Frommer's San Francisco 2012 - Matthew Poole [80]
399 Embarcadero (at Harrison St.). 415/284-9922. www.waterbarsf.com. Reservations recommended. Main courses $29–$36. AE, DISC, MC, V. Daily 11:30am–2pm and 5:30–10pm. Valet parking $15 lunch, $10 dinner. Bus: 1, 12, 14, or 41. Streetcar: F. BART: Embarcadero.
Expensive
Chez Papa Resto ★★ FRENCH When the folks behind Potrero Hill’s popular Chez Papa announced they were going to open a new, swankier edition in the rehabbed Mint Plaza (a former homeless alley), more than a few skeptics took bets on their demise. Turns out, they needn’t have worried. The stellar Provençal cuisine and impeccable wine service at Chez Papa Resto have enough star power to outshine any grittiness that might have lingered. Anyone finding themselves peckish in the vicinity of the Westfield Mall should definitely make a beeline here and settle into a bench table by the windows. Highlights on a recent lunch menu included, well, everything. But if I had to choose, I’d go for the smoked trout with potato salad and caper berries; the Alaskan black cod with oyster mushrooms, melted leeks, and black truffle emulsion; and the duck leg confit with lentils (get it with a glass of Châteauneuf du Pape, Domaine la Roquète). Afterwards, stroll around the pedestrian plaza and into Blue Bottle Café, where coffee is elevated to an art form. (Order the Gibraltar—it’s not on the menu. You can thank me later.)
4 Mint Plaza (at Fifth St.). 415/546-4134. www.chezpaparesto.com. Dinner reservations recommended. Main courses $19–$33. AE, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Fri 11:30am–2:30pm; Sat 11:30am–3pm; Mon–Thurs 5:30–10pm; Fri–Sat 5:30–11pm. Bus: 15, 30, or 45. Streetcar: J, K, L, or M.
MoMo’s AMERICAN With an abundance of patio seating, a huge swank-yet-casual dining room, and proximity to AT&T Park baseball stadium, festive MoMo’s hits a home run if you’re headed to a Giants game, but is not a destination in itself. Crowds of upscale sports fans make this a fun place to hang out on the patio and chow down on greasy-good thin-sliced onion rings, refreshing seared ahi salad, thin-crust pizza, and awesome burgers. Come sundown, there are dozens of other restaurants where I’d prefer to spend my money, but singles appreciate the bar scene. Happy hour is hopping Monday through Friday in the baseball off season—especially when it’s sunny. If you’re headed here on a game day, make a reservation or arrive early, because party people form a line around the block to get in, and it’s no fun trying to eat standing at the bar or wrestling for one of the coveted patio tables.
760 Second St. (at King St.). 415/227-8660. www.sfmomos.com. Reservations recommended. Main courses $12–$39. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Sun–Wed 11:30am–9pm; Thurs–Sat 11:30am–10pm. Valet parking $8 lunch, $11 dinner, $20 game hours. Bus: 15, 30, 45, or 80x. Streetcar: F or N.
Twenty Five Lusk ★★ AMERICAN This well-hidden new restaurant down the street from the ballpark hadn’t even been open a month before it became difficult to snag a table without a reservation. And that’s not for lack of space: There’s a large mezzanine dining room overlooking a lounge area below full of places to lounge clustered around Space Age fireplaces—Twenty Five Lusk looks more like it would fit in the LA dining scene than San Francisco. Take a seat on the top level and get to ordering. Start with the asparagus risotto or the steamboat oysters with black radish, cucumber, caviar, micro celery, and lime mignonette. The roasted quail entrée with wild arugula, nicoise olives, prosciutto, and rhubarb sauce is divine, as is the cod