For 14 years, David Vardy has been a pioneer
in fusing east and west. His food has a fresh, light Japanese
sensibility with a gentle California vibe. The interior of the
restaurant evokes a serene oasis, a sharp contrast to its
location on the increasingly bustling Fourth Street shopping
area in Berkeley. The stucco walls, rustic chairs and large
communal table in the middle of the dining room feels like it
could be someone's home. The udon noodle dishes are pure
comfort.
Cuisine: Japanese-Californian
Specialities: Udon noodles (pork tenderloin and
mustard greens; roasted oysters with wakame (seaweed); grilled river
eel with Belgian endive; seared tuna sashimi with braised leeks and
horseradish sauce; sherry custard. Seats: 50
Prices: $10.50-$19.50 Noise: Parking: Free lot Vitals:
1830 Fourth St. (near Hearst), Berkeley; (510) 841-8783.
Lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday. Beer and wine. Reservations and
credit cards accepted.
Chef-owner Paul Bertolli is a purist when it
comes to Italian food. He makes his own pasta, cures his own
meats, makes his sausage and even makes balsamic vinegar. The
hallmark of his food is simplicity -- a spit-roasted pheasant
with walnuts and grapes or a mixed roast grill of pork,
stuffed rabbit and lamb sausage. The interior, which features
an open kitchen with a grill and rotisserie, has a relaxed
demeanor with an urban loftlike look. The cafe downstairs in
the heart of Rockridge is a prime stop for lunch.
Cuisine: Italian Specialities:
Fresh pasta; house-cured meats; spit-roasted or grilled
meats. Seats: 100 (plus 45 in the cafe)
Prices: $13.50-$32 Noise: Parking: Street, difficult; free lot
(nights and weekends) Vitals: 5655 College Ave.
(at Shafter), Oakland; (510) 547-5356. Lunch daily in the cafe;
dinner nightly in the restaurant. Full bar. Reservations and credit
cards accepted.
A seafood cicchetti bar with a menu of small
plates makes loads of sense in a seaside town like San
Francisco. Ruggero Gadaldi (who also owns Antica Trattoria)
features a small list of well-selected wines, most available
by the glass, and about 25 items on the regular menu, which
also includes a few meat dishes. The interior features a
16-seat zinc bar backed by teak shelves. Mahogany paneling and
hexagonal tile floors are refined finishes that belie the
reasonable tab.
Cuisine: Seafood (Italian)
Specialities: Braised octopus salad; raw oysters;
fennel and arugula salad; Sicilian swordfish rolls; squid ink
risotto; Sgroppino (sparkling wine dessert beverage). Seats:
40 Prices: $4-$12 (small plates)
Noise: Parking: Street, difficult; some
lots Vitals: 2227 Polk St. (between Green and
Vallejo), San Francisco; (415) 928-8025. Lunch Saturday-Sunday;
dinner nightly. Full bar. reservations and credit cards accepted.
Gerald Hirigoyen reinvented himself when he
stepped away from Pastis and transformed it into Piperade,
which pays homage to his Basque heritage. Not only did he give
the space near Levi Plaza a warmer look, but he's cooking food
that you won't find anywhere else. A communal table in the
center of the room and bright Basque fabric runners on each
table set the homey mood for the rustic cuisine.
Cuisine: Basque Specialities:
Ham and cheese terrine; garlic soup with rock shrimp,
bread and egg; Dungeness crab salad; cod a la plancha; pork daube;
orange blossom beignets. Seats: 60 Prices:
$14.50-$17 Noise: Parking: Street, fairly easy at
night Vitals: 1015 Battery St. (near Union St.),
San Francisco; (415) 391-2555. Lunch weekdays; dinner
Monday-Saturday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
This Financial District restaurant is the
place to go for mussels and clams. Each is prepared at least
six different ways. Order a side of crisp, hot, salty frites
and you've got the perfect meal. The menu also includes
interesting appetizers such as bacon-wrapped scallops, crispy
salmon and sauteed ling cod. The restaurant sports a charming
seafaring look, with tile floors, a tin ceiling and corner
fireplace. On warm days and evenings, large windows open onto
the alley, which is filled with rows of tables.
Cuisine: Seafood (French)
Specialities: Mussels and clams; banana
profiteroles. Seats: 65 Prices:
$13-$24 Noise: Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 40 Belden Place (off Bush between Kearny
and Montgomery), San Francisco; (415) 986-6491. Lunch weekdays;
dinner Monday-Saturday. Full bar. Reservations accepted for dinner;
credit cards accepted.
If there's a restaurant that reflects the
refined and understated Pacific Heights sensibility, it's this
neighborhood escape known for its beautiful decor, James
Ormsby's California food and a well-selected and reasonably
priced wine list. The interior features custom-designed
chairs, wine racks and cushy banquettes. Even the buttons on
the waiters' vests are specially designed to match the oval
pattern of the chandeliers.
Cuisine: Californian (Mediterranean)
Specialities: Appetizer cones filled with fresh
seafood; duck trio (pan-roasted breast, confit leg and rillettes);
devil's food cake; souffles. Seats: 49
Prices: $21-$34 Noise: Parking: Valet $10 (at Balboa Cafe)
Vitals: 3127 Fillmore St. (near Greenwich), San
Francisco; (415) 563-4755. Beer and wine. Lunch weekdays; dinner
nightly. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Larry Mindel could have retired -- he was
head of both the Spectrum and Il Fornaio chains -- yet he had
a dream of bringing great Italian food to the town he's called
home for more than 30 years. He hired Christopher Fernandez as
a chef-partner and created a place that looks as refined as
any Florence trattoria. Beautiful wood, marble baseboards and
terra cotta floors give the interior a look that belies the
reasonable prices. The excellent wine list is also well
priced.
Cuisine: Italian Specialities:
Rustic pastas (fettuccine with squab Bolognese); grilled
chicken al mattone; spit-roasted meats; polpettone (beef and pork
"meat loaf"); crostata (with various fillings). Seats:
133 (plus 12 on the patio) Prices:
$10.50-$23 Noise: Parking: Free valet
Vitals: 777 Bridgeway (near Bay), Sausalito; (415)
332-7771. Lunch and dinner daily. Full Bar. Reservations and credit
cards accepted.
Michael Tusk worked at both Chez Panisse and
Oliveto, and the food at his new restaurant combines the best
of both. Ingredients are given godlike status, but many
preparations are about as earthy as you can get. Tusk, who
owns the restaurant with his wife, Lindsay, changes the menu
nightly and makes the pastas and grinds the sausage. The
interior of what was once a 19th century apothecary has a
beautiful understated atmosphere, perfect for its Pacific
Heights pedigree. The wine list, and pricing, are superb.
Cuisine: Italian Specialities:
Sausage; any pasta; desserts. Seats: 40
Prices: $12-$26 Noise: Parking: Valet $8 Vitals:
1701 Octavia St. (at Bush), San Francisco; (415) 775-8500.
Dinner nightly. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards
accepted.
When people want a comfortable place in the
East Bay with excellent food, this Berkeley restaurant owned
by Wendy Brucker and Roscoe Skipper is the first place that
comes to mind. Opened 10 years ago, it's as fresh as the day
it opened. The low-slung dining room has an upscale ranch
house atmosphere, with modern appointments and large windows
overlooking a manicured garden. The menu changes every few
weeks, but you'll always find the delicious mushroom
fritters.
Cuisine: Californian
Specialities: Portobello mushroom fritters with
lemon aioli; hot fudge sundae; souffle. Seats: 65
Prices: $16.50-$21 Noise: Parking: Street, generally easy
Vitals: 1539 Solano Ave. (near Neilson), Berkeley;
(510) 526-2542. Dinner nightly. Beer and wine. Reservations and
credit cards accepted.
With a new book and a cutting-edge Larkspur
restaurant, Roxanne Klein is cooking -- if you want to call it
that -- on a national stage. Nothing is heated above 118
degrees, the temperature at which some people believe the
natural enzymes in food begin to degenerate. She also avoids
grains, cheeses and meat products. Still, Klein turns out
ingenious food that sparkles. There's also an incredible wine
list and a refined interior with exposed brick and limestone
floors.
Cuisine: Vegetarian (raw)
Specialities: Radish ravioli with tatsoi and pea
tendrils; tamales with mole sauce; pad Thai with coconut noodles;
sea vegetable salad. Seats: 94 Prices:
$44-$52 (fixed price) Noise: Parking: Free valet
Vitals: 320 Magnolia (at King), Larkspur; (415)
924-5004. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Beer and wine. Reservations and
credit cards accepted.
Rubicon has had several chefs in its 10-year
history, but the one constant has been Larry Stone, the wine
director who has made this a wine-lovers' mecca. Stone is so
good that he practically commands a cult following, and chef
Dennis Leary comes through with the food. Leary offers an a la
carte and a three-course, fixed-price menus for $29.95 and
$49.95. The interior has a chic urban look: The brick walls
and earthquake support beams contrast with refined wood booths
and Dale Chihuly glass sculptures.
Cuisine: Californian-French
Specialities: Tuna tartare; John Dory en papillote
with walnut pesto. Seats: 125 Prices:
$22-$35 (fixed-price menus $29.95 and $49.95)
Noise: Parking: Street, difficult; valet
$10 at dinner Vitals: 558 Sacramento St. (near
Montgomery), San Francisco; (415) 434-4100. Lunch Wednesday; dinner
Monday-Saturday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Sam's dates back to 1867; it's been in the
same family since 1937 and at the current location since 1946.
You feel the history the minute you look around the classic
grill interior. The back is lined with a double row of booths
with curtains for privacy. It's where hundreds of business
deals have been struck and thousands of personal affairs have
been nurtured. The menu offers classic San Francisco fare:
Chicken is roasted to order and costs only $9.50. Sam's proves
that classic doesn't mean tired.
Cuisine: American Specialities:
Seafood (including petrale, sand dabs or Rex sole);
sweetbreads broiled with bacon; veal porterhouse with bacon; celery
Victor; French pancakes with lemon. Seats: 150
Prices: $8-$50 (for abalone) Noise:
Parking: Street, difficult; public
lots Vitals: 374 Bush St. (between Montgomery and
Kearny), San Francisco; (415) 421-0594. Lunch and dinner
Monday-Friday. Full bar. Reservations (at dinner) and credit cards
accepted.
Opened in 1991, this restaurant pioneered
the South of Market industrial warehouse look, and while the
dot-com crowd has largely vanished, the space maintains its
cutting-edge decor. The waiters, attired in whatever T-shirts
and grungy jeans they prefer, set the casual tone. The bar in
back is a great place for an after-work drink and a few bar
bites. The reasonably priced menu under Sante Salvoni is
straightforward and offers a soothing dose of comfort.
Cuisine: Californian (Mediterranean)
Specialities: Pan-roasted blue nose bass;
chipotle-glazed chicken breast; grilled flatbread; butter lettuce
with apples, Gorgonzola and toasted walnuts; chocolate pot de creme.
Seats: 48 Prices: $9-$17.50
Noise: Parking: Street, easy
Vitals: 2501 Mariposa St. (at Hampshire), San
Francisco; (415) 241-9390. Lunch weekdays; brunch weekends; dinner
Monday-Saturday. Full bar. No reservations. Credit cards accepted.
Many restaurants that have been around for
18 years are on auto pilot, but Sushi Ran just keeps getting
better and better. A few years ago owner Yoshi Tome opened a
wine bar next door to handle the overflow of people wanting to
dine on the food of Scott Whitman, who prepares hot items, and
Haruo Komatsu, the sushi chef. The interior has a simple,
serene quality, dominated by the sushi bar and large windows
overlooking Caledonia Street. Service is helpful, but there
can be long waits between courses.
Cuisine: Japanese Specialities:
Lemongrass-broiled sablefish; caramelized shrimp; aji
(Spanish mackerel); toro; dragon roll (shrimp tempura with eel and
avocado), 49er roll (tobiko and avocado with marinated salmon).
Seats: 95 Prices: $5-$22 (sushi
and hot plates) Noise: Parking: Lot behind restaurant
(dinner only) Vitals: 107 Caledonia St. (at Pine),
Sausalito; (415) 332-3620. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit
cards accepted.
For an establishment that seats only 18 at
the counter, this place has made quite a splash both locally
and nationally. The business, both a restaurant and a retail
seafood shop, was opened in 1912, bought by Sal Sancimino in
1946 and is now run by his six sons. The menu is printed on
the wall behind the bar, but most people already know what
they want. Part of the fun is talking to the Sanciminos, who
crack a lot of jokes, along with the best crab in the city.
Cuisine: Seafood Specialities:
Boston clam chowder; smoked salmon; cooked Maine lobster;
cracked crab; oysters and clams; fresh seafood to take home.
Seats: 18 stools at the counter Prices:
$2.35-$32 Noise: Parking: Street, sometimes difficult
Vitals: 1517 Polk St. (near California), San
Francisco; (415) 673-1101. 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Beer
and wine. No reservations or credit cards accepted.
Hundreds of Japanese restaurants dot the Bay
Area, and many do one or two things well. It's rare to find a
place like Takara that does so many things right: sushi,
sashimi, tempura and rice dishes you won't find at other
places. Most dinners, crafted by Yuki Murayama, come with an
appetizer, soup, a creamy savory custard, pickles and dessert.
The interior looks like many other restaurants that line the
Japantown mall, with box-shaped rice-paper lanterns and
industrial carpeting.
Cuisine: Japanese Specialities:
Ochazuke (rice with tea); iron rice pots; sashimi; fresh
prawns and crab. Seats: 80 Prices:
Complete dinners $13-$23.25 Noise: Parking: Japan Center garage
Vitals: 22 Peace Plaza, Suite 505 (Miyako Mall at
Geary and Post), San Francisco; (415) 921-2000. Lunch and dinner
daily. Beer and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
This upscale Vietnamese restaurant is the
collaboration of Anne Le and Tammy Huynh, who learned the
trade at their family's Vung Tau in San Jose and Milpitas.
Huynh's take on the cuisine is fresh and exciting, much like
the sophisticated decor. Woven vinyl mats cover the floor;
upholstered chairs and white parchment-shaded chandeliers are
set off by taupe-colored walls. Fine Southeast Asian art and
frosted glass emblazoned with images of bamboo behind the
slate-topped bar add to the dramatic look.
Cuisine: Vietnamese Specialities:
Hoisin lamb chops; lemongrass bass; salmon (steamed in
ginger); tamarine prawns; chile-lime aubergine. Seats:
140 Prices: $15-$22 Noise:
Parking: Free lot (behind building)
Vitals: 546 University Ave. (at Tasso), Palo Alto;
(650) 325-8500. Lunch weekdays; dinner nightly. Full bar.
Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Hiro Sone produces a highly original, very
personal cuisine, which is one of the reasons he was named
Best Chef California by the James Beard Foundation last year.
At no other Bay Area restaurant would you find spaghettini
with a stew of tripe on the same menu with broiled
sake-marinated black cod in a shiso broth. The restaurant's
stone walls exude the romantic aura of a Tuscan villa. The
front of the house is aptly handled by Hiro's wife, Lissa
Doumani, who also oversees the desserts.
Cuisine: Californian
Specialities: Fried oysters on pork belly in a
black vinegar sauce; hamachi; tiramisu; chocolate bread pudding.
Seats: 92 Prices: $18.50-$29
Noise: Parking: Street, easy
Vitals: 1345 Railroad Ave. (between Hunt and
Adams), St. Helena; (707) 963-8931. Dinner Wednesday-Monday. Beer
and wine. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Pathama Parikanont, who opened the
restaurant in 1986, is the best Thai cook in the city. Using
her mother's recipes for inspiration, she has a rustic yet
creative style. The dining room of this Lower Haight
restaurant is in the first floor of a Victorian, and the walls
are filled with awards and accolades for the restaurant. Every
flat surface is cluttered with Thai objects the owner has
collected through the years. The service, like the food, has a
friendly, neighborhood quality.
Cuisine: Thai Specialities:
Crying tiger (beef salad with spicy garlic dressing);
spicy seafood salad; Thaitanic prawns (with eggplant and crispy
basil); basil salmon; lemongrass chicken; Siamese twins (seafood
curry steamed in banana leaves). Seats: 49
Prices: $8.95-$13.95 Noise: Parking: Street, difficult
Vitals: 400 Waller St. (at Fillmore), San
Francisco; (415) 431-2526. Dinner nightly. Beer and wine.
Reservations and credit cards accepted.
One of the best things about living in the
Bay Area is enjoying dim sum on weekends, and this Richmond
District restaurant has been the place to go since it opened
in 1977. It's so popular that on weekends people fill all 250
seats in the two-story banquet rooms, and form a line out the
door. At night, the restaurant offers a full menu with some
Hakka-inspired specialties, though you can still get dim sum,
which traditionally is served only during the day.
Cuisine: Chinese Specialities:
Steamed dumplings and dim sum; salt-baked chicken;
clay-pot dishes; garlic-laced pea shoots; crisp-skinned duck.
Seats: 250 Prices: $8-$23
Noise: Parking: Street, often difficult
Vitals: 5821 Geary Blvd. (near 23rd Ave.), San
Francisco; (415) 387-8273. Dim sum and dinner nightly. Beer and
wine. Reservations for large parties accepted. Credit cards
accepted.
Doug Washington, one of the last great
front-of-the-house guys, and Mitchell and Steven Rosenthal,
the duo behind the food at Postrio, have joined forces to
create this new South of Market restaurant that's generated
more buzz than we've heard for years. The Rosenthal brothers
interpret regional American food and serve it up in a spiffy
grill-like environment that uses the historic bones of the
turn-of-the-20th century building to its best advantage.
Cuisine: American Specialities:
Smoked chicken gumbo ya ya; charcuterie; roasted veal
meatballs with green peppercorn sauce; cedar-planked salmon; trio of
rabbit; butterscotch and chocolate pot de creme. Seats:
137 (plus 40 in private dining room) Prices:
$16-$25 Noise: Parking: Lot across the street
Vitals: 342 Howard St. (at Fremont), San
Francisco; (415) 908-3900. Lunch weekdays; dinner nightly. Full bar.
Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Yank Sing, unlike most Chinese restaurants
does one thing: dim sum. On any given day, you'll find up to
80 different items. Henry Chan and his family have owned the
business since 1958 and opened this elegant location several
years ago. The traditional dim sum is excellent, but the chefs
also have introduced a "creative collection" that can include
chicken curry in an avocado half with Parmesan cheese, or lamb
dumplings flavored with mint.
Cuisine: Chinese Specialities:
"Creative collection" of dim sum, barbecued pork buns,
minced chicken, Peking duck, custard tarts. Seats:
200 (weekdays); 350 (weekends) Prices: $3.50-$8
(for dim sum) Noise: Parking: Validated parking in Rincon
garage Vitals: 101 Spear St. (between Mission and
Howard), San Francisco; (415) 957-9300. Lunch daily. Full bar.
Reservations and credit cards accepted. Also at 49 Stevenson St.
(between First and Second).
Mark Drazek and Barbara Mulas relocated
their struggling Zax restaurant from a bad location in San
Francisco to Berkeley, and the crowds have responded to their
refreshing take on American food. The two dining rooms are
separated by cherry wainscoting and Carrara marble. One room
is defined by a sleek built-in bookcase filled with art glass,
the other by a barrel ceiling and an impressive arrangement of
fresh flowers.
Cuisine: Californian (Mediterranean)
Specialities: Twice-baked goat-cheese souffle with
apple, celery and fennel salad; warm duck liver salad; herb-crusted
pork chop; apple galette with caramel ice cream. Seats:
114 Prices: $8.75-$18 Noise:
Parking: Street, generally easy
Vitals: 2826 Telegraph Ave. (near Oregon),
Berkeley; (510) 848-9299. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Full bar.
Reservations and credit cards accepted.
This charming roadhouse had a checkered
history as Willowside Cafe, but under owners Duskie Estes and
John Stewart, it's back on top. Stewart offers a clever take
on traditional American items. His ode to pork includes both
cider -braised cheeks and belly with cabbage and a turnip
potato gratin. The cozy interior of the low-slung building
features arrangements of mirrors on the wall and copper-top
tables. A bar dominates the front of the restaurant, making it
a good place to dine alone.
Cuisine: American-Italian
Specialities: Appetizer of spicy tomato soup with
tiny grilled cheese sandwiches; grilled radicchio risotto with pears
and balsamic; roasted pork shoulder with melting onions.
Seats: 50 Prices: $11-$24
Noise: Parking: Free lot Vitals:
3535 Guerneville Road (at Willowside), Santa Rosa; (707)
523-4814. Dinner Wednesday-Sunday. Beer and wine. Reservations and
credit cards accepted.
It's been 25 years, a lifetime for most
restaurants, but Zuni still showcases the best of San
Francisco dining,from Judy Rodgers' lusty cooking to the
eclectic clientele who consume it. Everyone seems to come
here: politicians, executives, artists, drag queens and anyone
who loves rustic food. The interior features agreat bar with
windows overlookingMarket, an open kitchen and a wood-fired
oven that produces the incomparable chicken and is part of the
organic decor.
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Specialities: Oysters; chicken in wood oven;
hamburger; Caesar salad;espresso granita. Seats:
120 (including bar) Prices: $13-$29 Noise:
noise: Parking: Street, sometimes difficult
at lunch; valet $8 at dinner Vitals: 1658 Market
St. (near Franklin), San Francisco; (415) 552-2522. Lunch and dinner
Tuesday-Sunday. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
Sharing a few small plates is a great midday
repast or a relaxing way to finish up the day, and the food
crafted by Charles Weber, as well as the interesting wine
list, makes this tapas restaurant one of the best places in
Napa for a casual, no-fuss meal. The cozy interior features a
high ceiling covered in rusted Mexican tiles crossed with worm
woodbeams. A recycled pine bar is notched into the corner by
the kitchen. Moorish-looking lights, colonial tiles and
impressionistic landscapes lend an artistic look.
Cuisine: Spanish (tapas)
Specialities: Spanish tortilla (served in
skillet); Moroccan lamb chops; bacalao (salt cod with truffle oil);
Brazilian-style steamed mussels; crema Catalana. Seats:
50 Prices: $6-$13 Noise:
Parking: Street, sometimes difficult
Vitals: 829 Main St. (near Second), Napa; (707)
224-8555. Lunch weekdays; dinner nightly. Beer and wine. No
reservations. Credit cards accepted.
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