prix-fixe menu

Restaurant Website: http://www.saisonsf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2124+folsom+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.778825,-122.394065&sspn=0.006606,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2124+Folsom+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94110&z=17

Foodies looking for an experience that they'll never forget come here to see what happens when a fine-dining chef takes over an informal kitchen and gallery space in the Mission District (directly behind Stable Cafe) on weekends. Huddling outside the outdoor heat lamps while waiting for your table inside in the compromise you might have to make. On warm nights, take advantage of the garden patio.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The "restaurant" put on by Mina (as in Michael) Group alumnus chef Joshua Skenes and sommelier Mark Bright is casual when it comes to service but the food is star quality, with a new menu each week, with such food as sublime uni soup, beautifully presented liver mousse and honey-roasted squab. If you choose to reserve a seat at the chef's table—an affair that puts you two steps from the stoves as well as the dishwashers—you might even be served by Skenes himself.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Yoshi's+,++sf&sll=37.839886,-122.44812&sspn=0.097336,0.215263&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.801375,-122.415161&spn=0.048693,0.107632&z=13&iwloc=A

Adjacent to the jazz club of the same name (and, yes, a sibling of the Oakland Yoshi’s), this vast restaurant, seating nearly 400, has soaring ceilings, a second-story lounge and an elegant private dining room, separated from the main room by panels of frosted glass. You can’t miss the open kitchen—take a look in for an impressive behind-the-scenes peek at the mastery behind the meal.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Refined Japanese is the order of the day at Yoshi’s, where chef Shotaro Kamio offers a veritable treasure trove of unusual ingredients, including fish selections flown in daily from the Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji fish market. Spare, elegant presentations and delicate flavors are the defining features of the offerings, which go far beyond the typical sushi rolls. Sparkling-fresh sashimi and meats cooked in the wood-fired oven are particularly special.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=garibaldi's+,+sf&sll=38.087013,-122.280579&sspn=0.78903,1.697388&gl=us&ie=UTF8&cd=1&ll=37.805986,-122.423401&spn=0.052624,0.106087&z=13&iwloc=A

With ceiling fans, a color scheme of putty and sage and white tablecloths illuminated by tea lights, this is one of the few spots in the city that’s swanky enough to be a destination restaurant but has long functioned as a true neighborhood night out. A long, narrow room in the back is a popular place for celebratory dinners.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The eclectic Cal-Med menu here epitomizes the neighborhood: sophisticated, yet safe enough to please anyone from your your picky date to your father-in-law who demands a martini. No one will go hungry. The chopped salad—a crunchy mix including florets of cauliflower and broccoli with a buttermilk dressing—is enough for two. Entrées, such as a dish of Loch Duart salmon with a tangy fennel-and-apple salad and a filet mignon with cipollini onions, carrots and a slick of green-peppercorn demi-glace, are heaping. Special prix-fixe dinners, such as “A Taste of Spain,” are worth inquiring about.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=asia+sf,+sf&sll=38.056742,-122.187195&sspn=0.826134,1.722107&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.792965,-122.421341&spn=0.051819,0.107632&z=13&iwloc=A

This SF landmark dishes up Cal-Asian cuisine along with gender-illusionist entertainment, shattering the conventional idea of “dinner and a show.” All attention is set on the crimson bar (which also doubles as a catwalk) when the Ladies of Asia SF strut their diva-fabulousness in between serving and chatting with guests—think bachelorette- and birthday-party revelers.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Entrées tend to be modestly portioned, so sharing a few first courses and main courses from the Ménage à Trois menu is the way to go for parties of six or fewer. The Asia-dilla—a duck quesadilla topped with sun-dried cherry crème fraîche—is a signature dish, and diners rave about the orange lamb and honey-tamarind-glazed “Baby Got Back” ribs. Larger groups can choose from one of three prix-fixe menus.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=indigo,+sf&sll=37.82226,-122.443657&sspn=0.103597,0.215263&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.797713,-122.414989&spn=0.051816,0.107632&z=13&iwloc=A

High ceilings, elaborate chandeliers and lots of drapery could read as stuffy, but the down-to-earth waitstaff adds a casual charm to this Hayes Valley restaurant. The all-you-can-drink wine accompanying the $49 fixed-price dinner helps, too. If you head towards the back of the restaurant and down the stairs, you’ll find the Crimson Lounge, a speakeasy-type space that’s available for private parties.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>While the list of entrees on the Cal-American menu may be brief—only about seven—it’s definitely well-edited, showcasing nothing but great choices. The menu constantly evolves to accommodate the chef’s seasonal sensibilities—with sweet peas, salmon, and cherry tomatoes appearing regularly on the summer menu. Finally, a longer-than-average wine list highlights nine glasses and upwards of 250 bottles from local vineyards.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Trattoria+Contadina,+sf&sll=37.78508,-122.461703&sspn=0.006478,0.013454&gl=us&g=q+225+Clement+St.,+sf&ie=UTF8&ll=37.83609,-122.412415&spn=0.103578,0.215263&z=12&iwloc=A

The linoleum floors, framed photos of past celebrity visitors and white tablecloths give this family-owned North Beach restaurant an aura of old-school Italian authenticity. And Contadina’s large windows lining the corner of Union and Mason give passersby a glimpse of the festivities inside, as after 6 p.m., there’s rarely an empty seat in the house.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>If you don’t smell garlic on your approach, those heady fumes will hit your nose the second the door swings open. Though the tables are tightly packed and service can be slow, the huge plates of fresh pasta are enough to distract your attention away from your neighbor’s conversation. And if that doesn’t do the trick, adding a few glasses of wine will.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Bushi-Tei+,+SF&sll=37.797102,-122.433786&sspn=0.027807,0.054073&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.785775,-122.428808&spn=0.027811,0.054073&z=14

A special-occasion destination, Bushi-tei is a family-owned restaurant with no detail left unconsidered. From the high-tech toilets and micro-structured electrolysis water to the cedar-and-pine-wood planks shipped from a 17th century Japanese home and the pine beam communal table, the 40-seat restaurant weaves modernity into ancient tradition.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Before you begin to eat, make sure to pause and appreciate the elegant, yet functional, utensil holder designed by the owner’s wife. That deliberate attention to detail extends to the food, which is French-California fusion with a Japanese twist. Items such as seared foie gras with pumpkin, tuna tartare and Kobe beef with pan-fried Yukon gold potatoes don’t disappoint.</p>

This bare-bones, cash-only, reservations-required, fixed-price restaurant, which recently relocated from smaller digs on Pacific Street, is one of the city's finest places for Shanghainese food. Don’t expect your server to speak much English, or even offer you a menu, but rest assured you’ll walk out satisfied with a bellyful of authentic Chinese specialties. Eats:What's on your menu.: Set aside at least two hours for a dining extravaganza showcasing, at minimum, six cold and six hot dishes. Instead of ordering from a menu, you'll name your price and leave everything to chef Nei Chia Ji. The lineup varies depending on what’s fresh at the market that day, so every course is a surprise. Standouts to hope for include a spicy eggplant stir-fry and egg-white scramble topped with abalone. It's BYOB with no corkage fee, so bring your favorite bottle (or two).

This bare-bones, cash-only, reservations-required, fixed-price restaurant, which recently relocated from smaller digs on Pacific Street, is one of the city's finest places for Shanghainese food. Don’t expect your server to speak much English, or even offer you a menu, but rest assured you’ll walk out satisfied with a bellyful of authentic Chinese specialties. Eats:What's on your menu.: Set aside at least two hours for a dining extravaganza showcasing, at minimum, six cold and six hot dishes. Instead of ordering from a menu, you'll name your price and leave everything to chef Nei Chia Ji. The lineup varies depending on what’s fresh at the market that day, so every course is a surprise. Standouts to hope for include a spicy eggplant stir-fry and egg-white scramble topped with abalone. It's BYOB with no corkage fee, so bring your favorite bottle (or two).

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=757+Market+St.+++sf&sll=37.965854,-122.305298&sspn=1.580635,3.394775&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.792558,-122.404776&spn=0.012378,0.026522&z=15&iwloc=r2

This is the Four Seasons, after all, so you can expect a certain level of pleasant opulence. The superbly trained staff is gracious and thoughtful without seeming at all obsequious, and the room has all the subdued “grown-up” elegance you’d expect from a hotel restaurant of this caliber. Situated on the fifth floor, tables by the huge windows provide a cinematic view of the Market Street bustle down below.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Taken together, the phrases “steak and seafood” and “hotel restaurant” might have you picturing bland cuisine served up with an exorbitant price tag. But the reimagined surf and turf offerings at Seasons sparkle. A flawless 16-ounce rib eye, cooked on the bone, is the platonic ideal of steak: Rich, well-marbled and perfectly cooked, it comes with your choice of lighter-than-average side dishes, including grilled asparagus and mushrooms sautéed with sherry.</p>