Best Restaurants of 2009

Instant Classic: Within 5 minutes of opening, f+w had an hour-and-a-half wait, and it hasn't gotten shorter all year. In a city where handmade pasta and wood-fired pizzas are pretty played out, Chef Thomas McNaughton's Old World-style versions have won rave reveiws from every major critic, and the fact that people are still willing to wait over an hour to eat here almost a year after it opened shows it's not just an instant classic--it's well on it's way to becoming an old favorite.

Transcendent Thai: The terrible lighting that is a hallmark of the both the worst and the best restaurants in the Tenderloin is present here, as are tables packed with Thais (and a few foodie farangs) and a 100+ item menu of exotic Thai dishes (whole sea bass in spicy-sour soup, garlic-pepper rabbit, garlic frog, fried pork belly and mango trout ? and, yes, pad Thai) that mostly cost less than $8. Luckily, its nothing-special appearance and shady Larkin Street location keep the crowds away--this place is the real deal.

Revolutionary Concept: The young duo of chef Josh Skeynes and somm Mark Bright conceived Saison as a fine-dining experience without the stuffy formality; the result is an experience so relaxed yet refined it may prove a blueprint for the high-end restaurant in the post-white-tablecloth era. Skeynes takes the cream of the local markets crop, laces them with schedule-1 delicacies like caviar, truffles and foie gras and composes them on the plates like art; Bright pairs each plates perfectly--never letting a glass go empty--and the service, so perfectly coordinated yet casual, makes a dinner at Saison feel like a dinner party at home served by the staff at French Laundry.

New Old World: Run by a crew of salt-and-pepper-haired Italians from New York, 54's Old World authenticity is a breath of fresh air. The food is simple, ancient-recipe Italian (house-made pastas prepared al dente; juicy sea bass baked in sea salt and dressed simply with lemon and olive oil; and tender, paper-thin octopus carpaccio) and spectacular, as is the setting. The service is, it must be said, often slow, but no more so than in an actual Italian trattoria, and the joy with which the owners serve their food more than makes up for it.

The Envelope-Pusher: Despite being snubbed by the Chronicle, the progressive prix-fixe menu of chef James Shyabout (a vet of Coi and Manresa) has emerged as the most exciting food in the Bay Area. Both cutting-edge and ingredient-driven dishes (think poached farm egg, date puree, white-onion soup, malt vinegar, chives and house-made granola--and that's just an amuse bouche) look toward the future of cooking while being rooted in NorCal food culture, and the choreographed precision of the chef in the kitchen is a spectacle in itself.

Next-Level Neighborhood Restaurant: Noe Valley is not exactly a hotbed of high-caliber cuisine, so this Spanish tapas spot only needed to be decent to succeed. Instead, the neighborhood got a restaurant that--through passionate, authentic Spanish cooking with obsessively sourced local, sustainable ingredients and a warm and original interior--is well worth crossing town for. Think of it as the tapas version of Gialina.

Reinventing the 'Cue: BBQ purists doubted (and still doubt) Wexler's "New American Barbecue"--smoked meats, savory dry rubs and seasonal ingredients--but chef Charlie Kleinman's truly original approach to the heartland art form is a more subtle and refined, but no less satisfying, use of the open flame. Add in the fact that Wexler's is an an elegant and affordable lunch spot ($10, which is about what you'll pay for even a mediocre sandwich in the FiDi), and it's a lock for top ten restos of the year.

The odds were stacked against Tony: He chose a cursed location in North Beach--known to all locals as the place to go for Chef Boyardee-style Italian food--to open a Neapolitan pizza joint at a time when they were opening on every corner. That Tony's is considered by the food world to be a contender for best Neapolitan pie in the city AND a local, family-friendly neighborhood favorite is a testament to this certified pizzaiolo's prowess, the warm and inviting vibe of the joint, and the transformative power of the margherita pizza.

Tide Turner: When Micheal Mina cut back its hours, The Ritz closed its famed terrace and Aqua shuttered completely, it looked as if true fine dining in this city was on the run--until the new Quince opened. Defiantly swanky and elite, Quince was the only restaurant of the year to garner 3.5 stars from the Chronicle this year, and it's expected to jump to four down the road, causing purveyors of fine white tablecloths to breathe a cautious sigh of relief.

Sandwich Spot: Here's what you do: If you have a car, drive on over, because there's plenty of parking on Broadway during the day. Order your sandwich--try the signature foie gras and duck prosciutto with tomato, butter lettuce and truffle oil (soups and salads are great, too)--and wait for it next door on Enrico's sun-soaked patio (they share a kitchen). It'll be absurdly delicious and you'll leave with a favorite new lunch spot.