Taste-testing San Francisco’s new foodie website

I never tire of dreaming about San Francisco food. The city — with its culinary pastiche of options, in practically any neighborhood, for nearly every budget — claims more restaurants per capita than any other U.S. city (I haven’t confirmed the accuracy of this widely purported claim, but I believe it enough to repeat it). Restaurants have so much competition in close proximity that they can’t afford duds to stay in business — no dud dishes, no dud chefs, no dud service; and you get quality for your dough, whether you’re eating atop white tablecloths or deli counters. This is a city of foodies who appreciate a hulking burrito in the Mission District as much as a fine-dine in SoMa.

So, as a visitor to the city, how do you most effectively nibble your way through the hills and concrete valleys of edible temptation? The San Francisco Convention and Visitors Bureau is ready to guide you along with its new microsite, TasteSF. This attractive site is an interesting resource on eateries, farmers markets, culinary tours, product retailers, wineries and wine bars, upcoming food-related events and more.

Restaurant information is accessible by neighborhood, cuisine and price, though you can also explore brunch spots, al fresco dining and “dining adventures” (e.g., Forbes Island, “the world’s only floating island restaurant, or supperclub san francisco, where you can dine on a bed). A “Taste of History” section includes Fior d’Italia Restaurant, the oldest Italian restaurant in the U.S., and California’s oldest restaurant, Tadich Grill, a seafood institution since about 1849. The “Inspiring Views” section includes the 19th floor Top of the Mark, at the InterContinental Mark Hopkins.

If you’ll be visiting San Francisco soon, be sure to keep tabs on the site’s blog, Foodie 411, full of the inside scoop on the city’s restaurant scene. For instance, if you’re heading there this coming weekend, you might appreciate the blog’s mention of Hog Island Oyster Day, at Piccino, on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008, where oysters will be enthusiastically shucked and consumed.

– Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

[Photo: A glimpse of Sunday brunch at Top of the Mark; TopoftheMark.com]

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 5, 2008 at 11:30 am by Susan Derby and is filed under California, Gourmet, San Francisco. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.