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!

Bistro Aix

 

location: 3340 steiner street (at chestnut), the marina

time of day: friday night dinner

i ate: spinach & beet salad (8.5), brussel sprouts (8), dungenesss crab pasta (22), fresh fruit sorbet (complimentary)

bistro aix is a hidden gem in the marina. it's lesser known than some of the big names on chestnut but it's just as good, if not better. the service is fantastic. the food is delicious - made with fresh and local ingredients. the ambiance is perfect for a date night, dinner with the fam (my experience) or a fun girls night out, so really, it's the perfect go to spot. they serve beer and wine only but have a great selection. 

make a reservation, the restaurant tends to fill up nightly. also, don't just this place by it's website. i can't for the life of me understand why they have such an outdated and boring site.

tastiness: yay!

food vs. price: yay!

service: yay!

Farmer Brown

location: 25 mason (where mason & turk meet market), tenderloin
time of day: weeknight
i ate: seafood gumbo ($5 cup), fried chicken ($17.95), the recession - shot of jack & a pbr ($6), cornbread (complimentary)

i've never been to the south but i know i wouldn't ever leave if the food is this good all the time. i loved my farmer brown dinner. the cornbread is maybe the best i've ever had - with little pieces of corn in it! the fried chicken was juicy and the fried skin was so good. i've heard that they have a great brunch with chicken and waffles, but i haven't been. i say check it out any of time day, you'll leave satisfied!

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

Zuni Cafe

location: 1658 market (between franklin & gough), hayes valley
time of day: black friday lunch
i ate: arugula salad ($8.75), shoestring potatoes ($6), hamburger ($15)

some might saying paying $15 for a hamburger is outrageous, and those people would be right, unless they had the burger at zuni cafe. it comes on a perfect fresh piece of focaccia bread with housemade pickles & aioli, and picked onions. it is near burger perfection. i don't eat a lot of meat, hamburger in particular, but this is grass-fed beef and was cooked to perfection. i also had a great glass of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, delicious. for a day when people were out en mass, we had no wait at this normally pretty busy restaurant.

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

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!

Nopa

location: 560 divisadaro (at hayes), western addition

time of day: weeknight dinner

i ate: Baked Goat Cheese, Pickled Beets, Frisée and Crostini ($11), Baked Giant White Beans, Feta, Oregano and Breadcrumbs ($9), Rotisserie Herbed Chicken, Toasted Farro, Delicata Squash, Feta and Pomegranate ($19)

i sat at the bar while i waited for my friends to join me for dinner at nopa. the keg just tapped out of the beer that i wanted so i was offered a complimentary beer while i waited for the change. great first impression of a restaurant! when we sat down to our table we were offered a complimentary appetizer that the chef was trying out that night. score again! my overall experience at nopa was great. we made a reservation pretty far in advance, which seemed necessary, even mid-week the place was packed. 

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

Delarosa

location: 2175 chestnut (between pierce & steiner), the marina

time of day: post work cocktail and dinner

i ate: marinated olives with fennel ($5), arugula & fennel salad ($10), burrata bruschetta ($7), broccolini & pancetta pizza ($14)

delarosa is a perfect spot for lunch. i've been a handful of times, at various times of the day, and it's best at lunch. that being said, everything i've had there has been fantastic. it's a great menu for sharing. if you try to go for dinner, you're sure to wait, but if you go for lunch you'll usually get seated quickly. the other trick to avoiding the wait (which can be long) is snagging a seat at the bar. on this trip to delarosa i did end up eating at the bar and the service was just as great as a table seat, plus i had a bartender making me drinks based on my likes and dislikes, which is always awesome. if you end up getting seated, it's communal style inside and outside, so be prepared to sit in close quarters with a stranger and learn to love it.

tastiness: yay!

food vs price: yay!

serivce; yay!