San Francisco: Foody Heaven!

Union Square is the heart of one of the greatest concentration of stores in country, if not the world. They are all within a quarter of a mile from the square so you can get to all of them on foot. (Take the cable car or a cab to get back up the hill.)

Scala’s Bistro, in the Sir Francis Drake Hotel on Powell, is one of the city’s most popular restaurants. It’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 395-8555.

Sears, a breakfast place on Powell between Sutter and Post, is known for its 18 tiny pancakes.

The skylight and art deco design make The Grand Café in the Monaco Hotel at Geary and Taylor one of the loveliest lunch and dinner rooms in the city for reasonably priced French bistro fare, 292-0101.

The Latin Quarter

The popular Café de la Presse, 249-0900, at the corner of Bush and Grant, is a little outpost of Paris across the street from the gateway to Chinatown. It’s a fine spot to stop before or after browsing on Grant Avenue. From 8 to 4, you can have breakfast including a great café au lait. It’s also open for lunch, brunch, and dinner and also just for coffee, and sells French newspapers and magazines. The café is the heart of the city’s Latin Quarter, which is dotted with French restaurants. Half way up the hill on Bush is Notre Dames des Victoires, the French church.

Café Claude, 392-3505, and Gitane, both on Claude Lane, 788-6686, between Grant and Kearney, are both open for lunch and dinner. Café Claude has jazz Thursday-Saturday.

Plouf, 986-6491, is one of five busy restaurants on Belden Alley, between Bush and Pine, Kearny and Montgomery. All are open for lunch and dinner. We like Plouf for its six different kinds of mussels.

The Ferry Building

You can hop on a cable car on California and end two blocks from the Ferry Building at the foot of Market Street, a bustling haven for foodies that has gift shops and top-quality food stores where you can sample some the of best produce, meat, and fish that Northern California produces. The outdoor farmer’s market is open on Tuesday and Saturday mornings. There’s a branch of Book Passage bookstore next to a Peet’s coffee bar, a Mexican restaurant, and a pricey nouvelle Vietnamese restaurant called The Slanted Door, 861-8031, and the MarketBar, 414-1100, for California fare.

You can take a ferry to Sausalito, Tiburon, Larkspur, Vallejo, and Alameda.

Fisherman’s Wharf

Scoma’s (771-4383) and Alioto’s (673-0183) both have views of the fishing boats. You can go whale watching or spend a day fishing. At Pier 39 you can take ferries for Tiburon and Alcatraz or go for a bay cruise. If you’re going to Tiburon for lunch, reserve a table with a view at Guaymas, a nouvelle Mexican place next to the ferry. After lunch, you can wander the tiny village then cruise home.

Ghirardelli Square

A redesigned chocolate factory with gift shops. The Ghirardelli ice cream parlor serves, shakes, cones, and old-fashioned sundaes, and shows how chocolate is made.

McCormick & Kuleto’s, 929-1730, is the perfect place for a Crab Louis, the best selection of fresh fish and oysters in the city, and great sourdough bread. Elizabeth’s favorite dish: a Hangtown Fry — an omelet with eggs, oysters, and bacon, the three most expensive items during the Gold Rush. Ask for table #2 or another window table. The restaurant has some of the best views in any restaurant.

Russian Hill

At Union and Hyde is Zarzuela, the best tapas place in town and reasonably priced for dinner. Friendly staff. No reservations, 356-0800. It’s on the cable car line to Aquatic Park.

Union Street

Union Street is an enjoyable street of shops to walk between Gough and Fillmore Streets.

Perry’s, a bar and restaurant that will make New Yorkers feel at home, has excellent hamburgers and cottage fries, 1944 Union between Laguna and Buchanan. 922-9022.

Fillmore Street

The six-block stretch of Fillmore Street between Post and Clay is Main Street for the upscale Pacific Heights neighborhood. Our favorite place to eat is Ten-Ichi, 2235 Fillmore near the Clay Theater between Sacramento and Clay has sushi and a full Japanese menu. 346-3477.

Browser Books between California and Sacramento is a cozy, endearing neighborhood bookstore that looks the part.

Yoshi’s, 1330 Fillmore at Eddy, is the best place for jazz. There’s also a really fine Japanese-fusion restaurant downstairs, 655-5600.

Japantown

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