Here is a copy of my personal list for CA.
RESTAURANTS – CALIFORNIA
Bay Wolf
3853 Piedmont Ave.
Oakland, CA 94611
510-655-6004
We had an excellent dinner here with Jennifer and Peter. The menu is small but is constantly changing according to what is available and fresh. It is fairly sophisticated without being stuffy.
Bistro Elan
California Ave.
Palo Alto., CA
We haven’t tried this place yet, but it is recommended by Jennifer. They are open for lunch and dinner. It is across the street from Café Brioche.
Bocadillos
710 Montgomery St.
San Francisco, CA
415-982-2622 – Tapas
We went her based on Jennifer’s recommendation, and it was excellent. It is within walking distance of the Palace Hotel. We sat at the bar and had a variety of tapas – all delicious.
Boulettes Larder
Ferry Building
San Francisco, CA
415-399-1155
I enjoy visiting the Ferry Building when in San Francisco, and I ate lunch here based on a recommendation from Jennifer. It is a small place with one large communal table that is placed right by the open kitchen where one can watch all the food preparation. There are some tables outside in the market area, but inside is much more fun. The menu is small but with excellent choices. They serve Acme bread which is a famous bakery with outstanding breads.
Café Brioche
445 California Ave.
Palo Alto, CA - Continental/French
650-326-8640
This is just a few doors from the Spalti Ristorante. We met Guy and Kevin (California cousins) for dinner, and enjoyed a very nice meal. We liked it a little more than Spalti, but that was lunch versus dinner. Both were good. We returned here for breakfast on a recent visit. It was excellent.
Caesar’s
2299 Powell St.
San Francisco, CA
415-989-6000 – Italian
We had an enjoyable time here with Bob and Diana Casper. It is a 50’s type Italian restaurant with pretty standard dishes but very good. I had a great fried prawn dish, and the other three had the crab cioppino, which they enjoyed (although it was quite messy to eat). They are closed on Mondays.
Capriccio Restaurant
298 Main St.
Ventura, CA
805-643-7115 - Italian
This is in the town next to Oxnard where we went for a scientific meeting. Ventura is a very picturesque little town that has quite a few nice restaurants. Paulette took us here, and it was very good and quite reasonable. There are some excellent pastas on the menu. It is a fairly small place, so it gets crowded on the weekend. We had no problem on a Wednesday when we went.
Crixa
2748 Adeline Street
Berkeley, CA 94703
510-548-0421 – Bakery café
This is a Hungarian bakery and café where we picked up a sublime flourless chocolate cake which was our dessert for the dinner that Jennifer made for her sisters and us when we were visiting. All the pastries looked fabulous. It is also a great place for lunch.
Eccolo
1820 Fourth St
Berkeley, CA 94710
510-644-0444
When Jennifer and Peter took me to Berkeley to see the house they were planning to buy, we had lunch in this restaurant. Since we had early dinner reservations, I didn’t want to each too much. I opted for soup and bread, and it was delicious. Some of the others had a regular lunch, and everything was excellent. Looking forward to a return for a full meal.
El Torito
13715 Fiji Way
Marina Del Rey, CA
310-823-8941 - Mexican
We arrived in Los Angeles and has about 2 hours to waste before meeting Barbara’s plane. We asked one of the airport concierges where we could go for lunch, and she recommended going over to Marina Del Rey. When we got there, we asked one of locals for a good restaurant, and he told us to go here. It was situated right on the water with a gorgeous view. The food was all very fresh, well prepared, and very good.
Evvia
420 Emerson St.
Palo Alto, CA 94301
650-326-0983 - “Continental Hellenic Cuisine” (according to their card)
(Also Kokkari at 200 Jackson St., S.F., 415-981-0983)
We went here during our visit with Jennifer and had a lovely dinner. It is a somewhat modern Greek cuisine, and the meal was excellent. The restaurant was also very comfortable and charming. We will try the one in San Francisco and report back.
Hotel Nikko Restaurant
San Francisco, CA
Russ went here with the California cousins and really enjoyed it. This restaurant is in the Hotel Nikko - not sure of its real name.
JandeLuz
Dolores between Ocean and Seventh Ave.
Carmel, CA 831-622-7621
We walked here from Jennifer’s house in Carmel. We had an excellent brunch.
Jeffrey’s
112 Mid Valley Center
Carmel, CA
831-624-2029
On our visit to Carmel we went here with Jennifer, Guy and Sherry for a delicious breakfast. It was nothing fancy, but great food.
JoAnne’s Café
1131 El Camino Real
South San Francisco, CA
650-872-2810
A breakfast place near the airport that is the favorite of Jennifer’s friends. We finally stopped here for lunch when we flew in from D. C. They are noted for their breakfasts, but we also had excellent hamburgers at lunch time. It is a small very casual place where the locals eat and a great place to stop when near the airport.
La Bicyclette
Dolores & 7th
Carmel, CA
831-622-9899 – Bistro
As usual, Jennifer took us to this great little place for lunch. It is very charming with good sandwiches and salads.
Les Joulins Jazz Bistro
44 Ellis St.
San Francisco, CA - French
Very nice little bistro which has jazz in the evening.
Louies’
902 Pt. Lobos Ave.
San Francisco, CA
415-387-6330
This is our favorite place for Sunday breakfast. It’s a small, casual, very plain restaurant that sits on a high hill overlooking the Pacific ocean. The view is wonderful, and the food is great, especially the waffles and french toast. From the window you can see the remains of the Sutro baths which were part of a very popular resort around the turn of the century. It included the Cliff House which has just been refurbished into a gorgeous restaurant. The prices are very high at the Cliff House, but you get the same view next door at Louis’. One thing to remember is that Louis’ does not take any charge cards.
Min’s Kitchen
1040 Foothill Blvd.
La Canada Flintridge CA 91011
818-790-6074
This restaurant is near Pasadena. Russ went here and liked it very much.
R&G Lounge
632 Kearny St.
San Francisco, CA - Chinese
415-982-7877
This is a great restaurant in Chinatown recommended by the concierge in our hotel. It isn’t fancy at all, but the food is excellent. You enter into the lounge, and the restaurant is downstairs. Their specialty is a whole fish which was recommended by several people. We didn’t try it though. Our favorite dish is shrimp with walnuts. We return here almost every time we are in the city. The last time we went with Paulett and another fellow from the meeting. We had a very long wait (many people from the conference were there – reservations would have been better). We got the fried crab dish which was fantastic. As always, the shrimp with walnuts was excellent also.
Ristorante Allegria
1026 First Street
Napa, CA 94559
707-254-8006 – Italian
A very nice restaurant housed in an historic bank building right in the center of Napa.
Scoma
Fishermans’ Wharf
Pier 47
415-771-4383
Wonderful seafood. They get our vote for the best clam chowder anywhere. It gets quite crowded for dinner. You may have to wait for a table. This has become a regular for us when in S.F.
Slanted Door
1 Ferry Building #3
San Francisco, CA 94111
415-861-8032 - Fusion
Wonderful restaurant recommended by Jill’s cousin where I had lunch several times while visiting the Ferry Building. It tends to be very crowded. I have always sat at the bar near the open door to the kitchen. It’s fun to watch them preparing the food.
Spalti Ristorante
417 California Ave.
Palo Alto, CA
650-327-9390 - Italian
This was our second choice on a lunch visit with Jim Lemon from Palo Alto. He had planned to take us to Bistro Brioche, but we had plans to go there that evening with the cousins. So instead, he took us here. The meal was very good - also very fresh ingredients that were welll-prepared.
Trattoria La Siciliana
2993 College Ave.
Berkeley, CA
510-704-1474 - Italian
We found this place using our m-mode on the cell phone. It was a small family-run restaurant which was really great. When we got there, the hostess told us there would be about a 10 to 15 minute wait, so she suggested we go back toward the kitchen area and wait. There was a counter area where we could watch the chef (the son of the family). He was very friendly and a lot of fun to watch. While we were standing there chatting, he started to serve us some sample plates as he took them off of the stove. The menu had a lot of pastas and risotto. We will definitely go back there if we get the chance.
Uva
1040 Clinton St. at Brown
Downtown Napa, CA 94559
707-255-6646 – Italian
Another great restaurant in Napa. We enjoyed the meal very much.
Vivande Porta Via
2125 Filmore St.
San Francisco, CA
415-346-4430 - Italian Trattoria
We found this little restaurant after a visit to Peet’s Coffee Shop. I stopped in a hair salon and asked for a good place for dinner, and she recommended it. We probably would have never found it because it is in one of those little neighborhoods off the beaten track. It has never been mentioned in any of the tour books we have seen, but they are in Zagat’s. It is a very small trattoria and wine bar with a deli counter at the front. It is very nicely done with brick walls and lots of wicker baskets hanging from the ceiling - very inviting. The meals are all prepared with the freshest of ingredients. They make their own fresh pasta, and the menu changes almost daily depending on what’s available. Their desserts are great also.
Woodwards Garden
1700 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-621-7122
Jennifer and Peter like this place. We plan to try it on our next trip to S.F. It is just under the bridge near 101. Reservations are needed.
Zibibbo
430 Kipling St.
Palo Alto, CA
650-328-6722 - Mediterranean
Jennifer (California cousin) brought us here for dinner which also included Sarah, Guy’s daughter Nivah, and her fiancé. The food seems to be almost northern African in the spices used. It is an excellent place, and you can have it served family style similar to Chinese restaurants. This allows you to taste lots of different dishes. Everything was great.
Zuzu
829 Main Street
Napa, CA 94559
707-224-8555 – Tapas
Although quite small and unpretentious, this was our favorite of all the places in Napa that we visited. It is Tapas with a different flair. We went with another couple and tried eight different dishes. All of them were excellent. Highly recommended.
72l Palm ?
Ventura, CA
We found this place in a magazine at the hotel. It is just down the street from the Capriccio. We went here on our last night in Oxnard, and it was an excellent meal. The owner is French, and of course, they know how to cook. It is a little more expensive than Capriccio, but not anything outlandish. It is decorated in a very charming way. There are two open porches (one upstairs and one downstairs) which would be very nice in good weather. We ate inside, since it was a little cool.
