Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
4
Dining for
All Tastes
This town knows food—and now you'll know
some of its best value secrets
S
AN FRANCISCO IS A FOODIE TOWN
.
THE PEOPLE HERE CARE ABOUT
cooking styles, quality, provenance, and the nuances of flavors. Whereas experi-
enced diners on America's East Coast might rave about the execution of the chef,
diners in San Francisco are just as likely to praise the high quality of the ingredi-
ents themselves, many of which will come from the wealth of the farms in the
region. The famous California Cuisine trend—local ingredients, prepared fusion-
style with an elegant, artistic presentation—was started by chef Alice Waters across
the Bay in Berkeley, and its careful blend of experimentation and exclusive prove-
nance is now dominant across the entire dining scene. But it's never been known
as a cheap style. Something about arty food seems to command yuppie prices.
You don't have to press against your credit limit, though, to partake in San
Francisco's ongoing feast. The city is awash with a changing landscape of little
come-and-go restaurants where young chefs try to make their names with assidu-
ously selected and prepared dishes, and each neighborhood contains at least one
hole in the wall that the glossy cooking magazine may ignore but about which
locals are intensely possessive. In the Mission, the dish of choice is mighty,
weighty burritos. In North Beach, you're more likely to come across Italian or
fresh-baked goods. Fisherman's Wharf, of course, is where to find the day's catch.
I'll introduce you to many of the smaller, local, often ethnic places where you can
eat a full meal for less (often far less) than $20. And these places care deeply about
their food—they just aren't all that precious about it. I've also dug up some ideas
Click & Chew
Bay Area residents love their food, but they also love the Internet, and there are
a number of sites where locals regularly post reviews of pretty much every restau-
rant in town in an apparent effort to prove they know their stuff. The sheer vol-
ume of postings, high for any city, means that it's easy to make a judgment call
about a prospective place based on the accumulation of opinions. Some establish-
ments have been known to plant a few raves about themselves (and rivals plant
pans), but if you take the average of the comments, you'll probably get a fair con-
cept of the true quality of the place. Check out the restaurant news blog
Eater
(http://st.eater.com)
and the reader review site
Chowhound
(www.chowhound.
com)
. The busiest of the bunch is
Yelp
(www.yelp.com)
.
