Frances

• Cuisine(s): California, Mediterranean
  Hours: Sun,Tue,Wed,Thu 5pm-10pm, Fri-Sat 5pm-10:30pm
  Price: $$, $$$
  Payment Types: All Major Credit Cards
• Attire: Casual
  Features: Takeout, Wheelchair Accessible, Kid Friendly, Vegetarian Friendly
  Serving: Dinner
  Alcohol: Beer/Wine
• Reservations: Accepted, Required
  Parking: No Parking, Street

Description

At this tiny, cream-and-brown Castro bistro, Melissa Perello's food is a Danish modern table: serene, beautifully designed, populist, simple. Aspiring culinary students would do better to spend their course fees on an order of scallops (with leeks and artichokes), or a pan-seared bavette steak (with cipollini), just to see how they should be cooked. Sommelier Paul Einbund's innovative wine-by-the-ounce pours and inventive wine list are pitched just right for a neighborhood restaurant, and the servers are not afraid to chat a little when they see you're open to it, but respectful of your time and your time with your tablemates. It can be frustrating to see such a talented chef cook such minimalist food, out-Panisse-ing Chez Panisse, but her craftsmanship is impeccable.