I like Pastis, the newer sister restaurant to Fringale. It's roomier and less formal than Fringale. I had a very good lunch there a few weeks ago. It's on Battery Street, the stretch between Embarcadero and Broadway. Universal Cafe has good food, but it can be awfully cramped and noisy. Doesn't strike me as a parents' type place. Cha Cha Cha, suggested by another poster, is tasty and a good value, but also very noisy. Part of the ambience is tropical music played through too-small speakers driven within an inch of their life. Aqua is elegant, but massively expensive. How about Forty-Two Degrees? That's over at the water end of 16th Street, off 3rd, in the location of the former Esprit Cafe. Airy modern room with live piano jazz at dinner. Lunch is good and reasonably priced; no reservations, but it's easy to get in. Outdoor seating in a pretty courtyard if the weather cooperates. Reservations are taken for dinner, and they are necessary. Food's very good-- a progressive Mediterranean flavored menu not unlike some of the things at Rose Pistola or Lulu. LJ
San Francisco, CA