How about a gondola ride in a real Venetian gondola, complete with a gondolier serenading you in Italian as you sip from your glass of Chianti? Where? Believe it or not, right on beautiful Lake Merritt in Oakland! It's a beautiful, serene experience. A deal at about $55 for an hour ride! It's about double that in Venice! The place to call for more information is Gondola Servizio (510-663-6603) www.gondolaservizio.com. It's run by a charming young married couple from Italy. They offer a variety of special packages, for all kinds of occasions, including weddings.

While you're in Oakland, a city that is certainly up-and-coming these days, you might want to check out some of the fine local restaurants after your cozy gondola ride. There are plenty to choose from, but in keeping with the Italian theme, you can practically just walk across the street to the charming Zza's Trattoria (510-839-9124) at 552 Grand Avenue. It's a friendly, boisterous kind of atmosphere. Italian family-style! Or, just up the street, there is the more quiet, elegantly chic Milano Restaurant (510-763-0300), which is owned by the people who own restaurants by the same name in Emeryville and Walnut Creek. Great food, wonderful ambiance.

You might want to take in a movie at the old-time, beautifully appointed Grand Lake Theatre (510-452-3556). In the large screening room, you may be treated to an upbeat, nostalgic organ concert before the show.

Another destination for even more fun is Jack London Square, overlooking the scenic estuary often crowded all manner of sea-going vessels, from sailboats to freightships to kayakers. For world-class jazz , go to Yoshi's, which also serves up some delicious Japanese cuisine. Parking is right next door, and don't forget to get your tickets validated. Or you can catch a movie at the Jack London Movie Theatre. Great restaurants abound to suit anyone's taste and budget all within easy walking distance.

Or while you're still in the East Bay, you might want to go have a romantic dinner at the world-class, crème de la crème restaurant Chez Panisse (510- 548-5525), owned by world-renowned chef AliceWaters, who was also hired to design the menu at the Louvre in Paris. There's the Café upstairs with an a la carte menu in a bistro-style atmosphere, and downstairs is the more quiet, intimate dining room, with 2 fixed-price menus that change daily. It's at 1517 Shattuck Avenue in North Berkeley. Never a dull moment!

In San Francisco, of course, there are sooo many restaurants to choose from for a romantic evening out. Here are a few suggestions… On Hayes Street, which is just off Van Ness, you'll find several romantic restaurants, such as Absinthe Brasserie and Bar (415-551-1590), a chic cozy French bistro-style place. Take a look at the enshrined bottle of genuine Absinthe in the back hallway for fun. It's illegal to buy in most places in the world!

Before or after dinner, many of the art galleries and trendy stores are open late for some fun exploring. Nearby at 300 Grove Street, there's the ultra-glamorous Jardiniere Restaurant (415-851-5555). Yet another romantic restaurant a couple streets down at 687 McAllister Street, is Indigo Restaurant (415-673-9353). In other parts of of San Francisco, here are a couple more suggestions: the elegant French restaurant Boulevard (415-543-6084) at 1 Mission Street near the Embarcadero. Ask for a booth! The Art Nouveau décor will have you feeling like you could be in Paris. Also, there's the hot new restaurant in the Palomar Hotel called The Fifth Floor (415-348-1555). It is fabulous! You definitely need to call ahead for reservations. It's on Fourth Street near Mission. Postrio Restaurant (415-776-7825) at 545 Post Street near Union Square, has a well-deserved reputation for exquisite food and stylish ambiance. Of course it helps that Wolfgang Puck is one of the overseeing owners!

You can conveniently make reservations on-line at most of the best restaurants in the Bay Area and beyond at www.OpenTable.com. Other ideas for romantic accessories include:delicious, gourmet chocolates which you can order on-line at www.godiva.com or go the one of San Francisco's finest, such as Joseph Schmidt Confections, which is located at 3489 16th Street at Sanchez in Upper Market (415-861-8682); beautiful flowers can be ordered on-line at www.1800flowers.com or go to the vibrant Flower Market at Brannan and Sixth Streets where Silver Terrace Nurseries has the best selection; and excellent wines from K & L Wine
Merchants, which has an award-winning website www.klwines.com and also two stores, one at 766 Harrison Street, San Francisco and the other in Redwood City. And if you want to feel extra-good by helping out the less fortunate, and not even have to spend money doing it, click once a day on www.thehungersite.com.

Have you got some good suggestions? Please e-mail them to me at wendy@sanfranciscoandbeyond.com.

home