Locanda

location: 557 valendia (between 16th & 17th), the mission

time of day: weekday night

i ate: fried castelveltrano olives ($), jewish style artichoke ($8), bucatini all'amatriciana ($16), carciofi crudi ($11), halibut with white beans ($21)

when i was seated at locanda the couple finishing their meal at the table next to me asked if it was my first time, it was so i told them yes, and they said "well get ready for the best meal you've ever had." my meal at locanda would definitely be high up on a list of best meals ever. the restaurant serves delicious, fresh, authentic italian dishes that worked perfectly for sharing. our server was fantastic, explaining anything we were unsure of and giving recommendations when asked. the belgian beer selection was wonderfully expected. i couldn't ask for more, accept for the long wait for a reservation. if you're thinking about going at a normal time, like most of the other hyped sf restaurants, the wait can be a while for a res. 

food vs. price: yay!

tastiness: yay!

service: yay!

Luna Park

location: 694 valencia street (at 18th), the mission

time of day: saturday afternoon

i ate: grilled jumbo artichoke with lemon aioli ($8), pulled pork sandwich with fries ($12)

luna park is an adorable, small eatery in the mission. it has a lively atmosphere, diner inspired menu and sidewalk seating. the restaurant offers a full bar with beer on tab and a small wine selection. reservations are probably necessary. we were there on a saturday afternoon and the line was out the door with people waiting to be seated. it's a small space so you'll feel like you're sharing a meal with the stranger next to you. our waitress came by a lot and it felt like she was trying to us through, likely because there were so many people waiting. 

food vs. price: yay!

tastiness: okay!

service: okay!

Cha Cha Cha

location: 2327 mission (at 19th), the mission

cha cha cha is a fun and tasty tapas restaurant with two locations in sf. i actually prefer the location at the top of haight street but i went to the mission location for this meal with r & k. the best way to eat cha cha cha is to order one of everything. it's all so good i find it hard to choose. but do choose wisely, especially with a smaller group, the portions are large and everything is pretty creamy and filling. you will be full. not mention, drunk, because you can't leave cha cha cha without a belly full of their delicious, fresh, home made sangria. the sangria is some of the best i've had.

at this dinner we had the bbq chicken quesadilla ($8.75), fried plantos maduros ($7.75), chicken paillard ($8.25), and fried new potatoes ($7.50. with big portions and cheap prices, your eyes can definitely become bigger than your stomach. my favorite dish at cha cha cha is the chicken paillard. the creamy sauce is amazing and perfect for bread dipping once you're done with the chicken. most of the dishes come with some kind of side or aioli which only adds to the richness of the food.

this restaurant is almost guaranteed to have a wait, especially on a weekend night, and they don't take reservations. the service is great and they are as accommodating as possibly.

recommendation: go early and wait for your table over a pitcher of sangria.

other location: 1801 haight at shrader

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Foreign Cinema

location: 2154 mission street (between 21st & 22nd), the mission

i was treated to dinner at foreign cinema by my amazing roommate d and joined by our friend m. the three of us started our night next door at laszlo while we waited for our table at foreign cinema. we made a reservation weeks in advance which i think is pretty necessary at this restaurant. even on a rainy night the restaurant was packed.

at laslzo we were able to order appetizers from foreign cinema, as the restaurants are conjoined. we started with cocktails and louisiana jumbo prawns ($15 for 6). they were jumbo and they were amazing. they came with a really great aioli sauce that i liked so much i dipped my bread in it as well.

once we moved over to foreign cinema we were seated outside, although it was raining, it was covered and the heat lamps were on. we had really great seats to see the film playing that night. it was hard to pay attention with all of the commotion and they fact that it was a foreign anime film, nevertheless, i love the idea of having films playing on the back wall. the outside is decorated with old movie theater speaker boxes which add the perfect touch.

we shared the sauteed calamari which was a little too chewy for my liking, i didn't each much of it, but i did like it. for my entrée i had the blackened chicken with couscous and veggies ($26), it was absolutely delicious. almost a half chicken, blackened to perfection. for dessert, which i rarely order, i had the affogato ($6). it was the perfect ending to a great meal.

the menu at foreign cinema changes daily and you can check the movie that is currently playing on their website.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Weirdfish

location: 2193 mission street (at 18th), the mission

weirdfish is the perfect name for this mission eatery that is a seafood and vegetarian restaurant. not exactly two things i see being paired together, in my experience it's one or the other. but weirdfish does it right. almost every option on the menu is available with fish or a seitan substitute. it's small inside with a cozy, edgy, beachy decor. the napkins are black bandannas, if that paints a picture for you. they aim to be completely green and sustainable and everything about the place is or feels very fresh.

i went for dinner with m & j and the first thing we learned is that they won't seat you until you have your whole party. annoying but completely understandable. they also don't want you sitting around your table gabbing forever after you're finished and they politely have that printed on their menu. i appreciate that. there are a million bars in that neighborhood you can post at, taking up a table i might sit at is rude.

we started with the yo-yo's. what are yo-yo's you may be asking. they are deep fried pickles and they are amazing. they came with a vegan ranch sauce and a chipotle sauce. m & j were partial to the chipotle sauce, i liked the ranch. we loved the pickles. i could have eaten all 4 that came in the order. i had the butter-basted mahi mahi. it had a chili glaze on it that was a little overwhelming for me but it was very good. the rice and vegetables on the side were a perfect complement and after eating the entire plate i didn't feel super full, it was a perfect portion.

weirdfish is cheap, tasty, cute and serves beer and wine. i will say that the sangria was a bit disappointing. it was pretty much white wine with apples in it. but everything else was a hit.

recommendation: get over there with your entire party or you'll have to wait!

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

The Monk's Kettle

location: 3141 16th street, between valencia and guerrero, the mission

monk's kettle is known for their amazing beer selection and they really aren't fooling around. with over 20 beers on tap and even more options by the bottle it would be easy to spend an entire day in this place tasting. so of course when c rolled to town on a very nice warm day, we ducked in here to spend the afternoon belly up to the back of the bar. not only do they have a million bars on tap but they also have a pretty delicious sounding food menu. i tried the allagash white, made in portland, maine, and the wolaver's organic brown, made in middlebury, vermont. i'm not a beer expert and i won't pretend to be (like everyone else around here) but these were both very delicious! i would definitely have them again. the pretzel, which is #50 on 7x7's big eat list, was warm, fluffy and perfectly salty (although, some complained too salty, i did not agree). it is served with a stone-ground mustard and cheddar ale sauce, which i think i could have eaten by the spoonful. it's completely understandable why it's on that list. monk's is pretty small inside, i've been told it's nearly impossible to get a table during dinner, and the staff seemed annoyed that there were so many of us there, which is weird considering we were dropping mad money. the bartenders were knowledgeable about all of the different beer options and helpful in selecting beers based on what you told them you like. 1 pretzel and 6 beers later and i only dropped about $55 but i don't think that's a very good example of what you can spend in there, some of the beers were around $10 each, i was trying to be economical.

recommendation: get over there before the rush!

tastiness: yay!

food/drink vs. price: borderline okay! and yay!

service: okay!