Fine dining

I don't intend to spend much time offering critiques or reviews of the local culinary offerings, but this particular experience was far too bizarre to pass up.  Combine the best Mexican food I've ever eaten (and it was quite affordable) with a gigantic restaurant that was absolutely empty, and you begin to understand why this might be blog-worthy.

Before going to see Easy A at the ArcLight Cinemas, my boyfriend and I decided to check out a restaurant in the neighborhood that looked interesting from the outside when we'd driven past it a couple times.  The restaurant is called La Vida, and it's on the corner of Sunset and Gower, across from a Denny's, so you know it has to be good.  Even though we had been concerned that it might be pricey (based on the facade, and the look of the restaurant), we decided to go when we saw on the restaurant's website that the menu was actually quite reasonable.

We walked in at 7:15pm on a Saturday evening, which in my experience in San Francisco would make us very lucky to find a table at a good restaurant.  Not only was there a table available for us, there wasn't a single other patron in the entire restaurant!  My boyfriend asked the hostess "How long have you been open?" meaning, "When did this restaurant open? It looks new to us."  However, the hostess responded with, "We've been open since 7PM."  When he asked her again about when they had opened in the space, she said "Oh! We've been here since March."

She proceeded to seat us in one of three large dining room spaces.  Below is a picture of that room, which could probably seat at least 75 people when filled.

Just based on the decor, I worried again that we might have misjudged the pricing on the menu, but once we checked it out, turns out that it was as advertised on their website.  I kept thinking there had to be something we were missing.

I can honestly say that I've never had any as tasty or as well-done as what I had at La Vida.  And the chips were free, guac $6.50 and burrito $12.  Huh?  To be sure, drinks were as expensive as each entree, and the waiter and hostess both explained to us that they're more of a "club" than a restaurant.  That may be the case, but they are a "club" that has restaurant seating for more than 200 people.

Here are a few more shots of the interior:

Looking back into the restaurant to another of the rooms.

One of the light fixtures in the furthest-back room, that could probably easily seat 40-50 people.

And the outdoor patio:

Frankly, the thing that most stuck with me was how phenomenal the space was, combined with phenomenal food, and yet we were the only diners until a group of three people showed up just before 8PM.  So, in a restaurant that could seat over 200 people, on a Saturday night, in a great location, with great food and a great milieu, we were the lone diners for over half an hour.

Oh, and did I mention that the lighting was being adjusted while we were eating?  First it went up a notch, then it came down some, and then it came down a lot more.  I felt like we were interfering on the restaurant's pre-opening prep time.

However, given the quality and price of the food and the niceness of the space, I'd definitely go back again, and I'm sure I will.