Did you pick your favorite restaurant based on: (a) its distance from your couch, (b) its dress code that allows you to wear a Snuggie, (c) its hot waiters, or (d) all of the above? You deserve better, or at least different. If variety is the spice of life, your life should be spicier than Showtime after 11 p.m.
San Francisco’s 12th semiannual Dine About Town will be kicking off tomorrow, January 15, and run through January 31. This two-week foodies’ wet dream can help you add some much needed variety to your dates — no more same old, same old (or worse yet, frozen dinners). This year includes more than 100 participating restaurants offering special pre-fixe two and three-course lunch menus from $18.95 and/or three-course dinner menus for $36.95. It’s a great way to try a lot of those spots you’ve been hoping someone else would take you to on their tab. The San Francisco Travel Association first started Dine About Town following 9/11 to help restaurants with dwindling numbers of diners, but it continues today during the lighter tourist seasons. That’s right. We’re celebrating less tourists!
Because there are so many eateries participating in DAT, we’ve decided to narrow our focus on a few notable establishments that represent old-school San Francisco. You know, the traditionally classy kinds of places with tablecloths, with nary a reclaimed wood table in sight, that serve up solidly good dishes that no San Franciscan should go without tasting. Yeah, these aren’t shiny, trendy, and new like all those spots on Valencia Street, and they might be situated in places most of us locals fear to tread, but they’ve been around for several years for a reason. (Believe it or not, upscale dining in the Wharf isn’t code for churros.) These five spots offer some signature, classic San Francisco treats and fall into our oldies but goodies category. Check out the dishes they’re most proud of during Dine About Town.
Cuisine: Chinese
Neighborhood: Financial District
Open since: 1985
Chef: Howard Wong
“Our Dine About Town Dinner is unique because it includes five courses: an appetizer, signature soup, two entrees, and fried rice. We will be featuring a seafood bisque that is one of our most popular signature dishes. It’s baked with fresh coconut and crowned with puff pastry.”
www.tommytoys.com
Cuisine: Italian Seafood
Neighborhood: Fisherman’s Wharf
Open since: 1997
Chef: Efren Sandoval
“We are featuring our namesake dish on our Dine About Town menu. We chose cioppino, not only because it was invented in San Francisco, but because it combines so much seafood in one dish and it’s such a hearty, aromatic stew that’s perfect for winter time.”
www.cioppinosf.com
Cuisine: American
Neighborhood: Outer Richmond
Open since: 2004
Chef: David Seawell
“We are featuring duck confit meatballs wrapped in forbidden rice and served with a tasso ham gumbo sauce. We wanted to showcase that although we are on the water and enjoy preparing seafood, we are also creative and offer tasty alternatives to animals with fins.”
www.cliffhouse.com
Cuisine: French Seafood
Neighborhood: Financial District
Open since: 1996
Chef: Mark Papedis
“I chose to feature the pistachio-crusted petrale sole served with leek mashed potatoes, arugula, and a lemon caper cream. Sole is a perfect fit to one of my favorite comfort foods for this time of year: mashed potatoes. The fish is light and flaky and the pistachio crust contrasts nicely with the creamy potatoes. A tangy caper cream sauce, a nice glass of Sancerre, and you’re set for a great meal.”
www.ploufsf.com
Cuisine: Seafood
Neighborhood: Fisherman’s Wharf
Open since: 1965
Chef: Alan Fairhurst
“Our Dungeness crab-stuffed saffron arancini is a classic Italian recipe — true to Scoma’s heritage — beautifully scented with saffron and loaded with local Dungeness crab. It’s a delicious, hearty dish to share with friends and family on a chilly winter San Francisco night!”
www.scomas.com
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