A new cafe called The Creamery has opened in the South of Market (SOMA) neighborhood of San Francisco, at the corner of 4th Street and Townsend. They serve good espresso and coffee (from Ritual Coffee), and excellent mocha (unlike most cafes, the mocha is not so sweet and it has a lot of espresso). The all-wood, spare interior is spacious and there’s free Wi-Fi. This neighborhood desperately needs a cafe with good espresso. For far too long, residents have been subjected to the horrors of Starbucks and Panera Bread, but no longer. There are tables outside for when the sun shines, but the view isn’t great.

The Creamery
685 Fourth Street
San Francisco, CA
+1 415 896 1445

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Read reviews of our favorite restaurants and cafes in the SF Bay Area.

Last night I went to the newly opened Tsunami in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco, a district that has been lacking in culinary delights. This neighborhood’s proximity to the ball park means its residents can choose from variety of establishments serving “ball park area cuisine” (burger joints, soggy pizza, sub-standard sushi, lousy ice cream, Panera’s inedible rolls and equally abysmal coffee). They have to walk all the way to Townsend Street to get to South Food and Wine Bar. So when Tsunami opened their third Japanese place in San Francisco right in Mission Bay, I wanted to try it out immediately.

The sushi rolls are very good, much better than sushi rolls in most Japanese restaurants around town (with the possible exception of Ozumo). The fish is fresh and the flavors are well-balanced. The vegetarian rolls are also wonderful which is unusual because vegetarian rolls are an after-thought in most sushi places. Tsunami has an extensive sake list, although not quite as varied and deep as at Ozumo. They also have good Japanese beers, which are hard to find in SF. The restaurant is modern and glamorous; there’s a large bar area. It has the same look as Grand Pu Bah and Heaven’s Dog. The clientele are mostly young Asians (for now) but expect this to change when there’s a ball game.

The Dajani Group, which owns Tsunami Mission Bay, also owns Tsunami in the Panhandle (Divisadero at Fulton) and Nihon Whiskey Lounge (sushi plus whiskey). Tsunami Mission Bay says they will open for lunch in a few weeks, which is good news for those of us who live in this part of the city. We’ve got more choices now beyond ball park chow.

• Vibe: chic, modern interiors; clientele are young Asians (and professionals) who live in the Mission Bay neighborhood.

• Pros: quality of the sushi rolls much better than most SF sushi places; big selection of sakes and Japanese beers; spacious, airy seating areas. A block from the Muni station so no need to drive and mess with the SF parking nightmare.

• Cons: quite expensive for these recessionary times – a glass of sake costs $10, the rolls are $14 – $17, beer is $8.50.

Tsunami Mission Bay
301 King Street #B
San Francisco, CA 94158
+1 415 284 0111
www.dajanigroup.net
Reserve now

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Click to read reviews of my favorite restaurants in SF.

Visitors to Florence spend days marveling at the glories of the Renaissance: the stunning 15th century palazzi, Michelangelo’s sculptures, the paintings in the Uffizi Gallery, and the imposing Duomo. But when it comes to accommodations, most people are strictly 21st century.

If you like ultra-modern decor, gorgeous Bisazza mosaics and high-tech amenities, check out the Hotel Una Vittoria, an 84-room hotel on the other side of the Arno from the center of Florence. But don’t think it’s far away from the main sights. On the contrary, it is a few blocks away from my favorite little secret spot in Florence — the Brancacci chapel in the church of Santa Maria del Carmine, which houses several paintings of Masaccio, one of the early Renaissance painters who is known for his mastery of light, perspective and realism.

Hotel Una Vittoria has three types of rooms (classic, superior and executive) and the prices are reasonable (100 EUR to 220 EUR if you book in advance). Rooms have Wi-Fi and flat screen TVs. There is a bar and a restaurant on the premises, too. The hotel seems more geared to business travelers and the conference market given its size, but it is still a worthwhile place to consider if you are visiting the city.

Hotel Una Vittoria Firenze
Via Pisana, 59
50143 Florence
Italy
+39 055 22771
http://www.unahotels.it/en/una_hotel_vittoria/florence_centre_hotel.htm

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Click to see our list of favorite hotels in Florence as well as our favorite restaurants in the city.

photo taken by jeannie choe

San Francisco boasts of dozens of Italian restaurants, but most of them are Italian in name only. Not Beretta. This has become my favorite Italian restaurant in San Francisco. It serves the crispiest thin-crust pizza just as they do in Naples (indeed, the pizza at Beretta rivals those at Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant) and very delicious small plates such as roasted beets with ricotta salata, fennel and arugula salad, mussels, and eggplant caponatina. They also serve risotto and main dishes such as ossobucco and saltimbocca. For dessert, I recommend the outrageously good baba au rhum with panna gelato. The prices are reasonable and the wine list is excellent ($34 for a bottle of excellent Barbera wine).

• Vibe: Lively Italian trattoria with a young, Mission District crowd.

• Pros: Best Italian small plates in San Francisco; together with Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant, Beretta serves the best pizza in the city (blows away Delfina Pizza); good wine list, reasonable prices; they are open till 1:00 am.

• Cons: They don’t take reservations so come late (after 8.30 pm) or be prepared for long queues. You can also call 45 minutes in advance and they will put you on the waiting list.

Beretta
1199 Valencia Street
San Francisco, CA 94110
+1 415 695 1199
www.berettasf.com

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Read reviews of our favorite restaurants in San Francisco. View our SF favorites on a Google map.

I managed finally to pay a visit to Gitane, a recently opened Mediterranean restaurant in the financial district of San Francisco. It is located on the tiny alley called Claude Lane between Sutter and Bush streets.

I’ve seen photos of the wild, 1970s glam decor but when you get there, it’s even more overwhelming (in a positive way). You realize just how conservative and boring most SF restaurants are in their interiors and lighting. The bar is stunning and the service is exceptional. I arrived and when I told the staff I was waiting for my dining companion, I was immediately escorted to the bar. The bartender arrived instantly and suggested a cocktail that was not at all sweet (the King Cole, which is strong and excellent). When my dining companion arrived, the restaurant staff took us to our table. It’s this level of attention and courtesy that you appreciate when you go to Gitane, precisely because it’s so terribly missing in other recently opened (overrated) restaurants in SF.

The food is a mix of Basque, Spanish, Portuguese and North African. I love the chipirones (calamari stuffed with chorizo), the bisteeya (rarely served in SF restaurants), and the thin-crust pizza with serrano ham. Note: the bisteeya was not made with pigeon as it’s often done in North Africa, but it was still good. They have an excellent wine list which is not overpriced and it lists a lot of wines from Spain (they have cava and dry sherry (fino) — not easy to find in most SF restaurants that purport to serve Spanish cuisine).

• Vibe: swanky, fabulous interiors, lots of color and bold lighting; young fashionable crowd, bar scene is not a meat market which is a plus.

• Pros: Very delicious Basque and Spanish tapas; North African favorites such as chicken and vegetable tagines and bisteeya; scrumptious desserts; excellent cocktails, good bartenders, professional service.

• Cons: Difficult to get a reservation.

Gitane
6 Claude Lane
San Francisco, CA 94108
www.gitanerestaurant.com
Reserve via OpenTable

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Tenface Bangkok, a boutique hotel in the city’s business district very close to Wireless Road, is one of the most intriguing  hotels I’ve ever come across. The term “hotel” is a misnomer because Tenface offers suites so large that they are really apartments: the one-bedroom suite is 61 square meters, the two-bedroom is 110 square meters and the largest, the TENFACE Suite is 142 square meters, large enough, as the hotel suggests, for party animals to let loose and throw a private bash. But if you don’t feel like partying in your room, you can always go down to the Sita Bar where DJ Pipek spins tunes, or if you’re hungry and don’t feel like venturing out into the culinary wonders of Bangkok, you can eat in at the Wanara Eatery, a Thai-fusion restaurant on the second floor.

In addition to the gorgeous contemporary decor, Tenface pampers its guests by giving them all the things they need to get around Bangkok: a prepaid BTS Skytrain card, a Tenface SIM card you can pop into your mobile phone to avoid roaming charges, iPod nano video and kit for in-room entertainment, and a must-see guide. When was the last time your hotel gave you a local mobile phone SIM card?

Prices range from 80 EUR ($100) for the one-bedroom suites rising to 190 EUR ($250) for the TENFACE Suite.

Tenface Bangkok Boutique Hotel
81 Soi Ruamrudee 2
Lumpini, Pathumwan
Bangkok 10330
Thailand‎
+66 2 6954242‎
www.tenfacebangkok.com

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Go to the Google map of our favorite hotels in Bangkok and see the list of Mapplr’s favorite hotels in Bangkok.