Featured Restaurant (September 2009) - Naked Lunch 504 Broadway corner of Broadway and Kearny (at Enrico’s Restaurant annex) San Francisco, CA 415-577-4951 www.nakedlunchsf.com

In a city filled to the brim with fancy, world-class restaurants, it’s easy to be swept up into the need for plush leather seats and cutting-edge décor to accentuate your restaurant’s fancy cuisine. But not Naked Lunch in San Francisco. They went back to the basics – all they needed was a kitchen, some tables and chairs, and small space for customers to order, and they were set. Chef Ian Begg (former 3-star chef at Café Majestic), and GM Ryan Maxey opened the doors to Naked Lunch just last month (August 09), and are located in the takeout window of Enrico’s Restaurant in North Beach. The name is a tribute to the neighborhood’s somewhat lesser-clothed past.

I ate lunch here on their second day of being open with Leila Curtis, a sales rep with American Wines in San Francisco, and was wowed. The menu is simple and changes daily: only 3 sandwiches and 2 soup choices are offered, but although the choices are limited, the flavor combinations certainly are not. I enjoyed the cowgirl creamery Mt. Tam and roasted squash sandwich with baby greens, d’anjou pears and pickled onions, and after gobbling that I considered ordering another couple to take home for dinner! Leila ordered their signature sandwich: foie gras touchon and duck prosciutto sandwich with heirloom tomatoes, butter lettuce and truffle oil. We also each enjoyed a glass of the lychee limeade, and for dessert you must not miss their homemade sorbets, created by Flash Freeze. I tried the blackberry and sage sorbet, and my palate practically threw a party in its honor…it was that delicious!

Needless to say, I will certainly be rushing over to catch another lunch here the next time I’m in San Francisco! Sandwiches run from $8-$15, soup is only $5 for a bowl and sorbet is $3.