That's what I always say about La Ciccia. The sauces are so distinct and delicious. Every one is so different. It really makes each dish stand out.

How much does this cost, not including wine

I love wonton noodle soup. I used to always get it at Lam Hoa Thoan when I lived in the upper Haight. (It's close enough in the Richmond) I love their wide chewy egg noodles. I know they aren't made there, but still delicious. Now we live in the Portola District (not on Portola street, near Silver). The Wonton Noodle soup at Wing Hing on San Bruno Ave. is my go-to now. Nothing fancy, but they make their wonton by hand(I've seen it) Delicious.

What Japanese tapas place? I live in the area too

I'm with you on this one. Drives me crazy, especially if it's one of those threads with tons of replies.

In their defense, if it's lunch, they're probably used to people being in a hurry. Maybe mention that you aren't in a hurry and things will change. I would imagine they are just trying to make their guests happy. Contrary to popular opinion, most restaurants really DO want to make their customers happy. It's the point of the business.

Melanie, maybe you would know what "hot meat sauce" is on the Tong Kee menu. Is it like the stuff on top of tantan mien? (I know that spelling is wrong, but google has entries under all the possible mis-spellings. Sorry)

Do you eat the brown rice? If the answer is yes, then you tip on it.

Another "bar with pizza" is the Jay n' Bee Club. We keep meaning to try their pizza, but haven't. We saw some on a recent visit and it looked delicious. Anyone tried it?

My husband did that with a huge batch of red beans. I used a paste of BarKeepers Friend and water and a green scrubby with lots of elbow grease. It took multiple scrub sessions, but eventually came off.

Call Chez Panisse. They should have someone helping those that had reservations get another one somewhere else.

I have ordered king cakes for the last couple of years for my husband(who grew up in New Orleans) from Noe Valley Bakery. They seem moister than the one's we have gotten mail ordered from New Orleans. Probably because they are fresher. That said, I think my husband would rather the ones from NO. They taste like home to him. I've ordered from Haydel's and Randazzo's. All of them are delicious

I work in a restaurant that charges the fee. I hate the fee. Just raise the prices. I hate having the conversation with annoyed people. My job is to make people happy. That said, my employer offers Kaiser(and did before all this) and I decline it. My husband's company, which is also a food related business in SF, covers me with Kaiser. He is in a position that one of his benefits is my health coverage. That, too, was in effect before all this.

What place is it that has the cottage cheese? Is it Union Hotel?

You might try Sociale in Presidio Heights. They have a beautiful patio that is great for parties.

I've lived in the neighborhood for 3 years now and just tried it a couple of months ago. The food is really good diner food, though probably not any better than any other good diner. Great choice if you are nearby, but I wouldn't drive across the city. The painfully slow service is definitely a deterrent,too. We don't go there if we want something quick. There are plenty of quick Asian breakfast choices nearby. But, the food IS made from scratch and to order and everything we have tried is awesome.I love the veggie omelet. My daughter loves the waffles, pancakes and the biscuits and gravy. My husband got a bacon and something omelet the last time we were there that he was koo-koo for and he's a tough man to please. Their hashbrowns are dreamily crispy and delicious. The main downer is really terrible coffee. Weak Farmer Brother's coffee.

I just had dinner at Jocko's Steakhouse in Nipomo, CA on 12/22/12 and they still serve a relish tray before every meal. Olives, radishes, pepperoncini, cherry peppers, celery, carrots, crackers. With a Santa Maria BBQ twist, salsa is added in. If you are ever in the area, they have the best grilled steaks ever! Perfectly done, juicy, salty, delicious.

I just had a quick drink there and there were a bunch of pizza on tables that looked delicious. Thin, crispy crust. Not overloaded with toppings. Any reports?

I usually like the albondigas soup at Mijita. The chicken porrige(jook) at Out the Door is better, though. Definitely worth the price.

I love them because they are hard. I thought that was one of the selling points. Different strokes, huh?

Don't worry about the anti-kid people in SF. There are tons of them. I have a 4 year old daughter and I have found that no matter where you go you will probably get the evil eye from someone in the restaurants here. It's not the most kid-friendly city. People love dogs more than kids. Just keep your little one entertained, don't let him wander around and go out side for any outbursts. Other than that, enjoy your dinner. I'd go to A-16 or Flour and Water with a little one. Go early.

My straight-up vanilla, blond haired, blue-eyed daughter is koo-koo for ikura. And she'll eat the nastiest, stinkiest cheese we can give her. But, like you, I'm not getting smug about how she has such a sophisticated palate. Even though my husband is a chef and I'm also in the food business. She still won't touch green salad with a ten foot pole and she doesn't really like sauces or anything too sweet. Strange child...

My husband's company (a large catering company) regularly donates to the Bay Area organization you mentioned, FoodRunners. There are lots of rules and regulations in order to donate to them. It's not frivolous, though. It's about food safety. A restaurant can't just donate their leftover mashed potatoes at the end of the night. That said, FoodRunners do lots of good within health dept. regulations.

Next time you have a stain use "Bar Keepers Friend" and a green scrubby. I have stuck to that with no scratching for 19 years.

The Vacche Rosa is delicious, but not that distinguishable from regular DOG(C?) parm.. Some of my favorites: sottocenere, real Taleggio, Testun, pantaleo

It's a really long drive to a Gelson's from San Francisco

So I read through the whole post and I can't believe no one mentioned the Biscoff knock-offs. Crispy, cinnamony, not too sweet, totally delicious and much easier for me to find than Biscoff

We were in Seattle last week and dined at Poppy with our 4 year old daughter. They offered, right at the beginning of the meal, to make her some simple pasta. We took them up on it. Our daughter is fairly adventurous with food, but pasta is always a sure thing. What came was a bowl of beautiful, fresh pappardelle with light butter and some parm on the side. They must make pasta specially for kids. It was great. We also dined at Sitka and Spruce without our daughter because we thought it was going to be too fancy. It wasn't fancy at all. She would have been fine. There were people with shorts and sideways hipster hats. The food would have been fine for her too. We thought it was good, not great. They had just two entrees and they both had the same sides and plating. Simple to fault, in my book.

I second Gialina! It's my favorite. I'm not a fan of the "limp at the tip" style of pizza that everyone is so fond of here. Gialina's crust is crunchy and sturdier. Your jaws get a work out from that crust.

Sachio, from Kabuto, is no longer at Hecho.