Sorry, Sharon - didn't see.

I have such fond memories of Scala Bistro at the Drake Hotel. It's been a few years but the wonderful Italian fare, friendly and professional wait staff, great wine list and warm atmosphere made it a great experience. Good people watching too. There kitchen is open later than most.

To the top.

I would disagree with the recommendation for First Crush. I went based upon recommendations found online, and although the service was excellent and atmosphere nice, the food was practically inedible - some dishes tasted bland, some dishes tasted downright strange. I've never had to say that about any nice restaruant. I don't know, perhaps it was just an off night for the kitchen. But if you only have a few nights in the city, I wouldn't chance it.

Boulevard is an excellent choice and Aqua has great food. Other than that Kokkari for Greek is fantastic.

No one has mentioned New Delhi or Gaylords for Indian. New Delhi is on Ellis and Gaylord is in Ghiradelli Square. I adore Blvd. and Kuletos.....No one mentioned Tadiches, down near the Embarcadero...great for lunch but crowded.

I also ate recently at Scala's Bistro and thought the food and atmosphere, as well as the price, were great.

ROSE PISTOLA - a definate stop in San Fran.'s Italian district. My husband works as a chef, and he just loves going to Rose Pistola when we are in town. Very hip - menu changes daily, great wine list, and servers know what's up.

Had what we thought was a rather odd experience at Tadiche Grill. There were five or six of us, mainly eating lots for lunch and drinking several bottles of wine, but one guy with us wasn't feeling too well and only wanted bisque, so that's all he ordered. Although our total bill for the table for lunch was over $350, they charged the one guy something like $20 for his soup. When we pointed it out to the waiter he showed us on the menu it said that there was a minimum of $20 per person for food. The total bill made no difference. We found that odd, especially at a place for lunch and with the amount of money we spent at the table.