Featured Review

September 2010

If you're dining gluten-free in San Francisco, Aurea Restaurant at the Stanford Court Renaissance Hotel is worth a visit...

Welcome to GlutenFreeTravelSite.com! Each month we choose an especially useful dining/travel review from all the submissions we receive from the prior month and showcase it as our Featured Review of the Month. The winning reviewer receives four of Triumph Dining's Restaurant Dining Cards (one each for American, Chinese, Italian, and Mexican cuisines).  Be sure to also check out our past Featured Reviews found in our Archives.

5.0 Palms	Aurea Restaurant (in the Stanford Court Renaissance Hotel)
Review Type:	Restaurant
Location:	905 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
Phone:	(415) 489-1910
Website:	http://www.aureasf.com
Meal Type:	Adults only meal
Date Visited:	July 2010
Review Posted:	August 14, 2010

Aurea: A fantastic "gluten-free friendly" restaurant in San Francisco hotel

On a recent trip to San Francisco, we stayed at the beautifully renovated Stanford Court Renaissance (Marriott) Hotel. Upon arrival, my husband went down to talk to someone in the dining room of their restaurant, Aurea, about what gluten-free options might be available. The chef was very happy to speak to him and told him that he was very aware of gluten-free requirements and that there were many choices. When we went down for dinner and we mentioned to the waiter that I needed my food to be gluten-free he said, "We're happy that you're here. We have been waiting for you." And that began one of the best gluten-free experiences I have ever had in my many travels.

They have both regular and small plates, so that gave us a chance to try many dishes. The seared scallops on a bed of lobster risotto was my favorite, but everything we ate or sampled was outstanding.  They changed or omitted some of the ingredients in both the very tasty warm duck confit salad with roasted beets and banyuls tangerine vinaigrette as well as in the Sesame Crusted Ahi tuna, which was also delicious.  The vanilla bean crème brule was the one dessert that I tried, and it was perfectly made.  The wait staff was welcoming and the wine list was excellent.

At breakfast the smoked salmon was so delicious that I had it twice. We rarely eat more than one meal at a hotel where we are staying, but we ate several here. The menu was fairly priced, and I highly recommend this restaurant even if you are not staying at the hotel. The atmosphere is relaxed and comfortable and the decor is pleasantly chic.

For other San Francisco restaurants that are happy to accommodate gluten-free diners, simply type "San Francisco" in the Search Box on our Search/Mapping page. You'll get a list of restaurants (and bakeries, stores, etc.), with each establishment marked on an adjacent map. Click on any marker on the map to link to the user-submitted review for that establishment.