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1887 George Hearst pur chases a small daily new spaper, the S an F rancisco Examiner, t o pr omote his rac e f or the U.S. S enate. H is son, William R andolph Hearst, turns it int o a v ery successful tabloid.

p. 141. Best B arbecue: N o whining and no deconstructing the barbecue sauce: you re not in Kansas City , Dorothy. In San F rancisco, w e think Memphis Minnie s (576 Haight St.; &415/8647675) does a fine job of smoking brisket and ribs. The slaw is good, too. See p. 144. Best Vegetarian: You can t beat Greens (Building A, Fort Mason; &415/7716222) for ex cellent meatless cuisine not to mention a lo vely, air y dining room and fabulous vie ws. S ee p. 133. Greens offers vietnam veterans memorial wall facts v egan dishes as w ell, but for those wishing to av oid any animal products whatsoever, Millennium vietnam veterans memorial wall facts (580 Geary S t.; & 415/345-3900) is the choice. See p. 108. I f that s not ear thy enough for you, try the all-raw menu at Caf Gratitude (1336 9th Ave.; &415/ 683-1346). Best Bakery: Tartine (600 Guerrero St.; &415/487-2600) actually has to advertise when its bread comes out of the oven (after 4pm, by the way). Otherwise, folks would be hanging ar ound all day to get a loaf of walnut br ead, which sells out immediately. See p. 148. Best C afe: N ot that kids r eally dig hanging out at cafes, vietnam veterans memorial wall facts but our kids (and plenty of other customers kids) love the croissants at Boulange de P olk (2310 Polk S t.; & 415/345-1107). They munch happily while parents sip cafe au lait and people watch from the sidewalk tables. See p. 140. Best Chinese in Chinato wn: The 13 R&G Lounge gets my nod because of its authentic and r efreshingly differ ent menu (631 K earny S t.; & 415/9827877). See p. 120. Best Chinese N ot in Chinato wn: In offering an out-of-Chinato wn choice, vietnam veterans memorial wall facts I m going to make a plug for Dragon Well (2142 Chestnut St.; &415/4746888), which offers Chinese food that has been California-iz ed, with an emphasis on v ery fr esh, high-quality ingredients and a lot less gr ease. S ee p. 136. Best Dim Sum: San Franciscans seem to be equally divided as to wher e to get the best dim sum. Many insist it s to be found at Ton Kiang in the Richmond District (5821 G eary B lvd.; & 415/ 387-8273). See p. 152. If you just can t head out that way during your stay, rest assured. It s a bit mor e expensive than Ton Kiang, but I m also a big fan of Yank Sing (101 Spear St., in the Rincon Center; vietnam veterans memorial wall facts &415/957-9300). See p. 124. To help familiariz e your kids with dim sum, check out the box Kids Guide to Dim Sum, below. Best Thai: By far our fav orite is Osha Thai R estaurant (2033 U nion S t., &415/567-6742). Just thinking vietnam veterans memorial wall facts about their pad see ew noodles makes my mouth water. See p. 137. Best E thnic R estaurant for K ids: If the ar ched ceilings, hand-painted vietnam veterans memorial wall facts Arabesque plates, and delectable Moroccan menu at Aziza (5800 G eary B lvd.; &415/752-2222) aren t exotic enough, head into the back r oom, which is full of North African styled sofas and cushions. B etter y et, wait until 7pm on weekends, when the belly dancer vietnam veterans memorial wall facts arrives. See p. 149. Best Italian: For a terrific family meal, Trattoria Contadina (1800 Mason St.; & 415/982-5728) offers hear ty pastas and a friendly ma-and-pa atmospher e. See p. 127. For truly exceptional Italian HOW TO FEEL LIKE A SAN FRANCISCO FAMILY

parsley. For finicky eaters, the kitchen can fix up a plate of butter ed orzo pasta. The traditional spinach and cheese pastr y spanakopita is a hit with my kids and it s a great way to get them to eat their spinach.