Exclusive | San Francisco: Where to Eat Part Three

UNION SQUARE/FINANCIAL DISTRICT
Dottie's True Blue Café (522 Jones St; 415-885-2767; $6-13) is the place for hearty country breakfasts for big gals and guys. Several blocks away, more or less in the Tenderloin, is the lesbian-run Brenda?s French Soul Food (652 Polk St; 415-345-8100), a top-notch breakfast joint with a Louisiana flourish.

Grand Caf? (at the Hotel Monaco, 501 Geary St; 415/292-0101, $19-50) serves contemporary French California cuisine in an architecturally restored, turn-of-the-century ballroom with 30-foot high ceilings. The polenta souffl? is delicious. The otherwise mainstream restaurant is popular with the theater-going crowd and you'll always find a table or two full of gays and lesbians. The Eastern & Oriental Trading Company's (314 Sutter St; 415/693-0303; $10-15) small plates are infused with the tastes of Southeast Asia. The tropical cocktails and island idyll d?cor will make you want to don your white linen suit and Panama hat.

Emporio Armani (1 Grant Ave; 415-677-9010; $15-20) serves an excellent lunch at their in-store restaurant-bar. Scala's Bistro (432 Powell St; 415-395-8555; $12-34) offers more of a dining experience. It is situated adjacent to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, in a dramatic Old World café atmosphere that is comfortable and elegant.

Grand Café (at the Hotel Monaco, 501 Geary St; 415-292-0101, $22-36) serves contemporary French California cuisine in a restored, turn-of-the-century ballroom with 30-foot high ceilings. The otherwise mainstream restaurant is popular with the theater-going crowd and you'll always find a queer table or two. The Eastern & Oriental Trading Company's (314 Sutter St; 415-693-0303; $16-25) small plates are infused with the tastes of Southeast Asia. The tropical cocktails and island idyll décor will make you want to don your white linen suit and Panama hat.

There's a cluster of excellent restaurants on Belden Place, between the Financial District and Union Square. The street is pedestrianized with scads of outside seating; it?s perfect for lunch or dinner on a rare warm evening. Café Bastille (22 Belden Pl; 415-986-5673; $15-28) features classic brasserie fare, such as crêpes, mussels, and salads.

Plouf (40 Belden Pl; 415-986-6491; $25-35), whose onomatopoetic name implies the sound of a stone dropping in water, appropriately offers a broad range of excellent seafood dishes. B-44 (44 Belden Pl; 415-986-6287; $20-30) dishes up Catalan tapas and paellas. Get the cod cheeks. Trust us!

Tiramisù (28 Belden Pl; 415-421-7044; $15-42) serves excellent Italian traditional food with a northern Italian focus. Just a half-block away, Café Claude (7 Claude Lane; 415-392-3515; $10-23) is our favorite bistro in the city, with a zinc bar and a limited menu of expertly prepared French fare. The salads, cheeses, and other small plates really shine here. Café Claude also has outdoor seating in the alley, closed off to traffic.

San Francisco has a number of upscale favorites that keep locals and return visitors coming back time and time again. Boulevard (1 Mission St ; 415-543-6084; $29-43) offers great views, a great bar, and fabulous food by chef Nancy Oakes, well known for her creative California cuisine. Masa's (648 Bush St, in the Vintage Court Hotel; 415-989-7154; six-course tasting menu: $100, nine-course menu $150) is still considered the best California-French restaurant in town with excellent service and elegant food in a thoroughly simple setting.

Postrio (545 Post St; 415-776-7825; $25-36) is as notable for its stunning décor as for its Wolfgang Puck menu. Postrio's brunch ($8-18) is better, overall, than dinner, which seems to vary in quality from night to night.

Aqua (252 California St; 415-956-9662; tasting menu $150) is the premier restaurant in the financial district, known for its superb seafood entrées and impeccable service. At the Palomar Hotel, Fifth Floor (12 Fourth St; 415-348-1555; $24-45) is one of downtown's hottest restaurants, under the direction of Executive Chef Jennie Lorenzo.

The French-Chinese fusion at Tommy Toy's (655 Montgomery St; 415-397-4888; four-course prix-fixe $48) offers visitors a taste of Asia quite a bit different than what's on offer at more traditional Chinatown eateries. This ain't your granny's Chinese restaurant! Located in the heart of the financial district, Tommy Toy?s is an outpost of sophistication. Polite young hostesses in traditional dress warmly greet new guests. The occasional wait is agreeably spent in the convivial bar/waiting area with attentive barkeep, patrons chattering in Chinese, and occasional fried wontons handed out by the friendly wait staff. The hallway sports a few dozen photographs of the legendary owner, Tommy Toy, with an eye-popping array of important artists, politicians and celebrities.

Bring a hearty appetite to Asia de Cuba (Clift Hotel; 495 Geary St; 415-929-2300; $22-79). Served family style, with plates brought out when they are ready, menu items are enormous and meld unexpected ingredients (vanilla bean and spiced rum-glazed lobster wontons, anyone?). For a pair of hungry diners, two appetizers, one entrée, and a side dish is ample. Request a table away from the breezy main entrance. It almost goes without saying that Asia de Cuba is gay friendly, but it's a strikingly popular place for gay couples and friends.

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six

Part Seven

San Francisco: Introduction
San Francisco: Where to Stay
San Francisco: Where to Play/Meet
San Francisco: What to See & Do
San Francisco: Where to Shop
San Francisco: Resources