Where is the Best Upscale Casual Dining in San Francisco, California?
Good food, friendly service, and a nice San Francisco night made for a perfect dinner at Blue Plate. We didn’t order any appetizers b/c we wanted to try their Banana Cream Pie which was raved about and it deserves all the praise. Two entrees definitely stood out: cavatelli with ratatouille and chicken with summer fruit. I had the meatloaf and although it was okay, I don’t like barbecue sauce and it was mixed into the meatloaf; took away the flavor of the meat. We made reservations ( a must, especially friday and saturday) and were seated at the front of the restaurant right in front of the open kithcen. it was nice to watch the chefs prepare food but it was a high traffic area. I would recommend requesting a seat in the back dining hall or the outdoor patio. They have heat lamps at each table, and a large wall that breaks the wind so don’t worry about being cold. This is a great casual dining spot in the mission. Would recommnend this restaurant and will definitely go bac
I love trying new restaurants and as I am in the entertainment industry I have that opportunity often. But, I always come back to Ristorante Milano. New restaurant scenes come and go, as do hot musicians. Since I have been working with the best for a long time I know what makes for longevity. It is their talent and delivery… for Ristorante Milano it is the food and service. Everything I order there is fresh and their fish is never farm raised. The high quality of the ingredients: the cheeses, their pasta made fresh daily, their heavenly foccacia brought to the table, they have been doing this for years, they know what they are doing! I brought a band in before their show for an early dinner and we had the gnocchi, seafood polenta, fettucine with a Milanese sauce and a bottle of Barolo. We had a great discussion with the owner about the Blues shows he used to do in Italy. Another woman working there is a classically trained singer, the other waiter was a southern Italian
The food is good but too small for what you pay. The restaurant is also small so they’ve managed to use every piece of real estate even if it’s not comfortable for the restaurant patrons. If this set up appeals to you then you should try this spot because the food is good.Cons – no parking, small space, small food
I went to Bix last Sunday night with a party of 5. Bix has a lot of style- it’s tucked away in an alley and gorgeous once you walk inside- it has a 1920’s elegance to it. We were seated immediately and the server came and took our drink orders promptly. We ordered appetizers- the potato pillows with caviar were tasty, the tuna an steak tartares were average, and the crab rolls were boring. I didn’t get to try the mini lamb burgers since the harissa was made with almonds (I’m allergic to nuts) but was told they were also average. I will say that our server was amazing- the second he heard I was allergic to nuts, he scoured the recipes to ensure that I knew what I could and couldn’t eat. Our entrees consisted of the kobe beef, the short ribs, the crab spaghetti, and the lamb. The kobe eaters were unimpressed stating that they had had better. The BF thought the lamb was boring- it had been cooked with no seasoning and he was expected to use the scant balsamic vinegar to bring out
