French

Restaurant Website: http://www.michaelmina.net/rn74Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=301+mission+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.782595,-122.407715&sspn=0.006605,0.009484&g=16+mint+plaza.,+san+francisco&ie=UTF8&hq=Millennium+Tower&hnear=Millennium+Tower,+San+Francisco,+CA+94105&z=14

The Mina Group's "casual concept" restaurant—led in large part by wine guru Rajat Parr—is named after the highway the runs through Burgundy. Oenophiles convene is the red-leather horseshoe booths here, swirling glasses of Pinot. A haute train-station theme runs through the handsome but whimsical room, including an old-school flip board that announces wines that are on special. Power lunching takes place here, but at night you'll see couples out for special occasions.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Despite the servers in jeans, the refined food here is clearly in the hands of a fine dining chef—Jason Berthold, formerly of the French Laundry. Should you be intimidated by the wine list, fear not. The sommeliers on staff are all at the top of their game. Let them make the pairing suggestions for the eclectic menu items such as the hamachi sashimi with hearts of palm, Asian pear and pine nuts; sautéed pork belly with clams; and a much healthier take on cassoulet made with duck, barley, and shiitake mushrooms.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=398+hayes+st.+san+francisco&ie=UTF8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ll=37.777058,-122.422993&spn=0.009396,0.016673&z=16&g=398+hayes+st.+san+francisco&iwloc=addr

2007 EAT + DRINK AWARD: Best Restaurant Cocktails

One of a select group of San Francisco restaurants that has passed the 10-year mark, this Hayes Valley anchor continues to bring brasserie style, superb cocktails and Cal-French food to the neighborhood.

 

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Since Jamie Lauren assumed the role of chef last year, the food at Absinthe has only gotten better. Though there are some stalwarts on the menu for the diehards (the croque monsieur and French onion soup, for example), Lauren has infused the menu with smart, satisfying dishes that expertly walk the line between rustic and refined. The menu changes seasonally, but fish dishes are particularly good here, and you can make a meal of larger-than-average “share” plates, such as the rich sautéed mushrooms topped with a poached duck egg.</p> <p>MUST ORDER: Anything with scallops</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Chouquet's+++sf&sll=37.74481,-122.484598&sspn=0.006583,0.013261&g=1713+Taraval+St.++sf&ie=UTF8&ll=37.809377,-122.434559&spn=0.052621,0.106087&z=13&iwloc=A

This airy corner bistro features a warm, modern interior of orange and brown and wall-sized windows through which couples and groups of girlfriends watch the passersby on Fillmore. In warm weather, outdoor tables line the sidewalk.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The basic French menu at Chouquet’s highlights bistro classics—at lunch, try a classic croque monsieur or goat-cheese tartlette; at dinner, dig into the seven-hour braised lamb shoulder or the salad of fingerling potatoes, smoked trout and mâche, but save room for the chocolate fondant. The fresh ingredients and simple, elegant presentation complete the impression you’re in a Left Bank café instead of the 94115, and weekend brunch brings delicious omelets and benedicts.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=4+Mint+Plz,+San+Francisco,+CA+94103&sll=37.782739,-122.407898&sspn=0.006207,0.013454&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.787335,-122.407908&spn=0.012413,0.026908&z=15&iwloc=addr

The Maktub Group’s restaurants are familiar fixtures in the city’s dining scene (Chez Maman and Chez Papa Bistrot, as well as Couleur Café and Bossanova). With Chez Papa Resto, the first restaurant to open on the remodeled Mint Plaza, the team is up to its old tricks, serving food that’s Provençal in spirit, but in a loungey downtown location. A lovely outdoor patio is the best spot downtown for an alfresco lunch or dinner on the (rare) warm SF evening.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Longtime Maktub Group chef David Bazirgan heads up the kitchen, demonstrating a fine balance of classical training and think-outside-the-box preparation. You’ll see on the menu many of the ingredients you’d expect to discover in the South of France (lamb, olives and lavender among them), married with good French technique—the resulting dishes are expertly executed versions of such classics as lamb daube, bouillabaisse, steak frites and roasted chicken.</p>

You can’t miss this sky-blue crêperie near the corner of the Mission’s main intersection, 16th and Valencia. A sidewalk table makes you part of the neighborhood scene, whereas the pub-like dining room offers an array of seating options to suit your mood—the counter for a casual bite, the bar for mingling or a corner table for getting cozy. Eats:What's on your menu.: Breton-style buckwheat crêpes are the base for a long list of savory sauces and fillings—shrimp with parsley butter, caramelized onions, ratatouille and seafood sauce, for instance, or smoked salmon with crème fraîche and scallions—available for diners to mix and match. White-flour dessert crêpes ooze with citrus butter and homemade jam or the ever-popular Nutella and banana. Salads and charcuterie plates round out the menu.

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3108+16th+St.,+San+Francisco&sll=37.784896,-122.406906&sspn=0.011837,0.019312&g=845+Market+St.,+San+Francisco&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=addr

You can’t miss this sky-blue crêperie near the corner of the Mission’s main intersection, 16th and Valencia. A sidewalk table makes you part of the neighborhood scene, whereas the pub-like dining room offers an array of seating options to suit your mood—the counter for a casual bite, the bar for mingling or a corner table for getting cozy.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Breton-style buckwheat crêpes are the base for a long list of savory sauces and fillings—shrimp with parsley butter, caramelized onions, ratatouille and seafood sauce, for instance, or smoked salmon with crème fraîche and scallions—available for diners to mix and match. White-flour dessert crêpes ooze with citrus butter and homemade jam or the ever-popular Nutella and banana. Salads and charcuterie plates round out the menu.</p> <p>MUST ORDER: Ham and Cheese Crepe with a Fried Egg</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=south+park+cafe+sf&sll=37.817107,-122.484169&sspn=0.105232,0.212173&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.799205,-122.394218&spn=0.052629,0.106087&z=13&iwloc=A

Across the street from South Park’s picnic tables and swing sets, this bistro, which thrived in the dot-com boom, has incredible staying power. Ladies of leisure and nine-to-fivers gather here by day, and SoMa dwellers come at nightfall. Summoning an air of small-town France, the cafe’s painted banquettes line a lemon-yellow wall, and floor-to-ceiling windows are often open, letting in a breeze.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Meal-sized salads include grilled ahi atop cannellini beans, fennel and basil, and pork confit with apples and shallots. For an even heartier lunch, try the sizable steak frites. With dinner entrées ranging from sautéed blue-nose bass to braised vegetables with couscous, a three-course prix-fixe meal will impress a date yet leave you with enough cash to go out again.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=amelie,+++sf&sll=37.786318,-122.43885&sspn=0.024352,0.053816&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.81114,-122.421169&spn=0.051806,0.107632&z=13&iwloc=A

It’s easy to miss this French-owned wine lounge and small-plates restaurant amid Polk Gulch’s dive bars and shops. While weekends are standing room only, Euro tunes play nightly as groups convene by the ruby-red bar, at tables in the back and on vintage ‘60s theater seats. You won't find any signs of Amélie, the movie, here—as this spot was named after the owner's goddaughter—though the wine-bottle-shaped lights do add a touch of whimsy.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The signature raviole de Royans—a ravioli stuffed with Gruyère and chanterelles—pairs well with the hearty Chateau Coufran cabernet, just one of the 20-some red and 20-some white wines by the glass, predominantly from California and Europe. Expertly presented cheese plates come with such accoutrements as homemade blackberry jam or toasted nuts to round out the offerings. While the focus is on wine, soju cocktails and an eclectic 10-bottle beer list are also available.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&q=La+Provence,+SF&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&cid=0,0,11687561052655325275&ll=37.756584,-122.422929&spn=0.00738,0.013819&z=16&iwloc=A

One of the few authentically French places in town not owned by someone named Rigo or Bulow (the patron is Lionel LaFite, a native of Aix-en-Provence and onetime competitive cyclist), this sunny corner restaurant is like something out of a Marcel Pagnol film: golden walls with peach trim, simple wooden tables and enormous vintage French posters featuring words like “pastis” and “Marseilles.” The only thing missing is the buzz of cicadas in the air.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Look for such Provençal classics as pissaladière, an open-faced caramelized-onion tart with roasted red peppers and anchovies, or sliced leg of lamb, served au jus with thyme (both in the jus and as a literally smoldering garnish), or roast rabbit in a honey-lavender reduction finished with Noilly Prat vermouth (from Marseilles, of course). Lavender often reappears in the crème brûlée.</p>

After you’ve stocked up on gear at the Sports Basement in Potrero, treat yourself to lunch at the French bistro tucked into the strip mall across the street. With its canary-yellow exterior, Couleur Café is certainly hard to miss. Part of the restaurant group that owns Chez Maman and Chez Papa, the refined-yet-casual lunch-and-dinner spot boasts plush golden banquettes and a long open kitchen. Eats:What's on your menu.: Crusty bread is best used to sop up the buttery broth afloat with mussels and topped with shallots and parsley; a crepe is stuffed with curried chicken, mango and currants. If you’re feeling indulgent, order the most sinful version of shepherd’s pie we’ve tasted: the hachis parmentier, duck confit topped with a layer of mashed potatoes and bubbling Gruyère and served in a stoneware crock. The run you were planning with your new sneakers? Happily canceled.