Larkin near Ellis. This is another place I had been meaning to write about for a long time (more than a year now). This is probably the best Vietnamese food I’ve had, and a steal for the price. It’s in the Tenderloin, which is not the nicest of neighborhoods, but it’s a good place for an early dinner before going for more adventures (or rehearsals). If you’re a pho fan, you’ll find their broth to be richer than most places, and the tai (rare flank) is really fresh until you push it under the broth to cook it. There’s a 7-course beef feast that I’ve never tried but I hear it’s delicious. I’ve also tried the construct-your-own spring roll with shrimp molded over sugar cane and grilled (you have to try it). On the curry side I had a lemongrass dish that was good but just wasn’t as exciting as the other things. The restaurant itself is a little spare but in an elegant clean designed way. And did I mention it’s cheap?

Mariposa at Hampshire, one block west of Potrero. I meant to write about this place before, but it slipped my mind. Slow Club is one of those hip restaurants in that area between Potrero Hill and the Mission. We had to wait for a table so we decided to sample the drinks at the bar. I had a Junipero martini. I’d never had Junipero before, despite it being a local gin, and it was quite good, although I think I prefer Hendricks if I’m going to pay ridiculous amounts for gin. Overall though, I’d skip the bar next time and maybe get a glass of wine with the meal.

Slow Club is the kind of place that has good food that even your picky (but non-vegetarian) friends might eat. There’s always a pasta, a lamb, a chicken, a fish, and the burger. As I mentioned, the vegetarian pickings are slim. Prices range from $10-$20 for an entree, but I definitely recommend splitting an appetizer, such as the grilled flatbread. It’s a kind of lavash-like pizza thing and it’s ridiculously tasty. The menu changes daily and is posted online.

We had the flatbread and I had linguini with a veal ragout. The pasta tasted fresh and light, much like the Phoenix Pastificio in Berkeley. The sauce was delicious, and not too fatty in spite of the veal. I think I tasted fennel in there, which I will have to try the next time I make meat sauce. I also got to try my friends’ dishes, a leg of lamb that was too tender to be believed, and a citrus-rosemary crusted chicken. It’s the second time I’ve tasted the orange-rosemary combination and I’m sold on it now.

I’m definitely going to go there again, maybe on an off-night. As long as you can ignore the endless parade of hipsters and the loudness of the room and concentrate on the good eats, you’ll be golden.