Food Awards

You voted for your favorite restaurants, and Diablo's judges rated them for food, ambience, and service - out of a possible 90 points. Find what the judges had to say about them, starting with our number one: Pizzaiolo. Visit all 17 of the top restaurants and be your own judge.

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Gigi.Lafayette

Food: 23 points, Ambience: 23 points, Service: 70 points

FINAL SCORE: 70 points out of 90 points

What they’re doing right: Constructing and executing a creative menu based on seasonal local ingredients. The watermelon salad, the gazpacho, and the pea shoot salad with grilled tuna were all first-rate.

Detail we’re glad they attended to: Warmed coffee cups and individual French press pots. Defining moment: The promising “crack” when we first cut into the tempura-battered fried green tomatoes.

Best thing we drank: The Albariño from Rias Baixas was a good match with a variety of dishes.

Thanks for being green: This restaurant clearly understands the concept of farm to market. Its use of local ingredients is clear on the menu and on the palate.

Best dish: A well-executed lobster carbonara that balanced several flavors and textures: meaty fresh lobster, smoky bacon, delicate house-made pasta, tender parsley, and silky egg sauce. The shellfish was fresh, the smoke was an undertone, and the sauce was barely there, yet effectively conducted the flavors.

Secrets we learned: Ask for bread, and they’ll bring you delicious levain, with sweet butter. Don’t ask, and it won’t come.

We’d go here: For a wonderful meal in a peaceful setting, where you can utterly relax.

Overheard: Waiters sending people off saying, “See you next time.”

WEB EXTRA: Nine to Note

Judges: 
Bruce Aidells, founder, Aidells Sausage Company; Lynne Char Bennett, staff writer/wine coordinator, SF Chronicle; Gene Burns, host, Dining Around, KGO Radio; Dorothy Calimeris, chef and food writer; Linda Carucci, chef-director, Culinary Arts Program, Art Institute of California-San Francisco; Kerry Heffernan, former chef-owner, Autumn Moon Café; Tom Hudgens, chef and food writer; Michaela Jarvis, executive editor, Diablo magazine; Kathryn Jessup, former associate editor, Diablo magazine; Mollie Katzen, author of the original Moosewood Cookbook; George Morrone, founder, Aqua; restaurant consultant; Jan Newberry, food and wine editor, San Francisco magazine; Tori Ritchie, cookbook author, www.tuesdayrecipe.com; Karola Saekel, food and wine writer; Josh Sens, restaurant critic, San Francisco magazine; GraceAnn Walden, Bay Area food columnist.