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Restaurants
Andalu Makes Good in the Mission District
When Maya Taqueria closed the doors to its lofty, rustic space at the corner of 16th and Guerrero, the neighborhood stood leery of its replacement by yet another fine dining price gougery. While some feared that Calvin Schneiter's Andalu might continue the fancypants dotcom era invasion, the good news is that this relaxed, elegant restaurant is in fact a quality, mom-n-pop establishment run by the nicest guys in the business. Chef Ben de Vries' menu offers a welcome mix of innovation, balance and comfort, while the lengthy wine list affords diners luscious deals on hard-to-find wines. More
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Restaurants
At Antica Trattoria
Chef Rugero Gadaldi's philosophy on cooking is straightforward. "You pick the tomato, you slice it up, you eat it," he says. Since opening Antica Trattoria in 1996, he's been bringing that philosophy to the table by using exceptional ingredients to prepare simple, superb Italian dishes at incredibly reasonable prices. More
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Restaurants
Eastern refinement meets the Western appetite
Tucked into the second floor lobby of Hotel Nikko off Mason Street lies Anzu, an unconventional Japanese restaurant that claims the dual title of steak house and sushi bar. It's unfortunate that Hotel Nikko provides a most icy and impersonal environment for Anzu. When entering the restaurant, one wishes to seek refuge from the lobby's bland cosmopolitanism, its chrome, glass and marble decor; One hopes to be immersed into an intimate eastern setting of scarlet walls and lacquered folding screens that can be found in other Japanese restaurants such as Nobu in Manhattan, for example... More
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Restaurants
Stellar Food at an Interstellar Price Point
Hilary Swank has her press shots taken in the lobby, and Nicholas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley order cocktails in the Redwood Room. Delroy Lindo celebrates his birthday dinner in the restaurant and Bono eats poached eggs with the owner after a night in the suddenly fashionable Spanish Suite. Like the city's new-money hipster and old-money investor populace, celebs are skipping The Mark Hopkins, Postrio and Farallon to bask in the sleek, hyperbolic safari design of what once was a dusty landmark decked in irritating pinks and greens. More
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Restaurants
Cozy Moroccan in the Richmond
In 2001, Brothers Khalid and Mourad Lahlou phased out their wildly popular San Rafael operation, Kasbah, to open a comfortable neighborhood destination in San Francisco. Showcasing Mourad's Moroccan cuisine and the pastry skills of Kokkari alum Eric Hollis, Aziza features three mid-sized dining rooms with circular booths of various sizes, cushy, low banquette seating, banquet tables, and an 8 to 10-seat bar. Hand-carved tables from the Moroccan town of Essouira date back to the 1930s and 40s, offering a warm contrast to the rich Italian fabrics and Mediterranean blue and white-striped Moorish arches which define the space. More
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Restaurants
Baldoria Lights Up Russian Hill
White tablecloths, neutral walls lined with bottles of wine, and barely noticeable opera transform this refined row house located at the corner of Larkin and Green Streets into an intimate restaurant. An elegant menu and extensive wine list confirm Baldoria's fine-dining standing. However, a warm interior, an understanding staff (primarily handsome young Italian men) and the frequent appearance of the hospitable host (who spends most of his time patrolling the dining room and kissing regular customers on their way in and out) make each and every customer feel important. More
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Restaurants
Original West African
In West Africa the Baobab tree is considered the center of "enlightenment" around which villages and communities thrive. Though no such tree grows at 3388 19th street in the Mission, Keur-Baobab restaurant/bar is there to provide culinary enlightenment for those willing to try something new and delicious. More
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Restaurants
Bistro E Europe
Step into this charming, slightly cluttered Hungarian restaurant on most nights and find the tables packed with patrons, the din of live Eastern European music in the background, and gregarious owner Julia Pecak serving up dish after dish of her divine home-cooked fare.
The Bay Area's only restaurant to pay homage to the Roma (or Gypsy) people and their cuisine, come here for the Hungarian comfort food, not the fancy digs. The décor is a bit haphazard -- Christmas lights are strung throughout and vivid paintings clutter the walls -- but the end effect is a laid-back, homey charm that's as disarming as Julia's warm welcome. More
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Restaurants
A San Francisco Favorite Stays on Top
Now going into its eleventh year, Boulevard is still going strong. The restaurant has consistently won the Zagat readers' poll for most popular restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area every year since 1998. This year Boulevard was one of the James Beard Foundation nominees for the Outstanding Service award. More
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Restaurants
A few good reasons to get out of bed on Sunday
When I first moved to the Inner Richmond, I was dismayed. I'd relocated to the Bay Area to steep myself in city culture, and here I was, out in the Avenues, far away from anything even remotely resembling city life. Now, seven years later, I am quite delighted with my cozy rent-controlled one-bedroom apartment in the boondocks. It's quiet, it's relatively civilized, and-best of all-you don't have to wait an hour to get a scrumptious brunch on the weekend... More
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