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Category: San Francisco Restaurant Reviews

Innovative Cuisine That Puts the "Je ne Sais Coi" in Fine-Dining

Let’s face it, there are some restaurants that a diner can’t help but enter with high expectations. Many of these restaurants live up to said expectations; a select few exceed them. Then, once in a blue moon, you stumble upon a restaurant that doesn’t just go above and beyond, doesn’t just become another entry in the book of memorable meals, but redefines your concept of food. Coi is one of those restaurants...Continue Reading

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Incanto Round 2 - the Head to Tail Review

[rating: 4]

As I remarked in my last article on Incanto, I was excited to attend their annual Head to Tail dinner to find out just how delicious the seemingly foul parts of animals can truly be. If I wasn't 100% convinced by my first visit, after being exposed to the sweet, sweet goodness of innards at this meal, I'm officially on Incanto's offal bandwagon...Continue Reading

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Is it a Bird? Is it a Plane? No, it's a Fish, and at Anchor & Hope, it's Delicious.

[rating: 3.5]

Is it a pirate ship? Is it an oceanic habitat? Is it a warehouse sprinkled with a few tables, posing as a fine-dining restaurant? Or is it simply a place to kick back after a long day of work for a drink and a solid meal? After visiting Anchor & Hope, an unassuming restaurant tucked away on a side street in SOMA, I’m convinced that it’s all of the above.

This is not the sort of restaurant where you sit back in your seat, sip your whiskey rocks, and let the mood lighting ease you into the setting – the second you step foot inside, the spacious, barge-like environment embraces you head on. From the wooden rafters, the lengths of rope hanging from the ceiling, to the lamps painted to resemble giant eyeballs, it’s clear that you’re here for a deep-sea culinary adventure.

Dive in...Continue Reading

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Incanto Brings the Guts, You Bring the Courage

[rating: 3.8]

Bird brain, pork tongue, and tuna heart, oh my!

If you haven’t already heard, Incanto’s Chef Cosentino is known for bringing attention to what most people think of as the “undesirable” parts of an animal by basically throwing them in the diner’s face. The menu is splattered with all sorts of offal, ranging from the tame (sweetbreads) to the extreme (slow-cooked duck head, split in half). Sure, since Cosentino is a proponent of using all parts of the animal there are still plenty of options for the not-so-daring diner: duck leg, sardines, pasta with pork ragu, etc… But, if you’re looking to throw caution to the wind and challenge your preconceived notions of what’s edible and appetizing, Incanto is your spot...

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The Garden Comes to Life on Saison's Seasonal Menu

In a sense, Saison is a play of contradiction: a sophisticated restaurant tucked into what looks like the back alley of a Mission warehouse, a French country-side interior with Led Zepplin and Lynyrd Skynyrd serenading diners in the background, and seemingly simple food which, in actuality, requires an astonishing amount of patience and technique to prepare. And when I say patience, envision a chef carefully balancing tiny flower petals, one by one, onto a bite-sized piece of sashimi with tweezers. And that’s just the amuse-bouche...Continue Reading

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One Market: So Much More Than a Power Lunch

Dungeness Crab Salad One Market

One Market. One Michelin star. One hell of a good lunch.

From the outside, One Market resembles many of its Embarcadero neighbors – a conspicuous, sprawling, posh space dotted with white tablecloths and men in suits. But don’t let the exterior fool you. Unlike many waterfront restaurants, which exude a Power Lunch confidence but have little substance, the quality of the food being served inside far surpasses its nearby competitors...Continue Reading

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Sausages in the Mission? Yes, Please!

[rating: 4]

This place is going to be dangerous. Why? Because now juicy, delicious sausages are right off of the 24th street Bart station, and I will have to walk by it at the end of the day when I'm tired, hungry, and too lazy to cook anything for myself. The chances of me eating a sausage every day went from 1 in 300,000 to about 2 in 5. Obesity here I come!...

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Frances Delivers Clean, Well-Exectuted Food That Brings the Farm to Your Table

[rating: 4]

When I walked into Frances, I wasn’t sure if I had entered a restaurant, or a room in my friend’s upper-middle class, suburban home. Cream walls, walnut tables, black-and-white stock-art – if Restoration Hardware died and came back as a restaurant, this would be it.

Starting with that first impression, it’s clear that they want you to feel at home. I was almost surprised that a Labrador retriever didn’t greet me at the door with a pair of slippers. Much like a pair of Ralph Lauren khakis, both the atmosphere and the attitude of the service embody this feeling of relaxed casual, but still exude a certain air of sophistication...Continue Reading

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Luce: Bring a Camera But Not Your Appetite

[rating: 3]

Luce, I'm sorry to have to say this, but you're all about the presentation. You're that chick who is great to have as arm candy for the night, but good luck getting into a meaningful relationship with her. Great looking decor, great looking bar, beautifully presented food. But, I think you should spend a little less time making the food look pretty and a little more time thinking about the flavors you're putting on the plate...

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"SPQR U Seriously This Good?" Updated - A More Detailed Review

[review: 5]

The many years of hopelessly searching for an upscale Italian restaurant to rival Delfina finally led me to the doorstep of SPQR. Actually, because the entrance is so nondescript, I walked by the place two times, in the rain, before realizing it was what I was searching for. But, when I walked in, I knew I was in for an amazing experience...Continue Reading< /strong>

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