(on Hopkins and Monterrey) This is a walk-up Brooklyn-style pizzeria with a Bay Area twist. Fresh organic produce and sesonal vegetable make for a mouth-wateringly good slice of pie. The options rotate depending on what’s in season, but my favorites so far have been the broccoli ricotta, meatball, mushroom, and clam pizzas. The last one will make you happy as its namesake that you schlepped out to Hopkins St. Be sure to try a sesonal lemonade — the blood orange was to die for.

(2300 Polk St. at Green St.) This is a cute little French bistro in Russian Hill. I went with my friend Sarah and we were pretty much stuffed. Craving eggs, she got the scrambled eggs with muhroom ragout (mushroomy goodness) and I got the Oeuf en cocotte, which is a sort of mini casserole with eggs, potatoes, and pancetta (bacony goodness). If you are in Russian Hill and want brunch, it’s definitely a place to check out. The service is friendly, and the decor is cute. Watch out for children of wealthy families underfoot before a day of shopping with the parents.

(3214 16th St. between Guererro and Dolores) Pretty standard Thai food. The staff is very friendly, but the curries are only so-so. My friends found it a little “greasy.” I think that might have been a function of getting curry rather than noodles. Vegetarian options are surprisingly limited, since the oyster sauce is non-veg. There are better places, but if you are right there and want Thai, it’s not a bad place to go.

(Shattuck between Cedar and Vine) Cesar is one of those fancy-pants restaurants in Berkeley in the so-called Gourmet Ghetto. I’ve been there twice now and was impressed both times. The food is California-ized Spanish tapas, and the menu rotates every little while (I’m not sure of the frequency). Highlights of my dining experiences have been the Venetian Martini, made with antica formula sweet vermouth, a dish with monkfish and mushrooms, and the croque senor (like a croque monsieur, only with spanish ham and cheese). If you’re looking to treat yourself or someone else out and want a somewhat noisy but delicious dining experience, try this place. They also have a large central table for small groups to share (and in theory meet each other, but I’ve never managed to sit there).

Guerrero and 18th. This little French-styled bakery and coffeehouse is awesome. I have heard their pastries are delicious but I had the croque monsieur with shiitake mushrooms and it was super tasty. I will probably go here again and again, although not if I’m in a rush, since the line is so long.

If you are looking for something more substantial, try Delphina next door.

Valencia and 22nd. I’ve been here twice now, and both times it’s been pretty good. The tapas menu is pretty standard and on the cheaper side of tapas ($5-6 an entree), and I found the food better than Timo’s and about on par with Cha Cha Cha. The service is a bit slow.

We had the patatas bravas, which were the spiciest I’ve ever had (but tasty!), some fried artichokes which were kind of gross and flavorless, some uninspired fried calamari, very tasty pollo ajillo, and these little ham open-faces sandwiches with roasted red pepper, which were TASTY. The sangria was kind of dull, to tell the truth.

To sum up, I would go here again if I wasn’t too hungry and didn’t want to spend too much. But there are certainly better places for tapas, I’m sure.

Church and 15th. This place is also known as “No Name Sushi,” since there’s no real sign on the outside to identify it. This is hands down the cheapest sushi place I’ve ever been to — $4.75 for the 9 piece Nigiri combo, and the maki orders come with 16 small maki. Crazy crazy. This is a good place for a light lunch, but gets really crowded at night. The sushi isn’t bad — better price for value than other cheap sushi places. A good place to go before catching a movie at the Castro theater or heading off for further SF adventures. I give it 2 thumbs up.

One of the few 24 hour places in the bay area, Orphan Andy’s is a tiny little diner in a nook on the corner of Castro and Market. The campy decor and greasy diner food combine to disorient the visitor, but if you stumble in there at 3 AM you’re probably already disoriented. Nothing is really amazing here, but then again, that’s not why you go to a place like this. Recommended if you get the munchies late or want breakfast for dinner. The music was terrible last time I went, but perhaps that varies.