| French Restaurants Articles |
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Haute Cuisine at Neighborhood Prices From the outside, the low-key, understated awning does not draw attention to Senses, a hot new Mission eatery located in the space formerly occupied by Watercress (and before that, Watergate). While friends have reported spotty service at Senses, many of the dishes here are on par with the haute cuisine of Restaurant Michael Mina, Frisson, and other super high-end restaurants -- but at a neighborhood price point. |
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Timeless Elegance The award-winning Restaurant Gary Danko isn't breaking news, nor is it hip for that matter, but this dining chateau, situated in a location so touristy that it's almost impossible to take the food seriously, truly defines excellence. It is amazing how steadfastly the establishment has managed to maintain its culinary chops and dining elegance since opening during the dotcom rush in 1999. |
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Translated, Charming French Even in 1910, as the sun would set and the air would cool over this small town only ten miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, denizens would descend on the Blue Rock Inn located in the heart of downtown Larkspur for an evening meal. It became a popular nightly gathering place not only for locals, but also for many Bay Area residents in search of fine dining in one of the Bay Area's most picturesque small towns. |
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Delectable Downtown Dining It's hard to dine at Masa's without having high expectations. Masa's has been one of the top restaurants in San Francisco almost since it opened. The latest in a series of head chefs since Masa Kobayashi himself, Gregory Short, sous chef at French Laundry for several years, has stepped in as of 2005. Like Thomas Keller, Short shares a sense of whimsy and great respect for quality, seasonal ingredients. |
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Reliable, Not Crushworthy Set on two levels at and below street level on the corner of Cyril Magnin and Ellis, my first impression of First Crush was of an unsmiling host in a small foyer decorated with two bouquets of bright fake flowers. Puns in restaurant names are inauspicious. At First Crush, the pun doesn't end in the name. Burgundy walls and champagne-colored drapes continue the visual pun down the long, somewhat romantic, low-ceilinged upper floor, where I dined with my companion. The bizarre diorama just outside the front door, which includes ribbons and a paper mache wine bottle, also made a lasting impression. |
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The Renovated Café de la Presse After an extensive freshening of the décor and menu, the literary Euro-nerd café hangout from 1992 has been resurrected with ambitious chops. The upscale coffee shop of the decked-out Triton Hotel, located at the heavily foot-trafficked Chinatown gates, is the perfect place for a windowed, see-and-be-seen coffee and wine bar worthy of watching the world waltz by. |
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Flawless French in the Mission With Chez Papa, Jeanty at Jack's, Café Bastille, Plouf, Fringale, and so on, it seems that San Francisco has more competent French brasseries and bistros than, say, Grenoble. Can we stand another? |
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Belden Place Branches Out The team with the golden touch is at it again. The same restaurateurs behind the recently opened Garcon and half of the restaurants on Belden Place (Plouf, Café Bastille, B44) have transformed a onetime firehouse (most recently Zare) into a beautiful French restaurant. The only fire here is coming from the stoves, manned by co-owner and Chef Thomas Weibull. Weibull, formerly of Rubicon, and still consulting as Executive Chef at Plouf, has created a French-inspired menu with global accents that is sure to please the toughest of palettes. |
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Country Boy in the City Jeanty at Jack's, a delicious big-city brasserie, is both bustling and romantic. Take a date after a long workday, or a client for lunch. Once you step inside, thoughts of deadlines and stock trades melt away like butter on a baguette. Request a table in the mezzanine, which puts you close to the graceful plasterwork, and provides just the right amount of privacy. |
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