1701 Octavia St. (at Bush)
San Francisco
Tel. (415) 351-2500
Baker & Banker may sound like a brokerage firm, but dining won't cost a fortune at this restaurant that replaced Quince. Husband-and-wife team Jeffrey Banker, the chef, and Lori Baker, who is in charge of pastries, craft a menu that subtly touches all parts of the world: cauliflower soup with Indian spices, tempura with fried shiso leaves, soy- and mirin-braised black cod with foie gras sticky rice, and duck served with parsnip gnocchi. Baker's sweets are worth a trip alone. Michael Brennan created a handsome, masculine-looking brasserie with comfortable leather banquettes.
Specialties: Calamari a la plancha with chicory; citrus and hearts of palm salad; house smoked trout with celery root latke; bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin with semolina spaetzle and cherry reduction; Triple X dark chocolate layer cake; brown butter doughnuts.
Dinner 5:30-10 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday.
From four-star spots to cozy neighborhood joints, these are Michael Bauer's picks for the best in Bay Area dining.