Ina Garten (a.k.a the Barefoot Contessa) signed copies of her new cookbook, <Back To Basics, yesterday at Williams-Sonoma in Union Square. The line was beyond impressive, passersby continuously stopped to inquire about the commotion and the SF fire department even checked in to make sure Williams was following maximum capacity code.
Clearly, just because we’re feeling the burden of tighter budgets doesn’t mean San Franciscans have abandoned the importance of good food.
Now, Ina offers of some amazing recipes—yay caramelized onion dip!—but we couldn’t help wonder what SF restaurants might tickle her fancy. She gives a shout out to Zuni Cafe in the new book so we know she’s down with a good classic roast chicken and Caesar salad. But had she asked us (which, she didn’t) we might also recommend Mission Beach Cafe and Spruce for classic, classy warm and inviting fare like duck confit, earthy soups (think pumpkin and butternut squash) and scallops.
And to keep things interesting, NOPA and Serpentine are quickly making their mark on the scene and are destined to become new modern classics, providing elegant updates to classic entrees like “Rotisserie Herbed Chicken with Sweet Dumpling Squash” (NOPA) and “Pork Spare Ribs with Huckleberry Compote” (Serpentine).
Barefoot Contessa [Official Site]
Zuni [Official Site]
Mission Beach Cafe [Official Site]
Spruce [Official Site]
NOPA [Official Site]
Serpentine [Official Site]
[Photo via Alexis Wright]
