San Francisco: the food

since it's dinner time and i'm starving, i figured i'd start my trip recap with the places we ate around town.  plus, when you really get down to it, food can really make or break any vacation!  i had a LOT of great recommendations and unfortunately not enough time to take them all in, but we ate our fair share...and luckily walked a good deal to burn off all of that deliciousness!

Thirsty Bear - went there with some work peeps before the metallica concert...great apps and tapas style bar food. some spanish style cuisine, but had something for everyone (even our iowa constituents!).  dessert was awesome with a funky flair...candied corn (like real deal corn) on the side of a cheesecake...mint/pea sauce with a chocolate torte.  strange but oh so tasty!

The Slanted Door - holy cannoli, this place was so flippin' tasty.  very fresh and modern, right on the water in the ferry building.  super duper busy so we just sat at the bar for lunch - which was an excellent choice because the bartenders in sanfran really take pride in their craft.  more people seem to order cocktails in this city and with outstanding bartenders everywhere you go, you could see why!

Mamacita - found this through a google search for top mexican restaurants while on the ferry back from alcatraz.  we thought we were going to be out of luck since open table said there weren't any reservations available....but the coolest thing we found in sanfran was that many of the restaurants don't take reservations on the weekends and even if they do they always hold a certain number of tables for walk-ins...so we walked right in and had some exceptional tacos.  we also were glad to have found this place because it was in a great area that reminded me of a grown up manayunk.

Rose's Cafe - it quickly became clear why michael's cousin picked this spot when we went for dinner...a little neighborhood feel and jazzed up home cooking made it a winner!!  everything was delectable, even down to the ridiculously flavorful olive oil.

Yogorino - this was right near mamacita's, too new to find in googlemaps...loved their gelato but steer clear of the barley flavor (what?! ew, gross.  it's supposed to be dessert, it doesn't need to be THAT healthy!)

Beach Chalet - we went here for lunch with michael's uncle david who was the best tour guide ever! can't thank him enough for showing us around and making the trip perfect!  there was live (very loud) music on the back deck so we sat upstairs and enjoyed the view of the beach...which looked incredibly cold!

The 'Balb' - one of david's many local haunts which had phenom risotto!  the menu is not what you would expect from the street, but it more than impressed, try it out!

Il Fornaio - mmm, who doesn't love italian food?!  seriously, so good and the fastest service ever!  plus, after our meal we walked through a fountain in Levi's Plaza which was such a fun experience!!

Yank Sing (Rincon Center location)- oh my! be prepared to first wait for a table and then be completely bombarded with some sensational dumpling selections.  i've never been for dim sum but it's always been on my list...never really worked out timing wise or hunger wise so i was really excited to stuff my face in a james beard award winning spot!

Delarosa - we only sat at the bar to rest our feet and grab a drink on our last day in the city, but the drinks were excellent (and do i need to mention the fab bartenders again?!) and the menu/food passing by looked awesome.

Susie Cakes - don't know why they don't mention the gorgeous pies in their name because those things looked baked to perfection!!  totally down to earth place without any frilliness, just honest to goodness tasty cupcakes with the right amount of frosting.  salted caramel apple and strawberry were our cupcakes of choice for a much needed afternoon snack.

Our last meal was at David's house...believe me, it was like something out of a magazine shoot.  Gorgeous french utensils and wonderful homemade minestrone soup.  So impressive!!  Maybe if you're nice he'll invite you over while you're there :).

Other places that were recommended but we didn't have a chance to try were:
tadich grill
kokorri
swan oyster depot
hog island
sears fine food - so sad we didn't get to go to this spot (right across from our hotel) but the line for breakfast was INSANE!!

just a note - while the menus in some places were a little pricey, every place we ate was well worth it...and nothing was fancy dress wise so it made it all that more enjoyable!
 
the one place we didn't eat...but made me laugh every time we passed one...which was like every 5 seconds because they were everywhere: