I could hardly contain my excitement when I saw an e-mail from Open Table, announcing that reservations are now open for Dine About Town San Francisco. From June 1^st through June 15^th, many of San Francisco’s premier restaurants are offering special prix-fix lunch and dinner menus at an affordable price. Enjoy two-course lunches for only $17.95 and three-course dinners for $34.95. The list of restaurants spans across all of the city’s diverse neighborhoods and features flavors from around the world. This is a great opportunity for both visitors eager for a taste of San Francisco and locals anxious to finally try that restaurant we’ve been drooling over. Book your tables soon–it’s a foodie eat food city out here!

 The top restaurants on my to-dine list are:

 Absinthe Brasserie and Bar

Chapeau

Foreign Cinema

 For more information and a complete listing of participating restaurants and menus, visit www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com/taste/dineabouttown/

 For reservations, visit http://www.opentable.com/promo.aspx?m=4&ref=296&pid=67

www.cinderellabakery.com

There is an art to frying dough. It takes tradition, history, passion and skill to be able to create the simple masterpiece that is a piroshki. Enter Cinderella Russian Bakery & Café. As the oldest Russian bakery in the Bay Area, it prides itself on creating authentic Russian pastries and dishes from old family recipes. Though it’s a tiny bakery with limited seating, the menu serves up a huge selection of goodies. For those who have not had the fortune of biting into a warm, savory piroshki, it is basically fried dough stuffed with stuff. Cinderella offers both meat and vegetarian piroshkis that are equally delicious. Try the beef with gorgonzola or the cabbage—you’ll be licking the grease off your fingers. For those who prefer their pastries sweet, try one of their homemade honey cookies or a freshly baked strudel. Accompany that with a cup of freshly brewed Ritual coffee. For larger appetites, Cinderella has a Café Menu made for take-out only. It features Russian soups, salads, and other specialties such as the Pelmeni (Russian style dumpling filled with meat and topped with sour cream) or a Blinchiki  (Russian style crepe). Unfortunately, this Cinderella has a curfew of 6pm so make your move quickly.   

436 Balboa St (between 5th Ave & 6th Ave)

San Francisco, CA 94118

(415) 751-9690

www.cinderellabakery.com

In the city, there are so many pizzerias to choose from. There are the slightly more upscale ones with pizzas that have innovative new ingredients and then there are the always-great traditional pizzerias. Gialina in Glen Park does not fall into either one of these categories. They serve interesting pizzas, but do not compromise taste for innovation.

We first had the arugula salad with beets and goat cheese, which was very good but you can find salads like that at almost any other restaurant. Then for another appetizer, we ordered the meatballs, which were amazing. They had a little bit of melted mozzarella on top and accented the tomato sauce perfectly!

As for pizzas, both that we ordered were fantastic. The first one that arrived at our table was the asparagus with green garlic, fontina cheese, tarragon, and pancetta. The green garlic was so tasty and the only criticism we had was that we wished that they cut the asparagus into smaller pieces on the pizza. The other pizza we ordered was the lamb sausage with young greens, leeks, goat cheese and yogurt. As a person who loves any sort of savory yogurt on meat, this pizza was excellent.

Another reason this place is so wonderful, is because lining the walls there are charming, old pictures from Italy. Gialina is a great place for wonderful pizza and homey atmosphere. Another plus, they do takeout!

Gialina

2842 Diamond Street
San Francisco, CA 94131
415.239.8500

http://www.gialina.com/

Finding a good Italian spot in North Beach can be quite overwhelming at times. The streets are filled with restaurants one after the next, often with a host or hostess standing outside with a menu, hoping to lure you in. Thankfully, Panta Rei Resturant is here to make the choice a little easier. Nested on a busy street corner, this modern Italian restaurant with its sleek, industrial décor welcomes you to share its passion for traditional cuisine of the Lazio region in Italy. The menu offers an array of fresh pastas, which changes daily. Try the Pappardelle Verdi All’Antra (green fettuccini with duck in pink brandy sauce) or their Tortelloni Verdi (spinach ravioli in mascarpone sauce). For seafood lovers, the Linguini Nere (squid ink linguini with seafood) is served with a generous portion of shellfish over delicious, creamy pasta.  Can’t decide on just one? No worries, their Tre Pasta (three pastas: ravioli, penne, and gnocchi) allows you to sample the versatile handiwork of the chefs. Their extensive wine list features selections from both Italy and California. If you’re having trouble deciding, the staff is more than willing to help you choose the right vino for your palate. Salute! 

Linguini Nere

Panta Rei Restaurant  

431 Columbus Ave (between Green St & Stockton St)

San Francisco, CA 94133

(415) 591-0900

www.pantareirestaurant.com

I hate when restaurants or bars bill themselves as “A little piece of Italy/France/Djibouti Right on your Doorstep!” Lame, cliche, whatever you want to call it. But I’m going to have to use that line. Sorry.

I recently moved to the neighborhood right around USF, and there’s a little bar and grill on the corner of Fulton and Masonic that I had yet to try. I had been walking by pretty much every night on my way home from work and wondering over the scads of Russian-speaking smokers hanging out on the sidewalk and the raucous parties of twelve sharing feasts at the table in the window. The sign says “B and G,” which alternately stands for Beer and Grill, Bar and Grill, or Bistro Gambrinus depending on which of the many handwritten signs you consult. According to their menu, and to wikipedia, Gambrinus was a legendary King of Flanders who was widely considered patron saint of beer and brewing.

I stopped in there solo on Tuesday when I had an hour before LOST and no food in the house. Armed with the New Yorker, I ventured in past the smoking gauntlet and made myself comfortable at the bar. Although I’m not normally a beer drinker, the extensive list begged a taste. I asked the nice barmaid (it’s European, I can call her a bar maid) for something with two qualities: 1. Dark brown in color and 2. a name I couldn’t pronounce. She seemed amused and gave me something Czech and brown on tap that was very good. I settled down with the menu and picked out a couple of things that seemed unique, one being lox canapes and the other “pelmeni,” a traditional Russian ravioli with garlic butter sauce and sour cream.

The ambiance is typical European bar, meaning the proprietors had no particular plan for the decor, in contrast to most other bars in San Francisco which seem to have a predefined “look” and “feel.” Lots of wood and beer brand paraphernalia with about six televisions, mostly playing sports. Insubstantial napkins.

Here, I break into the cliche part. I have traveled extensively in Europe, and a good portion of that was alone. Sitting at the bar drinking a beer I couldn’t pronounce, eating food I’d never had and pretending to read while eavesdropping on conversations in languages I couldn’t understand, I was flashing back to being a pert young backpacker in Europe. It was like a mini-vacation. The food was awesome: ravioli drenched in butter with a side of sour cream? Yes please. The lox canapes came with these strange forest green olives that seemed fresher than your average olive and very tasty.

Although Bistro Gambrinus is right on my corner, I almost don’t want to become a regular. I want to go in there every time as an anonymous traveler and try a new beer and some random Eastern European dish.

Bistro Gambrinus

1813 Fulton St. (at Masonic)

San Francisco, CA 94117

415. 221. 7777

http://www.beerandgrill.com/

San Franciscans are forever in search of the cool new thing that nobody else has ever heard of, whether it be a restaurant, a bar, or Heavy Metal Aerobics Class . And although this has actually already appeared in the New York Times, I think it bears mentioning again because it’s so freaking awesome.

You see, there are stringent rules here in San Francisco about what constitutes a commercial kitchen ($$$!) and requirements you have to fill to be able to sell food of any kind. Mix that with a bunch of foodies who like to do things a little differently (read: everyone who lives in SF) and you’ll get a little chafing.

Enter the San Francisco Underground Farmers Market. They’re about to have it for the fourth time in as many months, and each month they’ve had to move to a bigger venue. The next one is next Friday, April 16, from 5pm-11pm, location TBD. Taste and buy homemade sasparilla, cupcakes, sauerkraut, foraged mushrooms and berries, kombucha, jam and kettlecorn.

The way around the authorities (who are well aware of this event) is signing up before hand here. Then you’re on the list,  just attending a private party with some friends and some food. Bon Appetit.

www.enjoyveggies.com

For those vegetarians out there who miss the taste and look of meat on their plate, you can now enjoy delicious imitations to satisfy that meaty nostalgia. Enjoy Vegetarian Restaurant is a Buddhist Chinese restaurant that features all your favorite Chinese dishes—beef and broccoli, Kung Pao chicken, won ton soup—in its vegetarian form. The imitation meat is made of soy products, yam or wheat gluten. Under Buddhist practice, they don’t use any garlic, onion, eggs, or diary in their dishes. Despite these restrictions, they still manage to create the distinct flavors of Chinese cuisine. The menu has 125 dishes (some with pictures) for you to select from. The Veggie Tri-Spice Chicken comes in a clay pot packed full of veggies and pretty convincing pieces of “chicken.” The Black Pepper Steak arrives on a bed of tender spinach, looking almost like its actual counterpart. Try the Spinach and Pine Nut Fried Rice to add a little crunch to your meal. They also have vegan ice cream for dessert. Their Lunch Special includes an entrée with a side of rice, soup, and a spring roll for only $7.50—perfect for those working in the Financial District. Go ahead, enjoy!

 Enjoy Vegetarian Restaurant

839 Kearny St (at Washington St)

San Francisco, CA 94108

(415) 956-7868

www.enjoyveggie.com

Other locations: 754 Kirkham St

Yes, many of you may think that I am just being crafty with the title of this review, but actually this is the apt name of a chicken restaurant in the Mission. Good Frikin’ Chicken is a non-assuming corner Mediterranean restaurant right on the border of Bernal Heights and Mission Terrace.

Like all great Mediterranean take out places, they have the standard rotating shawarma. What makes Good Frikin’ Chicken, that much more good frikin’ is their whole open flame chicken. The chicken was tender and well seasoned with garlic and herbs and a crispy skin. In addition to the chicken, the dinner special is accompanied by olive oil pita (coated with zatar and other spices), which goes very well with the chicken and costs $10.50. I went to the take out portion of the restaurant and they had out meal ready within five minutes! I was truly astonished at the taste of the chicken and the speedy service.

If you crave exceptionally tasty and garlicky chicken, Good Frikin’ Chicken will surely convince you that the restaurant deserves the name.

Good Frikin’ Chicken

10 29th Street (Corner of Mission and 29th)

San Francisco, CA 94110

Phone: (415) 970-2428

http://www.gfcsf.com/

I don’t frequently get all hot and bothered about new Italian restaurants – spaghetti, lasagna, caprese. Yummy, but boring. Through no decision of my own (thank you, oh wise fiance,) I ended up at Farina in the Mission for dinner. The light and open space is filled with white tile, smooth wood, and chrome.  We started out with focaccia topped with pancetta and fresh mozzarella, which was a great mixture of tastes and textures. Great wine list, fresh pasta – I had the “testaroli,”  which are these floppy sort of napkin-shaped noodles with pesto. They also have a lovely event room upstairs with a deck. Oh, and a fancy-shmancy green bathroom that reminded me of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz.

Farina

3560 18th St. (at Dearborn)

San Francisco, CA 94110

phone: (415) 565-0360

www.farina-foods.com

Wasabi PLANT Burger

Forget any images you may have of a vegetarian restaurant, serving you carrot shavings with a side of pretension. The Plant Organic Café offers affordable and hearty meals aimed to show just how delicious being healthy can be. Its mission is to serve fresh, local, organic vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free dishes that will turn any die-hard carnivore (myself included) into a plant-loving patron. The vegan Wasabi Burger made of lentils, mushrooms, beets, cashews, and bulgur wheat topped with sauerkraut and wasabi aioli is the perfect combination of tart and heat. It comes with a side of fresh salad with champagne vinaigrette. For those tired of the veggie burger option, try the Tempeh Rueben sandwich or the Quinoa Bowl with veggies and ginger miso sauce. If nothing on their menu strikes your fancy, be your own chef and build a salad from a wide selection of vegetables, fruits, and dressings. Wash it down with a glass of refreshing Fennel Apple juice or one of their vitamin-packed smoothies. They also feature a tasty brunch menu on the weekends.

Plant Organic Café

3352 Steiner St (between Lombard St & United States Highway 101)

San Francisco, CA 94123

(415) 931-2777

www.theplantcafe.com

Other locations: 101 California; Embarcadero, Pier 3