San Francisco: Foody Heaven!

An Opinionated Guide to San Francisco

Chinatown

Our two favorites: R & G Lounge, 631 Kearny at Merchant, 982-7877 is always packed. Known for its salt & pepper crab and excellent Cantonese specialties. Elizabeth loves the fresh clams in custard. Great Eastern, 649 Jackson, between Kearny & Grant, 986-2000. Seafood is the specialty, but the crispy duck and chicken are fine. Dim sum.

On Kearny at Sacramento is Young’s Cafe, where four can eat for $28.

For dim sum, try City View, 662 Commercial, an alley between Kearny and Montgomery and Sacramento and Clay, 398-2838. (The best dim sum in the world is not in Chinatown, it’s at the pricey Yank Sing, 101 Spear at Mission, in the old Post Office building, which still has its 30s murals. The vegetarian specialties and Peking duck are wonderful.)

Alfred’s Steakhouse at 659 Merchant between Kearny and Montgomery, across from the hotel, 781-7058, is a San Francisco classic.

Restaurant DuCroix, 690 Sacramento, just off Kearny, 391-7195, is an affordable piece of Paris. Worth trying: the cassoulet.

The line outside of House of Nanking, 9l9 Kearny between Jackson & Pacific, 421-1429, is a testament to the spicy, reasonably priced Chinese chow.

Wayfare Tavern, new and chic, at 558 Sacramento between Montgomery & Sansome, offers American comfort food and is run by celebrity chef Tyler Florence.

North Beach

North Beach starts two blocks away. City Lights Bookstore is on Columbus between Pacific & Broadway. The Beat Museum is on Broadway between Columbus and Montgomery. For pizza worth a wait, try Tommaso’s, 1042 Kearny, between Pacific & Broadway. Café Trieste, Grant & Vallejo, goes back to the fifties. Our favorite café: Caffe Puccini, which has opera and Mozart’s clarinet concerto on the jukebox. It’s on Columbus off Vallejo and serves a meal in a bowl: the best split pea soup in town.

Across the street from City Lights Bookstore is the San Francisco landmark tavern, Tosca, a darkly lit bar-café for literati, society folk, and dancers. Next door to City Lights, across Jack Kerouac Alley, is Vesuvio’s, a bar with a 50s beat.

Italian restaurants line Columbus Street. North Beach Resataurant, 1512 Stockton between Green & Union, 392-1700 is a neighborhood institution. Rose Pistola, 532 Columbus, between Green & Union, 399-0499, offers Italian small plates.

Capp’s Corner at 1600 Powell Street, 989-2589, is the last of San Francisco’s family style restaurants. For a fixed price that can include coffee and wine, you get a five-course meal and lots of cheer.

The most romantic restaurant in S.F. is Café Jacqueline, 1454 Grant (betw.Green & Union) 981-5565. Souffles are the only thing on the menu. Exquisite soufflés. One serves four (or two). Try the garlic and then the dark chocolate.

The best breakfast in North Beach is at Mama’s on Washington Square, 1701 Stockton at Filbert, 362-6421. There are no reservations and the line starts at 8 a.m., but the wait is worth it. Excellent omelettes and French toast and breads and home-made jam.

Nob Hill

You can walk the labyrinth, a good metaphor for life, writing, becoming a successful author — indoors or out, at Grace Cathedral to soothe your mind. Grace is one of the most beautiful churches in America. Peet’s Café in Grace Cathedral, on California between Taylor and Jones, is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and serves pastries, sandwiches, and coffee. The Cathedral also has a gift shop. Here are 7 places nearby:

The famous Top of the Mark in the Mark Hopkins Hotel hotel serves breakfast, lunch, and drinks, and has great views.

Rue Lepic is an intimate neighborhood fixture at the corner of Pine and Mason that serves classic, medium-priced French dinners, 474-6070.

Nob Hill Café at 1152 Taylor Street between Sacramento and Clay is a cozy, affordable neighborhood trattoria open for lunch and dinner until 10. It doesn’t take reservations, but you can call 776-6500.

The same people own Venticello Ristorante, a block past the Nob Hill Cafe at 1257 Taylor at Washington, serves Northern Italian food in a romantic setting, 922-2545.

Stroll through the luxurious lobby of the Fairmont, a block away at the corner of California & Mason, and check out the photos of the city after the great shake of “06″. The Laurel Court in the lobby is open every day for all meals. Caffe Centro, the coffee shop in the hotel, is on the garage level at the corner of California & Powell, open from 6:30 to 6 daily.

The Big Four at the Huntington Hotel, 771-1140, known for its (expensive) dinners featuring game, is filled with San Francisco Victoriana. You can also sit in the bar section and enjoy the chicken pot pie or a hamburger. Serves breakfast and lunch Thurs. and Fri.

Union Square

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