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Tracie Broom Managing Editor Food Editor at SF Station from Fall 1999 to Summer 2009, Tracie Broom is a freelance writer, editor, website copywriter and event planner. Catch up with her foodie lifestyle and travel blog, The Yum Diary: http://www.yumdiary.com |
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| | Better than its SF Sister This downtown Oakland restaurant finds success with Fork alum Saman Javid's menu of refined, flavorful soups ($8), robust (if not quite adequately crisp-crusted) artisan pizzas ($13-15), and entrees like last Spring's wild halibut with melted spring onion & green garlic, salsify, hazelnuts, mache & frisee salad, and vanilla ($21).More |  | An Argentine Steakhouse in North Beach For anyone who's enjoyed grilled meats prepared in the Argentine fashion, a trip to an Argentine steakhouse is rife with anticipation. Will they have the gargantuan, grilled cross-cut short ribs that seem to be attainable only in South American restaurants? How are the empanadas, sweetbreads, blood sausages and chorizo? The chimichurri sauce? Is the wine list rife with excellent Malbecs? According to some connoisseurs, San Francisco's El Raigon has slipped from its place of high regard in the handful of years since its opening.More | | | As a longtime fan of the amazing Vietnamese BBQ pork sandwiches at Little Paris on Clement (R.I.P.) and on Stockton Street (it's still around, and still delicious), I sampled many so-called greats looking for an equal that was a little more central. Finally, I can say without hesitation that Latte Express on 5th at Market blows them all away. The secret? A steaming crockpot keeps the pork dripping with savory meat juice all day. Then you just ask for #4 and a nice little lady lavishes a mini baguette (or, by request, a croissant) with strips of BBQ pork, daikon, carrots, onions, jalapenos, cilantro, and mayo. For only $3.80!More |  | An overly ambitious menu of global small plates and a luxe, modern interior barely make up for spotty service. On a recent dinner visit we sat in the 1/3 full restaurant without menus, drinks, or even a glance from our waiter for a full fifteen minutes (we timed it). Although a comped flight of champagne softened the blow, we were never presented with a full wine list, and some of the wild boar satay was raw in the middle. While Letterman Digital Arts employees munching Kobe beef bacon cheeseburgers will keep this 2007 newcomer afloat, true foodies may want to bump this one down a few notches on the must-visit list.More |  | Chic, Authentic Neapolitan Cuisine Chestnut Street's A16, named for Campania's main road, Autostrada 16, opened in February 2004, much to the delight of local fans of high-end food in a casual atmosphere. Sleek, unassuming and comfortable, the space that once housed Zinzino and Savoia has been renovated to house Chef Christophe Hille's gorgeous, easy-going regional Italian fare. After working under Laurent Manrique at Campton Place and in France, Hille became a certified pizzaiolo in Naples, and on our visit, he hand-tossed and wood-oven baked every single 12" Neapolitan treat in the restaurant.More |  | French bistro meets California cuisine ipping a chilled white Lillet on the rocks, resting against the back banquette at Clémentine (located where Alain Rondelli once delighted diners in the Richmond), we dreamed in secret that this spacious, homey French restaurant would be our new darling.More |  | Way down along the wind-blown coastline of San Mateo County lay the makings for an exquisite day trip, weekend, or lifestyle: the Maverick's for collecting shells and watching surfers, the nurseries and roadside stands for fresh flowers and produce, Costanoa for retreats, the Moss Beach Distillery for Bloody Marys, Duarte's Tavern in Pescadero for beers, Half Moon Bay Brewery for calamari, Barbara's Fish Trap for fried clams, and Canada Cove for daydreaming of owning a little trailer by the sea (in the shadow of the Ritz-Carlton, ironically enough).More |  | Believe the Hype Since opening on April Fools' Day 1989, Postrio has garnered more press, visits from luminaries, and rave reviews from foodies than should be legal in this country; these accolades automatically categorized the Theater District destination as "potentially bogus" in my book. Part of the Wolfgang Puck empire, which now includes canned soup and bottled coffee drinks (ouch), Postrio is one of a mere handful of fine dining restaurants in San Francisco to which administrative professionals will always return when booking fat cats for power dining, regardless of trends.More |  | In a town where a reasonably-priced drink, plate of food or event space can be hard to find, the Rickshaw Stop is welcome to an overwhelming degree- it provides all three, with an abundance of space and style and zero pretension.More |  | If the Slanted Door's posh opening party was any indicator, the permanent location of San Francisco's favorite modern Vietnamese destination is going to do incredibly well in its new bayfront space.More |
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