Dinner and a show
For years, the Mission District was regarded as a cultural and economic refuge from the rest of the city, a largely Spanish-speaking enclave noted for its taquerias, cheap rents, and annual Carnival festival. The Mission was also a relatively dangerous neighborhood, particularly around Garfield Square, at 26th and Harrison Streets; and along the Mission Street corridor from 16th to 24th Streets. In the mid-1990s, red and blue colors still signified the fiefdoms of the Nortenos and Surenos. Now the gangs have subsided, crime is less intense, and following the tech boom that began in the mid 2000s, gentrification has set in.
One sign of change is the number of new dance studios, work lofts, nonprofits, and ever-trendier restaurants looking to distinguish themselves in a city full of Michelin stars. One of the most adored restaurants is Foreign Cinema, which opened in 1999. The eatery has become a darling of San Francisco thanks to its eccentric but upscale combination of cuisine, art, and film. The seasonal and oft-changing California Mediterranean menu is orchestrated by the famous chef/owner duo of Gayle Pirie and John Clark.
Info
Address 2534 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, 94110, www.foreigncinema.com, +1 415.648.7600 | Public Transport Bus: 14, 49 (Mission St & 22nd St stop) | Hours Daily 5:30–11pm, Sat & Sun brunch 11am–2:30pm| Tip After dinner, dance the night away to African beats at the Little Baobab around the corner at 3388 19th Street.
Foreign Cinema’s stylish interior is masked by a fifties-era theater-marquis-style exterior on a seedy stretch of sidewalk, a few doors down from the boarded-up New Mission Theater, which is poised for restoration and development. Inside, movies are projected on the cement wall of an al fresco courtyard—just one of the many defined spaces where one can dine or enjoy a cocktail.
The foreign, independent and classic films screened nightly include such noir favorites as The Maltese Falcon and Truffaut’s Day for Night. An adjoining gallery space called Modernism West, overseen by acclaimed art dealer Martin Muller, has exhibited the crème de la crème of the art world, including the work of Mel Ramos and Mark Stock.
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