San Francisco Restaurants

San Francisco is easily the most savy food oriented city in North America (with the possible exception of New Orleans).  While first time visitors might find themselves mired by overpriced... more

San Francisco is easily the most savy food oriented city in North America (with the possible exception of New Orleans).  While first time visitors might find themselves mired by overpriced tradition abound establishments catering to tourists downtown and on Fisherman's Wharf, elsewhere in the neighborhoods exotic mixes of virtually all the world's culinary styles collide with a demanding local palate.  Street food vendors wheeling all styles of food is now the popular fast food rage.  Asian and Latin American restaurants dominate the international menu, but  generally speaking, San Francisco California cuisine is marked by the freshest locally grown variety of organic fruits and vegetables, combined with health conscious lower fat. lower sodium, reduction sauces, glazes, and less fatty cuts of meats that are grilled rather than fried.  Portions are more often modest and decorative on the plate, rather than steam buffet oriented all-you-can-eat.  Popular ingredients include artichokes, avocados, basil, bell peppers, basalmic vinegar, olive oil and sourdough bread, olives, walnuts, crab, Pacific salmon, free range chicken, portabelo mushrooms, fresh pasta, huge strawberries, blackberries, oranges, lemons, and dark chocolate.  Fifty years before Seattle dreamed Starbucks, San Francisco imported and roasted beans for the national market, and Cafe Trieste in North Beach foamed a devotion to lattes and espressos better than anywhere else in the world.  Located close to the Napa Valley, San Francisco appreciation for and consumption of fine wine is the highest of any city in the North America.  Anchor Steam Brewery is generally recognized as initiating the modern high quality oriented microbrew movement beginning in the 1960's.