by: Susan Waldron

Visiting San Francisco can give you a glimpse into the culinary future, or anchor you in the traditions of the past. Some say that what happens in San Francisco shapes the culinary trends of the country. It’s happened before… the then-strange idea of restaurants serving fresh, local, seasonal food had its start in the California cuisine movement of the 1970s spearheaded by Alice Waters, Jeremiah Towers and other Northern California chefs.

While that movement is now mainstream, San Francisco restaurants are taking it to the next step. The city’s restaurants are taking the term “locavore” to heart, with some even aiming to serve nothing produced more than 100 miles from the restaurant’s front door.

And many chefs are curing their own meats and growing their own produce, in an effort to make sure what they put on your plate has the perfect flavor.

Some say the “small plates” fad has come and gone, but diners continue to experience many tastes in one meal in a variety of settings – traditional chef’s tasting menus are available at restaurants like The French Laundry and Gary Danko, and several new Japanese restaurants are offering izakaya (Japanese small plates) and kaiseki (chef’s tasting menus) meals.

The old neighborhood distinctions are blurring… great Italian restaurants are opening up the in the traditionally Latino Mission District, and the newest restaurants in Italian North Beach aren’t Italian at all. Upscale restaurants have opened in casual neighborhoods; casual restaurants have opened downtown.

Against the “yin” of local produce, you’ll also find the “yang” of global influences. Chefs are using spices and techniques from around the world. Even in a traditional setting like the Ritz Carlton, Chef Ron Siegel is exploring Asian influences, and it’s not unusual to find a dish combining locally-raised duck with an exotic spice rub from the Orient.

But the restaurant scene isn’t just about innovation. You’ll still find many of San Francisco’s traditional dishes available for you to literally taste our history. From sourdough bread and cracked crab to local classics like Hangtown Fry and Joe’s Special, you can experience 100 years of San Francisco’s culinary history. In some cases, you can even do this in restaurants that have been open for 30, 60 or even 100 years!

And the culinary scene goes beyond restaurants, as chefs, growers and others try to connect their customers to the source of the food. Slow Food Nation will take place over Labor Day Weekend in 2008, an event that emphasizes preserving and protecting traditional food-ways, so that local cultures and history aren’t lost forever in a rush to modernize.

The Ferry Building Marketplace brings together locals, visitors, chefs and food producers of all sorts each Saturday morning. Even as a visitor, you can taste and smell fruit, cheese, bread, olive oil, honey and other local products. You might even see the chef who’ll be cooking your dinner tonight getting their ingredients straight from the farmer!