For The Love Of Port

My wife is in SFO for the annual AGU conference, staying down near Moscone. She goes just about every year, and I've been there numerous times as well, so she has probably hit up most of the main touristy spots. Do you have any hidden gems you can recommend?

Eric: Of course, San Francisco is replete with excellent dining opportunities. Here are a couple that I liked.

Enrico's Sidewalk Cafe: 504 Broadway 415-982-6223. This restaurant has a nice street-side alcove (with overhead heaters, which would be welcome, perhaps, in cold weather) with a great views of the Transamerica Pyramide building. The food is very good but not excessive. There is live music on some nights. In the North Beach area, near City Lights Bookstore.

Cafe Claude: 7 Claude Lane 415-392-3505. Good cafe-style french food, for example pates, rillettes, and other charcuterie. Nothing over-the-top, but pleasing and satisfying. walking distance from Union Square.

McCormick and Kuleto's Seafood: 900 North Point Street at Ghirardelli Square 415-929-1730. An excellent seafood restaurant with a good view over the bay, close to the Maritime Museum, and on the north edge of Ghirardelli Square. This is a chain restaurant with locations in Washington DC, Dallas, and no doubt elsewhere. The food is very good, but still not particularly up-scale.

These are not particularly up-scale restaurants. If that is what your wife is seeking, she should look elsewhere. That is not to deprecate these restaurants but simply to accurately place them.

I would suggest EOS wine bar and restaurant.

But my favorite casual restaurant that has really fine food and an amazing wine list is: BACAR ... brilliant and reasonably priced. It is close to the SF GIants Baseball Stadium. Don't miss it. I am jealous, I love the place!

Thanks!