San Francisco - Alison Bing [122]
GOLDEN STAR Map Vietnamese $
415-398-1215; 11 Walter Lum Pl; 10am-9pm; 1, 9, 30, 45
Elementary school cafeterias could outclass the Golden Star for atmosphere – but if you know pho, you know this is the place to go. Five-spice chicken pho is the house specialty that warms the bones on a foggy day, but on a hot day, branch out and get the bun (rice vermicelli) topped with thinly sliced grilled beef, imperial rolls, mint and ground peanuts. Except in understandable cases of extreme noodle gluttony, your bill will be under $8.
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NORTH BEACH
When choosing an Italian restaurant in North Beach, use this rule of thumb: if a host has to lure you in with ‘Ciao bella!’ on the sidewalk, keep walking. Try smaller neighborhood Italian American restaurants on side streets off Grant Ave and Washington St, where staff are gossiping in Italian. Whether you’re after pasta and Chianti or something with a lighter Cal-Med twist, you’ll find it here, with heartfelt welcomes and reluctant goodbyes.
CAFé JACQUELINE Map French $$$
415-981-5565; 1454 Grant Ave; 5:30-11pm Wed-Sun; 20, 30, 39, 41, 45, 91
The secret terror of top chefs is the classic French soufflé: only when the ingredients are in golden-mean proportions, whipped into perfect peaks, baked at the right temperature and removed from the oven not a second too early or late will a soufflé rise to the occasion. Chef Jacqueline’s soufflés float across the tongue like the fog over the Golden Gate Bridge, and with the right person across the tiny wooden table to share that seafood soufflé, dinner could hardly get more romantic – until you order the chocolate for dessert.
RISTORANTE IDEALE Map Italian $$
415-391-4129; 1309 Grant Ave; dinner; 15, 30, 41, 45
Italian regulars are stunned that a restaurant this authentic borders the Pacific, with bucatini ammatriciana (Roman tube pasta with savory tomato-pancetta-pecorino sauce) served properly al dente, creamy seafood risotto made with superior Canaroli rice, and a well-priced selection of robust Italian wines, served by wisecracking Tuscan waitstaff and a Roman chef. The portions are lavishly American, but seafood and meat preparations remain strictly Italian to highlight flavors released in cooking – unlike North Beach’s many goat-cheese-and-sundried-tomato-pesto-on-everything imposters.
CINECITTÁ Map Pizza $
415-291-8830; 663 Union St; 11am-10pm Sun-Thu, to midnight Fri & Sat; 15, 30, 41, 45; Powell-Mason;
That tantalizing aroma you followed from down the block into this 18-seat eatery is thin-crust Roman pizza, probably the crowd-pleasing Capricciosa: artichoke hearts, olives, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and egg. Vegetarians prefer Funghi Selvatici, with wild mushrooms, zucchini and sundried tomato, but that saliva-prompting aroma escaping the wood-fired oven is the ever-popular Travestere (fresh mozzarella, arugula and prosciutto), served with sass and a generous pint of draft Anchor Steam by Roman owner Romina. Save room for housemade tiramisu, hands down the best in North Beach.
MOLINARI Map Italian, Deli $
415-421-2337; 373 Columbus Ave; 9am-5:30pm Mon-Sat; 15, 30, 41, 45
Grab a number and a crusty roll, and when your number rolls around, the guys behind the counter will stuff it with translucent sheets of prosciutto di Parma, milky buffalo mozzarella, tender marinated artichokes or slabs of the legendary house-cured salami (the city’s best). While you wait, load up on essential Italian groceries for later, like truffle-filled gnocchi, seasoned pecorino (sheep’s cheese) and aged balsamic vinegar.
BAONECCI Map Sandwiches, Bakery $
415-989-1806; www.caffebaonecci.com; 516 Green St; 9am-5pm Tue-Sun; 20, 30, 39, 41, 45, 91
Recharge for the Coit Tower climb with panini turbo-loaded with bold Southern Italian flavors on house-baked ciabatta or focaccia. Tastebuds