Gialina Pizzeria

Gialina is a favorite San Francisco pizzeria.  Second to Pizzetta 211 actually!  If you're craving a good pie, you can't beat either of these.

Foreign Cinema

Foreign Cinema is our favorite brunch in town and here's why: (a) a solid state "something different" menu to escape the same old, same old overcooked eggs, bacon and pancakes, (b) a gorgeous outdoor back patio with plenty of heat lamps if that pesky san francisco sun is hiding in the fog, (c) realistic serving portions and (d) pleasant, professional staff!  Be sure to order a pop-tart before they sell out.  Dinner is equally good, but Foreign Cinema brunch is definitely special.

Restaurants to Check!

Here is a list of restaurants we've recently heard about that we want to check out at some point:

Lolo

Maverick

Orson

Waterbar

Epic Roasthouse

SPQR

Monk's Kettle 

Mission Beach Cafe

Farina

Bar Bambino

Spork

Minako

Conduit

Kokkari Estiatorio

Salt House

Perbacco

Bouchon

More to include in the blog:

Slanted Door

Michael Minna

Greens Restaurant

Aqua

Gary Denko's

Boulevard

Zuni

Coi

Nopa

Located in the re-branded neighborhood of it's namesake, Nopa is a delicious treat for the classy urban hipster. We've only been a couple of times, but that's just due to the combination of Nopa's popularity and our own tendency to shirk off advance reservations. The meals are hearty and satisfying with a balanced selection of entrees. Be prepared to doggie bag about half of the flatbread appetizer if there's just two of you. And.. if you're not ashamed to say you are tired of local wine country menu selections, then you'll probably be happy to find Nopa's wine list is pretty "Euro."

Firefly

Ahhhh.. Firefly! This is our personal favorite restaurant in the city. We feel it captures the best of a small San Francisco neighborhood restaurant with excellent food, yummy wines, pleasant staff, warm atmosphere and reasonable prices. It's the kind of place you look forward to going whether you are celebrating a special moment, or just need to return to your "happy place" after a long day. Firefly captures the charm of childhood nostalgia paired with an adult's refined taste. A small but well appointed menu that offers a few staple dishes we have come to love, along with enough variation to keep you coming back. Firefly meals get your palate in sync with the season with things like root vegetable dishes in the winter and green beans and tomatoes in the summer. The menu usually has "one of everything" - a fish, steak, pork, chicken and vegetarian dish, each one as well prepared as the other, and each one with fulfilling sides. Be sure to leave room for the potstickers beforehand and the pot de creme afterward if it's on the menu. Desserts are particularly good here! And for those lighting and ambience snobs, Firefly couldn't be more than a flicker away from perfection.

Serpentine

A favorite in the Dog Patch area just south of the SOMA district. A great place for lunch or dinner. (Check out Yield Wine Bar across the street for pre or post dinner drinks!) A lovingly small menu full of utterly reliable dishes with some seasonal variations. The Half Chicken, however it's being dressed, and the flatiron steak are our favorites. We're not in love with the wine menu, but you'll still find a decent glass of grape juice to go with your meal and the overall charm of the place and friendly staff make it a favorite! Check out the online menu for more info Serpentine

Welcome!

Chad and I were talking about how great it would be to have a central reference point of San Francisco based recommendations for restaurants and city highlights (events, shopping, sights, etc.) We figured it would be great to refer guests to, and a great way to keep track for ourselves. Please feel free so share your own thoughts and personal favorites!