notable wine list

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?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=luce,+++sf&sll=38.056742,-122.365723&sspn=0.776381,1.722107&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.817921,-122.406578&spn=0.103603,0.215263&z=12&iwloc=A

The in-house restaurant of SoMa’s new Intercontinental hotel, Luce (Italian for “light”) takes advantage of its corner location with floor-to-20-foot-ceiling windows that flood the spacious room with sunshine. Modern silver pendant lights and white leather booths add to the airy feel.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Chef Dominique Creen (named a “chef to watch” in 2007 by Esquire) recently returned to San Francisco after stints in Indonesia and L.A; the Frenchwoman has created a menu for Luce that showcases her global experience while taking advantage of the best locally sourced products. Lamb (chops and cheeks) is served with a Moroccan-style apricot tagine; a pristine piece of John Dory is accompanied by classic French artichoke barigoule—a kumquat escabèche adds a nouveau twist. For dessert, order the signature “study of chocolate,” a five-way variation on the theme, paired with a glass of grappa off of a (100-plus bottle) list.</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=369+The+Embarcadero,+San+Francisco&sll=37.787745,-122.398768&sspn=0.011836,0.019312&g=83+Minna+St.,+San+Francisco&ie=UTF8&ll=37.78915,-122.394562&spn=0.011836,0.019312&z=16&iwloc=addr

The sister restaurant to Waterbar, Epic Roasthouse is Pat Kuleto’s homage to meat. The dining room, made to look like a pump house, is outfitted with deep leather banquettes, giving the room a clubby feel. Almost every seat offers spectacular views of the Bay.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>As you would expect at a self-described “roasthouse,” the focus here is on the beef. The usual suspects (filet, prime rib and porterhouse among them) are on the menu, joined by hearty lamb and veal chops. Sides are à la carte and include cream-rich scalloped potatoes, sautéed spinach and the requisite macaroni and cheese. Epic also serves what may well be the most expensive hamburger in town—a full three-quarter-pound, $25, ground-daily version. The chocolate soufflé, topped with caramel ice cream, is among the best in the city.</p> <p>MUST ORDER: The macaroni and cheese</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Waterbar+sf&sll=37.788488,-122.413015&sspn=0.007614,0.01339&gl=us&ie=UTF8&ll=37.799883,-122.399712&spn=0.028891,0.053558&z=14&iwloc=A

2009 EDITOR'S PICK: Best New Restaurant

One half of Pat Kuleto’s megaproject on the Bay, Waterbar has floor-to-ceiling windows that take full advantage of the gorgeous view of the water and the Bay Bridge beyond. The restaurant’s design centers on two 19-foot-tall aquariums (stocked with fish found in our local waters) and a raw bar.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Naturally, the focus of the menu is on seafood—both raw and cooked. The kitchen, headed by Farallon alum Parke Ulrich, has a knack for restraint. Shell-on prawns are simply roasted in the wood oven and accompanied by lemon wedges; petrale sole is set on a bed of shredded brussels sprouts. Even those richer, more elaborate dishes—such as bone marrow topped with Dungeness crab, black truffle and cream—aren’t overwrought. Desserts, such as the pineapple tart (pineapple custard in a buttery pastry shell), are homey and satisfying.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=1512+Stockton+St.+sf&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=37.802562,-122.409046&spn=0.005595,0.008583&z=16&iwloc=addr

Tuxedoed waiters and valets delivering Lamborghinis will tip you off that this is a place for movers and shakers. More than a few celebrities and politicos—think Gavin Newsom and Mick Jagger—have come to this restaurant over the decades to drop a few C-notes on fine wine and Tuscan fare. The upstairs dining room’s cathedral ceilings and original Miro prints set the stage for dates and dealmakers, while dining in the gothic recesses of the restaurant is reserved for larger groups.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The menu is standard Tuscan, with an emphasis on familiarity rather than seasonality. Start with prosciutto and melon, made with house-cured salumi that hangs in the famed Prosciutto Room, then move on to a pasta dish like linguine with clams. High rollers will opt for the $75 plate of abalone with lemon-white wine sauce and pair it with one of 500-plus wines offered; the more moderate spenders will go for cioppino or one of nine veal preparations, like piccata or marsala.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&q=SPQR,+SF&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&cid=0,0,11512940489334016678&ll=37.787471,-122.433593&spn=0.010344,0.019312&z=16&iwloc=A

The team behind A16 has made the Italian restaurant into a household name among the food-loving cognoscenti, so it’s little surprise that its second venture—an approximation of a Roman trattoria squeezed into a tiny space on Fillmore—is packed every night.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Following the departures of both Nate Appleman and chef de cuisine Chris Behr, SPQR underwent a makeover and installed Matthew Accarrino, formely of Craft in Los Angeles, as chef. Though some of the old dishes remain (including the irresistible fried Brussels sprouts), Accarrino has largely forsaken the rustic, brash dishes that characterized this Roman-style osteria. In their place he serves an assortment of snacks, salads, house-made pastas and mains that are altogether more refined, from a kuri squash-and-prune stuffed tortellini to a plate of skate cheeks accompanied by late-season tomatoes. Desserts, from longtime A16/SPQR pastry chef Jane Tseng, are largely unchanged: we recommend the rice budino topped with pistachios, puffed honeycomb and brilliant green Sicilian pistachios.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=330+Townsend+St.,+San+Francisco&sll=37.794532,-122.404514&sspn=0.011835,0.019312&g=680+Clay+St.,+San+Francisco&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=addr

Mod-Oz is the overarching theme of this Aussie-inflected space across from the Fourth Street Caltrain depot. In the daytime, the room is light-filled, with elaborate red-and-white tiling, blond bentwood lights and a small view of the kitchen. A few bar stools and a communal table are accommodating alternatives to the two-top.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Run by a local duo—one Aussie and one Kiwi (with Sydney-based celeb chef Luke Mangan owning one-third of the partnership)—South has a modern Down Under sensibility, with food that’s light and healthy, and peppered with Asian flavors. Barramundi, a mild white fish, gets the fish-and-chips treatment (fried, accompanied by wasabi mayo and chunky chips); the venison burger is topped with spiced beet chutney. The stand-out dessert is Mangan’s signature licorice parfait with lime syrup.</p> <p>MUST ORDER: Licorice Parfait</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3640+Sacramento+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94118&sll=37.788688,-122.398329&sspn=0.012192,0.019011&g=3640+Sacramento+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94118&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=addr

2008 EAT + DRINK AWARD: Best Newcomer

This converted 1930s–garage–turned–restaurant is backed by an all–star team of restauranteurs, including the talented Mark Sullivan (also chef of the Village Pub, in the affluent suburb of Woodside) heading up the kitchen. The space is carefully designed to suit the well–monied crowd that populates the space. Marble and leather are in full effect here; lounges and a cozy library appeal to the reservationless.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Eat in the bar (where you can enjoy the full dining–room menu) or in the dining room (where you can order anything you want from the bar menu). Your options include bar bites, like the nutmeg–perfumed boudin blanc with sauerkraut and a textbook Caesar salad, that vie for attention among such entrées as butter–cooked lobster with pillowy gnocchi and steak topped with compound butter and served with duck fat fries. House–made charcuterie (also available to go) is a must–order, wherever you choose to dine. Take a trip to the back of the restaurant for the neak peeks it affords: A window in the kitchen and into the glass–fronted wine–storage closets, allowing you to ogle both cooks and $4,000 bottles of wine.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2031+Chestnut+St.,+San+Francisco&sll=37.782299,-122.418315&sspn=0.011837,0.019312&g=601+Hayes+St.,+San+Francisco&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=addr

2009 READER'S CHOICE AWARD: Best Spanish

Brought to us by the owners of Frisson, this understated Spanish restaurant has a gleaming copper-clad bar at its center and a menu of approachable, sharable, plates, each about half the size of a traditional entrée. The place doesn’t accept reservations, but a chalkboard waiting list democratizes the seating process.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>It’s rare to find good Spanish food in the city, but Laïola seems the possess the magic forumla. From the first bite of patatas bravas to the last swig of Albariño, it succeeds in celebrating the rich food culture of Spain. The almost–all–Spanish wine list, 100 bottles strong, showcases unusual varietals from around the country, perfectly complementing the regional food, including a rustic dish of chickpeas with house–made blood sausage, snappy shrimp sautéed with garlic and peppers and—in summer and early fall—”tomàquet,” a slice of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with the season’s best tomatoes. Cute, affable waiters (sporting tool belt aprons) and expertly mixed cocktails seal the deal.</p> <p>MUST ORDER: Paella (available only on Monday nights)</p>