Chilayo

location: 2150 chestnut street, the marina

time of day: weekday dinner

i ate: chips & guacamole (6), super vegetarian burrito (8.5), sangria (7)

chilayo is part of the sabor mexicano restaurant family (tlaloc in fidi, cancun in berkeley), they own their own farm in sonoma and everything is produced there for the the restaurant.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: okay!

Straw

location: 203 octavia (at page), hayes valley

time of day: sunday dinner

i ate: pretzel bites (7.5), corn fritters (can't remember), pulled pork sandwich (9.75)

when i dined at straw they didn't have a liquor license, but they do now! wine, beer, and specialty sake cocktails. this restaurant is vegetarian/vegan friendly!

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!

delfina pizzeria

location: 2406 california street (at fillmore), pacific heights

delfina pizzeria has two locations in san francisco. on this trip i had dinner with l at the location on california street. the other location, on 18th in the mission offers the same menu and a longer wait.

delfina offers traditional italian fare and neapolitan style pizzas. the atmosphere is warm, friendly and loud. all of the food tastes extremely fresh and is cooked to order. the kitchen area is open so you can watch the food preparation from the bar area or from your table. the california street location is really open but can feel like a tight fit because the tables are pretty close together. the line here can be very long with waits up to an hour, but i definitely think it's worth it.

we started with the stretched mozzarella/belfiore burrata ($10.25) which is a very generous portion of warm, creamy burrata served with toasted bread. it's enough to serve probably 3 or 4 but it's so good that l and i finished it with no problem. we shared the insalata tricolore ($8.50) which is a fresh bed of lettuce sprinkled with lemon and grana padano, a delicious semi-hard italian cheese. for pizza we went with the traditional margherita ($12.50) with tomato, mozzarella and basil. each pizza is about 6 slices and the margherita at delfina is pretty fantastic, it's one of my favorites in sf.

the staff at delfina is friendly, attentive and they're happy to explain the very italian menu without being condescending. the food is well priced and great for sharing.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

pizzetta 211

location: 211 23rd avenue (at california), richmond

pizzetta 211 is a a teeny tiny neapolital style pizza place with an every changing menu. the restaurant has 4 tables inside and room for 4 at the counter, making it a very cozy dining experience. i sat at the counter with L so we could watch the pizzas being made. it got a little too cozy at one point when the two people behind the counter got into an argument about the preparation of a pizza and we had to listen to and witness the entire thing. aside from the awkward argument the staff was really friendly and the service is very attentive and quick.

we started with the garlic soup ($6) and shared two pizzas. the pizza options the day we were there were all extremely creative, using fresh, seasonal, organic ingredients whenever possible. we had the housemade sausage pizza with broccoli raab and lemon zest ($14) and the butternut squash with fried sage and ricotta ($14). i loved both pizzas, the sausage was very flavorful and the butternut squash was very savory.

i loved my meal and definitely recommend going out of your way to check this place out. the restaurant is small and cash only, so plan accordingly.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: yay!

Tacolicious

location: 2031 chestnut street (at fillmore), the marina

the first time i had dinner at tacolicious was at dinner after the giants won the playoffs and i had sat across the street in the horseshoe for about 6 hours. i vaguely remember that meal. i recently went back with a & m and realized that this restaurant, under normal circumstances, is hard to forget. we went on a saturday night so we waited for a while and the restaurant is small and almost always crowded, however, it is worth the wait.

once we were seated we promptly ordered the chili con queso ($7.25), one of the best queso dips ever (and i can say that with certainty because i tried about all of the queso in austin and that city does it right). for dinner i had a lobster taco ($4) which was a special on the menu that week. i continually try lobster in different kinds of foods and i react to it in different ways. i didn't love the taco but i think it was less that it was delicious and more than i just didn't like the taste of the lobster. the tacos come with a few different sides of salsa, all fantastic on top of a tasty taco and after one i was pretty full.

tacolicious is a fresh and modern take on a taqueria. you can watch everything being prepared in the front kitchen but they use sustainable and organic meats and vegetables whenever possible. they also have a to-go location in the ferry building during the farmer's markets and according to their site, buy produce there when possible.

on a nice day in the marina you can sit outside in their small patio area. however, good luck to you on getting a table.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

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!