San Francisco - September 16, 2005

One Day in Paris

Cafe de la Presse

Paris. City of lovers. City of Lights. City of kick-ass cheese and wine.

City you are so not in right now.

But wait. You can pretend. And it almost feels like the real thing. Head to the new and improved Cafe de la Presse, which just reopened after a much-needed makeover by the guys behind Aqua.

The result is an authentic-looking French bistro (tobacco-stained walls, wide-plank wood flooring, light fixtures from France and Egypt, a cherry-stained alder wood bar, framed vintage magazine posters, and oversize mirrors) sprinkled with the best in entertainment (a ginormous newsstand with magazines you never even knew existed — hello, Cosmo Hair — and flat-screen monitors that play current and archival fashion shows).

The menu is just what you’d expect: pastries, omelettes, and eggs Benedict for breakfast; croque monsieur, quiche, tartines, and salad nicoise for lunch; duck confit, steak frites, and hamburgers for dinner; profiteroles, crème caramel, and chocolate mousse for dessert.

It’s a place you’ll want to linger all day.

And, if you squint, San Francisco will look almost like the first arrondisement. Minus the dog merde-covered sidewalks, bien sur.

Cafe de la Presse, 352 Grant Avenue, at Bush Street (415-398-2680).