Journey Woman - Her Best Eats in San Francisco

Journey Woman

Her Best Eats in San Francisco

Moderately priced good food...

There are so many fabulous places to eat for very reasonable prices in our City. Try Alice's Restaurant on 29th and Sanchez (1599 Sanchez St) in the Noe Valley area. Lunch under $8.00 served beautifully --the best Cal-Chinese food you can imagine (i.e. The menu mixes regular Chinese food as you know it with a California sensibility. Think stir-fried salmon with asparagus and spicy shrimp tossed with cubes of juicy mango). Looking for eggrolls and broccoli cashew chicken? They serve that, too. Bonus: There are wonderful orchids and pieces of Asian art everywhere.

Twenty-something plus choices...

Women in their twenties and thirties will probably want to spend time on Chestnut Street in the Marina where you'll find great little restaurants like Fuzio (an eclectic & international noodle shop) located at 469 Castro and 18th Street as well as Pasta Pomodoro (actually, Pasta Pomodoro has several low priced, wonderfully delicious Italian restaurants throughout the City). They serve interesting, fresh salads, pastas and sandwiches -- all very reasonable. Website: http://www.PastaPomodoro.com
Esther, San Francisco, USA

Dotties True Blue Cafe...

I just got back from San Francisco and wanted to share a great joint that serves real homey breakfasts at very moderate prices. It's a small place with great word of mouth appeal. Dottie's True Blue Cafe is at 522 Jones Street (a bit of a grungy area) yet there are almost always people waiting for tables. I had the pancakes which were flavored with ginger and cinnamon--fantastic. Portions are so huge you might want to share if there are two of you. Dottie's is open seven days for breakfast and lunch. Expect to wait in line about 20-30 minutes but I thought it was worth it. You can use this time to chat with all the locals that show up every morning.
Ellen, Chicago, USA

An embarrassment of riches...

My hometown is San Francisco which has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to restaurants. Check out one block on Steiner Street in the Marina District, between Lombard and Chestnut. In this one block are restaurants for every taste and budget, all of them good: Tichada (Thai), Three Seasons (Vietnamese), Parma (Italian), Bistro Aix (French bistro), Marinette (French cafe), Barney's (gourmet hamburgers), plus a sushi place and a steak house. Chestnut Street also has lots of coffee houses, and restaurants, including Andale (Mexican), and Meze (Greek). You are only a stroll away from the Palace of Fine Arts, the Marina Green, and the gateway to the Presidio, one of the most beautiful urban parks in the world. Just remember that San Francisco's best weather is in spring and fall. Summers can be cold and foggy. Bon appetit!
Jackie, San Francisco, California, USA

A civilized evening cocktail...

A visit to San Francisco is not complete without having an evening cocktail in the Redwood Bar at The Clift Hotel. Once the hotel our grandmother's would have stayed at it is now an Ian Schraeger property. Thankfully they didn't destroy the elegance of the bar. Go early (5pm-6pm) -- before the dot.com folks arrive -- to sit back, sip your drink and imagine the civility of years gone by.
Claudia, Hollywood, USA

More great San Francisco eats....