San Francisco - Alison Bing [128]
BAR BAMBINO Map Californian, Italian $$
415-741-8466; www.barbambino.com; 2931 16th St; 11am-11pm Tue-Thu, 11am-midnight Fri & Sat, 5-10pm Sun & Mon; 14, 22, 26, 33, 49, 53; 16th St Mission
Rustic Italian fare at communal tables, right off the freeway. The olive-oil tasting is a bit much at $3 to $5 an ounce, but otherwise there’s no denying the appeal of this Southern Italian menu highlighting Californian produce: pasta with Mission figs and pancetta, fresh squash blossoms stuffed with sheep’s milk ricotta, and pine-nut-studded eggplant polpette (meat balls), each for under $15, plus a well-priced, adventurous Italian wine list.
LIBERTY CAFé Map Bakery, Californian $$
415-695-1223; www.thelibertycafe.com; 410 Cortland Ave; lunch Tue-Fri, dinner Tue-Sun, brunch Sat & Sun (bakery), 5:30-9:30pm Thu-Sat (wine bar); 24
Chicken pot pies are still the culinary calling card of Liberty Café, baked to order with fresh, organic ingredients and served piping hot. The cozy Bernal Heights institution isn’t exactly cheap or always mindful of how long customers wait for brunch to arrive, but fresh-baked treats and light meals in the wine cottage still make it a find. No reservations; expect a wait.
MISSION BEACH CAFE Map Californian $$
415-861-0198; www.missionbeachcafesf.com; 198 Guerrero St; 7am-10pm Mon-Thu, 7am-11pm Fri, 9am-11pm Sat, 9am-6pm Sun; 22, 26, 37, 53, J, F
Brunch gets an upgrade to first class, with soufflé pancakes, huevos rancheros (ranch-style eggs) with sustainably raised pulled pork, eggs with caramelized onions and English muffins made by the in-house pastry chef – all whipped up with farm-fresh organic ingredients.
GOAT HILL PIZZA Map Italian $$
415-641-1440; www.goathillpizza.com; 300 Connecticut St; 11:30am-10pm Sun-Thu, to 11pm Fri & Sat; 22
Thin-crust sourdough pizza served with pitchers of Anchor Steam lures hungry crowds uphill from Bottom of the Hill and other downhill bars. When other restaurants are closed on Monday nights, here you can load up on all the pizza you can eat for $10.
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SF’S BEST NONTRADITIONAL DINING VENUES
Roving restaurants: visiting chefs use existing restaurants or cafes to prepare prix-fixe meals, sometimes with a theme, eg foraged foods or winemaker dinners. Downsides: often costs the same as a restaurant, but without advance menus, quality control or assurances of fair working conditions and tax receipts to support city initiatives. Best bets: Radio Africa Kitchen (www.radioafricakitchen.com; Coffee Bar at 1890 Bryant St; dishes $6-9; Tue-Sat evenings), run by chef Eskender Aseged, serves inspired Mediterranean-African small plates with organic, local ingredients; and Kitchenette (Map; www.kitchenettesf.com; 958 Illinois St; meals $9-10; 11:30am-1:30pm Mon-Fri) is a Dogpatch catering company serving mean sandwiches with sustainable Fatted Calf cured meats, and bento boxes.
Food carts: look for mobile carts dishing out surprisingly gourmet goods – curry, crème brÛlée, amuse-bouches, wraps with sustainable rotisserie meats – at farmers markets and in the Mission, and track movements via Twitter @streetfoodsf. Downsides: recent crackdowns have eliminated some unlicensed carts, but look for a prominently displayed permit as your guarantee of proper food preparation, refrigeration, fair working conditions and tax-paying. Best bets: the Tamale Lady at Zeitgeist and Let’s Be Frank hot dogs at the Warming Hut.
Community cooking groups: gourmet dinners taste better when you have a hand in making them with the Bay Area’s passionate foodie community. Downsides: spots fill up fast, sometimes within an hour of an event notification email, so subscribe to the list and act fast. Nonprofit La Cocina ( 415-824-2729; www.lacocinasf.org; 2948 Folsom St) offers culinary and tasting classes, with proceeds providing training and professional kitchen space for low-income culinary entrepreneurs. Cook Here and Now (www.cookhereandnow.com) hosts free, multiculti community cooking events and food/wine pairings based around local, seasonal