56th IETF conference - 3/16/03

A March 2003 trip to San Francisco by gmulligan

The 56th IETF was held in SF.

  • 7 reviews
  • 1 story/tip
The Hilton is wonderful, though the room numbering is very confusing. There are a number of different towers and some seem to have similar room numbers.

The rooms are appointed much like all Hiltons. They do offer free high speed Internet if you are lucky enough to get a room that is connected. Not all rooms have high speed Internet yet.

On the downside they charge $33/day for parking. This is outrageous.

  • Member Rating 3 out of 5 by gmulligan on October 21, 2003

Hilton San Francisco Union Square
333 O'Farrell Street San Francisco, California 94102
(415) 771-1400

Dojima-AnBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Dojina"

This is a small Chinese restaurant near the Hilton. It is rather non-descript and so is the food. I would not recommend eating here. There are plenty of very good restaurants in San Francisco. Find a different one.
  • Member Rating 1 out of 5 by gmulligan on October 21, 2003

Dojima-An
219 O'Farrell Street San Francisco, California 94102
415-956-0838

PonzuBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant

This is a trendy restaurant again near the Hilton. It is one of the new fusion cuisines, but I'm not really sure what they were trying to fuse except my money. It was very expensive for the quality and amount of food. I would suggest you go fuse elsewhere.
  • Member Rating 1 out of 5 by gmulligan on October 21, 2003

Ponzu
401 Taylor St San Francisco, California 94102
+1 415 775 7979

Jing Jing Szechwan Hunan GourmetBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Jing Jings"

Jing Jings is a staple if you want good, spicy Chinese and you are in or near Palo Alto. Parking is very difficult in that area. If you see a space anywhere, grab it.

Jing Jings offers the typical Chinese szechuan fare, but the food is well prepared, served in very large portions, and priced right.

If you want spicy just ask for it. The potstickers (fried dumplings) are good, not great. The Dan Dan noodles are very good, as is the Kung Pao chicken. The KP has a good amount of chicken and not overloaded with veggies.

As an after dinner treat walk down the street to the Double Rainbow for ice cream (see my other entry).

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by gmulligan on October 21, 2003

Jing Jing Szechwan Hunan Gourmet
443 Emerson Street Palo Alto, California 94301
(650) 328-6885

Mandarin Gourmet Oriental HotelBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Mandarin Gourmet"

The Mandarin Gourmet has great food and great service. If you want something more casual then try Jing Jings, just a block away, but if you want something more elegant this is the place.

The sesame chicken is awesome. The potstickers (fried dumplings) are good and the kung pao chicken is good. The food is spicy but not hot (not hot enough for me).

Service is great. Parking is horrendous, but that is typical of Palo Alto. As with Jing Jings, for dessert go to Double Rainbow up the street.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by gmulligan on October 21, 2003

Mandarin Gourmet Oriental Hotel
222 Sansome St San Francisco, California 94104
(415) 276-9888

Ramona's PizzaBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Ramona's"

Romona's has great pizza. I don't know about any of the other offerings because I only ate pizza there. Well, I have had a salad or two and their salad bar is good.

The pizza is great and the place is fun. If you want pizza and are near downtown Palo Alto, go to Ramona's.

  • Member Rating 4 out of 5 by gmulligan on October 21, 2003

Ramona's Pizza
2313 Birch Street San Francisco, California 94306
(650) 322-2181

Kirk's SteakburgersBest of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "Kirks"

Kirks is an institution in Palo Alto. This is a great place for a burger lunch. Skip McDonalds and Burger King, and go here. Awesome hamburgers and even better chocolate malts!
  • Member Rating 5 out of 5 by gmulligan on October 21, 2003

Kirk's Steakburgers
California Avenue San Francisco, California

This is a small ice cream shop in downtown Palo Alto. The ice cream is wonderful and perfect after a hot spicy dinner (see Jing Jings and Mandarin Gourmet). The scoops are large and they have a wonderful selection and the ice cream is creamy!

About the Writer

gmulligan
gmulligan
Colorado Springs, Colorado

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