Coco500

location: 500 brannan (at 4th street), SOMA
time of day: friday night dinner
i ate: batter fried green beans ($7), cocomole taco ($6), truffled mushroom flatbread ($12), harvest pizza ($16), grilled hanger steak ($15)

i have always heard pretty mixed reviews of coco500 so i was very excited to be treated to a meal there by my friend d. we must have been in early on a friday night (7pm res) because it was pretty empty until about 30 minutes before we finished, when the entire place filled to capacity and people were starting to put there name in to wait for a table.
we had a wonderful mix of veggies, breads, and meats in various forms and everything was fantastic. i absolutely loved the mini tacos which came on a tortilla chip, the perfect two bite treat. the pizza had wonderful flavors of grape, bacon, rosemary and fontina cheese, one of the best pizzas i've had at a non-pizzeria and our steak was grilled to perfection. there is a really great bar as well.
the service was fantastic. our table had a handwritten reserved sign with d's last name and the hostess promptly offered to hang our coats at our arrival.
whenever i have a great experience at a place like this i really wonder what the expectations were of those who claim to have subpar experiences. i loved coco500.

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

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!

Anchor & Hope

location: 83 minna (between 1st & 2nd), soma

time of day: week day lunch

i ate: fries ($6), lobster roll ($24.5)

reservation for anchor & hope is recommended almost always. this is probably the best lobster roll i've ever had. it's been suggested it's the best in sf, for a lunch sandwich, it's pretty pricey, so be prepared.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: okay!

Boulevard

location: 1 mission street (at steuart), soma

time of day: saturday night

i ate: calamari stuffed with maine lobster ($15.75), liberty farms duck breast ($33)

make a reservation, open your wallet and enjoy your night. dining at boulevard is an amazing experience from the time you are seated until the time you happily hand over a weeks worth of earnings. not very veggie friendly. be prepared to try something new.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Perry's

location: 155 steuart street (on the embarcadero), fidi/soma

time of day: saturday brunch

i ate: zoe's bacon & tillamook cheddar omelette (11.75), bloody mary (7.5)

visit perry's on the embarcadero, union street, or at sfo.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: yay!

Town Hall

location: 324 howard street (at fremont), soma

town hall is a really great dining experience. it's delicious, comfortable and has great service. the new-american inspired menu offers food with a big southern influence, particularly louisiana. there are no vegetarian options, so i recommend this spot to people who are series about a great piece of meat or fish and who are willing to shell out some money. town hall is great but it is expensive. the portions are small but they are tasty and memorable and it is obvious that careful consideration goes into each dish. like i said, it's a experience.

i met c at the bar for a couple of beers before we headed to our table. the first thing i noticed were the amazing chandeliers, the restaurant is dimly lit with wide open windows to peer outside and provide light in the early evening.

i started with the bbq shrimp covered in worcestershire sauce atop garlic herb toast ($15). for a starter the shrimp was pretty pricey but i'm still thinking about the sauce. c and i dipped the rest of our table bread in it because it was so flavorful. for my entrée i had the blackened salmon with white corn maque choux, okra & red wine sauce ($26). my meal was absolutely wonderful. the salmon was cooked to perfection and paired with the okra and maque choux it made for perfect bites. although it was very expensive i thought it was worth it.

the bill came in the middle of a novel and people had signed it to leave their mark on the restaurant. apparently willie brown has been there!

i probably won't go again unless it's for a special occasion but i absolutely recommend this place for anyone looking for a great meal in sf.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: yay!

American Grilled Cheese Kitchen

location: 1 south park ave. (2nd, between bryant & brannan), soma

american grilled cheese kitchen is a quick, casual lunch spot in soma. it's been there for a little over a year, started by a woman who won a grilled cheese contest and quit her job to start her new life calling. the food is tasty and quick, perfect for a lunch break, although too far away from my office to enjoy it often. i had a day off so i met up with d and we had lunch on the patio outside the restaurant. there is a limited amount of seating inside but because it's so quick the spots in and tables outside seem to open up pretty fast.

the menu has several different unique grilled cheese sandwich options. word on the street is that they also have a secret menu, but i'm guessing if you don't see what you want on the menu you could probably just ask for it and they'd put it together for you. it's a very fun and relaxed environment. i had the jalapeño popper which has chevre & monterey jack cheeses, bacon, & jalapeño-apricot relish. the cheeses melted together to creat a very creamy texture. the sandwich was amazing until about half way through when the jalapeno became very overwhelming. the portions are pretty small so i was able to finish the whole thing. the apricot provided a nice refreshing compliment to the hot jalapeño.

for the size of the sandwiches they're a little expensive. my sandwich was $9 and our total lunch was $24 (two sandwiches, 2 lemonades). i certainly couldn't afford that for lunch everyday or even every week, but it seems like a nice treat if it's convenient to you!

follow american grilled cheese on twitter.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: yay!