Two San Francisco standbys

For out-of-towners, San Francisco is a culinary “big white blank,” said Raymond Sokolov in The Wall Street Journal. Most of the gastronomic praise in Northern California goes to places across the bay—Chez Panisse in Berkeley, or Oliveto in Oakland—or to such wine-country meccas as Thomas Keller’s French Laundry in Yountville. No San Francisco restaurant can boast that kind of veneration, but more than a few attain “a national standard of excellence while upholding local traditions and ingredients with pride and identity.” Here are two that hungry travelers can always count on:

Aqua

“A sleek, modern place in the financial district.” French technique meets “militantly” local ingredients in such outstanding dishes as local abalone “brilliantly” combined with chanterelle mushrooms and smoked garlic. The foie gras is served three ways: in a vinegary cure, in a Japanese dashi broth, and as toasted almond “bonbons.” 252 California St., (415) 956-9662

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Ame

Just as upscale as Aqua, but in a funkier part of town, Ame offers a menu that at first look can seem “cryptic.” But any disorientation vanishes when a dish like the “coyly named Staff Meal” arrives. Each ingredient—cuttlefish noodles, quail egg, sea urchin, wasabi, and umami soy sauce—holds its own in this “surprisingly unassuming marine ‘pasta.’” 689 Mission St., (415) 284-4040