Eat This, San Francisco: A Narrated Roadmap to Dives, Joints, All-Night Cafes, Noodle Houses, Buffets, and Other Cheap Places to Eat in the Bay Area

Eat out, eat well, and eat often in the Bay Area without breaking the bank by following the footsteps of Dan Leone, the San Francisco Bay Guardians popular "Cheap Eats" columnist.

Its easy to find a decent herb-roasted quail served on a bed of organic greens that costs more than your weekly bus fare. But what about a perfect bowl of noodles, or a turkey dinner at midnight in July? And for under $7? Here are 200 places where you can eat like a trucker, if not a king, all for a pittance. Dan Leone will tell you if the hash browns are real, if the curry is hot, and if the ambience is fluorescent or candlelit. Thats why his "Cheap Eats" column in the San Francisco Bay Guardian is so popular. Here are eateries for anyone born with a stainless steel spoon in his or her mouth.

You don't have to live in San Francisco or be visiting there. You don't even have to be hungry to pick up this book and laugh away your whole lunch hour. Heck, you could be on a food strike in Tallahassee, and you'd still find yourself cracking up and saying, "Now this is a book to hang onto for the next time I'm in a bad mood." There's a reason why Eat This, San Francisco is one of the most refreshing, hilarious books of the year, even though it's a collection of reviews about San Francisco restaurants where you can dine for under $10, an amusing thought in itself. That reason is author Dan Leone, the pen behind the engaging, if unusual, "Cheap Eats" column in the San Francisco Bay Guardian. The man understands food. He understands that it's either good, great, or blech--and that it comes in two prices: too pricey or darn affordable. Undoubtedly a child who "played" with his food, he sees in it potential for humor and how a meal, good or bad, is a magnet for stories. And you get plenty: tales about his car, his girlfriend Yatee-Yatee-Bing-Eh-Eh-Eh, his friends Haywire, Crawdad, Punk, and Punkess, even his fav Uncle Fatty. Occasionally reviews are more about the trip there, or the fellow diners, or what he was doing when a stranger yelled up a restaurant suggestion, but he ultimately serves up the goods. In an era when the culinary arts have risen to flavor alchemy and metaphor-happy food writers are nearly as important as chefs, Leone's flavors don't marry, his sauces don't embrace, and his favorite foods are ribs, calamari, and eggs. Dan Leone is a huge talent, disguised as a humble reviewer, and he could write a book about paper clips and make it a knee-slapper. You may not want to pull up a chair in one of his hallowed dives, but you will probably want to invite Dan Leone over to dinner. Even if you're on a food strike in Tallahassee. --Melissa Rossi