Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
13
without cheese, y ou can 't beat
A16
(2355 Chestnut St.;
&
415/771-2216
).
See p. 134. The thin-crust pizzas at
Piz-
zeria Delfina
(3611 18th S t.;
&
415/
437-6800
) include six mouth-watering
standards and two tempting daily spe-
cials—all wor th or dering. S ee p . 146.
For a tr ue-blue slice of American-style
cheesy pizza that kids lo ve,
ZA P izza
(1919 H yde S t.;
&
415/771-3100
)
takes the cake—or , pie, as it w ere. See
p. 141.
•
Best B arbecue:
N o whining and no
deconstructing the barbecue sauce:
•
Best Chinese in Chinato wn:
The
R&G Lounge
gets my nod because of
its authentic and r efreshingly differ ent
menu (631 K earny S t.;
&
415/982-
7877
). See p. 120.
•
Best Chinese N ot in Chinato wn:
In
offering an out-of-Chinato wn choice,
I'm going to make a plug for
Dragon
Well
(2142 Chestnut S t.;
&
415/474-
6888
), which offers Chinese food that
has been “California-iz ed,” with an
emphasis on v ery fr esh, high-quality
ingredients and a lot less gr
ease. S ee
p. 136.
•
Best Dim Sum:
S an Franciscans seem
to be equally divided as to wher e to get
the best dim sum. Many insist it's to be
found at
Ton Kiang
in the Richmond
District (5821 G eary B lvd.;
&
415/
387-8273
). See p. 152. If you just can't
head out that way during your stay, rest
assured. It's a bit mor e expensiv e than
Ton Kiang, but I' m also a big fan of
Yank Sing
(101 Spear St., in the Rincon
Center;
&
415/957-9300
). See p. 124.
To help familiariz e your kids with dim
sum, check out the box “Kids' Guide to
Dim Sum,” below.
•
Best Thai:
By far our fav orite is
Osha
Thai R estaurant
(2033 U nion S t.,
&
415/567-6742
). Just thinking about
their
pad see ew
noodles makes my
mouth water. See p. 137.
•
Best E thnic R estaurant for K ids:
If
the ar ched ceilings, hand-painted Ara-
besque plates, and delectable Moroccan
menu at
Aziza
(5800 G eary B lvd.;
&
415/752-2222
) aren't exotic enough,
head into the back r oom, which is full
of North African-styled sofas and cush-
ions. B etter y et, wait until 7pm on
weekends, when the belly dancer arries.
See p. 149.
•
Best Italian:
For a terrific family meal,
Trattoria Contadina
(1800 Mason St.;
&
415/982-5728
) offers hear ty pastas
and a friendly ma-and-pa atmospher e.
See p. 127. For truly exceptional Italian
you're not in Kansas City , Dorothy. In
San F rancisco, w e think
Memphis
Minnie's
(576 Haight St.;
&
415/864-
7675
) does a fine job of smoking bris-
ket and ribs. The slaw is good, too . See
p. 144.
•
Best Vegetarian:
You can't beat
Greens
(Building A, Fort Mason;
&
415/771-
6222
) for ex cellent meatless cuisine—
not to mention a lo vely, air y dining
room and fabulous vie ws. S ee p . 133.
Greens offers v egan dishes as w ell, but
for those wishing to av oid any animal
products whatsoever,
Millennium
(580
Geary S t.;
&
415/345-3900
) is the
choice. See p. 108. I f that's not ear thy
enough for you, try the all-raw menu at
Café Gratitude
(1336 9th Ave.;
&
415/
683-1346
).
•
Best Bakery:
Tartine
(600 Guerrero St.;
&
415/487-2600
) actually has to adver-
tise when its bread comes out of the oven
(after 4pm, by the way). Otherwise, folks
would be hanging ar ound all day to get
a loaf of walnut br ead, which sells out
immediately. See p. 148.
•
Best C afe:
N ot that kids r eally dig
hanging out at cafes, but our kids (and
plenty of other customers' kids) love the
croissants at
Boulange de P olk
(2310
Polk S t.;
&
415/345-1107
). They
munch happily while parents sip cafe au
lait and people watch from the sidewalk
tables. See p. 140.
1
