Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and service is quick enough to shuttle guests through in time for the curtain at
Beach Blanket Babylon
a few doors down.
$$$$
If you want to get lucky, take your date to snug, burgundy-red
Da
Flora
55
(701 Columbus Ave., at Filbert;
%
415/981
-
4664; Tues-Sat 6-9:30pm;
MC, V),
a Venetian-Italian restaurant owned by a female (Flora, the Hungarian
owner) and where a female chef is handling the pans—together, these ladies know
how to unlock the romanticism. The handwritten menu changes often, especially
seasonally, and the list of Italian wines (again, curated by Flora, who knows her
stuff ) is distinguished by unusual selections. Quiet, calm, and dim, it serves some
excellent classics: sweet potato gnocchi is a standout, and the salty-fluffy focaccia
is made daily. The pork chops are massive, but my favorite dish is a dessert: a
lemon pistachio cake that mostly consists of actual crushed nuts. It's not a defi-
nite money-saver—a full meal could hit you for $50—but in North Beach, where
truly tasty Italian is not that easy to find anymore, it's worth savoring, and it
makes for a very “local” special-occasion selection. And after all, lots of folks come
to San Francisco for romantic getaways, and this place is the tonic.
$$$-$$$$
Small, cramped, and absolutely requiring reservations, the Asian-
fusion cuisine of
The House
555
(1230 Grant Ave., at Broadway;
%
415/986
-
8612; www.thehse.com; Sun-Thurs 11am-2:30pm and 5:30-10pm, Fri-Sat
11am-2:30pm and 5:30-11pm; MC, V)
takes a little advance planning to obtain,
but The House is nonetheless a favorite place to eat for many locals, even if they
can only afford to go on for celebrations or for lunch. I guess that's my tip here:
Go for that meal, and you'll pay around $12 for what would cost twice that at
twilight. If you really want to dine here after dark, expect to pay about $35 per
person with drinks. The menu is just long enough to promise uniformly inven-
tive dishes, all twists on Asian food, such as flank steak with wasabi noodles and
pomegranate-currant pork chops—that sort of cleverness. The grilled sea bass is
considered to be one of its signature dishes, but I can honestly say that I've never
had anything here that wasn't delicious.
FISHERMAN'S WHARF
The base of Pier 45 hosts several competing seafood restaurants as well as fresh
and fried fish and crab at booths out front. Just compare the day's catch and prices
of Fisherman's Grotto
9
by walking along the short, steaming run of establish-
ments—even most locals agree that because of the vagaries of the day's catch, and
the fact that the stalls' deep-frying methods level the playing field, there's no one
booth that you simply
must
visit. The major players include Tarantino's,
Guardino's, Nick's Lighthouse, and Sabella & La Torre. Bring cash, and be very
alert for the seagulls, which are aggressive . . . and incontinent. In the beginning
of the year, when they're in season, the big score is Dungeness crab. Whole crabs
go for about $10 a pound.
But be aware that if you sit down at the indoor dining rooms, you'll rest your
feet but you'll also pay tourist prices.
Many locals feel that the better seafood in town is to be had a bus ride away
at the Swan Oyster Depot (p. 84). Don't forget that the San Francisco map is
crowded, so the restaurants of North Beach, listed a few pages back, are also a
10- to 15-minute walk southeast.
