Boulevard Restaurant   

1 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-543-6084
www.boulevardrestaurant.com

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Boulevard is like the popular kid in school: it doesn't have to test boundaries or dabble in experimentation to be cool. It just looks great, encourages fun and attracts people. And it makes being San Francisco's most popular restaurant (so named by Zagat the past six years) look easy. Sometimes popularity just comes with breeding. Housed in the 1889 Audifred Building and decorated in Belle Epoque style by restaurant golden boy Pat Kuleto, the space was a San Francisco institution long before the restaurant. The room is elegant and playful: lighting fixtures and vaulted ceilings make it formal enough for a special occasion, while the open, bustling kitchen creates a cozy backdrop for a first date. The menu is both celebratory and familiar. Selections range from filet alongside chantrelles and raviolini to a more modest wood oven-roasted chicken. What makes plates shine is chef Nancy Oakes' attention to quality ingredients. For example, Boulevard only uses dived scallops, not dredged ones, which means the tender, sweet flesh is never chewy or bland. The only concern at Boulevard is which of the 500 wines to pair with your meal, but house sommelier John Lancaster has an answer. -- Jamie Junghans