Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
of the food shows it. So is another vow: “No frills.” You BYOB and order at
the kitchen, which is demarked from the dining room by mobile counters, and
then sit; food arrives literally steaming hot. It's hard to tell in which decade,
or century, the fluorescent-light decor was first installed, but there's no doubt
the food is fresh, and at $7 a plate, it's one of the best values in town. If you
require matching plates, look elsewhere, but if you like good Indian, you won't be
disappointed.
Secrets to Saving on Gourmet Meals
If you want to sample the fancy foods that get the national magazines
buzzing, try these tactics at your chosen four-star joint:
u
Go at lunch.
Take the
Slanted Door
(p. 69), one of the city's most
popular gourmet experiences. Compared to dinner, where the dollar
rate for a meal will hit you for three digits, rates plummet to around
$10 a plate at lunchtime. Unfortunately, some of the city's most
newsworthy chefs don't open for lunch—they use the time to prepare
to charge $100-plus for dinner—so make sure to call ahead to check.
u
Go vegetarian.
Especially when your restaurant is stocking Niman
Ranch naturally raised beef or meat with a similarly upscale prove-
nance, you'll find that cutting out the protein for a single meal will
jack the price way down.
u
Go with small plates.
To your advantage, one of the recent trends in
city cuisine is small-plate dining, in which great effort is put into cre-
ating inventive and sophisticated appetizer-size portions meant for
sharing. Depending on your hunger, you might be satisfied with a
selection of these tapas, which are served in smaller portions than full
entrees but are also less expensive. Try chef Gerald Hirigoyen's ever-
changing Basque dishes at
Piperade
(1015 Battery St., at Union;
%
415/391-2555; www.piperade.com; Mon-Sat 5:30pm-10pm; MC,
V);
the international flavors at the celeb-scene
Andalu
(3198 16th
St., at Guerrero;
%
415/621-5844; www.andalusf.com; Mon-Fri
5:30pm-10:30pm, Sat-Sun 10:30am-2:30pm and 5:30pm-10:30pm;
MC, V);
the Spanish-styled ones at cozy
Bocadillos
(710 Montgomery
St., at Washington;
%
415/982-2622; www.bocasf.com; Mon-Fri
7pm-10pm, Sat 5:30pm-10pm; MC, V)
in the Financial District; the
Spanish dishes at
Laïola
(p. 74); or the bold Mediterranean plates
at
Cortez
(in the Hotel Adagio, 550 Geary St., at Jones;
%
415/
292-6360; www.cortezrestaurant.com; reservations recommended;
daily 5:30-10:30pm; MC, V).
Just don't be tempted to order one
of these places' spendy entrees—this savings tip will fall apart if
you do.
