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Restaurants
Classed-Up Urban Soul Food
With the latest blast of urban renewal in the Western Addition, homeowners' (and developers') hopes are high for the proliferation of fancy shops, sleek restaurants, and at least one less Shabu Shabu joint in the freshly renamed Fillmore Jazz Preservation District. On the other hand, some people simply want juicy ribs, flaky biscuits and a classy bar with stiff drinks. More
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Restaurants
Pan-Asian Cuisine in the FiDi
Dinner in the Financial District is usually a big-ticket, hopefully expensable, occasion -- the likes of Boulevard, Aqua, and One Market -- while affordable, low-key "neighborhood dining" alternatives seem as elusive as a certain one-horned mythical creature. That is until Unicorn Restaurant opened last fall. While dinner is an option and happy hour specials run throughout the week, lunch is when Unicorn, the sibling to Berkeley’s acclaimed pan-Asian outpost, is at its busiest. More
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Restaurants
Done, but not Overdone
Americans have grown accustomed to the politically charged images of Baghdad in flames in recent years. Either in spite of or because of the current military climate, a culture of which we knew nothing a decade ago has been slowly creeping into our own; in media, in language, and -- what’s of most interest to us here -- in food. Does this Iraqi restaurant go beyond the same old Middle Eastern fare that has made hummus as mainstream as salsa? More
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Restaurants
No Invitation Required
Everyone loves the idea of a “neighborhood” restaurant -- that little gem just down the street where you can almost always snag a table and run into someone you know. In San Francisco, or in any city for that matter, the concept seems to mostly be just that: a concept. In the case of Bar Jules however, chef/owner Jessica Boncutter seems to have created a true neighborhood spot. More
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Restaurants
It's All Here at this North Beach Ristorante
In 2006 a group of friends, all with North Beach restaurant experience, hatched a plan to transform the historic -- and in recent years, cursed -- space at the corner of Broadway and Columbus (formerly a Bank of America branch) into an Italian eatery. Combining the know-how of seasoned restaurateurs such as Enzo Pellico, founder of the Steps of Rome Caffe (now under new ownership), and a Roman chef known simply as "Robertino", È' Tutto Qua opened its doors June 2007. More
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Restaurants
Frenetic Cal-Castro Cuisine
The Castro isn't known for subtlety, and so it goes with Frisée, a relative newcomer to the space just below The Café. The focus on healthy California eating is most evident in the lunch menu, which is packed with salads. More
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Restaurants
Down Under Dining Spices Up the City
One might wonder what defines New Zealand or Australian cuisine if one had never been to either place. But when I heard South was opening, with its “down under" concept, I began reminiscing about my visits to these beautiful and bountiful destinations for food and wine. I dreamt of barramundi (a delicious white fish that balances delicate flavor with meatiness), local produce, and lots of lamb and beef -- with an Asian undercurrent -- paired with delicious native wines that have quickly gained status in recent years. More
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Restaurants
Browsing Shops, Hiking Bluffs, and Cozying up by the Fire
The Bay Area is full of good days. One of the mellowest and most rewarding is to be found 1.5 hours north, in the small towns that ring Tomales Bay, the shallow, cigar-shaped body of water that peacefully straddles the San Andreas Fault just east of Point Reyes National Seashore. More
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Restaurants
The Hayes Valley Standard for Glam Drinks & Deluxe Brasserie Dining
If you had to choose one word to describe Absinthe, it would have to be "rich". The cozy interior is flush with murals and deep crimson walls accented with Belle Epoque art and vibrant French absinthe posters, creating a warm and inviting ambiance with a rich patina of glamour. More
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Restaurants
Same Great Views, Even Better Food
My mother’s rule of thumb for restaurants is the nearer the water, the worse the food. Experience has shown that she is often right (Fisherman’s Wharf), but sometimes wrong (Greens). In the case of the Mission Rock Café, now under new management and a new executive chef, Bronson Macomber (formerly of Gary Danko), my mother’s rule is wrong. Sorry Mom. More
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