Our goal was something casual, fun and within walking distance of the hotel. And we decided early on that we'd invite all 60 guests because 55 of them are from out of town. Unfortunately, everything by our hotel is pretty pricey and formal so we had a really tough time finding something casual where we could all fit.
The first place we looked into was Epic Roasthouse. Originally we checked it out for the wedding. The view is breathtaking, and it was a fantastic second choice, but nothing about it was casual and it was a bit pricey. The scariest part is that drinks are per consumption, so we'd have no idea how much the whole thing would cost until the end of the night. I realize this is common for a wedding (but we wanted no surprises)!!
Next, we went super casual and looked into hosting a box or a space at the Giant's Stadium. But surprisingly, this would have been the most expensive option. A private room during a ball game at AT&T park is uber expensive and we couldn't have fit all of our guests in a box (or two).
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For about two seconds we looked into La Mar which is right down the street from where Mrs. Pinot Noir had her Rehearsal Dinner. It's the hot new restaurant that specializes in seafood with Peruvian flare, and Mr. PT, well, he basically wouldn't eat any of the seafood on the menu. And without the seafood- what's the point of a seafood restaurant?
After looking into everything within walking distance, we finally realized that we needed to expand our search. Yet, we didn't want to expand too far- this is a big City and I didn't want to open a can of worms. Somehow in a conversation with Mr. Peep's Dad he brought up a couple more potential options: Lulu Bis and Coco500, which both happened to be closer to our cheaper hotel option.
We spent a night having bites to eat at both places, but we both knew that as soon as we walked into Coco500 we had found the place.
There is no view like Epic; it's not as fun and casual as the ball park; or as close as La Mar. But we get to rent out the entire restaurant. And the vibe screams San Francisco modern and casual all at once. And did I mention that they served local organic food?? Perfect!!
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The dining area:
Source: Coco500
Source: Coco500
For one flat rate: we get the restaurant to ourselves for the entire night, a cocktail hour with four signature cocktails (seriously, we aren't even serving cocktails at the wedding!) and passed hor d'oeuvres, and a three course dinner with wine pairing!! I think now I might be more excited for the Rehearsal Dinner so we can feast on these: Green Beans Fried in Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. YUM!!!
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How did you choose where you'd have the Rehearsal Dinner? And how close to the wedding did you book it??
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