Cindy Fuller wrote:

> Speaking of the SO, he surprised me by booking us at the Tickle Pink Inn
> in Carmel. The mail confirmation came today, and my first thought was
> that he'd booked us into a brothel. If he did, it's a pretty high end
> one with a great view of the ocean.

Very nice! Carmel has some excellent (and very pricey) eating
establishments. Bob and I enjoyed dining at "Casanova" in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

http://www.casanovarestaurant.com/

> We will undoubtedly go cruising Chinatown in SF. When I went to SF for
> a meeting 12 years ago, I practically spent all of my spare time up
> there. The SO will probably have a hangtown fry. I'm not much for
> oysters, but a Joe's special might be more my speed.

That's a mighty long drive! CA-17 is gorgeous, but that whole stretch
can be a traffic nightmare getting into SF, so plan much longer than the
two or so hours it will take to get to your final destination according
to googlemaps -- and hope that the traffic gods are smiling on you! ;-)
Having a GPS like TomTom is also a very good idea, though when we are in
downtown SF proper, sometimes we lose the signal due to the buildings
(I'm guessing).

Might I also suggest "Manresa" in Los Gatos? That's halfway in between
Carmel and SF. Bob and ate there last week for our anniversary. We did
the full Chef's Tasting Menu -- and even got to tour the kitchen and
visit with Chef David Kinch for a while. It was an amazing meal. Los
Gatos is also a very pretty little city with some older architecture. We
enjoyed walking around old town in the morning. I wish we would could
have spent a few days there -- lots of other places I would love to try!
Besides, the Hotel Los Gatos pampered us big time! And our little dog, too!

If everyone's suggestions here haven't confused you enough, just go to
ba.food ... Plenty of know-it-alls there, too! ;-)

I hope you have a FANTASTIC trip!

--Lin