San Francisco Bay Area Restaurant Guide

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In the City

American

Bakeries
Tartine Bakery
600 Guerrero St. and 18th St.
(415) 487-2600
Mon 8am-2pm, Tue-Sat 7:30am-7pm, Sun 10am-6pm.
Decadent chocolate croissants made with dark Scharffen Berger chocolate; good bread pudding (according to my bread pudding connoisseur friend); very crowded on weekends.
Miette Cakes
1 Ferry Plaza and Embarcadero
(415) 837-0300
Tue-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm
The best cupcakes in the city. Organic.

West Portal Bakery
170 West Portal Ave.
(415) 681-4546
Mon-Fri 6:30am-7pm, Sat 7am-7pm, Closed Sun
Amaretto cookies are delicious; crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside.

Boulange de Cole Valley
1000 Cole St.
(415) 242-2442
Good Pain du Chocolate & open-faced sandwiches.

Arizmendi Bakery
1331 9th Ave.
(415) 566-3117
Excellent Raisin Brioche.

Crab
Thanh Long
The original restaurant of the Crustacean chain. Recently renovated. The drunken crab is divine w/ pepper and beer (?) sauce. The garlic noodles will coagulate b/c of the butter content if you take it home. But it is sweet and delicious at the restaurant or if microwaved (if you bring it home). Appetizers and desserts are good. But focus on the crab. 1 crab for 2 people is enough.

Dim Sum
Yank Sing if you can afford it.
Ton Kiang if you go early/late or do take out. Otherwise on the weekends there is quite a wait. my favorite is the rice porridge and the simple sweet tofu dessert. Also the egg custard dessert is divine.

Wu Kong
Nice atmosphere BUT I had a cold rice in leaf (they didn't microwave it all the way?)

Avoid Pacific Regent Restaurant. It looks authentic, because there are all asians in there, but the dim sum is bad.

Famous
Postrio's
Wolfgang Puck's place in SF
Hawthorne Lane
Good food, pricey yuppie atmosphere.

Fusion
Roy's
101 2nd St. (at Mission), San Francisco, CA, 94105.
(415) 777-0277
Amazing molten chocolate cake dessert. Good fish. The entrance is on Mission (not 2nd).

Italian
Villa Romana
731 Irving St.
(415) 731-2281
They make the best bruschetta (next to my homemade recipe from William and Sonoma's cook book). $3.50 for tons of tomatoes and basil and olive oil on, mint, cilantro and apple. You dip the beef in the broth until it is cooked and wrap it along with the greens, apple and cucumber in the rice paper. Dip in fish sauce. Divine! The basil chicken is also good. Parking is difficult.
The Slanted Door
1 Ferry Plaza
(415) 861-8032
Sun-Thu 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm
Upscale Vietnamese cuisine. Classics include the Shaking Beef and Chicken in Clay Pot.

Yakitori
Hana Zen
101 Cyril Magnin near Union Square
(415) 421-2101
New expanded menu w/ udon, teriyaki. I go for the Yakitori - chicken w/ green onion, asparagus w/ beef, also chowamushi (steamed egg w/ seafood) is good.

The Rest of the Bay

Napa
Meadowood
Meadowood Resort in St. Helena
Divine food every time. Make sure you save room for dessert!
French Laundry
6640 Washington St., Yountville, CA. (707) 944-2380
It really is as good as everyone says it is. Amazing 9-course tasting menu for $135 (foie gras is optional and about $20 extra). Expect to spend a good 4 hours dining. Impecable service. Need to make reservations exactly 2 months in advance. Start calling in the morning and expect to be dialing for about 30 minutes before you get through. It's worth it!

Berkeley/Oakland
Gregoire Restaurant
2109 Cedar St.
(510) 883-1893
Tiny take out place. Potato puffs $4, Sandwich $6.75
Nan Yang
6048 College Ave.
(510) 655-3298
Delicious Burmese food. Highly recommended. Try the mango garlic noodles & samosas.

Chez Panisse Restaurant & Cafe
1517 Shattuck Ave.
(510) 548-5525
The one that started it all. The Mecca of California cuisine. You have to make reservations at the Restaurant exactly 1 month in advance. If you're in the area without reservations try the Cafe upstairs for lunch or dinner.

Palo Alto
Evvia Estatorio
420 Emerson St.
(650) 326-0983
Same owners as Kokkari in S.F. Usually crowded so reservations recommended. If they are full, try Patxi's across the street.
Patxi's Chicago Pizza
441 Emerson St.
(650) 473-9999
Like Zachary's in Berkeley. Friendly service.

Spago's
265 Lytton Ave.
(650) 833-1000
Wolfgang Puck again. Divine as always.

Menlo Park
Acorn Grill
Mediterranean food. I love tableside service with Caesar's Salad and dessert of Cherries Flambe. Yum!

Los Altos
Hunan Homes
4880 El Camino Real, Los Altos, CA, (650) 965-8888
Very good Taiwanese breakfast with sweet soybean milk with fried dough, as well as other delicacies that I don't know the name of. We spotted the CEO of BroadVision eating here with his family.

Monterey
Roy's
Inn at Spanish Bay
The legendary chef from Hawaii comes to California. Better ambiance and execution than the San Francisco branch. Better or as good as Postrio's.

In the City | The Rest of the Bay | Back To Home Page n Ness Avenue. between Broadway and Vallejo
(415) 441-4419
I like vinegar and thus get the beef vinegar fondue. They bring boiling vinegar broth with ginger and scallions, a plate of thin raw beef, a plate of clear rice paper sheets, a plate of veggies with cucumber, mint, cilantro and apple. You dip the beef in the broth until it is cooked and wrap it along with the greens, apple and cucumber in the rice paper. Dip in fish sauce. Divine! The basil chicken is also good. Parking is difficult.

The Slanted Door
1 Ferry Plaza
(415) 861-8032
Sun-Thu 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm
Upscale Vietnamese cuisine. Classics include the Shaking Beef and Chicken in Clay Pot.

Yakitori

Hana Zen
101 Cyril Magnin near Union Square
(415) 421-2101
New expanded menu w/ udon, teriyaki. I go for the Yakitori - chicken w/ green onion, asparagus w/ beef, also chowamushi (steamed egg w/ seafood) is good.

The Rest of the Bay

In the City | The Rest of the Bay | Back To Home Page

American
Bakeries	Tartine Bakery 600 Guerrero St. and 18th St. (415) 487-2600 Mon 8am-2pm, Tue-Sat 7:30am-7pm, Sun 10am-6pm. Decadent chocolate croissants made with dark Scharffen Berger chocolate; good bread pudding (according to my bread pudding connoisseur friend); very crowded on weekends. Miette Cakes 1 Ferry Plaza and Embarcadero (415) 837-0300 Tue-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 11am-4pm The best cupcakes in the city. Organic. West Portal Bakery 170 West Portal Ave. (415) 681-4546 Mon-Fri 6:30am-7pm, Sat 7am-7pm, Closed Sun Amaretto cookies are delicious; crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Boulange de Cole Valley 1000 Cole St. (415) 242-2442 Good Pain du Chocolate & open-faced sandwiches. Arizmendi Bakery 1331 9th Ave. (415) 566-3117 Excellent Raisin Brioche.
Crab	Thanh Long The original restaurant of the Crustacean chain. Recently renovated. The drunken crab is divine w/ pepper and beer (?) sauce. The garlic noodles will coagulate b/c of the butter content if you take it home. But it is sweet and delicious at the restaurant or if microwaved (if you bring it home). Appetizers and desserts are good. But focus on the crab. 1 crab for 2 people is enough.
Dim Sum	Yank Sing if you can afford it. Ton Kiang if you go early/late or do take out. Otherwise on the weekends there is quite a wait. my favorite is the rice porridge and the simple sweet tofu dessert. Also the egg custard dessert is divine. Wu Kong Nice atmosphere BUT I had a cold rice in leaf (they didn't microwave it all the way?) Avoid Pacific Regent Restaurant. It looks authentic, because there are all asians in there, but the dim sum is bad.
Famous	Postrio's Wolfgang Puck's place in SF Hawthorne Lane Good food, pricey yuppie atmosphere.
Fusion	Roy's 101 2nd St. (at Mission), San Francisco, CA, 94105. (415) 777-0277 Amazing molten chocolate cake dessert. Good fish. The entrance is on Mission (not 2nd).
Italian	Villa Romana 731 Irving St. (415) 731-2281 They make the best bruschetta (next to my homemade recipe from William and Sonoma's cook book). $3.50 for tons of tomatoes and basil and olive oil on, mint, cilantro and apple. You dip the beef in the broth until it is cooked and wrap it along with the greens, apple and cucumber in the rice paper. Dip in fish sauce. Divine! The basil chicken is also good. Parking is difficult. The Slanted Door 1 Ferry Plaza (415) 861-8032 Sun-Thu 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10pm; Fri-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm, 5:30pm-10:30pm Upscale Vietnamese cuisine. Classics include the Shaking Beef and Chicken in Clay Pot.
Yakitori	Hana Zen 101 Cyril Magnin near Union Square (415) 421-2101 New expanded menu w/ udon, teriyaki. I go for the Yakitori - chicken w/ green onion, asparagus w/ beef, also chowamushi (steamed egg w/ seafood) is good.

Napa	Meadowood Meadowood Resort in St. Helena Divine food every time. Make sure you save room for dessert! French Laundry 6640 Washington St., Yountville, CA. (707) 944-2380 It really is as good as everyone says it is. Amazing 9-course tasting menu for $135 (foie gras is optional and about $20 extra). Expect to spend a good 4 hours dining. Impecable service. Need to make reservations exactly 2 months in advance. Start calling in the morning and expect to be dialing for about 30 minutes before you get through. It's worth it!
Berkeley/Oakland	Gregoire Restaurant 2109 Cedar St. (510) 883-1893 Tiny take out place. Potato puffs $4, Sandwich $6.75 Nan Yang 6048 College Ave. (510) 655-3298 Delicious Burmese food. Highly recommended. Try the mango garlic noodles & samosas. Chez Panisse Restaurant & Cafe 1517 Shattuck Ave. (510) 548-5525 The one that started it all. The Mecca of California cuisine. You have to make reservations at the Restaurant exactly 1 month in advance. If you're in the area without reservations try the Cafe upstairs for lunch or dinner.
Palo Alto	Evvia Estatorio 420 Emerson St. (650) 326-0983 Same owners as Kokkari in S.F. Usually crowded so reservations recommended. If they are full, try Patxi's across the street. Patxi's Chicago Pizza 441 Emerson St. (650) 473-9999 Like Zachary's in Berkeley. Friendly service. Spago's 265 Lytton Ave. (650) 833-1000 Wolfgang Puck again. Divine as always.
Menlo Park	Acorn Grill Mediterranean food. I love tableside service with Caesar's Salad and dessert of Cherries Flambe. Yum!
Los Altos	Hunan Homes 4880 El Camino Real, Los Altos, CA, (650) 965-8888 Very good Taiwanese breakfast with sweet soybean milk with fried dough, as well as other delicacies that I don't know the name of. We spotted the CEO of BroadVision eating here with his family.
Monterey	Roy's Inn at Spanish Bay The legendary chef from Hawaii comes to California. Better ambiance and execution than the San Francisco branch. Better or as good as Postrio's.