Restaurants

The crouton makes it magic!

El Toreador in one sentence: Bright, cheery, always busy “sit down Mexican” place in West Portal, with bottomless bowls of chips, generous pitchers of Margaritas and big platters of comfort food.

Who you’ll see there: College students, families, couples before going to the movies.

Make sure to try: the sopa, the tasty tomato broth soup with one giant, yummy crouton floating in it. Also, the enchiladas will warm you up on the coldest, foggiest San Francisco night. Definitely go for the pitcher over the individual glasses of margaritas.

It’s okay to skip: the crispy taco plate. It’s a lot of fried, and they heat up the plate with the lettuce on it — not my favorite.

Service: The place is always busy, so they keep things moving. You’ll never have an empty plate sitting in front of you, and your water or soda will be refilled without you asking.

Average meal price:  Two people are in and out for $30 without booze, $45 if you get a pitcher.

Logistics:

• Be prepared for a line, you put your name on a list and wait
• No reservations
• It will be loud – it will not be romantic
• Kinda cramped, but in a friendly way
• Yes to credit cards

Parking:

On the street, can be tough to find, the smart move is to drop someone off to put your name on the list while you look for a spot

Location:

West Portal
50 W Portal Ave
(between Claremont Blvd & Portola Dr)
San Francisco, CA 94127
(415) 566-8104

Photos: Cat Lincoln

Grilled bread for the table and a crisp rose wine!

Pasta Pomodoro in one sentence: Sure, it’s part of a chain of Italian restaurants, but in the consistent, reliable sort of way, with a tasty menu, good sized portions and healthy options.

Who you’ll see there: Singles who don’t feel like cooking after work, couples who don’t feel like cooking after work, families who don’t feel like cooking after soccer practice and work…you get the idea. The cafe in Laurel Village is a well-known “child-friendly” spot, so it’s a big spot for the local nannies at lunch.

Make sure to try: The butternut squash ravioli, the chicken marsala, the broccoli sauteed with garlic and chile flakes, and the “mista” mixed green side salad, which has a wonderful mix of fresh vegetables and a light but tasty dressing. Also, the wine list is surprisingly extensive.

It’s okay to skip: The bruschetta. They bring you grilled bread and a garlickly dipping sauce for the table.

Best dessert: Simple but delicious affogato: espresso poured over vanilla gelato.

Seriously, isn't that a nice looking salad?

Service: It’s perfectly fine. They get your meal on the table without dropping it in your lap. There’s not a lot of variety on the menu for them to explain, but they’re nice kids, you know? Leave a nice tip, they try hard.

Average meal price: Pretty affordable and recession-friendly. The most expensive thing on the menu is the $16 steak. The Laurel Village cafe offers week night specials, half-price bottles of wine, and the servings are always big enough to bring home for left-overs.

Pasta Pomodoro Logistics:

• You can usually walk right in and get a seat
• Credit cards, yes
• It’s kid-friendly, which means there’s a good chance there will be a screaming child one or two tables over. There aren’t any fancy table cloths to absorb the sound. It can get loud. Be ready to roll with it, or get your order to go.
• Heated patio

Parking:

Officially street parking, but everyone parks in the Laurel Village parking lot.

Location:

Laurel Village
3611 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-831-0900

Photos: Cat Lincoln

Fried olives at Sociale

Sociale in one sentence: Neighborhood Italian trattoria tucked away down an alley off Sacramento Street, featuring a four course menu of local, sustainable and delectable dishes.

Who you’ll see there: Dressed up, slightly older, well-heeled (sorta rich) “Heights” crowd.

Make sure to try: the fried olives stuffed with fontina, the pasta Amatriciana with Guanciale, and the braised pork shank with maple glaze.

It’s okay to skip: it’s all delicious, so I have to go with “anything except dessert”

Best dessert: chocolate oblivion cake with olive oil, sea salt, amaretti cookie crumbles or the incredible house-made doughnuts with espresso shake — the doughnuts come out warm with the sugar melting off them.

Service: Unobtrusive but professional and attentive. You will never have a chance to pour your own wine.

Average meal price: On the medium/pricey side, with appetizers in the $8-12 range, pastas $15-18, and meat dishes $22-28. Desserts under $10, but the wine list will tempt you to overspend.

Chocolate oblivion cake

Sociale Logistics:

• You absolutely need reservations on the weekend, and most week nights
• Beer and wine only
• You will be tempted by the charming patio with twinkling lights, but even heat lamps have a hard time competing with cold San Francisco fog
• There are no high-chairs in evidence at Sociale. If you’re spending this much, it’s worth it to get a babysitter, too.

Parking:

Give yourself a few minutes to look, but street parking is surprisingly doable.

Location:

Laurel Heights
3665 Sacramento Street between Locust and Spruce Streets
San Francisco, CA
415.921.3200

Hours:

Lunch: Tues-Sat 11:30-2:30 PM

Dinner: Mon-Sat 5:30-10:00 PM

Photos: Cat Lincoln

Chicken Parm, Pizza and a glass of red - the perfect combo at Giorgio's!

Giorgio’s Pizzeria in one sentence: East coast-style pizzeria where everyone is “from the neighborhood” and the jukebox plays classic rock.

Who you’ll see there: The high school drill team after practice, hipsters on dates, parents with crying toddlers, older couples … seriously the whole neighborhood.

Make sure to try: Perfect classic cheese pizza, the chicken parm with a side of spaghetti, the antipasto salad.

It’s okay to skip: Any flavor of calzone – for a place that does thin crust pizza so well, the calzone is a disappointing dough bomb.

Best dessert: Another slice of pizza

Service: Nice local girls in matching t-shirts who you can trust to tell you the truth about portion sizes, refill your Coke without asking, and will leave you in peace to eat your meal.

Average meal price: $22.10 for a large Giorgio’s Special (salami, pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms) pizza, $14.25 for a chicken parm that can feed you for two-three meals.

Best time of day/meal to visit: It’s always busy, sometimes your best bet is to call and order take out.

Giorgio’s Pizzeria Logistics:

• No reservations
• No delivery
• Credit cards accepted
• Street parking

Location:
151 Clement St.
3rd Ave. and Clement Street
Phone: 415-668-1266
Richmond District

Hours:
Monday – Thursday: 11:00 am 10:00 pm
Friday – Saturday: 11:00 am 11:00 pm
Sunday – 11:00 am 9:00 pm