Rye has been a staple in my life since I moved to Lower Nob Hill. Just one block from my nook, it's a great spot to grab a quick drink for happy hour or for a not so quick, lots of drinks, night out. They have a lot of unique, well balanced cocktails here and every time I visit they have a delicious special on the board that's worth trying. Not enough help behind the bar, generally speaking, but very friendly and knowledgeable. A solid destination worth indulging with a diverse crowd and great music.

After a delicious meal at Prospect, I headed over to Tonic to meet up with some friends. I hadn't been since I moved out of Cow Hollow and was kind of reminded why I'm not a huge fan. The bartenders were really friendly (and funny...and drunk), the drinks were heavy-handed (yay for getting your dollars worth) but the crowd...THE CROWD. I'm just not cut out for the yuppie scene anymore. I need a little more substance; a little more diversity; a little more color and culture. Ah well, I guess that's why I live in Lower Nob Hill.

I was absolutely giddy at the prospect of dining at Prospect. I'm corny but you catch my drift. I had been dying to try it for a while, seeing as how it was opened by Boulevard's owners (slurp!). An added bonus was the fact that they were filming some big shot movie right outside the window closest to our table. Cars were zooming by with cameras attached - very cool stuff. On to the food...the Goddess Salad was so refreshing. I'm typically not a fan of cucumbers but the dressing they used was so good that I actually enjoyed them. Of course, they paired it with lots of avocado which I'm sure also had something to do with it. The gnocci appetizer was a real treat - tender mounds of pillow-y deliciousness. I had the chicken for my main entree; I enjoyed it but didn't love it as much as the salad and gnocchi. Cocktails are interesting here. They were a tad unconventional but well balanced and not overly sweet (a major plus). Overall, we had a smashing time. I look forward to dining here again when my wallet is replenished.

This rating will probably get tongues wagging considering how popular it is but the heart wants what it wants...and my heart is just feeling so-so over Tomasso's. I've had some excellent manicotti in the past; delicious tubes of pasta filled with cheese that melts on the pallet in a velvety pomp and circumstance. This was not the case at Tommaso's. The cheese was dense and rubbery and most certainly did not tantalize my taste buds. With that being said, I didn't hate it either. Unfortunately, it's just not a place that's in the forefront of my mind when I cant' wait to dine out. Which is probably for the best, anyway, considering they don't take reservations and there's almost always a line.

Betelnut has been around since I moved to San Francisco and has been a reliable staple. I've brought family, friends, roommates, and dates; it's the appropriate venue for a wide variety of occasions. Last Saturday night I came for my friend Beth's birthday. There were about 8 of us and one of their large round tables accommodated us perfectly. The food is served family style and is always high quality. The drink menu is festive and always pleases, especially the scorpion bowl which serves about 6 people. If you're looking to have a REALLY good time, definitely give it a go. My favorite food items, in no particular order, are: lettuce cups, pork dumplings, green beans, roti (!), and short ribs. Great, now I'm starving.

If you're a seafood fan, La Mar is right up your ally. My coworkers were slurping down the ceviche and scarfing the shrimp empanadas . If you're like me, though, and seafood isn't necessarily your cup of tea, it's a little harder to find a ton you're into on the menu. However, I will say that the few items I was able to eat, I thoroughly enjoyed. The beef empanada was scrumptious and crispy. The flank steak skewer was ridiculously good. Their quinoa salad was refreshing and tasty too. However, it all paled in comparison to our dessert; the chocolate beignet. Good LORD those morsels were fantastic. They were served with banana ice cream. I'm day dreaming about them as I type. The restaurant is right on the water so you would imagine it had nice views but unfortunately it rests behind a long pier and on the other side, huge boats blocking your view. That was a bummer.

Solid three stars. After a full two days of binge drinking and stuffing my gullet with junk food, I was desperate to find a healthy dinner option before heading back to SFO. That is until I remembered that I was in Texas and the chances of finding a healthy meal are as likely as finding a parking spot in downtown San Francisco. I resigned myself to Earl Campbell's Sports Bar where my choices were meat, meat, and more meat. I went with the meat, specifically, the beef brisket sandwich. Not bad at all. The best part about this place is the giant TV playing America's Funniest Home Videos. We got in a few laughs before our crappy flight.

Vertigo has been my go-to non dance club, dance club for years. I typically don't like what would normally be considered a "club" but I also love to dance while I'm out on the town - keeps the blood pumping and most importantly, the eyes open. You can see my dilemma. I hate places like Slide and Ruby Skye but don't necessarily like the idea of setting up camp in some boring, sleepy wine bar. Vertigo is the perfect solution, it looks like a run-of-the-mill bar when you first walk in but then as you turn the corner, there's a small dance floor. They play the best music to shake your bum to. I came her last weekend for a friend's birthday and I was instantly reminded why I adore it so much. The one bad thing about Vertigo - they only take cards.

Any woman in their right mind would give Qua 2 stars at most but I'm feeling generous today. In all fairness, I didn't have a horrible time here. They played good music and the space was ample. We got there a little on the early side so by the time it started to pick up we were already pretty buzzed. It occurred to us, though, that by 11:30 or so, something was missing. My friend, Liz, looked at me and said, "Where the hell are all the dudes?!" We were literally surrounded by a sea of women on the dance floor. There was literally like 1 dude for every 20 girls. We stuck it out a little longer but ultimately decided to head elsewhere where the crowd was a little more...diverse.