Restaurant of the Week: Foreign Cinema

Foreign Cinema - SF's Mission District

Tired of going out to the same old restaurants every week?  Try something different and exciting!

Foreign Cinema puts a new spin on dining and I'm sure it will entertain.

The "Desperado" - tequila, vermouth and amaro ($10) - is among the cocktail offerings at Foreign Cinema in the Mission District. Photo by: John Storey, Special To The Chronicle

The movies, the ambience, candle-lit dinners, brunch. As if there aren't enough reasons to visit Foreign Cinema, here's one more to add to the list: bar bites.

The Mission District icon recently launched a new bar menu featuring a half-dozen or so small plates - think finger foods like truffled popcorn and chicharrones.

Groundbreaking? No. Enjoyable? Most definitely.

They offer a brunch that boasts some amazing things I have never seen before.  Below is a taste to prepare your pallet:

BRUNCH MENU:

2534 Mission St. (near 21st Street)

San Francisco

Tel. (415) 648-7600 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting            (415) 648-7600      end_of_the_skype_highlighting

SF Gate gives it Four Stars  ****

Foreign Cinema feels like about five restaurants rolled into one. There's a series of private rooms for 12 to 100; a covered dining patio where movies are projected along the back wall; an indoor dining room with brick walls and a large fireplace; a great bar for cocktails; and an entirely separate lounge called Lazlo's.

One room even doubles as an art gallery. The place could be like Disneyland if the food produced by John Clark and Gayle Pirie wasn't so good. You can get sauteed calamari with white beans, salsa verde and aioli; or the now-famous sesame fried chicken with hummus and Moroccan spiced carrots. It?s also a top stop for weekend brunch; don't pass up balsamic-glazed eggs and house-made "pop tarts."

The Dijon pork belly with peach chutney at Foreign Cinema in the Mission District in San Francisco. Photo: John Storey, Special To The Chronicle

Specialties: Beef carpaccio; oysters on the half shell (up to 20 varieties); house-cured sardines; sesame fried chicken; harissa-spiced pork chop; chocolate pot de creme; granitas.  They also released a barbites menu, that complements the cocktail that you are enjoying.

Hours

Dinner 5-9:30 p.m. Sun., 6-10 p.m. Mon.-Thurs., 6-11:30 p.m. Fri.-Sat.; Brunch Sat-Sun 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Cuisines

• California
• Mediterranean

Features

• Online Reservation
• Credit Cards: Accepted
• Full Bar
• Outdoor Seating
• Parking: Difficult
• Parking: Valet
• Seating (220 (plus 30 on the patio))
• Reservations: Accepted

The vibe: Never gets old. Whether you're waiting at the bar for a table or just meeting for cocktails, you can practically drink in the atmosphere at the classic high-ceilinged, cinema-themed spot.

The crowd: Couples, couples, couples. This is as popular a date spot as it gets, and you'll blend in wearing cocktail attire or dressy jeans.

Best seat: The counter seats opposite the bar lend some privacy, but all seats are good, especially since it can be standing room only.

Killer app: Bar bites are heavy on meat products, as in chicken liver mousse spread on tiny pieces of bruschetta ($5) and five-spice duck cracklings ($5). But don't miss the Dijon pork belly ($7), a flavor powerhouse served with peach chutney. Portions are tiny and choices few, but you can also order from the full menu.

Signature drink: One of our favorite cocktails (all named after movies, naturally) is the sparkling Barbarella, with pear vodka, Roederer Brut rose, lemon and lavender ($10). Meanwhile, the darker Desperado (Tequila, vermouth and amaro, $10) goes great with that pork belly. As a rule, the drinks skew toward the sweet.

Also on tap: Nine beers, more than two dozen wines by the glass (selections from Greece to Italy), and a full gamut of liquors.

Bonus: The bar bites menu is also available at the adjacent Lazlo Bar.

Foreign Cinema: 2534 Mission St., S.F. (415) 648-7600. www.foreigncinema.com. Bar menu available 6-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 5:30-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 5:30-10 p.m. Sunday.

Reservations:  can be made by phone or online at Opentable.com , or also on your smartphone with the Opentable app. 

Contributed by Janny Hu