Make reservations and bring an adventurous palate. Everything is delicious and sparkling fresh. Superb, fresh, creative food in one of the city's classier settings, at a pleasant remove from urban bustle. That just might be Umberto Eco, or perhaps Joan Baez dining cozily in the corner of this highly regarded home of classic SF-style California dining. A hotspot for before or after theater and opera, Hayes Street can't be touched in the fresh seafood department, and creates straightforward dishes so flavorful you could cry.
Prime celebrity watching comes with the turf.
The jauntily skewed front window and entrance warn of the eccentric east-west fusion cuisine inside. The place is crowded even on weeknights with a youngish crowd waiting to scarf up dishes like grilled sea bass with garlic-ginger soy sauce, and ahi BLT with wasabi mayonnaise. 1269 Ninth Ave. In case you've forgotten, the draw here is twofold. One is an excellent menu of South African fusion cuisine from the Cape Malay area.