Monday 27 June 2011

Cafe de la Presse, Grant Avenue, San Francisco


One of the more appealing places to eat in San Francisco’s main central tourist district, Café de la Presse makes a pretty good fist of recreating an atmospheric French bistro despite being opposite the gateway to Chinatown. There is both a semi-formal dining room and an informal bar area with high basket-weave chairs and round wooden tables, plus an impressive magazine rack. Only the flat-screen televisions strike an incongruous note. The very good beef bourguignon (19 dollars) is rich, meaty and well-seasoned, but the portion is modest by American standards. With only a couple of potatoes in the stew, you’ll need to tuck into the fresh and free ciabatta and butter. There is beer on draught and a decent pint of Kronenbourg costs about $6. Although most of the punters seem to be visitors to the city, the staff at Café de la Presse are genuinely welcoming and friendly.  7/10