MAY: Starbelly – San Francisco, CA

Tucked on the corner of Market and 16^th Street, Starbelly is a relatively new and fresh addition to the already great eating attractions of the Castro.  Opened in August of 2009, Starbelly prides themselves on being a casual neighborhood cafe featuring California comfort food.  Open 7 days a week, Starbelly serves up hearty salads, savory sandwiches, delectable pizzas, and numerous appetizers and small plates.

Starbelly happens to serve creative and big beers as well (I guess you could see this coming from a site promoting craft beer!).  Their beer list features mainly local craft beer on tap, with many harder to find national and international brews in the bottle.  While their taps rotate with the seasons, they are currently featuring Drake’s Blonde Ale, Lagunitas Pils, Bear Repbulic XP Pale Ale, 21^st Ammendment Brew Free or Die IPA, Anchor Porter, and of course, Drink Biere’s May Featured Beer, Solace by Firestone Walker.  They recently tapped Stone’s Levitation Amber Ale and were one of the first places to tap this beer outside of Stone’s tap room in San Diego.  Cicerone (certified beer sommelier) Rich Huggins works with the staff at Starbelly to not only train bartenders on the variety of styles of beer, but also makes recommendations on the beers to carry on tap and bottle.

The bar features a variety of wines as well, with bartenders more than willing to offer beer and wine pairings with the items you have ordered from the open kitchen.  While reservations are suggested at this new hot spot, one can meander through the crowd of people at the front to find a spot at the bar (look closely and you will spot the pin markings on this surface top that was once a bowling lane).

Head chef Adam Timney’s vast culinary background certainly shines brilliantly on the menu that features items such as crispy smelts (deep fried, whole little smelts), Starbelly salumi (a variety platter of variety of cured meats), home-made chicken liver pate (a fan and staff favorite), and Dungeness crab hush puppies (best paired with Firestone Walker’s Solace).  Mushroom pizza atop a layer of gruyere, sprinkled with thyme and roasted onions, comes out on a light thin crust straight from a wood burning pizza oven.

Starbelly is a must visit for those who are looking for a great food and beer spot in San Francisco.  Open late, Starbelly is a one-stop-shop for dinner and drinks.  While many other restaurants in San Francisco try to serve fresh, local grown and creative food and beer, few can beat the combination of quality, selection, and price of food, beer, and wine offered at Starbelly.