San Francisco Restaurant Radar is here to offer you choices of some of my favorite restaurant experiences. There are so many very good restaurants in this city that I only list a few personal favorites with brief descriptions. Yank Sing offers the best dim sum experience. Steaming carts filled with small plates of tender, tasty delicacies. Creative food and the cleanest surroundings. Prices are higher than Chinatown but you don't have to worry about grit, grime, grease or msg! 2 locations: Open for lunch only 7 days a week. Credit cards and reservations. 101 Spear Street (Rincon Center) 415 957-9300 and 49 Stevenson Street 415 541-4949. Piperade offers Basque cuisine with California influences. The flavors and quality are outstanding. Regional wines from the Basque country are also available. Desserts are not to miss! Dinner for 2 with wine about $90.00. Reservations a good idea. All cards. 1015 Battery Street 415 391-2555 Tadich Grill is the oldest continuously operating restaurant in San Francisco and has some of the original waiters to prove it. Seafood is the king here. Try the charcoal broiled Petrale, a local sole. No reservations so prepare for a wait. At lunch sit at the counter near the kitchen to watch the action. Closed Sunday. Visa and cash only. 240 California Street, 415 391-1849. Boulevard is the place for that special dining occasion, even if it is just Friday or Saturday night. One of the top ten in San Francisco since opening, Chef Nancy Oaks keeps the kitchen in line and the food is a work of art. Great wine list. High prices but this is the top of the top. Reservations a must. All cards, 1 Mission Street, 415 543-6084. Tommy Toy's even after 20 years still is one of the best value big splurge restaurants in San Francisco. The decor is plush and romantic, the service is friendly and prompt without being hovering and the food is probably some of the tastiest Chinese type in the bay area. The "Signature Dinner"at about $70.00 per person is a "steal" Imagine a six course dinner of Tempura Shrimp appetizer, Coconut milk seafood soup with crab and lobster served in a real coconut, minced chicken wrapped in lettuce leaf, whole lobster on cellophane noodles, Peking Duck, lamb medallions and dessert! The flavors are sublime. The wine list is adequate and not overpriced. After a meal at Tommy Toy's you will just sit back and smile! Reservations (well in advance) a good idea. All cards. 655 Montgomery Street, 415 397-4888. Kokkari Estiatorio gets Olympic praise for great Greek food. The decor is upscale and you will feel like you are in the place to see and be seen. Service is top notch. Lamb and seafood are the way to go. Whole lamb cooked on the spit in the open fireplace available some evenings. Good wine list with better Greek wine selections. Expensive. Reservations necessary. All cards. 200 Jackson Street, 415 981-0983. Pane e Vino has some of the best authentic regional Italian food in town. The pizzas are thin crust and baked in a wood fired oven. The pasta tastes like you are in Italy. All the food is so fresh and lively and the atmosphere is friendly. It fills up early so reservations are a good idea. The menu offers a wide selection, really something for everyone. The wine list is a bit pricey and mostly Italian but good wines abound. Desserts are made in house also. This place does not miss a beat! Call for reservations, credit cards accepted, 1715 Union Street, 415 346-2111
Copyright Marc R. Kauffman 2008 - 2011. All rights reserved.
