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!

Da Flora

location: 701 columbus ave. (at filbert), north beach

da flora is an authentic venetian restaurant in north beach. owned & run by flora, she hand writes the italian menu daily and has an extensive list of italian wines available. having never been to venice, or italy for that matter, this is what i would expect it to be like. low lighting, nice ambiance, and a long meal with limited interruptions by the wait staff. i went with L & j for dinner so we opted to share a bottle of wine with our meal. the waitress was helpful in selecting a nice red and also in giving us recommendations and information about the food on our menu.

everything that i ate at da flora was amazing. i can still remember the tastes and smells of my dinner there. even the focaccia bread starter was memorable. i started with the crab, grapefruit & arugula salad ($12.50) that was covered in a delicious champagne vinaigrette. i could eat that salad every day and never get bored. for my main entrée i had the penne pasta ($20), covered in a spicy marinara sauce with guanciala. i had never even heard of this italian meat before my meal at da flora and i absolutely loved it.

i've read a lot of complaints about the service at da flora on the internet but i disagree that the wait staff is rude. they're attentive, they'll answer your questions and they expect you to be polite and have manners when dining in their restaurant. otherwise, they pretty much leave you alone. i don't like it when a server comes by my table a lot during the meal or makes me feel rushed, so i really enjoyed the atmosphere at da flora.

recommendation: perfect first date spot.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Chestnut Street Diner

location: 1312 chestnut street (between van ness & franklin), the marina

chestnut street diner is around the corner from my apartment so i checked it out for breakfast on a lazy sunday with d. we recently learned that the same family of sisters owns the diner, the market on the corner of chestnut & van ness and the small cafe across the street. they're all very nice but i wouldn't recommend paying for breakfast at this diner that you could make better and faster at home.

the service at chestnut street diner was extremely slow although it wasn't packed and our waitress seemed annoyed when we asked for things like water and more coffee. it took her about 15 minutes from the time we sat down until she took our order. i wasn't expecting much out of my two eggs, sausage, hash browns and toast ($8) and i ate most of it. i think next time i'll save my time and make breakfast for the roomies at home.

tastiness: okay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: nay!

Pier 23

location: pier 23, embarcadero

pier 23 is a fun, random, music infused bar & restaurant overlooking the bay on the embarcadero. there is a live band playing almost every day of the week and a great canopied patio in the back of the restaurant for bay view dining. i went with L on a winter night so it was dark and cold but the patio was lit up with string lights and we could catch a glimpse of light reflecting on the water. i imagine this place is best when visited on a sunny summer day.

we started with the clam chowder ($4) which was served a little too cold. i don't expect my soup to be piping hot, but this was a little too cold for my liking. we shared the grilled fish tacos ($13.50) and the seared tuna sandwich ($15). both came in big portions and it was more than enough food for the two of us. the fish taco has been featured on tv as one of the best in sf and i thought it was pretty tasty. the seared tuna sandwich was a little heavy. the sauce was overwhelming and the rest of the sandwich was underwhelming. it was just a little boring.

the service was quick and helpful. they gave us their suggestions when asked. everything seemed a little chaotic due to a big business group that ordered a lot of food and was obnoxiously loud. pier 23 is a big tourist destination being on the waterfront and having been featured on tv and their prices reflect that. i think it's a little overpriced for the quality that you end up getting. it would definitely be a fun place to drink on a sunny afternoon but i don't know that i'll end up back there for dinner.

tastiness: okay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: yay!

Garibaldi's

location: 347 presidio (between sacramento & clay), laurel heights

my dad works a couple blocks away from garibaldi's and treated me to lunch on a day off. i was hoping to see some elite san franciscan's as their website claims it's a "second home" to sf celebs but i didn't. i did see a lot of ladies who lunch and a couple of other father's taking their daughters (or mistresses) to lunch. it was a nice day in laurel heights and the big window at garibaldi's allows for a nice, sunny lunch atmosphere.

we both had the same thing, a chicken blt with salad. i had an anchor steam, d had a stella. it was a really great sandwich, but i can't really speak to the rest of the menu or what it might be like for a night out to dinner. i thought it was pretty expensive, i think the tab was about $40 for two beers and two sandwiches, and it seemed like we were paying more to be eating at garibaldi's than anything else.

our waitress was very friendly and the service was quick. i'd definitely have another lunch date with my dad at this restaurant. i don't know that i'd end up there for any other reason.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: yay!

Pacific Catch

location: 2027 chestnut street (at fillmore), the marina

there are two pacific catch locations in san francisco. the one is in my neighborhood and the original is on 9th & lincoln. the marina location is tiny. as you can maybe tell in the picture i posted it probably holds about 15 people inside and 8 outside (weather permitting). when you dine at this location you're pretty much dining with the parties on either side of you, so it's not very romantic, if that's what you're looking for. it is however, really great. the menu is asian/island influenced seafood. the options are sandwiches, salads, various types of fish & chips, and various rice bowls.

i went for a dinner with d and we started with the shrimp ceviche, the portion was smaller than i expected, admittedly, but it was full of shrimp and and avocado. for dinner i had the california salmon sandwich. the salmon was served with avocado, tomato and a really fresh tasting citrus aioli that really brought the sandwich together, the fresh baked bread is great too. it was complimented by a light coleslaw and fries.

the have a decent wine list and a small bottled beer selection. i had a couple glasses of white to compliment the fish, a glass was $8, pretty typical in the marina.

the service here is fast and friendly, everyone seems to be happy even though they're working in such close quarters. the waiter gave us really nice pours on our wine and some recommendations for ordering from the menu. i ran into someone i knew on the way in and ended up at the table next to his party. we weren't there together but it really felt like it. it's definitely not the kind of restaurant you walk into to have any kind of private conversation.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: okay!

service: yay!

Parilla

location: 1760 polk street (at washington), nob hill

parilla is a really standard mexican food restaurant. when i say there's nothing particularly special about it, that's not a bad thing, but it's true. the food and service are good and the atmosphere is fun. i used to live around the corner so i've been for dinner a few times, it's definitely a place i go back to even though i no longer live in the 'hood. they have really great margaritas and really great queso. the menu is pretty much what you'd find at other semi traditional mexican restaurants in the city. burritos the size of your head, cheap tacos and entrées that come with too much food. i love their tortilla soup and on this outing i had the chicken quesadilla, which is impossible to screw up.

the last time i went we ended up being there on a trivia night (wednesdays, apparently) so we formed a team. m, d and i were the bay street gang, of course. and we actually ended up winning a round! the prize? a pitcher of our choice. that's a pretty good deal.

the service can really vary, as can the drinks. i guess it just depends on how many bodies are in the restaurant and who's behind the bar.

recommendation: go for the happy hour, stay for the trivia.

tastiness: okay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: okay/yay!