One Market

location: 1 market (at steurant), fidi
time of day: weekday night
i ate: crab cakes ($15), ahi tuna (complimentary), bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin ($27), brussel sprouts ($7), tater tots ($7)

the dining experience at one market lives up to it's michelin-star repuation. the restaurant is a popular fidi destination for tourists and suits on business meetings in fidi - it was definitely a male dominated crowd the night i was there. reservations are an absolute must, as there is a wait even when you make one. i went to dinner with d and we shared everything, putting a little ease on the wallet, although we ordered several things, wanting to try a little bit of everything. the full bar offers some really interesting cocktails. toward the end of our meal service really slowed down, i think due to the demand of the large parties surrounding us.
the food was memorable, the view of the ferry building that we enjoyed was fantastic and the bill left a lasting impression on my bank account.

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

Cotogna

location: 490 pacific (at montgomery), fidi/north beach
time of day: weeknight dinner
i ate: warm ricotta & musroom on crostini ($12), tagliolini w/ crab & meyer lemon ($16), roasted pork loin ($27), roasted potatoe & fontina gratin ($7), bread pudding ($8)

i shared this whole meal at cotogna with a friend so while it seems like a lot, it ended up being the perfect portion of food. this is by far one of the best meals i've had in san francisco (not surprising considering the chef won the 2011 james beard award for best chef in the pacific region). reservations are pretty much necessary at this point, we made ours a full month in advance, but the wait was well worth it. great service, warm atmosphere, and delicious food. the hallways are lined with wooden logs because a lot of the food is prepared in a wooden oven.

food vs. price: yay!
tastiness: 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!

Wayfare Tavern

location: 558 sacramento street (between montgomery and sansome), fidi

when tyler florence touches food you can guarantee it will be good. the expectations were pretty high for my dinner at wayfare tavern and they were met and exceeded! from the minute the doorman let us into the restaurant to the time he put us in a town car after our meal i felt like i was being taken care of. wayfare tavern is a dimly lit, two story, homey restaurant on a random corner in the financial district. there is large bar downstairs with brown leathern bar seating and a more formal dinning room upstairs. exposed wood table tops, a fire place and deer heads mounted on the wall give the atmosphere that you're right at home, although it's nothing like my home.

the food at wayfare tavern is american comfort with a little kick. the bread they start each table off with is crispy on the outside like a croissant and flaky and fluffy inside like a biscuit. j and i had the mac 'n' cheese as a starter and we were amazed by how delicious a bowl of mac n cheese could be. it was perfectly crisp on top and cheesy in the middle. the chives & breadcrumbs added the extra flavor that set them apart from other mac n cheese i've had and loved. a simple dish that would be difficult to replicate. for dinner i had the grilled santa maria tri -tip with slow roasted heirloom onion, truffle butter, and Kennebec potatoes. i ordered the meat well done and it was cooked to perfection. very little red but still as juicy as possible. the onion, potatoes and truffle butter all mixed together with the meat on my plate for one of the best meals i've had. ever.

the restaurant is all about wine. with a long list of wines available the menu separates the wines and makes suggestions for the kind of thing you might want for your meal. the cocktail menu has several different artisan choices with fresh and exotic ingredients.

the wait staff at wayfare tavern are there to serve you. like it's homey atmosphere the waiter almost made me feel as if he was our butler. he was happy to answer questions about the menu, the food, cocktails and the restaurant itself.

if you're planning a dinner at wayfare tavern make a reservation and be prepared to open your wallet. we each had only one cocktail with our meal and it was still over $100.

recommendation: have the mac 'n' cheese, no matter what else you do.

tastiness: yay!

food/drink vs. price: okay!

service: yay!

Osha Thai

location: 4 embarcadero center, financial district (6 other locations around san francisco)

d took me to osha thai for a roommate celebration and we had the pleasure of sitting in the lounge and getting star service from her friend, andrew, the bartender. while there are several other locations in the city, i like this one, it's along the embarcadero, quiet at night, great service and easy to catch a cab right after if you need to (it's next to the hyatt). because we were friends with the bartender he hooked us up with a couple of really delicious cocktails based on what we said we like. my favorite thing in the world is a bartender who will ask you what you like and offer something they think you'll like even more. this happened with not 1 but both drinks i had. a french 75 made with elderflower and a russian mule made scottish with hendrick's gin. and at a decent price for a fidi bar. the menu offers a few pages of thai treats with an emphasis on noodles, rice and seafood. i had the crab fried rice which was proven fresh by the actual crab claws that the dish was served with, i always find it fun to play with my food and this was no exception. while i felt that the drinks were a great price, i think the food is a little over priced. some of the dishes on the menu seem reasonable, but others seem like they're priced that way simply because they can get away with it. which is a bummer. the other great thing about osha is that some of the locations are open pretty late, the tenderloin location is open until 1am, so if you get a craving, they're there!

recommendation: get to one of their locations at your leisure!

tastiness: yay!

food/drink vs. price: okay!

service: yay!

Restaurant Ducroix

location: corner of kearny & sacramento, fidi

i checked out restaurant decroix today with my work family in celebration of a friends promotion. j (who got promoted) likes this place and suggested it and i've always wanted to check it out since i drove by it everyday for a year on the 1 california.

this little french themed restaurant exceeded my expectations immensely. there was only 1 guy waiting tables, which during the lunch hour on a friday is a little annoying, but he was pretty attentive considering. the atmosphere was warm and our waiter was very friendly, even offering a wine tasting although we knew we just wanted the most economical bottle (bang for our buck, if you will). i had the french onion soup and it was fantastic, just enough onion to be flavorful but not overwhelming and perfect temperature for immediate consumption. my bowl was not filled to the brim like i was hoping but it was tasty nontheless. that was accompanied by the chicken baguette sandwich which had melted swiss cheese and grilled red onion. delicious. l & j had the mussles and other j had a quiche. the mussels were cooked in a garlic/white wine sauce that was like heaven in my mouth, they were then sitting in a bowl of the juice, which was perfect for bread dipping. at the end of our meal the waiter gave us all a dessert wine to say congratulations to j, which was unexpected and way above and beyond service!

recommendation: get over there stat.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!