Brunch

Take a peek inside San Francisco’s historic Hotel Whitcomb and you will find a true gem: Florinda’s Market Street Grill. This restaurant serves modern cuisine that flows with the seasons. Each dish is prepared fresh with locally grown ingredients and completed with a Euro-Asian accent. The juxtaposition of this modern cuisine against the building’s history and class is part of what generates this restaurant’s yesteryear ambiance complete with Tiffany glass, vaulted ceilings, and wood paneling. Market Street Grill offers menus with variety, serving everything from breakfast, lunch, and dinner to dessert and wine. This restaurant also makes for a great …

Charleston She-Crab Soup, Buttermilk Southern Fried Chicken, “Low & Slow” Barbequed Ribs, Carolina Plantation Hoppin’ John and Low Country Shrimp and Grits, all served with complimentary golden corn bread and whipped honey butter. Couple this extraordinary menu with a comprehensive Bourbon selection and you have Oakland’s Picán restaurant. Situated in Oakland’s “Uptown” cultural district, this culinary gem brings the traditions of the Deep South to California. Classic standards are served with a sophisticated twist, allowing diners to experience truly tantalizing dishes with rich and hearty flavors. The restaurant offers both small and large plates that celebrate and accentuate customary Southern …

Visually stunning with its sweeping bay views, a dramatic fireplace, custom-built wood fired grill, and striking columns, Epic Roasthouse is a testimonial to Pat Kuleto’s successful career as a designer. Located in the Embarcadero, this gourmet steakhouse makes its home directly next to the Bay Bridge, providing a view and ambiance like no other. Chef Jan Birnbaum graces the menu with house-cured meats, steaks, chops, and seafood, all prepared with the finest quality ingredients at your specifications. For those merely looking to enjoy the fantastic décor and location, enjoy a tantalizing cocktail or savory bar bite at the bustling bar.

With a breathtaking view, floor-to-ceiling circular aquariums featuring an impressive array of marine life from the Pacific Ocean, an extravagant cascading raw bar, a hand-blown glass “caviar” chandelier, and a lively open kitchen, Waterbar is not merely a restaurant, it is an experience. Located on San Francisco’s scenic Embarcadero, Waterbar offers fresh, seasonal and sustainable whole fish and crustaceans served roasted, grilled, boiled or chilled. Owner and Executive Chef Mark Franz and restaurateur Pat Kuleto, both well-known for their highly successful restaurant Farallon, have created another masterpiece in design while remaining true to the natural essence of the sea.

This sophisticated American bistro specializes in California comfort food with a French flair. Chef Ola Fendert uses classic cooking techniques to prepare dishes like All Natural Baby Back Ribs and Lamb Daube. Oola Restaurant and Bar features these hearty bistro favorites while using organic meats and produce, as well as artisan cheeses and wines. Picked by Bon Appetit Magazine as one of the “Top 50 Hot Spots” around the country, this split level space is sleek and mature. Recycled wood, exposed stone, rust-toned light fixtures and plenty of candlelight produce an alluring and sexy atmosphere.

If you’re interested in dining downtown while still escaping that engulfing city ambiance, look no further than Le Colonial. Serving up elegant French-Vietnamese cuisine made from the highest quality local farm-fresh ingredients, Chef Villanueva truly seems to have outdone himself in this latest undertaking. The décor— complete with exotic flora, a glass canopied walkway, and rattan chairs— is redolent of a 1920’s Asian colonial plantation. The food is no less striking and offers a wide variety of Vietnamese specialties that are sure to make your taste buds dance.

Located on Pier 33, Butterfly hosts a view of San Francisco Bay that simply can’t be beat. With spectacular floor-to-ceiling windows, an open kitchen where Owner/Chef Robert Lam concocts his creations, and a large and airy dining room, there is no lack of visual stimulation here. The trendy, modern décor is perhaps most complimented by the vibrant art-work that adorns the walls and ceilings, all of which have been amassed from local artists. The Cal-Asian cuisine is nothing to scoff at either. The flavorful dishes reflect Chef Lam’s culinary background as well as his Vietnamese heritage.

Located in Hayes Valley, Absinthe Brasserie & Bar combines elements of fine French dining with the laid back atmosphere of a Parisian café. Absinthe recalls an earlier time when food and spirits were homemade and without preservatives, and when one could dine on a fine meal without worrying about all the etiquette. The name itself brings to mind nostalgia of a time long past, but certainly not forgotten. The pressed tin ceilings and copper table tops shine amidst the traditional French design and are an ideal setting for the restaurant’s American-inspired French and Northern Italian cuisine.

When gazing in awe down at the plate before them, many diners at Luce are tempted to ask, “Does art imitate food, or is my meal multitasking as a masterpiece?” The answer to both questions might just be, “yes.” Patrons’ appetites and imaginations are stimulated by Chef Dominique Crenn’s artful constructs that marry the best aspects of local, regional, and international, ingredients to create thoughtful and flavorful dishes. The highly refined and modern décor only contributes to the dining experience, and encourages visitors to make the connection between the orb-like lamps and the Chocolate “Egg,” with hot coco and cookies.

Follow the famed explorer, Marco Polo, as he partakes on his epic adventure, and taste your way through the Pacific Rim with Silk’s uniquely inspired menu. The dining space is dressed in rich tones of cinnamon, nutmeg, and persimmon, and celebrates one of Polo’s greatest discoveries: silk. West Coast elements flirt with iconic Pacific Rim flavors to tantalize patrons’ taste buds, and lure them back in time to a smooth find.

Level III is a fresh and inviting space that accommodates many dining preferences. Mingle with friends, strangers, and soon-to-be pals, at the communal dining table, or settle into a booth for a quiet meal and conversation, or snuggle in for an intimate evening at a private table behind a flowing curtain. Vibrant flame-inspired tones invigorate the senses and peak the appetite. The dinner menu is arranged with dishes to share as a group, and with those meant to be individually savored – pass around the Mediterranean Mussels and the Mac and Cheese, but be selfish with the Anchor Steamed Shorts …