Range

I would be remiss to make a first real post on this blog and not make it about one of my two favorite restaurants - Range or Street. There's better-this-or-that out there on the landscape, but I truly believe that these two restaurants capture the regular, day-to-day needs of the San Francisco diner better than any others.

With Range, all discussions start with the food. It's always amazing and very creative. What I like particularly about their creativity is that it's not misguided. Often you go into a restaurant and their "creative" menu offers oyster and beet roulade on a bed of flan, or vodka and chocolate-infused martini with a touch of Tabasco. Basically, it's often a bunch of ingredients that sounds "interesting" when put together and then never actually deliver (or are even just gross).

At Range, their creativity makes sense. If you're like me and think that you may throw up if you see another beet-arugula-goat cheese salad on a menu, you should check out Range. I didn't say I don't enjoy that salad, but it's as pablum as it gets at this point.

Best yet, their prices are embarassingly low. They're restaurant vets there, so they must know, but you're regularly getting a $30 entree for about $18. I feel like I'm robbing them (repeatedly!). Just in case, don't tell them about this and screw it up for me, okay? The other things to notice about Range are:

1. The great service - Cameron, the co-owner in the front of the house does a great job toeing the line between friendly and hospitable while still very professional. Everyone there is great.
   
2. Great scene - Good people watching for the Mission. It's always an interesting crowd. The beautiful people, the angry neighborhood hipsters, and even the old folks mix in quite well. The well-done decor and aforementioned service contribute to the good vibe I'm sure.

Anyway, thanks to ridiculous amounts of positive press it's now getting quite difficult to get in. Good for them.

I'll tackle Street after the next time I go.