Culinary Journal of San Francisco

Chef Ron Siegel (formerly of Masas) made this simply one of the finest meals that my wife and I have ever enjoyed together. And we've eaten at around 500 restaurants together! Without question, this is an expensive meal. Three of us spent approximately $450 for three tasting menus, but it was worth it.

First, the basics. Service is perfect. The wine list is enviable (with many affordable options as well), and there's even a surprisingly excellent (and affordable) Scottish whiskey menu. But the food stole the show.

The sampling menus are the best way to go about it. Several of the dishes that we still talk about are the foie gras (pure sin), lobster tail with concord grape sauce, squab, and the desserts--mine even included a huckleberry soda!

Very expensive, but definitely worth every penny.

This is expensive, but several things are well worth it. First, consider coming just for the appetizers (without reservations, just sit at the bar – it can be crowded, though.) My boss and I do this twice a year. And we always get the same thing: trio of foie gras and tuna tartare with quail egg. The foie gras is one of my favorites in the world. It is fun and filling, with three completely different flavors. Make sure to order extra toast points immediately, as we are always running out. The last time we were there, we tried the new tartare (Moroccan flavors), and while interesting, we both agreed that the classic (which they will prepare) is better.

As far the entrées, we've had mixed results. The salmon (prepared with apple) was incredible. The monkfish was good, but nothing to write home about. We were very mixed on the lobster pot pie, now infamous. The presentation was exceptional, but we were disappointed when the pot-pie breading was removed and not served. The lobster and seafood inside was good, but what made it fascinating was the vanilla sauce served with it. I can still conjure that flavor to mind.

Overall, we like Aqua, but we love the appetizers.

This is a unique experience in San Francisco, regardless of whether you are a local or tourist. First note: This is for adults only. Second point: Watch out for all of the bachelorette parties. Third point: The wait staff is made up of transgender "illusionists."

Frankly, this is a great place for a unique experience and a fairly decent meal. The menus are set from $37 to 57. We had the asia-dilla (average) and ahi burger (quite good) and black noodles and orange lamb for entrées, with miniature ice cream cones for dessert.

The "transgender illusionists" will make you look twice. It really is amazing how authentic they are! Approximately every hour, several will get up on the bar to dance. It's quite a show!

Gary Danko and Alice Waters are who really put San Francisco on the culinary map. I had anticipated our trek to Gary Danko's for a year before we went. Frankly, although I know everyone raves about it, we had a mixed experience. We ate late, and I definitely understand that restaurants cannot control this, but we had to wait approximately 45 minutes to get our table. We felt a little underappreciated--a glass of wine from the house or something simple would have been nice for the wait, but nothing (except what we paid for) was forthcoming. We also had trouble with our order--we opted for the five-course meal (several selections are available for each course) and asked for an extra appetizer (which we would have paid for). However, the waiter misunderstood and switched our dessert for the extra appetizer, so we really only had four and a half courses. Again, a misunderstanding, but the waitstaff seemed a little less than forthcoming.

On the plus side, the food is everything that you expect. Absolutely fabulous. The fish and game were unparalleled. Oddly, however, my favorite memory of this is the cheese cart. The cheese service was excellent, and although I can't remember the exact cheeses, all were excellent and professionally described.

Again, although I think that our service issues were most likely rare, the food is worth it. Prices are approximately $50-80, depending upon how many courses you select.

I just read that Burger Joint made the list of the top 20 hamburger joints in the US. I must agree. The Burger Joint (There are two SF locations, but the Mission District one is my fav - look for the neon on steel) has a very limited menu, organic burger, chicken breasts, and veggie burgers, but the size and quality are huge. Simply pick the type of cheese you want to go with them. Oh, and the fries and shakes are absolute musts. Burger Joint proves that simple, high-quality ingredients apply to burgers as much as fine dining. It is a wonderful family place.

Can you get a wonderful meal at the ballpark? Absolutely, thanks to Tracy des Jardin, owner of the famous Jardiniere.

This is Tracy's second restaurant, and it is exceptional for a straightforward steakhouse with a few twists. I hear that it is quite packed on ball nights, but it was a wonderful, productive place for a business meeting the night we were there.

The steaks are excellent, all featuring grass-raised steak from Niman ranch. Starting off with the nightly special soup, a pumpkin creation, did not disappoint. We had the fillet ($37) and rib eye ($39), both perfectly cooked. We were pleasantly surprised when ordering sauces for the steak—after deciding between the five, the waitress informed us that all five sauces are served (butter-blue cheese (also great on the fries), wine shallot, chimichurri, red wine shallot, and Bearnaise). To join the steaks, the fries are an absolute—perfectly salted and cooked—some of the best that I've had in SF. The asparagus with lemon was also an excellent pairing.

Dessert was not too much of a disappointment—a smores sundae with toasted marshmallow and butterscotch pudding finished a wonderful meal.

Rubicon is one of the hallmarks of California cuisine since 1994, and is backed by celebrities and chefs as well as numerous awards including the James Beard award—quite impressive, almost as impressive as the 1600 selection wine list.

We had a large group here, which the staff accommodated well. Except for the tasting menu—while a bargain at $37—which was distributed to us and then promptly whisked away. We were ten presented with full menus—no option to save money with the tasting menus!

For our first course, my associate and I shared a wonderful portion of foie gras, delicately seared, and served with sauces just as delicate. We also had the garlic soup with crab—a nice compliment with crusty croutons.

Unfortunately for the reader, we had the same entree, a wonderful piece of sole with meyer lemon served over potato mousseline. While I wish we could describe other dishes, I will say that it was wonderful.

Dessert finished with a marvelous banana beignet concoction that was marvelous, and a superb vanilla mousse.

Decor is fun, slightly industrial, and exactly what you'd expect for a well deserved reputation. If you'd like the quintessential San Francisco/California cuisine experience, Rubicon should rank at the top.