"This Nob Hill institution looks like the offspring of a Renaissance fair and an English pub. The dining room has a roaring fireplace, cushy red booths, and giant bottles of wine by the door. And since a lot of the action happens tableside, you’ll experience sensory overload in the best way throughout the meal. Buttoned-up servers dress salads from overhead, prepare baked potatoes with bacon and sour cream faster than you can say “baked potatoes with bacon and sour cream,” and carve prime rib out of roving stainless steel carts. Coming to this place with a big group for birthdays or last meals before three of your friends abandon the city for New York makes for a guaranteed good time—so, take this as your sign to make the trip. Reservations open one year in advance (yes, you read that right). So if you’re a Type A organizer with an impressively stable lifestyle, reserve your ideal date 365 days ahead of time. If not, don’t worry, they take walk-ins nightly for the dining room and bar—you just might have to wait a few hours to get seated. Another move is to call ahead to ask if there are any day-of cancellations." - julia chen 1, lani conway, patrick wong