Where I ate in San Francisco

I was in San Francisco for 4 days recently, the first half on my own, and the second half with a client.

Here's where I ate.

Lunch: Naan and Curry (Tenderloin). This place was pretty bad. It's open 24 hours... unless you need Indian food at 2 AM, I would skip it.



Dinner: Siam Lotus (Haight Ashbury). Fantastic. This is a small, unassuming place with great food. There's another Thai place across the street which is also supposed to be good.



Breakfast: Noah's Bagels (Financial District). Pretty darn good. Very fresh bagels, good coffee and spreads. Not like NY, but pretty good.



Snack: Harvest Market (The Castro) This is a great little gourmet with some prepared foods for take-out by the pound. There are benches on the sidewalk where you can sit with other hipsters for a little snack.

Lunch: Estele's Sandwiches (Lower Haight). Fantastic, tiny sandwich shop. Great fruit smoothies, lots of veggie sandwich options. Only about 3 tables.

Dinner: Hunan Home's (Chinatown). This is supposed to be one of the best in Chinatown, but I left disgusted. The dumplings were good, but the egg roll was full of oil and the spare ribs looked more like pig's knuckles than ribs. I left. (I even had to delete the photo of the spare ribs, they were so gross). Then I headed to...



2nd Dinner: Buster's (North Beach). Best Philly cheesesteak I've ever had outside of Philadelphia. For best results, get one with tomato sauce and whiz... and a beer. There's also something rewarding about a $10 dinner in the midst of all those expensive restaurants where people are paying $30 for pasta.



Breakfast: Pinecrest Diner (Union Square). This is a small, old fashioned diner. I sat at the counter and had eggs. They were OK. I don't recommend this place.

Lunch: On the Bridge (Japantown). Fantastic. This was a casual Japanese place with more options than I've seen since I was in Tokyo. I had an Unagi rice bowl (eel). If this place were in my town I'd be here all the time.



Drink: Buena Vista Coffee (Fisherman's Wharf). Yes it's touristy, but this drink is pretty great.



Dinner: Tadich Grill (Financial District). If you're a real fish or seafood lover, check this place out. I'm not, so it wasn't my thing. It has character though - you can sit at the counter and watch all the action.



Lunch: McCormick and Kuleto's (Fisherman's Wharf). Big, touristy, expensive chain restaurant in Ghiradelli square. Kind of like a fancy Houlihan's with more fish. Go there if you want to dine with the tourists.

Dinner: Caffe Macaroni (North Beach). Great little Italian place. Very local, very casual. Food was delicious. Don't believe the guide books - they DO take credit cards.



Dessert: Cafe Trieste (North Beach). This is a coffee shop to hang out in. Great coffee, a few cookies and cakes to choose from, and great people watching.