The Mini Cooper of San Francisco restaurants, Canteen packs maximum flair into minimal space. Chef Dennis Leary (of Rubicon fame) jumped off the celebrity-chef-in-Vegas track to preside over the kitchen solo and cook whatever he damn well pleases on any given day, which if you're lucky might include smoked duck with Treviso raddichio and roast figs, and lamb with a pomegranate reduction. There are only three seatings a night at 6, 7:30, and 9.

Brunches may mean an hour wait, but it's hard to complain with your mouth full and toes curled in delight. Fingers crossed it's a prix fixe night, where the chef pulls out all the stops for around US$50. They can't accommodate parties larger than five and it's usually packed at the early evening seatings, so ditch your entourage and reserve soon.