The Frank Dog: Kinda weenie

Let's Be Frank 3318 Steiner (near Lombard), 674-6755.
If the fate of the world hangs on a wiener, put us down for a dozen. But a Saturday visit to week-old Let's Be Frank left us sweating Earth's future.

The Marina hot dog joint is the first storefront venue for LBF, whose carts already ply SF and LA, a project of Larry Bain and Sue Moore. Mad props to Bain and Moore for reinventing the frankfurter along Slow Food lines, but the results contain a fatal flaw: the star ingredients just don't satisfy. Sure, the casing around the grass-fed-beef Frank Dog ($5.50) had delightful pop, but its murky filling lacked the creamy texture and swagger of garlic and spices that makes a frankfurter a frankfurter. A Brat Dog ($5.50), made with heritage pork, likewise tasted flat-out weenie. And sorry, guys, girth totally matters. The sausages' diameter skewed more Slim Jim than Ball Park -- they seemed lost in their voluminous (and slightly rubbery) Acme buns.

Ordinarily we'd say Fine, Americans eat too damn much protein anyway. But something as iconic as a hot dog has to be convincingly hot doggy, or we're just not buying -- even when principle tells us it's the right thing to do.

Take a good look

Plans for a revamped Emporio Rulli Gran Caffe in the Marina have gotten more extensive than first planned. The cavernous space at Chestnut and Steiner was already due for a makeover that'd take the lush (and frankly dated) Edwardian-ish space with its grand pastry case into the post-salumi age, reborn as Rulli Risto-Bar. The concept pays homage to Italy's casual wine-and-snack joints, with a whiff of upscale Marina. Now, even more structural changes promise to radically change the place. Owner and pastry maestro Gary Rulli -- with input from Italian-born exec chef Angelo Auriana -- has decided to remove the pastry case entirely, replacing it with a wall of wine bottles. Plans call for an antique Berkel meat slicer -- the restaurant world's fetish du jour -- to be on full display. Auriana and chef de cuisine Massimo Covello are already trying out sophisticated new small plates (word is the lobster and roasted beet salad with burrata is killer). Rulli Risto-Bar's full unveiling is slated for July, after a late-June closing.

Melding inspiration drawn from the classic English pub and rustic New American gastronomy, Marina newcomer The Tipsy Pig (2231 Chestnut at Pierce) aims for the best of all possible worlds: a gourmet, artisan menu with handcrafted cocktails, yet a spot cozy enough to be a neighborhood hangout with a "living room" and "library." Perhaps the most radical twist: It's kid-friendly, with a special menu for hungry little piglets. "We want to be a second home for people," co-owner Nate Valentine says. "When I see people with families in there, I couldn't be happier. The food is very seasonal and simple and clean. We'll be using a lot of current seasonal farm produce to create simple, fresh American dishes. We're not trying to re-create or overcomplicate things. We just want to highlight what's already there."

Valentine's favorite dish is the Tipsy Sliders ($12), Chimay-braised pulled pork and red cabbage slaw on Hawaiian sweet buns. Notable drinks include the Drakes Woodworm ($10), comprising Le Tourment Vert absinthe, St. Germain, lemon, gomme, bitters, and ginger beer; and a soon-to-be custom beer, Tipsy Pig Brew, which should go down nice and smooth if you're sitting in one of 50 seats on the garden-enclosed patio. Sigh. Now if only the place weren't in the Marina. Kidding! Check out the full menu and make reservations at www.thetipsypigsf.com.

(S.F. sushi spots create specialties far more regionalized than just the California Roll; image via Flavor J)

It's not that the California Roll isn't appreciated, but it sure is fun to see sushi joints naming their maki after the neighborhoods where they operate. Here are 10 that stand out:

1. Potrero Veggie Roll (asparagus, scallions, tofu, carrots, avocado, inari) at Blowfish Sushi (2170 Bryant)

2. Marina Roll (shrimp and avocado) at Enoshima (2280 Chestnut)

3. Castro Rainbow Maki (Crab, avocado, tuna, sake, albacore, ebi and halibut) at Crazy Sushi (3232 16th St.)

4. North Beach Roll (baked sushi with tiger shrimp, avocado, imitation crab, cucumber inside, wrapped with smoked salmon and topped with aioli sauce) at Sushi on North Beach - Katsu (745 Columbus)

5. Divisaderoll (choice of tuna or amberjack, avocado, masago) at Tataki Sushi and Sake Bar (2815 California)

6. Sunset (ikura and quail egg wrapped with salmon) at Jimisan Sushi Bistro (1380 9th Ave.)

7. The Fillmore (saba, shiromaguro tartare, gobo) at Yoshi's (1330 Fillmore)

8. Fort Point (grilled asparagus and avocado topped with seared Kobe beef, fried shallots, garlic ponzu) at Tokyo Go Go (3174 16th St.)

9. Barracuda on Market (rice paper wrapped, dried pineapple, red tuna, salmon, kaiware, avocado, wasabi, tobiko, blueberry and mango sauce) at Barracuda Sushi (2251 Market)

10. S.F. Wave Tsunami (cooked red tuna chopped with ginger and green onion wrapped in egg and served with Kabuto seaweed gravy sauce) at Kabuto (5121 Geary)