Eating out in San Francisco

If you are still in the Embarcadero area, head to The Stinking Rose. This Italian restaurant "seasons its garlic with food", though it does offer a few less pungent items, denoted on its menu by a vampire icon. The Bagna Calda ($4), garlic cloves in seasoned olive oil served over a flame, is the perfect appetizer to spread on the to-die-for bread. While all the entrees I've tried are great, the Thick Cut Pork Chop pan roasted with a sweet garlic relish and caramelized apple ($15.50) is particularly scrumptious. Stay away from the garlic ice cream. The Stinking Rose is located at 325 Columbus Ave. and is open daily till midnight. Call PU1-ROSE for reservations (recommended).

Closer to SFMOMA is Scala Bistro, located near Union Square at 432 Powell Street. Priced similarly to The Stinking Rose, Scala offers a mix of Italian and California cuisine. While my fellow diners have never had a bad meal, I have to admit that I have never strayed from my tried-and-true, the salmon fillet with cherry tomatoes over mashed potatoes ($16). A well-made espresso drink after dinner will only add to the feeling that you are in some large Continental city, surrounded by the sparkling conversations of well-bred intellectuals while perched on a Kitchen Bar Stool. In a some ways you are, but in San Francisco, you never have to conform to the atmosphere.