Tasting San Francisco in two days or less
By Sally Moe

My husband and I couldn't begin to do justice to San Francisco’s dizzying variety of restaurants in two short days — in fact, no matter where I made reservations, I experienced immediate buyer’s remorse, and sometimes on the drive over. (Oh...look at that place! We should have gone there!) But we did manage to enjoy Persian, innovative Californian, pan-Asian and Northern Italian cuisines in less than 36 hours, with a cocktail at the downtown Marriott's 33rd-floor lounge thrown in for good measure. Not too shabby.

Steve met me at our room in the historic Hotel Majestic on Friday with a hunger as big as Long Island, so nearby was important. We stopped in at Alborz, specializing in elegantly flavored Persian cuisine. Their combination platter, laden with such treats as Dolma and Kashk Bademjan (roasted eggplant with garlic and mint, topped with yogurt sauce and caramelized onion), and the Koobideh sandwich (ground sirloin with onion and spices), were delicious. But we fell in love on the spot with our dessert: Bastani, a Persian ice cream. The flowery, delicate flavor was like nothing we'd ever tasted; according to our server, one of the ingredients is rosewater.

Friday night was the perfect night to check out the innovative cuisine and upbeat atmosphere of First Crush. While waiting for our table, I wondered, “Does ‘crush’ refer to the restaurant’s celebration of wine, or to the crush of stylish twenty-somethings in the lobby?” Whatever. Steve’s herbed chicken with goat cheese infusion and my duck confit in phyllo were top notch. Like many local dining spots, First Crush offers wine “flights” — typically, three two-ounce portions of wines with similar characteristics served side by side, like a mini-tasting — so much the better to sample their all-Californian wine list. Here, cheeses and desserts joined in the fun. I love this! Three great desserts with the guilt of one!

Saturday’s launching-off point was Jay Gifford’s fascinating walking tour of Victorian homes, which allowed us to see this fabulous city through the lens of its historic architecture. At the end of the tour, after bidding a reluctant farewell to the mansions of Cow Hollow, we made a beeline for Union Street and followed our noses into exotic Betelnut for lunch. Expect plenty of Asian beers, kitschy Polynesian-sounding cocktails, and “pan-Asian” cuisine, hot with ginger vinegar, cardamon and honey bee chilies. Our Malaysian curry laksa noodles with prawns, and “little dragon” dumplings of pork and shrimp with ginger vinegar, were marvelous. Be sure to sample one of their martinis. I especially loved the Emerald Lim-n Drop — curiously refreshing.

We saved our final dinner for Scala’s Bistro, adjacent to the Sir Francis Drake Hotel. This is the place for chic Parisian-style glamour — from the dramatic floral arrangement of snaking stems of cherry blossoms, curly willow, lilies and gladioli to the golden-mica, fan-shaped light fixtures, abundant mirrors and oversized paintings.

Not wanting to rush our final meal, we pushed the menu all the way from appetizer to dessert — starting with the roasted beet salad with avocado and roquefort, and carpaccio with capers and shaved parmesan — but our favorite was the pesto and ricotta ravioli in lemon cream sauce with parmigiano reggiano. Scrumptious!
I still have the menus. They make the best late-night reading.

If Yo Go

Alborz
1245 Van Ness Ave.
415-440-4321

First Crush Restaurant, Wine Bar & Lounge
101 Cyril Magnin St. (5th Street north of Market)
415-982-7874
www.firstcrush.com

Betelnut
2030 Union St.
415-929-8855
www.betelnutrestaurant.com

Scala’s Bistro
432 Powell St.
415-395-8555
www.scalasbistro.com

Victorian Home Walk
Meets at 11 a.m. daily in the lobby of the Westin St. Francis Hotel (Powell and Geary) under the hanging clock.
Reservations not required.
415-252-9485
www.victorianwalk.com