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Restaurants
A San Francisco Institution, Perched in the Past
Roosted cliffside on Telegraph Hill below Coit Tower, Julius’ Castle is all about panoramic eye candy. With unmatched bay views to the north and east, no other restaurant can rival the landmark vistas, including the Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, and Alcatraz. While the food might be considered good by small-town U.S.A. standards, it won’t entice the discerning San Francisco crowd. On our visit, we did see fellow San Franciscans sitting at a few of the tables, but on the whole, the diners were not from the city. More
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Restaurants
The Beat Goes on at Enrico’s
Established as an Italian restaurant in 1959, Enrico’s Sidewalk Café was a place where poets, artists, cops, hookers, politicians, the mafia, celebrities, and everyone in between could coexist (somewhat) peacefully over booze and noodles in 1960s North Beach. Last year, due to lease problems, the restaurant closed for the second time -- the first was in 1988 -- and regulars mourned its passing. However, just a glance past the well-appointed patio into the elegant new interior instills confidence in the latest ownership, even if the food is a bit uneven and the front of house staff is desperately in need of more training. More
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Restaurants
The Cuisine of the Distrito Federal
Mexico City. Cuidad de Mexico. The Federal District. No matter what you call Mexico’s capital, this is the point where all the flavors of Mexico merge -- Oaxacan moles, mariscos of Veracruz, and the maiz of Yucatan. Under the helm of Executive Chef David Rosales, formerly of Albany’s Fonda Solano, Mexico DF succeeds in exposing San Francisco palates to both the classic and more adventurous of Mexican cuisine by exploring a vast range of Mexico City’s greatest dishes. More
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Restaurants
A Taste of Spain on Chestnut
While the Marina neighborhood offers the usual suspects of dining establishments in terms of choices -- Italian, Classic American, and Mexican -- what’s been missing is something Spanish. While Spain has been the hotbed for gastro-science in the last few years with the fame of El Bulli Restaurant, it seems San Francisco lost interest in the cuisine after the Spanish tapas and paella trend hit over a decade ago. Laiola’s Spanish/Catalan-centric fare and wine remind us that there is still a lot happening in Spain. More
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Restaurants
Italiano Barra di Vino
Opened in early 2007, Bar Bambino offers a casual, wine-centric option for Italophiles basking in the recent addition of a slew of high-minded Italian restaurants in San Francisco (SPQR, Farina, Ducca, and Perbacco to name a few). Here, owner Christopher Losa seeks to lure the diner with a visually tantalizing interior. Better yet, Losa has assembled a selection of fine nibblets that touch on the cuisines of Italy -- everything from “salumi” boards to meaty pastas, paninis and piattis. More
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Restaurants
A New Addition to the Mission
Don’t let the swank, Euro décor fool you. The food at this new Mission eatery, which replaced Amira, remains on par with the original restaurant, which means it’s nothing to rave about -- nor to sneeze at. Along with the thick-cut Belgian fries and creative dipping sauces for which Frjtz is known, the restaurant's crepes, salads, sandwiches and mussels add a much-needed mellow, inexpensive option to this restaurant-rich strip of Valencia. More
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Restaurants
More Italian Comes to the Mission
Farina's transformation of the 50s style “Anna’s Danish Cookies” bakery into an industrial/Italian apothecary-chic space is nothing short of amazing. The large, airy floorplan is divided into various distinct areas. Facing the street, where an old-timey red and white awning used to mark this residential block of 18th Street, are curved floor to ceiling windows with intimate tables for two; there are booth seats along the side; a large communal table; and two bars -- one with a line of bar stools that quickly fills up with diners. The vibe is energetic but not rambunctious. More
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Restaurants
Southern French Cuisine with an Italian Flair
The corner of Sutter & Steiner seems to come with a restaurant curse. Before Cassis opened its doors in May, two other notable restaurants had tried to make their claim in the same space in recent years. Both Julia’s and Winterland, despite critical acclaim, never quite attained the appropriate mix of gourmands and regulars to establish themselves in this Lower Pacific Heights neighborhood. But with Cassis, brothers Jerome and Stephane Meloni just might have hit on a winning formula. More
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Restaurants
A South Bay Culinary Destination
Critics and food bloggers alike consistently choose peninsula restaurant Manresa as one of their favorites, and yet we couldn't help but a notice a relatively recent spate of negative diner reviews on the web. Was Manresa off its game? Were diners simply expecting too much? Was it too avant-garde? We decided to take matters into our own hands and find out. More
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Restaurants
New Peruvian Adds a Little South American Flair to Hayes Valley
When in the Hayes Valley neighborhood and craving something brasserie-ish, I always think of Absinthe. For something casual and perfect with a lager, my go-to is Suppenkuche. While these two mainstays and other delightful Euro-centric restaurants play nicely into the prime Hayes Street scene, newcomer Essencia is a welcome addition. More
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