Bistro Aix

 

location: 3340 steiner street (at chestnut), the marina

time of day: friday night dinner

i ate: spinach & beet salad (8.5), brussel sprouts (8), dungenesss crab pasta (22), fresh fruit sorbet (complimentary)

bistro aix is a hidden gem in the marina. it's lesser known than some of the big names on chestnut but it's just as good, if not better. the service is fantastic. the food is delicious - made with fresh and local ingredients. the ambiance is perfect for a date night, dinner with the fam (my experience) or a fun girls night out, so really, it's the perfect go to spot. they serve beer and wine only but have a great selection. 

make a reservation, the restaurant tends to fill up nightly. also, don't just this place by it's website. i can't for the life of me understand why they have such an outdated and boring site.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Farmer Brown

location: 25 mason (where mason & turk meet market), tenderloin
time of day: weeknight
i ate: seafood gumbo ($5 cup), fried chicken ($17.95), the recession - shot of jack & a pbr ($6), cornbread (complimentary)

i've never been to the south but i know i wouldn't ever leave if the food is this good all the time. i loved my farmer brown dinner. the cornbread is maybe the best i've ever had - with little pieces of corn in it! the fried chicken was juicy and the fried skin was so good. i've heard that they have a great brunch with chicken and waffles, but i haven't been. i say check it out any of time day, you'll leave satisfied!

tastiness: yay!
food vs. price: yay!
service: yay!

Zuni Cafe

location: 1658 market (between franklin & gough), hayes valley
time of day: black friday lunch
i ate: arugula salad ($8.75), shoestring potatoes ($6), hamburger ($15)

some might saying paying $15 for a hamburger is outrageous, and those people would be right, unless they had the burger at zuni cafe. it comes on a perfect fresh piece of focaccia bread with housemade pickles & aioli, and picked onions. it is near burger perfection. i don't eat a lot of meat, hamburger in particular, but this is grass-fed beef and was cooked to perfection. i also had a great glass of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, delicious. for a day when people were out en mass, we had no wait at this normally pretty busy restaurant.

tastiness: yay!
food vs. price: yay!
service: okay!

Prospect

location: 300 spear street (at folsom), soma
time of day: sunday brunch
i ate: monkey bread ($8), huevos rancheros w/ scarmbled egg ($13.5), bloody mary ($10)

brunch at prospect is the perfect way to get a taste for what the restaurant offers without dropping as much as you would during dinner. obviously two completely different menus are served, but you get a feel for the restaurant. the service was impeccable, the food delicious and the atmosphere was warm and comfortable. i can't wait to go back for dinner.

tastiness: yay!
food vs. price: yay!
service: yay!

Nopa

location: 560 divisadaro (at hayes), western addition

time of day: weeknight dinner

i ate: Baked Goat Cheese, Pickled Beets, Frisée and Crostini ($11), Baked Giant White Beans, Feta, Oregano and Breadcrumbs ($9), Rotisserie Herbed Chicken, Toasted Farro, Delicata Squash, Feta and Pomegranate ($19)

i sat at the bar while i waited for my friends to join me for dinner at nopa. the keg just tapped out of the beer that i wanted so i was offered a complimentary beer while i waited for the change. great first impression of a restaurant! when we sat down to our table we were offered a complimentary appetizer that the chef was trying out that night. score again! my overall experience at nopa was great. we made a reservation pretty far in advance, which seemed necessary, even mid-week the place was packed. 

tastiness: yay!
food vs. price: yay!
service: yay!

Delarosa

location: 2175 chestnut (between pierce & steiner), the marina

time of day: post work cocktail and dinner

i ate: marinated olives with fennel ($5), arugula & fennel salad ($10), burrata bruschetta ($7), broccolini & pancetta pizza ($14)

delarosa is a perfect spot for lunch. i've been a handful of times, at various times of the day, and it's best at lunch. that being said, everything i've had there has been fantastic. it's a great menu for sharing. if you try to go for dinner, you're sure to wait, but if you go for lunch you'll usually get seated quickly. the other trick to avoiding the wait (which can be long) is snagging a seat at the bar. on this trip to delarosa i did end up eating at the bar and the service was just as great as a table seat, plus i had a bartender making me drinks based on my likes and dislikes, which is always awesome. if you end up getting seated, it's communal style inside and outside, so be prepared to sit in close quarters with a stranger and learn to love it.

tastiness: yay!

food vs price: yay!

serivce; yay!

aziza

location: 5800 geary (at 22nd ave.), the richmond

time of day: weekday night

i ate: eggplant, yogurt-dill, piquillo-almond spread with flatbread ($11), short ribs with sunchoke, bread pudding, carrot, abalone mushroom, artichoke ($28)

aziza is a michelin starred restaurant in the outer richmond of sf. it's a trek to get there but it's well worth it. j and i went on a double date with m & other j because the cauliflower entree is a 7x7 vegetarian list item. i'm always dragging him places for dishes i want to try, so i wanted him to experience something unique and special for a veggie lover. the food was fantastic, the short ribs literally fell apart in my mouth and they were so delicious, a meal that i will always remember for the way it tasted. the restaurant, because of it's reputation, is on the expensive side. after drinks, apps and an entree you will be dishing out a pretty penny. it's definitely good, but my disclaimer would be to check the prices before making a reservation - which you need.

the night i was there it was extremely hot inside the restaurant, to an uncomfortable degree. i don't know if it's always that stuffy in there, but i could feel the sweat between my dress and the back of chair. the food didn't suffer but i was definitely too hot to enjoy the experience 100%.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: yay!

piccino

location: 1001 minnesota st. (at 22nd), dogpatch

time of day: friday night

i ate: caramelized squash, farro, and almond gremolata ($6), heirloom tomato, cucumber and arugula panzanella ($10), salsiccia pizza ($13)

piccino is located in a cute yellow house looking building in dogpatch and also serves as a cafe & coffee shop during non-restaurant hours. the menus change often because they're put together with fresh, seasonal ingredients. the night that i was there the wait was about 45 minutes but it's definitely worth it. they have a great wine bar to keep you company while you wait and knowledgeable staff to answer all of your questions. the space is open yet it feels very cozy. on my quest to find the best pizza in sf, piccino is high on the list.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Fog City Diner

location: 1300 battery, embarcadero

time of day: weekday night

i ate: cheddar biscuits ($5), mac n cheese ($13), chicken satay ($11), chicken & chorizo tacos ($10)

this iconic embarcadero restaurant is serving up modern versions of great classic comfort foods. i like the small plates that they offer but nothing really pairs well together. i definitely recommend checking out this spot at some point, it's not just for the tourists (or fans of so i married an axe murderer). there is a lot of history and humor. our waitress looked just like michael cera the night i was there. it was eerie.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: okay!

Pizza Nostra

location: 300 deharo (at 16th), potrero hill

time of day: sunday night

i ate: bruschetta ($10), gamberi pizza ($16)

i stumbled upon pizza nostra on my way to bottom of the hill. we ended up turning into the parking lot (yes, a parking lot right outside!), checking out the menu and staying. this restaurant serves neapolitan style pies with fresh ingredients and friendly service.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Tony's Pizza Napoletana

location: 1570 stockton (at union), north beach

time of day: weekday night

i ate: calarmari fritti ($11), spinich salad ($12), margherita pizza ($19), wild robiola ($23), new yorker ($22)

tony's is considered some of the best pizza in san francisco and it definitely lives up to it's reputation. it's worth the 45 minutes wait, and may i recommend any of the bars around the corner while you wait. i went with a few friends so we could try several different pizzas. dining at tony's is a different experience than most pizzerias. tony is literally rolling the dough and preparing the pies at the counter in front of you (pictured above). the restaurant has several different ovens so that the pizzas are cooked the way they were originally intended, so you get the most traditional slices you could imagine. ask a lot of questions, the waiters are happy to answer and make recommendations.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!