This is far far too vague to be of help.

We had excellent vietnamese food, so good we went twice but no idea where it was or what it was called if I could remember what motel we were staying in that night i could work

Also dim sum in china town, we just picked one of the busy places, and it was all really good.

Theres a cheesecake factory near union square and a rainforest cafe near fishermans wharf.

There are lots of places doing the chowder in bread around fishermans wharf, not my idea of a good meal but if you like chowder probably a fun thing to do whilst there.

Cant help on the music or vinyards.

dim sum- love that!
You are right really- just look for somewhere busy. I looked for recommendations in my last two holidays and found that my favourite ones were ones I just came across. Do fancy Chinatown though
Thanks

we booked a city tour,through mr toads tours & they took us to china town,to a tea tasting factory & the little place,where they make the fortune cookies.as we were walking by,some of the restaurants looked really busy,so i would go into one of those.some of the restaurants in little italy (i think thats what it was called)also looked very nice,but i'm afraid,as we had our grandaughter with us,it was the likes of the rainforest cafe,for us.the boudin factory,looked nice for a snack & gharalldis(sp?)for an ice cream.
hope you have a great time in SF,i loved it!
tracy

thanks Tracy
we often seem to follow each other around

Well for a start the aforementioned Cheesecake Factory I think has the best location of any of their restaurants overlooking Union Square and is a popular spot day and night with a great atmosphere guaranteed. It's a chain (obviously) but the San Francisco location doesn't feel chainy. Well worth a visit.

Away from chains which are plentiful in SF, I really enjoyed the Fog City Diner which is just off the Embarcadero heading up towards Fishermans Wharf. I would call it an upscale diner, all dark woods and leather booths, and whilst you can have the staple diner type food, there are more ambitious dishes available also. Service was ever so slightly brusque (she was from New York) but the food and atmosphere made up for it. It's a few years now, but I'm sure it's still going strong.

http://www.fogcitydiner.com/index.html

Another obvious one which comes up a lot is the Stinking Rose. http://www.thestinkingrose.com/ A love of garlic is of course a must and also some patience as it is always busy.

I would also echo the recommendation for a visit to Ghirardelli who in my opinion do the best desserts in the world!!! It takes a lot to beat a cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory but anybody trying the Ghirardelli Brownie Sundae will appreciate just how good it is. Keep an eye out for coupons, normally with a $1 or $2 off which brings it down to a more reasonable price (I think it's around $6.99 full price). Definitely avoid the Lori's Diner which is next to Ghirardelli, one of the worst meals I've ever had in the USA.

Unfortunately in San Francisco we have had my Brother with my Wife and I each time we have been and he brings a new meaning to the description "fussy eater" so our choices have been fairly standard. There are plenty of great restaurants though and I am sure you will have fun trying to find some that suit.

Enjoy SF, one of my favourite cities in the world.

the Stinking Rose- what a name but I must say it might be somewhere I might like.

Will have a good look at the other links when I have a bit more time( inbetween parents appts at school just now )
Thanks for all the info

we are going to try Tian Sing restaurant for dim sum. Apparently its one of the most recommended and its right next to our hotel
http://www.tiansing-restaurant.com/

Agree that cheesecake is a must - there is a large department store at Union Square with a wonderful top floor restaurant/café which serves ELI'S CHEESECAKE - you may well have to queue but it is DELICIOUS!!

Also Ghiradelli's has a great chocolate shop on the main road that goes along the sea front by the piers - and not only do they gift wrap and wrap strongly to deter baggage throwers, sorry handlers, but they were very generous with their samples when I bought goods. Great choc.

Do try the crabs, in any form or style - though I never saw any chocolate coated! - especially when they are just cooked. LUSH.

There is a souvenir shop and good view point for the Golden Gate Bridge on the SF side, before you walk across it - and back!

And near Union Square, there is a very posh hotel going up a hill, on the LEFT HAND SIDE with your back to Union Square - sorry I can't remember the name but it has a big lounge once you get through the main entrance. Walk straight through, with confidence, past the reception/concierge to get to the lifts - a bit of a dogleg to the right from reception. DO NOT take the lifts in the main reception area! There are lifts that go way up, and as they are glass ones (albeit not on the outside of the building and so not obvious) you get a great view of the city. Don't panic and get stopped by a helpful staff member but carry on to these and enjoy yourselves going up and down a few times.

ENJOY!!

Just back( and away before your post Alsacienne -sorry)
We had a great time and weather was better than I thought it would be. We had a great hotel in Geary Street, which is where I think is the best area to stay- most convenient for many things. The hotel website shows it like it is. It was stunning. Our rate included breakfast in another breathtaking room( The Grand Cafe). Every night between 5 and 6 they host a wine reception which was a nice perk.
We did all the tourists things, including hanging off the cable car . Alcatraz was very interesting. We loved the wine tour we did, which at £70 for the 2 of us gave us three different wineries, about 15 tastings and a great guide. That day was the only day which rained so we picked the best day for it!
I have to be very honest and say I thought that Fishermans Wharf was a bit tacky. I was disappointed, perhaps as we had recently been to Cape Town and V&A Waterfront knocks socks off Fishermans. We did like the boats you could tour round and also stood for ages watching the seals. There were about 600 of them and they have taken over floating pontoons. Infact the city gave over part of the harbour to them. The noise of them is incredible and there are frequent fights as seals try to jump on already overcrowded pontoons.
We took a trip out to the Muir woods, which is a National Monument( sounds strange but there was a reason for it). The giant redwoods are...... giant! It was a bit disconcerting to be told what to do if we were faced with a mountain lion- stand as tall as you can, say anything in as deep a voice as you can, and fight back aggressively Luckily the biggest animal we saw was a chipmounk It is a beautiful walk and the journey there is good too.

We also went to Sausalito across the bay from San Fran and it felt really peaceful and well worth a couple of hours there.

had to start a new post as the last one started jumping about- and its not jetlag
We did go to the Stinking Rose and I had Bagna Calda and Silence of the Lamb shank- which melted off the bone. menu.
Our own hotel has a great menu and we ate there our first night- 8 oclock trying to keep our eyes open!
Down the road from us was the Daily Grill and that was my favourite- superb food.
I found it strange that locals eat very early and by 8.30 it is easy to get a table almost anywhere as that is when it began to slow down. Almost all restaurants closed at 10 or 10.30pm.
We liked SF and might return one day. On our way back we went first class BA( paid with airmiles) and so for once I enjoyed my flight. How the other half live. Didn't have anyone famous on board with us but did go to the Concorde room at terminal 5 and spotted a few celebrities there!
Apologies in advance for any typos or bits that don't make any sense but I'm very badly jetlagged today- couldn't get to sleep till after 5am.
(by the way, sister has just told me that my mother is telling everyone we flew Concorde )

Sounds like you had a good trip Fiona. I visited SF the first time almost 35 years ago and Fisherman's Wharf was quite tacky even then. I looked at the hotel website, very nice.
I wonder how many miles you would have had to use for Concorde if it was still flying? Probably at least half as many again or even double the normal 1st class upgrade miles amount.

apparently Judith, members of another BA forum say it was the usual miles for Concorde. Can't think many managed to get that deal though!