. In the Tonga Room, you'll get caught up with friends old and new, and wonder how the hell rum, juice, and pineapples can cost so damn much. (Make like the bear and show up on an empty stomach to get maximum value for your drinking money) When you stumble out of the Tonga Room into the night, you'll marvel at how the lights and signs glow in the fog, jump when the fireworks thump in the distance, and realize that the Tonga Room is yet another wonderful little gem that helps make San Francisco the greatest city in a nation of great cities. If there was a God, I'd thank her for San Francisco, and for the Tonga Room. -
Jim’s 5-star review: (Apparently there is now a Yoshi's in The City -- I have not been there. This is for the Oak-town location). Good food? Check... seriously decent sushi. Good drink? Check. The bear has gotten nice and tipsy here. Good sound? Check. And the stage area is seriously nice to look at, too. There really isn't a bad seat in the house, for view or acoustics. Good bands? Chiggity-CHECK. I haven't been here since seeing Brad Meldhau years and years ago, but all the great names in Jazz hit Yoshi's. Throw in the excellent parking at Jack London Square, and the fact you can even get here by ferry, and you really have a near-perfect jazz venue. -
Jim’s 4-star review: I haven't been here since it was called "Pearl's at North Beach"; I understand the place has changed hands, or something. When I went, the experience was magical. The venue is small and intimate, and you feel like the musicians are in your lap. The band playing that night had the retarded name "Soul Sauce", but they were great, with a superb vibraphonist. (Of course, the fact that I'd already had wine with dinner, drinks at the Tonga, and the roof lounge at the Fairmont, and at the Top of the Mark probably lowered my standards.) The entrance was a bit rough, with the dragonlady at the hostess stand getting shitty with us about the two-drink minimum. Oh well... more sake for the bear. The waitress ended up being friendlier. Put up with the bullshit and go for the music. -
Jim’s 4-star review: The modern California breakfast seems to require an exotic mixture of applewood, game birds, Eggbeaters, and passionflower infusions. These breakfasts are normally delicious, but fail to satisfy when one is craving an old-school greasy spoon experience. Louis does a great job with the meat-and-potatoes diner experience. Because it's a diner. I've always been happy with the food I've eaten there, particularly if I can time my appearance in between waves of tourists. Diner food would normally only merit three stars (at best) from me, but the view from this place merits a star of its own. I make a point of going here and exploring the Sutro Bath ruins every time I make it back to the city. -
Jim’s 4-star review: Some nights are so-so. Some are memorable. And others are all about being a goddamned rockstar, whether that means makin' it rain at the club or bonding with hundreds of strangers over the fights. I made a brief impulse run down to the City this year to see the De La Hoya/Mayweather fight with my mates. After some gorgeous driving all over the Bay in 80 degree weather, we ended up settling down at Kezar nice and early, to guarantee seats for the fight. The bar ended up being *packed*, but our lovely waitress stayed on top of it all, keeping us well liquored and fed. The Kezar wings are perfect, and their pork chops delightful. Their fries are stellar as well. Honestly, I can't really remember what all we ate -- I know we kept ordering food, and that it was all surprisingly delicious. I can't recommend Kezar enough for people into sports of all kinds, who might just want something tasty to eat and a great libation to go with. -
Jim’s 4-star review: I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here except for lunch. But for a lunch buffet? Perfecto. The place is huge, and can handle tremendous numbers of ravenous engineers descending in search of limitless quantities of Indian food. Throw in self-serve soda and you have the Peninsula tech worker's dream lunch spot. -
Jim’s 4-star review: It has been a really, really long time since I've eaten here -- so long it's probably not very cool of me to even write a review. Oh, well. My memories are of a beautiful spring evening sitting at a table out in the Lane, feeling like I'm in Europe or something, loving the food, the wine, and the company. Every night should be like that, yes? -
Jim’s 3-star review: Reasons to get a slice: -- You're waiting for the posse to arrive at the bar, and you want to hold off on bar-food until then -- It's a gorgeous, warm day without a cloud in the sky, and a slice in the Park sounds just perfect, thanks -- You like tasty pizza, served hot as a motha, with delicious toppings Reasons not to get a slice: -- You like customer service. The people running the place are as rude as they come -- You want to eat inside. No room. -- You don't like getting hassled by drug dealers. This is the Haight, after all. -
Jim’s 4-star review: Let's say, just hypothetically, that your drunk ass has stumbled out of the Tonga Room late at night, and your friend has had you wander all over hell and gone looking for a restaurant that turned out to be closed (of course). You now need sustenance that won't throw you and your mouthy, inebriated friends out. Del Mundo hypothetically saved my life. Big ol' bottle of water and two slices of pepperoni, por favor. NOM. The pepperoni was spicy and delicious, the crust a perfect balance of cripsy and chewy. And hot. The veggie slices my friends picked out looked good too, and my home boy's falafel sandwich looked, and apparently tasted, like a little pocket of heaven in the mouth. Result? No hangover the next day. HOORAY FOR DEL MUNDO. -
Jim’s 5-star review: I've been hitting the Shutter Cafe sporadically for over a decade now. I don't even live in the East Bay, and stop by less than once a year, but the waitress and dude in the tiny kitchen act like they remember me, and I feel like a neighborhood regular. The service is also fast, and the breakfasts tasty. One of the many reasons I miss California. -
Jim’s 4-star review: I was here over ten years ago -- when Clint, apparently, still owned it. It had been a long, long day trip to Monterey County; I got to see the Aquarium, get soaked to the balls by a rogue wave on the shore, play camera-tourist at the Carmel Mission, and get thrown out of Point Lobos State Park after closing. I was tired, sunburned, windburned, cold, and ready for some heat and some meat. We descended into the grotto of the Hog's Breath, and were seated outside next to a large propane burner. I honestly don't remember what the hell I ate -- it was meat, and it tasted pretty awesome to a cold, tired, hungry bear. This was also my first experience with Ace Pear Cider on tap, and it was a revelation -- I drank those bad boys like they were going out of style. (I would not, however, recommend Ace in the bottle -- that's another story). -
Jim’s 3-star review: Yes, this place is a big ol' gimmick. "Wouldn't it be clever if everything had garlic in it! Garlic-flavored penis-shaped lollipops FTW!!!" Whatever. After a day of reburning my sunburn, wearing myself out and watching my wife feel nasty in Chinatown, sitting down here for apps and San Pellegrino to meet our friends really hit the spot. The waiter was super-attentive and didn't forget about us in our isolated corner booth, but he didn't smother us either. Good show. -
Jim’s 4-star review: I'm writing this based on memory -- and since I last dined there in August, 2000, that memory's a touch rusty. This was pretty much what you'd expect for a Palo Alto restaurant -- nice decor, good service, tasty food, way overpriced. I had some kind of rack of lamb or something that I really, really loved. We also had ceviche, I think, that I also enjoyed. And the mojitos were the best I've ever had. I probably was way too drunk to drive home, which didn't stop me, sadly. The prices, though, were a touch stupid. Again, what you'd expect for the PA. -
Jim’s 4-star review: Finding late-night grub when climbing out of an airplane is hard everywhere on the West Coast, and harder still on the Peninsula. Kudos to In-n-Out for opening a joint in Millbrae. Near my hotel (both of them in one night... long story), SFO, and the 101. After 11pm on a weeknight, but the staff were still friendly and chipper, the food fresh and hot, and the fries had a first name: is NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM. Only down side: it reminded me just how lame Dick's is. -
Jim’s 3-star review: My breakfast was too big to finish, and my breakfast meats were perfectly cooked. The... biscuit? Roll? Lump of dried yeast? ... was not good. Service was decent and friendly. I'll come back. -
Jim’s 4-star review: Mexican food in Seattle is much better than Mexican food in the Midwest, but that sort of back-handed compliment should tell you just how much I miss Mexican food from California. It's a shame I almost never get any when I'm down there. Or Mexican food, for that matter. On my last day in the area, I met some friends at Hola at Burlingame Ave. The staff were friendly without being annoying; the place was dark and cool, the chips were wonderful, the salsa and guac excellent. Our waiter happily moved us to a larger table when an extra person showed up without any complaint, kept our waters full, and brought the grub out quickly. My wife's tamales were delightful, and my sopas satisfying, with the beef in a lovely red sauce. The iced tea was a particular highlight -- with a hint of fruitiness. -
Jim’s 3-star review: Sitting at a table on the street, soaking in the perfect-not-too-hot warm rays, sipping a hibiscus iced tea with too much sweetener, is a perfect way to wait for the ladies to get out of the bra store while wondering why you ever left California. -
Jim’s 4-star review: Il Fornaio is not a revelation. You will not orgasm (from the food, anyway), you will not discover new heights of Italian cuisine. However, anytime ingredients this fresh meet service this professional, you really can't go wrong. The fresh breads are superb, the pasta nicely cooked and sauced, the desserts heavenly. A great way to spend an evening; you can't go wrong with the food. -
Jim’s 2-star review: We knew it would be an overpriced tourist trap without even showing up, but ever since hearing Jack Palance say "believe it... or NOT" as kids, we wanted to see the Winchester Mystery House. The entrance fee? Ridiculous. The staff? Surprisingly friendly and playful. The house? Depressing... clearly the evidence of a depressed, sick woman's mind, played for kitch for the tourists. -
Jim’s 4-star review: We needed some breakky on the way to the Mystery House, and Flames was just what the doctor ordered. I totally heart old-school California joints (such as the Century 21/22/23 theaters next door). The staff were friendly, helpful, and quick. The indoor fake plastic plants were Technicolor and *perfect*. My breakfast? Huge, fairly priced, and extremely good. 'Tis a no-brainer. Skip "Santana Row" and catch a bite at Flames. -
Jim’s 1-star review: Flashback: summer of 2000. I'd been wanting to try the infamous Carl's Jr taste for ages -- how can Jerry Garcia possibly be wrong? Oh, wait... you mean this is just Hardee's by a different name? You mean I'm eating HARDEE'S IN CALIFORNIA? Epic fail.
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