We lived in the City for decades, but now there so much happening in the East Bay that we don't get back here as often as we'd like. I've noted the neighborhood in which each is located.

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We love:
Aziza, Richmond - Lahlou's cooking has evolved beyond his Moroccan roots, although the duck confit basteeya is still on the menu. But otherwise, this is magnificent CA fusion, the genius of which we thought to find at Commis/Oakland but didn't. Be sure to have dessert despite the unusual descriptions: a perfect ending to the food - pastry chef Melissa Chou is brilliant!
Bluestem Brasserie, Downtown - A stylish lunch place with good service and some very good dishes and charcuterie
Brasserie S&P @Mandarin Oriental Hotel - A simple cafe with a short menu replaces Silks, yet service remains five star and the chairs are so comfy you want to take them home with you. Quiet, comfy, great service - it's $$ for a burger and a glass of wine, but we love it.
Cafe Zitouna, Polk St. - Barebones and ordinary, except they make a sensational cheap bastilla. No street parking anywhere!
Chapeau!, Richmond - Great little French bistro but park in nearby Jordan Park neighborhood and walk over
E&O Trading Company, Downtown - Expensive but great interior and some (but not all) seriously good food

Fifth Floor, Downtown - CLOSED. Now Dirty Habit, it's a bar with lousy food and obnoxious music/service. See our review, below.
Gaspar Brasserie, Downtown - We'll follow Chef Chris Jones anywhere. Formerly at Brix, he's now doing a great job here. Amazing food, great desserts by Chucky Dugo. Even with the noise, we love it.
La Folie, Polk St./Russian Hill - Delectable modernized haute cuisine with old school service. Of four visits in a year, two were perfect, two were slightly flawed. But even when there are small flaws, it's still an incredible dining experience. One of our favorites.
Lovejoy's Tearoom, Noe Valley - Delightful, quaint, one of the best for a lovely cream tea
Maxfields @Palace Hotel, Downtown (entrance is actually on Market St.) - CLOSED. Replaced by Pied Piper Bar & Grill, see review below.

One Market, Downtown - A carnivore's delight, but don't miss that smoked trout over potato cake starter. The duck is so-so, however; although the steak and pork are amazing. Desserts have jumped up a level, but some of the soups/starters, formerly reliable, have taken an uneven twist with too many ingredients and unbalanced flavors. 
Park Chalet, Ocean Beach - Better than its sibs Beach Chalet and Lake Chalet, small plate bar food. You can eat outside on those rare windless sunny days.
Perbacco, Downtown - Amazing small plate food with even better service. A textbook example of how great service enhances equally good food to a whole new level. This is what Michael Mina should be, but wasn't. Excellent food and service, creative dishes that push the boundaries of the Bay Area's traditional attitude towards Italian cuisine, without going overboard.
Pied Piper Bar & Grill, Downtown - Replacing Maxfields @Palace Hotel. Solid "B" food, not great but substantial. No reservations under 6 people, though, which annoys the crap out of us. Go early and enjoy SF's most classic dining interior.

SF Chocolate Tour - We took the Holiday version and it was great fun - lots of chocolate nibbles and entertaining only-in-SF history. Long tour, a full three hours.
Shanghai Dumpling King, Richmond - Far superior to Shanghai Dumpling Shop/San Mateo, but we wish they'd improve the Shanghai chow mein, which is too sweet. Otherwise, an almost perfect 'ten" in a dumpy greasy spoon dive.
Slanted Door, Downtown - Fusion Vietnamese, taking street cuisine to the level the Imperial Palace once took Chinese food to. It's not, BTW, Vietnamese banquet food, which is traditionally French-inspired. Don't miss the teas - Phan is a tea fanatic and his staff is properly trained, one of the few in the area that lives up to the quality of the leaves.
Specialtys Bakery and Cafe, downtown and other city locations - Breakfast and lunch only; they specialize in good sandwiches on high-quality bread. Not the cheapest, but one of the best. Skip the leaden cookies, though.
Zarzuela, Russian Hill - No parking and crowded, but great tapas for sharing with friends


We liked but didn't love:
Americano, Downtown - There's much better Italian food elsewhere.
B44, Downtown - Good, altho we think Zarzuela/SF and Venga Paella/Oakland are better
Cosmopolitan Cafe , Downtown - CLOSED
Cotogna, Jackson Square - sister to Quince, it's good rich Italian food, but not a destination restaurant.
Eclipse Cafe @Hyatt Regency Embarcadero, Downtown - Used to be a fav, but high prices and bottom-line cost-cutting have taken its toll
Epic Roasthouse, Embarcadero - Go to sibling Waterbar next door. Better food & service, same view, costs much less.
Hakka Chinese, Outer Richmond - A couple of good dishes, but like most, not everything is good. They do watch the salt levels, though, which is appreciated.

Layaly Mediterranean, Richmond - New owners, not quite as good as before. Great Turkish coffee, though.
Palomino, Downtown - A corporate chain, not cutting edge but good service and decor make it a nice place to take visitors. It's also one of the few good places open for weekend lunch. Food, however, is getting tired and cost cutting is dragging it down.
Roka Akor, Jackson Square - You'll love it if you go on someone else's dime. It's fun and energetic and the food just manages to pass muster. On your own $$$$, probably not so much. Sloppy pseudo-Asian concept for non-Asians, from an upscale chain headquartered in Phoenix AZ.
Silks @Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Downtown - CLOSED: replaced by Brasserie S&P, listed at the top
Waterbar, Embarcadero - Nice view of the Bay Bridge lightshow, good service, decent food, outstanding desserts. Much better and cheaper than its next-door sibling Epic Roasthouse.


We hated:
Boulevard, Downtown - A recent visit shriveled our souls. Ravi Kapur left and the food we got was overwrought, unbalanced, lacks complexity, and worst of all, costs what La Folie does without being worth the upcharge. We may try again....maybe.
Cafe Bastille, Downtown - French food made by staff that's not French and working with simplified recipes. The sad thing is that they could be better, if the owner cared more about investing in better ingredients and rewarding skillful execution...but he doesn't, so they don't.
Dirty Habit, Downtown - The former great Fifth Floor has been remodeled into this Millennial drinking disaster. You couldn't pay us to go back.
Fleur de Lys, Downtown - CLOSED. Hubert Keller's other restaurants remain open, however.
Garden Court @Palace Hotel, Downtown - The holiday tea is a rip-off, and what's with the sloppy waitstaff? Do they think we don't know any better? We're insulted, and for cream tea Lovejoy's on Church St. is sooooo much better and cheaper.
Michael Mina, Downtown - This review was for the original MM in the St. Francis Hotel, and we're not mourning its closing. Too rich and some of it was salty. Once one of the best chefs, he's now just a showy name. The MM restaurant has moved to the old Aqua address, but we won't be wasting any more $$$$ at any of his zillion corporate show-offs.

Prospect, SoMa - Sister to Boulevard, we loved our perfect first visit but the return was a huge let-down. Ravi Kapur is gone and the food got saltier, the combinations now lack balance and depth. We were stunned, and disappointed. And yes, a subsequent visit to Boulevard showed that the rot was infectious; it too wasn't worth the money.
RN74, Downtown - Mina's casual but super-expensive bistro. Nice menu, but even saltier than his flagship restaurant! There's better food elsewhere; Mina's a corporate hack nowadays.