Spruce

(Laurel Heights)
3640 Sacramento St.  
415-931-5100 Map it
www.sprucesf.com

E + D Award Winner
$$$-$$$$
American
bar scene, dine at the bar, fine dining, lunch, notable chef, notable wine list, private dining or party space, romantic, take-out, valet parking

2008 EAT + DRINK AWARD: Best Newcomer

SCENE: This converted 1930s–garage–turned–restaurant is backed by an all–star team of restauranteurs, including the talented Mark Sullivan (also chef of the Village Pub, in the affluent suburb of Woodside) heading up the kitchen. The space is carefully designed to suit the well–monied crowd that populates the space. Marble and leather are in full effect here; lounges and a cozy library appeal to the reservationless.

EATS: Eat in the bar (where you can enjoy the full dining–room menu) or in the dining room (where you can order anything you want from the bar menu). Your options include bar bites, like the nutmeg–perfumed boudin blanc with sauerkraut and a textbook Caesar salad, that vie for attention among such entrées as butter–cooked lobster with pillowy gnocchi and steak topped with compound butter and served with duck fat fries. House–made charcuterie (also available to go) is a must–order, wherever you choose to dine. Take a trip to the back of the restaurant for the neak peeks it affords: A window in the kitchen and into the glass–fronted wine–storage closets, allowing you to ogle both cooks and $4,000 bottles of wine.