bar scene

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>

Restaurant Website: http://www.heavensdog.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=1148+mission+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.787176,-122.407398&sspn=0.006605,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=1148+Mission+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94103&z=17

Located at the base of the SoMa Grand building, Heaven’s Dog offers two visions of the celestial. A dark side, where dangerously good cocktails are served on a beautiful blond-wood bar cut from one 28-foot-long trunk of cypress and diners lounge on midcentury-inspired orange-vinyl couches while supping on dan dan mein.And, directly next door, an illuminated side called the noodle bar—stark white with counter-only seating and a long open kitchen where cooks roll out dumpling dough and flame-licked woks jump with green beans tossed with salty Szechuan pickles.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Charles Phan’s first venture, cuisine-wise, out of Vietnam and into China is being manned by chef Andy Wai, whose simple, small-plates menu includes a gorgeous braised pork belly sandwiched within a soft and sweet clamshell bun (undoubtedly a nod to Momofuku’s version in NYC), handmade little shrimp-and-chive dumplings and an egg omelet with pork. The menu is no-frills, but it’s also stamped with Phan’s fresh touch.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.wexlerssf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=568+Sacramento+St.,+san+francisco&sll=37.784825,-122.400055&sspn=0.204586,0.303497&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=568+Sacramento+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94111&z=17

The undulating sculpture that hangs from the ceiling at Wexler’s resembles a dinosaur skeleton a la New York’s American Museum of Natural History, but the rest of the room is pure modern—a back-lit bar, low lighting and a crowd that tends toward downtown post-work (not surprising, given its location in the heart of the Financial District.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>To call this Southern food wouldn’t be right, and this certainly isn’t a barbecue joint. Rather, it’s a hybrid of fine dining technique (which chef Charlie Kleinman honed during his days at Fifth Floor) and local ingredients, with elements of regional barbecue tossed in the mix. So you’ll see hush puppies and green tomatoes on the menu (the latter as a chutney for chicken live pâté), skate wing with a pulled pork filling and coleslaw and black-eyed peas as side dishes, but don’t go expecting racks of ribs or giant piles of brisket—it’s not that kind of place.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.thetipsypigsf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2231+chestnut+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.750902,-122.434327&sspn=0.006608,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2231+Chestnut+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94123&z=17

At peak times (Friday and Saturday nights, for example) the crowd and accompanying din here can be overwhelming—even during quieter times, the live room can make easy conversation a challenge. Opt for a table in the quieter “library” in back or, if weather permits, carve out some space for you and your friends on the large back patio.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Tipsy Pig serves grown-up pub fare with a few standouts. The pulled pork sliders— sweet, shredded meat piled high on plush buns—are terrific, and the maple-brined pork chop is so good you’ll want to gnaw at the bone (and happily, this is a place where no eyebrows would be raised if you went for it). While some of the other options—burgers, macaroni and cheese, Caesar salads—are somewhat pedestrian, the 50 or so artisan beers help patrons happy.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.schmidts-sf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2400+folsom+st.,+san+francisco&sll=37.782054,-122.410932&sspn=0.006606,0.009484&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=2400+Folsom+St,+San+Francisco,+California+94110&z=17

Like Walzwerk, the sister restaurant, the focus here is on German food and drink. But whereas Walzwerk’s dining room is  a cozy cell that only serves dinner, Schmidt’s is airy, bright and high-ceilinged and also offers lunch. The servers, efficient and brusque, do not suffer fools lightly.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The signature sausage plates, heaped with spaetzle or mashed potatoes and sauerkraut, are always a good choice, but the expanded offerings at Schmidt’s also include an irresistible golden brown veal schnitzel, and—as official gild to the lily—it’s topped with a fried egg and a couple white anchovy filets. If you’re going to do this kind of eating, you may as well throw caution to the wind and have a couple oversized steins of German beer, especially since the few desserts are nothing to fuss over.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.thetipsypigsf.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2231+Chestnut+St.+San+Francisco&sll=37.764456,-122.475715&sspn=0.009279,0.013304&ie=UTF8&ll=37.801138,-122.440116&spn=0.009274,0.013304&z=16&iwloc=A

Decorated with kitschy eBay finds, from brass pig’s head to wooden ducks to a literal library of vintage volumes, this self-proclaimed gastro-pub from the owners of Mamacita and Umami attempts to capture a bit of London in its Chestnut Street location. The large back deck, however, where drinkers can lounge al fresco, is pure San Francisco. Marina-ites pack the bar, but neighbors and families have made the sit-down area into a casual night out.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Tipsy Pig may be British in spirit, but the menu tends toward American comfort classics. There’s the requisite burger, of course, as well as fried chicken and a brined pork chop, generously rimmed in delicious fat and served with a potato cake (perhaps the most pub-like among the offerings). Though there is a list of creative cocktails and wines by the glass, beer is the beverage of choice here.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.monkskettle.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=3141+16th+St.+San+Francisco&sll=37.783706,-122.419109&sspn=0.009276,0.013304&ie=UTF8&ll=37.765677,-122.422907&spn=0.009279,0.013304&z=16&iwloc=A

Ever-packed, this cozy Mission District beer hall evokes the pubs of Britain with its ample curved bar, dark wood and long wall of banquettes. Beers are each served in their “correct” glass, and bartenders are happy to offer samples of unfamiliar brews.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>In order to make a dent in the five-page beer menu, you’re going to need some sustenance of the non-liquid variety. The food here is largely pub grub, the menu comprised of salads, sandwiches and the like, including the requisite burger (either veggie, lamb or beef). While those are all fine, we prefer the items meant for noshing—the charcuterie plate, with house-cured duck prosciutto, and the oversized soft German-style pretzel, served with an addictive cheddar-ale sauce for dunking.</p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.lamarcebicheria.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Pier+1+1%2F2++San+Francisco&sll=37.753955,-122.404196&sspn=0.00928,0.013304&ie=UTF8&z=16&iwloc=A

Superstar Peruvian chef Gaston Acurio’s first stateside restaurant occupies a breezy historic building smack-dab on the Embarcadero that, with its whitewashed beams and neon-blue webbed chairs, hints at country-club chic. Sample a refreshing pisco punch at the bar, grab a casual bite in the ceviche lounge or settle into a full supper in the dining room overlooking the Bay. The large deck provides some of the best waterfront dining in the city.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>A meal at La Mar is like a Peruvian primer—the menu is punctuated with traditional ingredients, from aji amarillo chiles to leche de tigre (a key ingredient in La Mar’s outstanding ceviche). Don’t miss the rice dishes, such as the arroz chaufa, an inspired Peruvian take on fried rice, and the full-flavored soups, among them a robust shrimp soup enriched by the addition of a poached egg.</p>

Google Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=2445+24th+St.+San+Francisco&sll=37.790269,-122.404196&sspn=0.009276,0.013304&ie=UTF8&ll=37.753955,-122.404196&spn=0.00928,0.013304&z=16&iwloc=A

At night, Jack’s Club, located across Potrero Avenue from SF General, is just another Mission bar. But during the day it plays host to Yat’s, which serves an impressive roster of no-frills New Orleans classics along with the cheeky motto, “Be nice or leave.”

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>Post-Katrina transplant Yon Davis is recreating the flavors of the Big Easy right here in SF, from the massive shrimp po’boy spilling forth from a length of French bread flown in from New Orleans’ Leidenheimer bakery to red beans and rice and huge slices of corn bread. <br /></p>

Restaurant Website: http://www.gitanerestaurant.comGoogle Maps Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=6+Claude+Ln.+San+Francisco&sll=37.579413,-95.712891&sspn=37.779043,54.492188&ie=UTF8&ll=37.790269,-122.404196&spn=0.009276,0.013304&z=16&iwloc=A

Like its sister restaurant, Café Claude, Gitane (French for “gypsy”) is hidden away in a downtown alley. But Café Claude’s modest French-bistro decor has nothing in common with opulent Gitane, wrapped up in a reflective stretch polymer ceiling, midcentury chandeliers, hand-printed wallpaper and loud music. The narrow bar, which occupies the first floor, is a fun place to meet for a drink after a day of shopping, but cozy tables line the second floor loft for a more secluded dinner.

Eats:What's on your menu.: <p>The food at Gitane is inspired by the peripatetic wanderings of its namesake people. Broadly categorized as “Mediterranean,” the menu heavily favors the flavors of North Africa and Spain, with lusty, bold takes on tajine and bastilla, crab croquettes and pizzas loaded with piquillo peppers and Spanish chorizo.</p>