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Anchor & Hope, from the team that brought us Salt House and Town Hall, docks downtown.

If you're opening a restaurant, one of the most important pieces of the puzzle is tapping into what diners want. Sounds obvious, but satisfying the desires of the fickle masses is no mean feat. Front-of-the-house man Doug Washington and chefs (and brothers) Mitchell and Steve Rosenthal have nailed it thus far: Their first restaurants, Town Hall and Salt House, remain two of the city's most beloved, owing to approachable menus that have such duh-it's-delicious dishes as fried chicken, braised short ribs and crispy shrimp.

Glen Park's emerged into a destination neighborhood with high-end markets and great pizza.Let’s face it. Until recently, Glen Park was a neighborhood where people lived, not one that people visited—and certainly not a neighborhood where you went to eat. But thanks to a sudden boom, now we’re heading there to eat pizza (Gialina), slurp bubble tea (Eggettes) and shop for high-end comestibles (Canyon Market). Easy access to BART and the freeway, not too foggy and great pizza? Watch out, here we come.

Choose from a long list of breakfast indulgences at this quaint subterranean spot.The Wonder Years meets Friends at Nob Hill’s Red Door Café, a quaint subterranean brunch spot decked out with tattered rugs and curtains. On weekend mornings, mismatched tables and chairs are filled with neighbors catching up over cups of coffee, while singles settle into comfy armchairs with a good book, listening to the California Street cable car rumble by.

Who knows how she does it, but food writer Marcia Gagliardi packs more dish into her email newsletters than a china shop.        Who knows how she does it, but food writer Marcia Gagliardi, of the Tablehopper restaurant website, packs more dish into her Tuesday email newsletters than a china shop. She regularly scoops the Chron on new openings and chef gossip, reviews just-opened spots and offers event listings for foodies. If you need a restaurant recommendation, her “Tips Please” service is beyond helpful. Just answer a few simple questions (occasion, party size, budget) and she’ll promptly email you a spot-on suggestion free of charge—for now.

Between Cole Valley, Golden Gate Park and the Avenues lies the city’s best-kept secret.For years, San Francisco’s most devoted foodies have made their way to Irving Street for authentic multicultural fare. Despite the lines snaking down the block for such mainstays as Ebisu and Park Chow, the Inner Sunset still manages to keep a somewhat low profile. But for how long? The October opening of the new de Young Museum in nearby Golden Gate Park brought in a first wave of foot traffic, while the revamped Academy of Sciences—scheduled to open in 2008—will introduce a younger generation to the mom-and-pop neighborhood.

The current darling of the wine industry has everything to be desired. <br />So why aren&rsquo;t we drinking more of it?If last year’s “it” grape was Pinot Noir, this year’s is Riesling—German-grown Riesling in particular. While you’ll hear industry folks raving about the grape’s “transparency” (its ability to express terroir), many people don’t consider drinking Riesling wines because of the misconception that they’re all sticky sweet. But, in fact, most German Rieslings are light in alcohol—about a third less than a California Chardonnay—with both crispness and clarity. Grown in a northern climate, they have tremendous acidity.