Brentastic Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Going to No Cal this weekend for the first time (ever in CA). Flying into San Fran Friday, arriving around 11AM. Our plan is to do some sight-seeing, eat lunch and then drive to our final desintation about 90 miles north. I'm trying to find the biggest, juiciest lobster tail in San Fran. I've been recommended 2 places - Fisherman's Grotto and Sam's Cafe. Can anyone advise on which is best for lobster tail (looking for big tails, 24+ oz) OR fabulous king crab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westvirginia Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 I like big tails and I cannot lie... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABearWithFurniture Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 McCormick and Kuleto's is probably my favorite seafood restaurant...great views/right on the water and they generally serve Dungeness crab and lobster. Â Scott's is another nice seafood restaurant and they have several different locations throughout the bay area. Â Do yourself a huge favor and take the wife across the bay into Sausalito (by ferry or car) and hit Guaymas...spectacular view of San Francisco and the Mexican food is incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 (edited) You heading up to Ukiah or something? Â Can't comment on the seafood restaurants as I am not a seafood fan, but if you get a taste for Prime Rib, the House of Prime Rib is not to be missed. Edited December 29, 2009 by Big Country Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T_bone65 Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Do yourself a favor and send Bier a PM if he doesn't respond here. that is my advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentastic Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 You heading up to Ukiah or something? Can't comment on the seafood restaurants as I am not a seafood fan, but if you get a taste for Prime Rib, the House of Prime Rib is not to be missed. Close (I think) - going to Cobb, CA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Close (I think) - going to Cobb, CA. Â Ukiah is west of there (you go straight up 101 from SF). Looks like Cobb is out by Clear Lake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABearWithFurniture Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Up by Clear Lake huh...lord I miss fishing there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentastic Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 Ukiah is west of there (you go straight up 101 from SF). Looks like Cobb is out by Clear Lake. That's correct from what I understand of the location. My friends have mentioned Clear Lake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 (edited) i'd say save your lobster for the east coast and go for the dungeness. abear has listed some of my favorites. for someone who hasn't been to sf and only has 1 meal (in your case lunch) i'd suggest: dungeness; dim sum; or in your case...as you are heading north anyway...... the girl and the fig in sonoma (great rustic french, with a napa twist....great flights of wine).   dungeness .... from yelp  - crab house - scoma's - franciscan - tarintino's    dim sum    the girl and the fig Edited December 29, 2009 by Bier Meister Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 i'd say save your lobster for the east coast and go for the dungeness. abear has listed some of my favorites. for someone who hasn't been to sf and only has 1 meal (in your case lunch) i'd suggest: dungeness; dim sum; or in your case...as you are heading north anyway...... the girl and the fig in sonoma (great rustic french, with a napa twist....great flights of wine). Beat me to it. It's peak season for Crab right now as well. God I miss dungeoness crab. I realize the purists say the blue crab you get out here is better and sweeter, but it's also a freaking hassle and I miss the big chunks you get from the big girls. If you're buying lobster tail in SF, you may as well be in Des Moines for all that matters. It's been frozen at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABearWithFurniture Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 (edited) Yeah, pretty much what Bier said...if you are heading up North into Clear Lake I'd recommend taking 101 up to Sausalito for an early lunch and then head up into Sonoma (hwy 37 out of Novato from 101 and then take 121 up to Sonoma) and hit a few of the wineries on hwy 12 and head over to Calistoga (hwy 29/hwy 175)...that will take you right in Cobb... Â What I'd recommend not doing is going into the East Bay and heading up through Richmond/Vallejo/Napa...very congested and the views just aren't worth it IMHO. The Sonoma to Calistoga section is way more scenic, especially if you can stop at Sterling Vineyards or Far Niente (hwy 29 around Calistoga)...somewhere up in there and do a few wine tastings...very nice drive. Â Oh, and bring lot's and lot's of money... Edited December 29, 2009 by ABearWithFurniture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABearWithFurniture Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 One other thing and just a suggestion...if you only have a couple of hours I'd recommend just getting out of San Francisco...it's someplace that really needs a few days of exploring to take it all in and get a feel for it. Parking almost anywhere is atrocious, especially in the more tourista areas like Pier 39 and China Town...and just driving around can be a pain from all the one-way streets... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
detlef Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 First off, I agree that it is far nicer to go up 101 cut over 37 to 121/12 and take that to 29. Depending on the time of day you can either stop in the Carneros (along 121 before you get to 29). If you like bubbles, Domaine Carneros is right on the way and is freaking amazing. Tons of other options. If Chard and Pinot are your thing, then time it so you can stop there. If you're more of a Cab guy, then blow through Carneros and time your wine stops in Napa proper (which you can't really help but go through) You can either take the 29 or Silverado Trail up. Regardless, you're going to end up on that side anyway. Â There's actually a burgeoning wine country up by clear lake. I've got a friend Jed Steele who owns Steele winery up in Kelseyville and there's a bunch of others as well. So, it might make even more sense to just get up there and save the wine tasting for when you get to where you're headed. At least for the most part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 First off, I agree that it is far nicer to go up 101 cut over 37 to 121/12 and take that to 29. Depending on the time of day you can either stop in the Carneros (along 121 before you get to 29). If you like bubbles, Domaine Carneros is right on the way and is freaking amazing. Tons of other options. If Chard and Pinot are your thing, then time it so you can stop there. If you're more of a Cab guy, then blow through Carneros and time your wine stops in Napa proper (which you can't really help but go through) You can either take the 29 or Silverado Trail up. Regardless, you're going to end up on that side anyway. Â There's actually a burgeoning wine country up by clear lake. I've got a friend Jed Steele who owns Steele winery up in Kelseyville and there's a bunch of others as well. So, it might make even more sense to just get up there and save the wine tasting for when you get to where you're headed. At least for the most part. Â Â ........... my favorite area. it's a little further away from where i start (sf or marin), so i often go to sonoma to save time...but less populated and GREAT wineries along that trail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ABearWithFurniture Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 k...I just realized that most of the time I've been driving through there drunk...too many wineries and free samples... Â St. Helena and Calistoga on hwy 29 are both cool/funky towns...lot's of wineries/places to shop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentastic Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 Lot's of good info in here. Will read it more thoroughly tonight. So is dungeness the same as king crab? My only complaint with crab is the time it takes to get the meat etc... I like king crab because of the ease - is dungeness also easy and plenty meaty? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Lot's of good info in here. Will read it more thoroughly tonight. So is dungeness the same as king crab? My only complaint with crab is the time it takes to get the meat etc... I like king crab because of the ease - is dungeness also easy and plenty meaty? Â king and dungeness are different. (red) king often come from alaska, are much bigger, and are known for their legs. dungeness come from further south (washington), more work is involved but a lot of that crab is edible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westvirginia Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Beat me to it. It's peak season for Crab right now as well. God I miss dungeoness crab. I realize the purists say the blue crab you get out here is better and sweeter, but it's also a freaking hassle and I miss the big chunks you get from the big girls. If you're buying lobster tail in SF, you may as well be in Des Moines for all that matters. It's been frozen at some point. Â detlef likes chunky girls. Who knew? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Country Posted December 29, 2009 Share Posted December 29, 2009 Beat me to it. It's peak season for Crab right now as well. God I miss dungeoness crab. I realize the purists say the blue crab you get out here is better and sweeter, but it's also a freaking hassle and I miss the big chunks you get from the big girls. If you're buying lobster tail in SF, you may as well be in Des Moines for all that matters. It's been frozen at some point. Â Â detlef likes chunky girls. Who knew? Â Â No, re-read it. He likes big girls with chunks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SheikYerbuti Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 I realize the purists say the blue crab you get out here is better and sweeter, but it's also a freaking hassle  While dungeness crab is my single favorite food on the planet, I LOVE to get a dozen #1 sized Maryland blues, cook em up with old bay and garlic, cut a few paper shopping bags flat and lay them out on the table, dump out the blues, put on a football game and go to work for an hour or two. That's a perfect afternoon right there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooby Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 This whole thread is making me hungry!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brentastic Posted December 30, 2009 Author Share Posted December 30, 2009 (edited) So, without discussing with the wife yet (she's hell-bent on driving the gg bridge), I've decided to get out of SF first, then finding somewhere to eat. Since my wife is 6 months preggers and she LOVES wine, I'm not sure how feasible it will be to hit some wineries - if she's fine with the temptation, I will definitely try either Silverado Trail or Detlef's friend in Clear Lake. Â Are there any places to get fabulous dungeness if I get out of SF immediately? Looking for suggestions. Â E2A: Does anyone think it will be a problem driving up Cobb mountain after dark? I'm trying to decide if I should plan on getting to Cobb before it gets dark. Â Also, a co-worker of my wife mentioned Sam's cafe and Fisherman's Grotto. Anyone know anything, good or bad, on these 2 places? Edited December 30, 2009 by Brentastic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 So, without discussing with the wife yet (she's hell-bent on driving the gg bridge), I've decided to get out of SF first, then finding somewhere to eat. Since my wife is 6 months preggers and she LOVES wine, I'm not sure how feasible it will be to hit some wineries - if she's fine with the temptation, I will definitely try either Silverado Trail or Detlef's friend in Clear Lake. Are there any places to get fabulous dungeness if I get out of SF immediately? Looking for suggestions.   in sausalito there is scoma's, spinnaker, horizons, and fish. cute harbor town, just not sure who over there serves whole crab (which i am assuming you are looking for). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bier Meister Posted December 30, 2009 Share Posted December 30, 2009 been to sam in tiburon, but not the one in sf. heard it's good. haven't been to fisherman's grotto. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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