SF Bay Guardian lists nearby hot spots in their “Best of the Bay 2010″

Posted by Mary on Jul 29, 2010

The San Francisco Bay Guardian this week published their 2010 Best of the Bay listings. Not surprisingly, some of our neighbors were included!

Below, find everything on the Editor’s Choice list within 10 blocks of the Downtown and City Center hostels, compiled for your eating/drinking/dancing/shopping/San Francisco-loving pleasure.

For more recommendations throughout San Francisco and the Bay Area, check out the full story here.

BEST FRIENDLY YEMENI: Yemeni’s

1098 Sutter Street
4 blocks from the City Center Hostel, 7 blocks from the Downtown Hostel.

This spring, on the western edge of the Tenderloin, a humble little restaurant opened quietly: Yemeni’s. Owner Ali Abu Baker and his staff convey a warmth almost equal to that of the piping Yemeni bread coming from the oven (useful for sopping up hummus with strip steak). Shawerma, baba ganoush, tabbouleh, and other Middle Eastern favorites are available. But the real draws are traditional Yemeni dishes like salteh, the country’s national dish: a meat stew topped with hilbeh - a tomato-based, chutney-like dip spiced with fenugreek, garlic, and cardamom - and zhug/sahaweq, a hot pepper sauce. Sip Yemeni coffee accented with a spice mix called hawayij. Baker shares his passion for his native country’s food at prices that encourage feasting for mere dollars. Stop into neighboring Queen of Sheba market for Middle Eastern groceries to complete your culinary journey.

Best Culinary Multiple Personality: Red Crawfish

611 Larkin Street
1 block from the City Center Hostel, 7 blocks from the Downtown Hostel.

Don’t be deceived; Red Crawfish isn’t some kind of Red Lobster knockoff. The name is (we guess) a sly joke, and the restaurant does offer crawfish. But neither the jokey name nor the serving of crawfish is what makes the restaurant special. No, the reason you’ll remember Red Crawfish is because of its split personality. And although in human beings, split personalities are generally problem personalities, it’s different - and better - with restaurants (in this case, all Jeckyll and no Hyde). By day, Red Crawfish is an ordinary-looking Tenderloin restaurant that lays out an agreeable east Asian menu. But when the sun goes down, the place morphs smoothly into a Cajun spot whose gumbo is superb. Good gumbo doesn’t exactly grow on trees in these parts, so for this dish alone, let us all give thanks to Red Crawfish, whichever one it may be.

BEST CREPE ME UP BEFORE YOU GO-GO: Crepes A Go Go

1220 Polk Street
5 blocks from the City Center Hostel.

What do we miss most about Paris in the spring? The hip-hop boys with their gold chains and exposed biceps, the gamine girls in strappy heels, the constant elusive threat of rain, the crowds at Paris-Plages, laden with beer bottles, acoustic guitars, and joie de vivre. But above all, we can’t help reminiscing about those street crepes, fresh off the griddle, just the ticket for staving off those inopportune late-night hunger pangs, and great for soaking up any excess vin ordinaire in the bargain. Hooray! The 11th Street corridor’s Crepes A Go Go serves up the best street crepes this far side of the Maginot line. Starting at just $2.50, each crepe is made to order, and filled to oozing point with a decidedly Californian array of savory or sweet options. Open until 4 a.m. on weekends, with complimentary French hip-hop and comfy street-side sofa seating in the bargain. Take that, bacon-wrapped hotdog cart.

BEST XXX: Baker and Banker

1701 Octavia Street
10 blocks from the City Center Hostel.

Sink happily into the dark brown booths at Baker and Banker for a memorable Cal cuisine dinner - sweet corn bisque with a plump lobster hush puppy, maybe, or sausage-stuffed quail in a coffee-molasses glaze. Husband and wife chef duo Jeff Banker and Lori Baker get it right with each dish. But you could visit for dessert alone with Lori’s ever-changing wonderland of a dessert menu. In fall, dessert might be pumpkin cobbler, steaming hot with a crunchy top and cooled with candied pumpkin seed ice cream. In summer, a cherry tarte tatin accented by salted caramel and amaretti rules. Awesomely, the Baker and Banker’s XXX triple-dark chocolate layer cake is a constant. This orgiastic slice stands tall with a bottom layer of dark, dense flourless chocolate. Not to be outdone, the middle is a tangy chocolate cheesecake, while the top finally gives you a density break with traditional chocolate cake. One of the more satisfying threesomes in town.

BEST BIG EASY OVER EASY: Brenda’s French Soul Food

652 Polk Street
2 blocks from the City Center Hostel, 8 blocks from the Downtown Hostel.

Morning at Brenda’s French Soul Food: where to start? Grillades and grits or crawfish beignets? Fried shrimp po’boy or sloppy Josephine? Eggs and andouille? Oui, Oui! This wee spot on Polk Street - open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch - is a showcase of the strikingly huge flavors of New Orleans-style French and Creole cuisines. The portions are big, the atmosphere strikes a note between quaint and cosmopolitan, and wonderfully named Filipino-Creole chef (and New Orleans native) Brenda Buenviaje keeps the flavor flowing. The only drawback, besides having to brave the tiny curbside riots to get in, is having to choose among the many dreamy menu items on offer. Make sure, however, to wash down Brenda’s must-try gumbo with a glass of sweet watermelon iced tea before proceeding to the next steaming dish.

BEST MIX MASTER, WITH MARMALADE: Kevin Diedrich (at Burritt Room)

417 Stockton Street
5 blocks from the Downtown Hostel.

A tucked away, speakeasy-like space on the second floor of the Crescent Hotel, minus the masses and snobbery: that’s where you’ll find the Burritt Room and its founder, master mixologist Kevin Diedrich. In the brick-walled space accented with sparkly chandeliers, black and red couches, and white piano, Diedrich shakes and stirs from a reasonably-sized menu of 18 rotating cocktails. He doesn’t just craft the classics, though there are plenty of those. Diedrich also creates inventive new drinks - often featuring marmalade - like the sparkling Hitachino Sour with bourbon, orange marmalade, lemon, sugar, and orange bitters, topped with Hitachino White beer. His experience lies in some of the country’s greatest bars from East to West. Diedrich sets a welcoming, unpretentious tone, has assembled a tight team of bartenders, and will take you on tasteful journeys nostalgic and new.

BEST UNDERCOVER RUM RUNNERS: Smuggler’s Cove

650 Gough Street
8 blocks from the City Center Hostel.

Bring on the kitschy maritime decor behind a nondescript storefront’s tinted windows. Add plentiful fruity (but never too sweet) cocktails, featuring a stellar, connoisseur’s-dream rum selection served by some of the city’s best bartenders. Now cue up the exotic music in this enchanting three-level spot. It’s tiki heaven! It’s Smuggler’s Cove, brought to us by tiki mastermind - yes, they exist - Martin Cate. The hype was heavy surrounding its December opening and waits to get in can still be painful at certain hours. But the Cove rules a unique San Francisco niche, offering refinement, experience, and an exquisite dedication to Polynesian, Caribbean, and Cuban traditions. Cocktail-wise, our love rummeth over for the Chadburn, a complex mix of private reserve rum, tawny port, pear liqueur, and a dash of chocolate mole bitters. Or dive into the Cove’s banana daiquiri, the best you’ll ever sip. Watch out, though - it’ll sneak up on you.

BEST BASS-MENT: 222 Hyde

222 Hyde Street
2 blocks from the City Center Hostel, 5 blocks from the Downtown Hostel.

Fans of small-batch, big-boom nightlife, rejoice: 222 Hyde will energize you almost every night of the week. When owner Emilio Giraubit took over the already bangin’ location last year, he made sure to keep the intimate feel of the club while amping up the wattage. Navigating through the long, thin bar area upstairs can get tricky, especially with friendly bartenders and scrumptious pizzas to derail you. But once you descend to the tiny basement, all cares are blasted off by the superb Turbosound system and the stellar array of local and international DJs. 222’s adventurous sonic palette embraces everything from Afrohouse to purple dubstep, post-minimal techno to UK Funky - it’s a dance music connoisseur’s dream come true. Experiencing the latest tracks while rubbing shoulders with other bass fanatics is the icing on 222’s too-too-too fab cake.

BEST BLACKBOX SEASON: Boxcar Theatre

505 Natoma Street
7 blocks from the Downtown Hostel, 10 blocks from the City Center Hostel.

Times are tough and money’s still tight, even for the biggest theatres in the Bay Area. That makes it doubly amazing that this tiny company should be closing a record-busting 10-show season of "reimagined" classics with its most ambitious project to date - a three-play repertory schedule of Tennessee Williams that runs through Aug. 28th. But the Boxcar Theatre troupe is used to exceeding expectations from its very first performance, "21/One," which won a Best of the Fringe award for Best New Company in 2005, to its successful occupation and transformation of the previously rundown venue at 505 Natoma St., all within five short years. (Word on the street is that Boxcar just signed on to expand into a second space.) With a reputation for risk-taking, a sense of historical imperative and community involvement, and an emphasis on access - including at least one completely free, site-specific production per season - the Boxcar children have rapidly matured into a theatrical establishment that ranks among the very best SF has to offer.

BEST TL ROUGHNECKS: Dwntwn Skate Supply

644 Hyde Street
4 blocks from the City Center Hostel, 5 blocks from the Downtown Hostel.

So you’re headed to psych class at City College one day when, on a dime, you say forget it - I’m going to follow my love and start a mini-skateboard empire in the Tenderloin instead. Welcome to the life of Johnny Roughneck. The boarder opened tee shirt treasure trove Dwntwn Skate Supply to hawk his Roughneck line of skate hardware and give a hand to new designers, like those of TL-repping clothing line The Loin, all while establishing a let’s-have-fun attitude in a neighborhood that often has its odds stacked against it. Occasional barbeques out on the Hyde Street pavement have given the shop some presence on the block, and Dwntwn has even played jump-off to some wildly legit skating events. Check out the video of the Roughneck crew’s 2010 Caltrain tour for Bay skating inspiration.