Must-try restaurants

These are the places that you have to go:

• Benu: This restaurant needs to be on everyone’s go-to list. Advice for anyone headed to Benu: order the tasting menu you can avoid the decision making pressure. Oh, and make your reservation well in advance.
  
• Incanto: Incanto is one of my favorite places to eat in the country, not just in SF. Chris and Mark run a tight ship, and even if you don’t like snout to tail eating, this restaurant never fails to thrill. Pine broth with matsutake and shaved abalone are my favorites.
  
• To Hyang: It's korean grandmother food heaven. Yes, pork ribs are in heavy rotation.

This isn't so much a restaurant, as a tea house, but it's a must -- Samovar Tea Lounge. This is one of my favorite "meet-up" spots in San Francisco. Great place to relax with friends/family after a long day of touring. The Genmaicha green tea (brewed from corn) is my absolute favorites. Yum.

Here are some great San Francisco restaurants, straight out of the cheat day section of my book, The 4-Hour Chef :)

Savory foods:

• Gialina Pizzeria: Wild Nettles Pizza (with Pancetta, Mushrooms, Red Onions & Provolone) with Affogato dessert
• La Cicca: Fregua Cun Arrescottu e Cori de Tonnu (Fregula with Fresh Ricotta and Cured Tuna Heart)
  
• Udupi Palace: Masala Dosa (Thin Rice Crepe with Spiced Potatoes and Onions)
  
• Caffé BaoNecci: Pizza Monte Biano (Parma & Mascarpone)
  
• M & L Market: Hot Pastrami Sandwich
  
• Saigon Sandwich Shop: Pork Paté Banh Mi Sandwich
  
• Liguria Bakery: Pizza or Onion Focaccia
  

Sweet Tooth:

• Mission Pie: Banana Cream Pie
  
• Anthony's Cookies: Cinnamon Sugar Cookie
  
• Dynamo Donut & Coffee: Saffron Chocolate Donut and Bacon Maple Apple Donut
  
• Humphry Slocombe:  Secret Breakfast Ice Cream
  
• Sidewalk Juice: Green Energy Juice (Spinach, Kale, Apple, Lemon, Ginger, Parsley, Celery, Cucumber)
  
• Tartine Bakery & Cafe: Bread Pudding and Country Loaf:
  
• Bi-Rite Creamery: Salted Caramel Ice Cream
  

You should check out these places:

• House of Prime Rib: for an irony free hunk of meat and a big martini or two
  
• Red's Java House: A great greasy spoon on the waterfront
  
• Incanto: Awesome restaurant from chef Chris Cosentino
• Mission Chinese Food: Great restaurant
  
• La Folie: Another Great restaurant
  
• Swan Oyster Depot: for the oysters (of course), for the crab back fat with sourdough bread), the sea urchin. Hell--whatever they got is good! Be prepared to wait on line.
  

If you need a place to stay, go to Hotel Monaco San Francisco.  Nice hotel.  Good lobby.

I went to Ike's Place and had the Menage a Trois sandwich.  It was awesome!  I definitely recommend.

Have to go to House of Prime Rib. Come hungry. The steak and potatoes are massive!

Sushi Ran isn't exactly in San Francisco, but they're by far the best sushi I've ever had. Pricy and you need a reservation.

I love Samovar Tea Lounge and Tartine Bakery & Cafe.  The Jasmine Lemonade at Somovar is wonderful and it's impossible to go to Tartine without leaving with the cookbook in hand. Must visits.

I'll just list off a few of my favorite places...

• Emmy's Spaghetti Shack do spaghetti. Awesomely.
• Puerto Alegre is my all-time favorite Mexican place in the city, for sit-down style eating (not like a taqueria).
  
• Bi-Rite Creamery has amazing ice cream
  
• Another good place when you want the very best ice cream... Smitten Ice Cream
  
• Farmer Brown has amazing weekend buffet, happy hour cocktails, and soul food.
  
• Una Pizza Napoletana has the best pizza... possibly ever
  
• Wise Sons Delicatessen has great food, like bialis and pastrami!
  
• If you like sandwiches, go to Ike's Place. I love the "Home for Thanksgiving" sandwich the best!
• For steaks, check out House of Prime Rib. This place is amazing, though it can be kind of touristy. It's fun to dress up and just enjoy the atmosphere
• Foreign Cinema is one of my favorite spots in the city for brunch! Love everything here.
  
• Samovar Tea Lounge: The dumplings are the best!
  
• Little Star Pizza serves deep dish done right.
• If you'll be in Berkeley, Zachary's Chicago Pizza has great pizza, too!

Samovar Tea Lounge. Love this place. Was introduced to it by Kevin & Darya. So yummy! I am craving it right now.

I love Ike's Place and Dottie's True Blue Cafe. My favorite breakfast spot in SF. It's got long lines - but absolutely delicious and pancakes are mouthwatering.