Be aware! This list is ever changing as we continue to explore ruthlessly.
Venues move in, and haunts drop out (consistency after all is key).
This also doesn't mean that if it isn't on here it isn't any good (we just may not have gotten to it).
Acquaintances seem to agree with the recommendations we provide,
but hey, everyone has their own taste buds... so read on.
Caveat : no numbers are included. If an establishment makes it to the top ten, that is enough.
Because some days, Gary Danko is a 1, and some days its a 3, and it changes too rapidly to assign a fixed number ranking.
So here they are in no particular order:
Betelnut
The current rave, Betelnut has been written up by of course San Francisco magazine, and is regarded
as somewhat of a 'staple' among SF foodies.
Tried this for the first time a few weeks ago, and haven't had
anything on the menu that I didn't like. The drinks are tasty too.
Current favorite is the Emerald Limon drop. Nice and tart/sweet... with a zing!
And such a purty color.
Recommended dishes:
the tuna poke,
the little dragon dumplings,
taipei fried rice and
green papaya salad.
Recommended drinks:
Emerald Limon,
Singapore Sling and Beteljuice (yeah yeah, like the movie, only if you drink 3, the disgusting
Michael Keaton character most definitely does not show up)
Or stick to the sake, they have great varieties and offer two different tasting flights.
Gary Danko
Ahhhh Gary Danko. What with SF be without this gem?
If you did an overall ranking, it probably deserves to be number one because of the service, decor, ambiance, and of course food.
Although the menu doesn't radically change as much as I'd like (their staples it seems will always be
on the menu), they have fabulous food, great cheese, and the best drink in the city.
In some ways I guess it's a comfort as if you fall in love with a particular dish, chances are, you'll
be able to order it more than once.
Recommendations:
anything
Drinks:
the Rasperry-tini.
YOW! Raspberry puree
(done in some kind of super strength industrial processor to make it really fine,
and they put it through a strainer to remove the seeds), simple sugar
syrup, mint and vodka, shaken and poured... [just skip the glass, give me an IV ok?]
Absinthe
Classic french bistro food, with a menu that does change somewhat with the seaons.
The staples the keep drawing me there are the oysters, and my favorite drink in the known universe.
I am talking about the Sensation. Gin, maraschino liquer, fresh mint, simple sugar syrup... sigh.
Ive had four of these in 1 night (not the worst bender Ive been on), they're addictive.
Catnip for the alcohol hound. They do other 30's drinks well too: Old Havana, the Opera, the Sidecar
Somehow, folks knew how to mix and make a cocktail in the 30's.....
Chez Nous
Lovely little french/mediterranean style restaurant.
I think we've O.D on them somewhat (used to be a regular haunt when we first setup shop in SF).
Food is consistent, and very good. Soups are usually consistent and very well done (using a variety of
interesting ingredients). And note that when I say interesting, I do mean it in a good way.
Their lamp chops with lavender sea salt are a signature dish, as are their pommes-frites. I would say
among the best in the city. It's the herbs and the harissa aioli that really make the difference.
Can't go wrong here, especially if you want a low key, enjoyable lunch or dinner. Oh and though they
have a decent wine and beer list, no hard alcohol is served. Bummer. Though they make up for that
in spades by serving the best Kir Royale I've had in SF.
The Public
Now here's a place that keeps winding its way higher on the list. I admit that part of the charm is
that it is located about 2 blocks from our house. This is key as after you've sampled their entire
house cocktail menu, it helps that you don't have to stagger too far, nor brave the car ride home.
The cocktails are the first items that I lavish praise upon. Their Gimlet is superb, and the Mandarin
Blossom and Lemon Drop (all made with Hangar One vodka) just go down waaaay to easily. Like the
Sensation at Absinthe, I have been known to knock back more than 2 Gimlets, but I can't help it.
They're so tasty! The food is great in that the menu is very simple (not 1,001 choices to pore over
and be confounded by), and what they offer they do well. The calamari appetizer offered in the Fall
(served on bruschetta with tomatoes) was excellent. The papardelle is always good, and I've liked
the fish special I've tried, as well as their signature dish, steak with buttermilk onion rings.
Dessert is an even simpler menu (usually only 2 or 3 choices), and let me tell you their bread pudding
is just fantastic. The ambience is great (it being in SOMA after all), and on Fridays they usually have
a DJ that will spin tunes during happy hour and beyond. One night happened to be retro-80's night.
Kewl.
Chez Maman
Far better than Chez Papa (just 2 doors down and owned by the same folks I think). Chez Maman
reminds me much of France, those little bistros with room for only 10-12 where you can sit down to
a hearty meal, good glass of wine, and polish it off with a simple but hits-the-spot dessert. That's
Chez Maman. They do a fantastic crepe (both dinner and dessert), and they do an even better
burger (yes, I said burger). Wines are decent, staff is friendly and I like the bar seating as well as the
fact that its a small establishment. You can hear your conversations.
Pesce
Oh Pesce, oh Pesce. This will forever be on the top 10 as it is the first restaurant we found in SF
after 2 years of searching, that you could call 'Italian'. Pesce serves Italian (specifically Venetian)
dishes (small ones, like tapas, and entrees too). They have a solid drink list (the Mojito and
the Negroni are among my favorites). What's truly special is the after dinner/dessert cocktail
they serve, the Sgroppino. When I visited Italy some years ago, I went to a small cafe in Pordenone
with my father. I had ordered a Sgroppino upon seeing a table of cute gentlemen next to me order
and drink it down. It was an interesting drink. Served in a martini glass, very frothy, with an espresso
bean on top. Tried it and liked it immensly. The problem was that our waitress was Italian and so
finding out the name of the drink was a lost cause. I kept searching for that drink. Databases, queries
to bartenders, no luck. Until we walked into Pesce. Bing! So now of course, when I have an itch to
have some anchovy bruschetta with a Negroni, topped off by a Sgroppino, you can imagine where I go.
The Rotunda
This list is nothing if not eclectic. The Rotunda absolutely belongs on this list for a number of reasons.
The service is superb, the view without parallel (if you are lucky enough to be seated by the windows
you get a very nice view of Union Square), they do tea service on the weekend, the cocktails are
consistent, and the food is fabulous. My favorite has to be the lobster club sandwich (it is one of the
dishes they are known for), but really you cannot go very wrong with anything you might try on their
menu. The tea service is great (scones with cream, and all sorts of petit-fours as well as the obligatory
cucumber and salmon tea sandwiches). Great for people watching too. If I were serious about writing
I'd be camped out here most of the week.
Hyde Street Seafood House
This gets to the list because of two things:
1. They have great oysters, and a decent wine list
2. Happy Hour, every day, from 5-7 (which makes it $10 for a dozen oysters)
Enough said.
Florio
Another one of those establishments which comes to the list for partly sentimental reasons.
I won a date with Barnaby Conrad III (to have Martinis) at Florio. If you don't know who Barnaby
Conrad is, pull up a browser window, type his name in, and take a look at the books he's published.
My favorite of course is his definitive tome about, what else, the Martini. Very well done.
The Martini date was very enjoyable (there's something fun in listening to a colorful author recount
all sorts of interesting tales), and I regret that we didn't have a camera at our disposal as after we had
finished [and were moving to sit down to dinner] a picture of the bar would have been priceless.
There were LOTS of empty martini glasses all around. Thanks to Barnaby, we also learned of the
'Barnabatini' (Plymouth Gin, Orange Bitters). Yum. Florio's is the only place in the city that makes it.
Their Negroni is quite perfect, and Im afraid I haven't strayed outside of those two cocktails to try
much else they offer. The wine list is decent, and the food is very good. They offer a menu which is
french bistro with some Italian fare thrown in. Their papardelle bolognese is the best in the city.
Homemade pasta really makes it. Their chicken is fantastic, as have been their daily specials. I
particularly like their cheese plates (good selection), and desserts though nothing stellar, offer
very good housemade icecream (creme fraiche would be my favorite). Great ambience, though
if you are there on a really packed night it wears a little.
Other contenders? We'll just give the list..
Ton Kiang (but only for Dim Sum, haven't tried them for dinner)
Ti Couz (great crepes, in the heart of Mission)
EOS (Used to be better, but they revamped their menu a bit, their Sake Martini's are VERY good)
Blowfish (Our first sushi love here in SF, still the best sushi, and crazy cool ambience)
Chaya (Sushi, and decent fare, good desserts. Nice view of the Bay Bridge)
Koi Palace (probably the best place for Dim Sum, but again, no data on any other meal)
Citizen Cake (I like it. Fantastic desserts, but nothing to write home about in their regular menus, great bar)
Limon (Just tried this, and its very very good. Need a repeat visit to see if it pops up to the top 10 or 12)
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