Today's edition of SF Weekly is the annual Best Of San Francisco issue, and as always, the readers' poll is where the democratic fun lies. You'll recall that last year, (Italian restaurant) Farina was voted the city's Best French restaurant while Greek standby Kokkari took top Middle Eastern honors.
Not to be outdone, this year's poll simply went ahead and declared Pasta Pomodoro the best restaurant in San Francisco. Oddly enough, the rest of the winners are pretty standard and expected (Tartine, Ferry Building et al.), making prankster ballot stuffing unlikely, but that Pasta P coronation is, just, wow.
But of course, the "Best Of" section that (thankfully) carries more weight is the editorial half. It's a long list—over 50 categories, including many fun facts—but still well worth a perusal. Some of the more notable categories:
Best New Restaurant: Nopalito
Best New Dish: the sea urchin at Anchor & Hope
Best Charitable Chef: MSF's Anthony Myint
Best Rebirth: Washington Square Bar & Grill
Best Reinvention: Sutro's at the Cliff House
Best Place to Get Buzzed at Brunch: Axis Cafe and Gallery
Best Patio Dining: Arlequin
Best Gourmet Burgers: Epic Roasthouse
Best Burrito: Taqueria Can-Cun
Best Tamale: Frontera Fresco in Macy's
Some of the choices may cause some debate, but we suppose that's the point. Overall, the good news here is twofold: 1) upon first inspection, there are no geography gaffes this time around, and 2) there are more than a dozen Bay Area locations at which enjoy the award-winning fare of the best restaurant in San Francisco.
