Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(about $10) by way of France and Italy. Like many young chefs, she uses the menu
as a proving ground for whatever seasonal ingredients spark her imagination, but
past dishes have included tuna tartare with waffle chips and a quail egg, and
grilled hearts of romaine with Fuji apples and a champagne vinaigrette. Miner,
who loves using her truffle oil, isn't above a little careful pandering, either, as
proved by her slider burgers with onion and fries and her well-used cocktail menu.
Despite a sleek, gray, upscale atmosphere that's completely at odds with the gritty
Haight, there's not an attitude from the staff. And there's the usual early-bird
(Tues-Sat 5:30-7pm)
prix fixe
that serves three courses for $28.
THE CASTRO
Most of the choices around the Castro lean toward all-American fare like burgers,
pizza, comfort food, and beer. You're more likely to find an amiable hangout than
an establishment where the waiters dash around with white linen over their arms.
$-$$
The high-energy
Lime
(2247 Market St., near 16th;
%
415/621
-
5256;
www.lime-sf.com; Sun-Thurs 5pm-midnight, Fri-Sat 5pm-1am; AE, MC, V)
is
known for three things. One is its innovative/retro shared-plate dishes, mostly $5
to $10, such as mini-burgers, deviled eggs, and
Buddha's cups
(lovely finger-food
blends of avocado, ginger, peanuts, shallots, and soy-miso dressing). Another is its
Saturday and Sunday brunch, packed with trendy gay folk from the Castro and
lubricated with all-you-can-drink mimosas ($7—yes, all you can drink). And
third would be its prickly
Jetsons
-like decor, sure to impart a super-cool Eurotrash
sense of self to even the most jaded visitor. Sit in the rear if you need a backing to
your chair, otherwise, you'll be on a stool. If you show up late in the evening,
when crowds arrive and the lights start twittering, you'll be forgiven if you con-
fuse the place with a flashy nightclub.
$$
Popular for its soothing, satisfying seasonal menu, the casual and comfort-
able
Chow
55
9
(215 Church St., at Market;
%
415/552
-
2469; www.chowfood
bar.com; daily 8am-11pm; AE, MC, V)
shoots to re-create home cooking, with a
few modern Asian favorites thrown in for diversity. The changing daily sandwich
comes with salad, fries, or soup for $10, there's a selection of wood-baked dishes
($10-$14; an oven sizzles away through an open wall in the kitchen), and for
dessert, there's a cream pie of the day on offer, about $6. (Don't ya love it?)
Thoughtfully (and unusually in town), there's a kids' menu, and what's more, just
about everything is available in two or three varying portion sizes, making Chow
a smart pick to satisfy the hunger of a varied group. All of this goes down within
view of the intersection of Market and Church, and watching trams load and
unload makes a meal worth lingering over. Happily, beer is served on tap.
$$$
Across the intersection, dinners-only
Home
5
(2100 Market St., at Church;
%
415/503
-
0333; www.home-sf.com; daily 5pm-midnight; MC, V)
is for those
folks who find meatloaf sexy, because the down-home food is served in a dimly lit
environment suited to date night. Portions are huge and free soda refills keep on
flowing. Home doesn't have the alienating utilitarianism of a diner, although the
dishes, which change regularly, are generally interpretations of familiar classics:
meatloaf with brown-sugar carrots and potato puree ($14), duck spring rolls with
