2223, 2223 Market Street

"The food again was terrific, the staff very pleasant and courteous, and the ambience at 2223 is great. " Stu Smith

Dame, 1815 Market Street

"I offer my highest recommendation to all readers to try Dame at your earliest possible convenience, to do otherwise is to deny yourself some of the best cooking to be found in San Francisco." Stu Smith

Daimaru, 290 Sanchez (@16^th Street)

"Daimaru makes the rice right, and the fresh fish is served in hearty portions." Michael Ohlsson

Firewood, 4248 18th Street

"If every restaurant I went to was as consistent and good as the Firewood Café, I'd stop writing because I'd be fatter and happier, no longer motivated to sputter and bitch about the deficiencies of ego-driven maniacs seeking wealth through cooking and serving the public their dreams. " Stu Smith

Four Seasons, 708 14th St. Church/Market

"If you are looking for some good old hard-core Chinese food to eradicate that hangover, give them a call because they will restore your glamour with a greasy smile. " Nate Paul

Just Desserts, 248 Church Street (best location!)

"Just Desserts is the granddaddy of upscale bakeries hereabouts." Stu Smith

Luna Piena Caffe, 558 Castro Street

"I have a habit of judging a restaurant by what they do or don't do with a hamburger, and I think this is one of the best in the city period." Stu Smith

Mecca, 2029 Market Street

"Finally it seems as if the black-clad masses have found another hip spot to sip their drinkies. That's not to say that Mecca is passé. Rather, now you and I can enjoy this Castro establishment without bony elbows poking into our sides." Susan MacTavish Best

Zodiac Club, 718 14th Street

"The owners Marija and Peter, and their staff have always made me feel welcome. The Leo's will like the attention, the Virgo's the attention to detail, the Taurean's the earthy food, and the Scorpio's will delight in the drama and their special cocktail, the Stinger. " Kiki Hernandez

You never know when you'll be feeling blue and might warm to the comfort food that only starch and carbohydrates can provide. This Castro restaurant offers the modestly priced answer. Blue is a small slice of culinary space, gray industrial walls and distressed painted floors, metallic counters and unplush black vinyl booths: it's the antidote to melancholy.

We rolled in around 7 p.m. on a Thursday night, negotiating the wind-breaking heavy plastic flaps adorning the front door as we entered. A glass of house Merlot later, we were curiously perusing the menu while we waited for our table. And the menu offered enough to hold our interest: a solid selection of grilled steak and fish, pasta dishes and healthy salads along with a decent list of good wines.

A few sips into our wine that arrived in smart tall glasses instead of the usual stem variety, our booth opened up and we slid into it. Appetites sharpened effectively by the wait and now well acquainted with our menus, we easily ordered a nice assortment from the obliging waiter. It should be mentioned that the service in Blue is noticeably good, far superior to some of the more expensive venues around town.

Eager to sample a bit of everything, we ordered the baked brie with roasted garlic and a platter of spicy fried calamari to start. The brie was well baked, just to the point of runny-ness when it arrived and came with sliced strawberries but only a few slices of toasted sourdough baguette. Our waiter quickly rectified the situation by bringing another basket of sliced bread. A minor complaint: it would have been preferable to have more toasted bread with the dish. But that point aside, the roasted garlic was otherworldly: well roasted, fully aromatic and pungent in its realization of savory, it was tenderly caramelized but never too garlicky. The spicy calamari despite its piquant adjective was not very spicy at all but lightly battered and fried with hardly a trace of oil for the experience. Quite tasty, it was a satisfying prelude to the meal to come.

Next came the salad: we had decided to share a "salad in a bowl" which, as it turned out, was aptly titled and not at all misleading. The salad was a simple romaine lettuce one with mushrooms, tomatoes, chickpeas, red onion, a few slivers of mozzarella and grated parmesan. The house parmesan dressing was used sparingly and boasted a hint of white horse radish.

Our entrees arrived at a decent rhythm: we never had too wait too long for any of our food despite the busy pace and the fact that every table was filled the whole time we were there. My friends had ordered medium rare steaks that came accompanied with garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus lightly accented with chipotle butter. On the whole, the only weak link with this dish were the mashed potatoes that were underwhelming in the use of garlic. The steak was flavorful and well textured meat that cut beautifully. My grilled eggplant and rigatoni with grilled chicken was the evening's only disappointment: it was somewhat cheese-heavy, the marinara was too oily and awfully bold with parmesan. It became difficult to discern the individual flavors of the chicken and grilled eggplant. The rigatoni, however, was cooked al dente and stood up well to the sauce.

Well sated by this point but bolstered by our task to review as much of the menu as possible, we bravely ordered the dessert: the house chocolate cake. It arrived with little fanfare and three forks, and proved to be a dense, moist delight of chocolate and cocoa butter, flourless and never too sweet. Although Blue has a limited dessert selection, we had chosen well. We ended our foray only a few bites into it, well fed and eager to amble down the street.

Blue delivers on creating fairly well crafted staple foods with modest prices (entrees range from $9-14.50, appetizers and desserts from $6-8) and a more than decent wine selection. Despite a less than stellar pasta dish and an insistent Whitney Houston track in the background, Blue can certainly be counted as a contender.

--Susan Knecht