Financial District, San Francisco · restaurant
White-clothed communal tables and wood-paneled walls set the stage for mesquite-broiled Pacific seafood that's made the petrale sole a non-negotiable for regulars. The cioppino is canonical; the crab Louie is perfectly calibrated; the pot roast is for the person at the table who refuses all fish. Private curtained booths in the back for when you need to disappear with your lunch and your deal.
Mesquite-broiled California sole — the dish that defines this place
SF classic: crab, prawns, scallops, mussels, shrimp in rich tomato broth
Chilled Dungeness crab, a classic SF starter, ordered at every table