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A science fiction film that takes liberties with the natural laws of physics, how shocking, Ms. Library Lady!

Look, it's a classic B movie not a science lab film. It had all the campy, cheesy elements you look for in a Mystery Science Theatre 2000 candidate (remember that show, anyone?) & Charlton Heston was always a delicious sight to behold in any film. Yum Yum cut me off a piece of that!!!

Gotta concur with Renzata. Much as I hate to stifle anyone's creativity. Risotto is all about the creamy texture. The pom seed addition will wreak havoc to the dish with it's crunch & astringency the more I think about it the more it disturbs me. Renzata's pilaf or salad ideas would be much more palatable. I'm still kind of wondering where you're getting the pom? Anyway, good luck it never hurts to try. I'm rooting for you, dude!

Actually, Renzata, Gratin Dauphinois is a traditional dish from the French Alps and they love their gruyere, so cheese is included in the dish but I do agree with you about the yukon golds. They would be yummy in the dish; so would yellow finn & you probably wouldn't need to peel them cuz they're so thin skinned. Yaay! One less step.

I'm so sorry. I completely misunderstood your time frame. I thought you were arriving in three days, now I see you're going to be here a total of three days.

Totally different ballgame. It would be helpful to know your food preferences, where you've eaten before, the # of people in your party, what your budget is etc. Not knowing those details makes a good recommendation more difficult but here we go:

If you're a frequent traveler to the S.F. Bay Area, you've probably already eaten at Aqua, Gary Danko, Boulevard, Zuni, etc.

Coi opened up not quite two years ago here & it was slow going for Daniel Patterson's restaurant at first. His Elisabeth Daniel restaurant (venture with his now ex-wife) was well-reviewed & wonderful but failed. It used to be easy to get a res. at Coi or eat at the bar but the word finally got out & now it's a tough place to get into but do try. Their winelist is strong & their sommelier used to be at George Morrone's Tartare before it closed . He is a riot but knows his tokajis from his tokays. You've probably already heard about Frank Bruni's experience in his recent review of the 10 best restaurants outside of NY. It's really a unique experience: the aromatherapy of haute cuisine. If you are food obsessed & can get past the slightly precious service, you've got to go, if you can get in. The neighborhood is in our pathetic excuse for a redlight district but don't let that deter you. Reserve now.

Michael Mina, if you haven't already been there, lives up to the hype; but don't have the tasting menu, unlike French Laundry where the tasting menu is the best experience, the a la carte dishes at Michael Mina definitely shine more & because of their intricate, mutli-tiered preparation. Each dish (except the lobster pot pie) has one protein prepared three or more ways, it becomes a de facto tasting menu. The wine list is stellar with all the usual suspects and the head sommelier & wine director, Raj, is considered by most in his field, the man with the greatest palate in the country. Gorgeous room, great service in the Westin St. Francis so you can easily get a cab afterward.

There have been a lot of new openings here. The best of the bunch are these:

Orson, Elizabeth Falkner owner & pastry chef extraordinaire of Citizen Cake new baby, has generated a lot of buzz & controversy here. The food is amazing but has embraced both the sweet & the savory (think chocolate covered foie gras truffle as a mignardise) and "molecular gastronomy" completely & unapologetically. Believe or not, people are ridiculously reactionary when it comes to their dining experiences here (which is why it too Coi so long to get popular). But go, it's in SOMA which now houses the luxury hotels like St. Regis & The Four Seasons as well as the newly-renovated Jewish Museum, SF MOMA, Yerba Buena Center, etc. Very hot neighborhood, though still full of homeless people on 5th & 6th St.
(Orson is on 4th). It's new, it's hip, the food is haute, the atmosphere is casual: crazy-good as a friend puts it.

Perbacco, Acquerello, Quince & Incanto are the four best Regional Italian in the city. All very different in style, in different neighborhoods. Can't go wrong with any of them. All four are $$$ but worth it.
SPQR, a very casual tiny Roman-style trattoria that accepts no reservations, is has good solid food, offering plenty of cicchetti & some large plates. I like it much better than A-16 which is terribly over-rated even though they share the same ownership, executive chef and wine director. The focus on the food is stronger here; probably because it's their latest greatest venture. It happens.

If you're renting a car & willing to drive to the wine country, go to Cyrus in Healdsburg (Sonoma not Napa). You can & should stay at the hotel that houses it overnight or the Healdsburg Inn.
It is worth the trip. The food is ambrosial. This time the Michelin people got it right (Two Stars). How the vibe can be so relaxed with servers that serve you synchronously like so many SF Ballet dancers is beyond me but they do. Get the tasting menu here, you won't be sorry. Now getting a reservation is really hard unless you go at 5 or 9:30, but who knows you may get lucky.

French Laundry is beyond words but unless you can start dialing their number, two months before the day you want; forget it. Open table takes reservations for them still but I have yet to get in that way. the only times I've gotten in is when a friend of the hubby who is a wine distributor has invited us there (once a year). He goes once a month. What a job! Bouchon is not worth the overnight trip. Ubuntu might be but I haven't eaten there yet.

Any way, have fun wherever you go.

Soylent Green is a worthwhile cautionary tale that made a lasting impression on me, as did Planet of the Apes. Both movies are thought-provoking.

I know it may come as a shock to many of you film critics but in fact a fairly sizable portion of Science fiction is written by wait for it now...........scientists.

Yes this is true especially the literature most Sci Fi cinema oblterates the concepts and hypothesis involved in the originals the cinema was based upon (like most cinematic versions regardless of genre).

The reason for this is if one actually thinks about it is literature is a good (and fun!) way for the scientist to actually illustrate the theories and the applications (good or bad) as a way to help enlighten lay people in a manner technical literrature is unable to facilitate.

In retrospect it was really low budget when you compare it to movies today. As far as Charleton Heston goes..they should have turned HIM into Soylent Green!

You guys should find similar hot button comparisons and make regular contributions based on your agreeing to disagree! LOL. I loved this exchange! For my own two cents as a speaker of french, the "grater" component of "gratin" is of course related to the same word in English, "grated" (from the anglo-french word for scratch, or rub). Since the potatoes are not grated but rather sliced, that can only leave the cheese as the primary candidate for grating. QED.

I was just in San Francisco in January. My favorite places were:

Slanted Door - make a reservation far in advance, but the food is amaaazing!

Magnolia - brewpub in the Haight, right near Haight Ashbury - great homebrew, awesome burgers, cool atmosphere

Victorian Punch House - also right near Haight Ashbury, no food, but worth the stop (especially during happy hour!)

Fisherman's Wharf - right next to Boudin are a bunch of stalls that sell Clam Chowder in a bread bowl.

Try any of the OSHA Noodles locations - they vary from hole in the wall (near Union Square) to almost fancy. Actually, come to think of it, most of the noodle places we went to were cheap and fantastic.

Also, try to stop by the Gold Dust Lounge near Union Square during happy hour - $2.50 margaritas and some serious dive bar atmosphere. It's awesome.