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The Slanted Door and Ana Mandara's are delicious if you like vietnamese food. I can't wait to go back. Yum!

It said "you will soon take a trip by air," and it was correct because shortly after that I went for a weekend to nyc and had a blast!

raisins and walnuts or mini chocolate chips

milk please

I was just in San Francisco in January. My favorite places were:

Slanted Door - make a reservation far in advance, but the food is amaaazing!

Magnolia - brewpub in the Haight, right near Haight Ashbury - great homebrew, awesome burgers, cool atmosphere

Victorian Punch House - also right near Haight Ashbury, no food, but worth the stop (especially during happy hour!)

Fisherman's Wharf - right next to Boudin are a bunch of stalls that sell Clam Chowder in a bread bowl.

Try any of the OSHA Noodles locations - they vary from hole in the wall (near Union Square) to almost fancy. Actually, come to think of it, most of the noodle places we went to were cheap and fantastic.

Also, try to stop by the Gold Dust Lounge near Union Square during happy hour - $2.50 margaritas and some serious dive bar atmosphere. It's awesome.

The Helmand is an Afghan restaurant that has some of the best food you will ever eat. It's always on my list of stops every trip to San Francisco.

I'm so sorry. I completely misunderstood your time frame. I thought you were arriving in three days, now I see you're going to be here a total of three days.

Totally different ballgame. It would be helpful to know your food preferences, where you've eaten before, the # of people in your party, what your budget is etc. Not knowing those details makes a good recommendation more difficult but here we go:

If you're a frequent traveler to the S.F. Bay Area, you've probably already eaten at Aqua, Gary Danko, Boulevard, Zuni, etc.

Coi opened up not quite two years ago here & it was slow going for Daniel Patterson's restaurant at first. His Elisabeth Daniel restaurant (venture with his now ex-wife) was well-reviewed & wonderful but failed. It used to be easy to get a res. at Coi or eat at the bar but the word finally got out & now it's a tough place to get into but do try. Their winelist is strong & their sommelier used to be at George Morrone's Tartare before it closed . He is a riot but knows his tokajis from his tokays. You've probably already heard about Frank Bruni's experience in his recent review of the 10 best restaurants outside of NY. It's really a unique experience: the aromatherapy of haute cuisine. If you are food obsessed & can get past the slightly precious service, you've got to go, if you can get in. The neighborhood is in our pathetic excuse for a redlight district but don't let that deter you. Reserve now.

Michael Mina, if you haven't already been there, lives up to the hype; but don't have the tasting menu, unlike French Laundry where the tasting menu is the best experience, the a la carte dishes at Michael Mina definitely shine more & because of their intricate, mutli-tiered preparation. Each dish (except the lobster pot pie) has one protein prepared three or more ways, it becomes a de facto tasting menu. The wine list is stellar with all the usual suspects and the head sommelier & wine director, Raj, is considered by most in his field, the man with the greatest palate in the country. Gorgeous room, great service in the Westin St. Francis so you can easily get a cab afterward.

There have been a lot of new openings here. The best of the bunch are these:

Orson, Elizabeth Falkner owner & pastry chef extraordinaire of Citizen Cake new baby, has generated a lot of buzz & controversy here. The food is amazing but has embraced both the sweet & the savory (think chocolate covered foie gras truffle as a mignardise) and "molecular gastronomy" completely & unapologetically. Believe or not, people are ridiculously reactionary when it comes to their dining experiences here (which is why it too Coi so long to get popular). But go, it's in SOMA which now houses the luxury hotels like St. Regis & The Four Seasons as well as the newly-renovated Jewish Museum, SF MOMA, Yerba Buena Center, etc. Very hot neighborhood, though still full of homeless people on 5th & 6th St.
(Orson is on 4th). It's new, it's hip, the food is haute, the atmosphere is casual: crazy-good as a friend puts it.

Perbacco, Acquerello, Quince & Incanto are the four best Regional Italian in the city. All very different in style, in different neighborhoods. Can't go wrong with any of them. All four are $$$ but worth it.
SPQR, a very casual tiny Roman-style trattoria that accepts no reservations, is has good solid food, offering plenty of cicchetti & some large plates. I like it much better than A-16 which is terribly over-rated even though they share the same ownership, executive chef and wine director. The focus on the food is stronger here; probably because it's their latest greatest venture. It happens.

If you're renting a car & willing to drive to the wine country, go to Cyrus in Healdsburg (Sonoma not Napa). You can & should stay at the hotel that houses it overnight or the Healdsburg Inn.
It is worth the trip. The food is ambrosial. This time the Michelin people got it right (Two Stars). How the vibe can be so relaxed with servers that serve you synchronously like so many SF Ballet dancers is beyond me but they do. Get the tasting menu here, you won't be sorry. Now getting a reservation is really hard unless you go at 5 or 9:30, but who knows you may get lucky.

French Laundry is beyond words but unless you can start dialing their number, two months before the day you want; forget it. Open table takes reservations for them still but I have yet to get in that way. the only times I've gotten in is when a friend of the hubby who is a wine distributor has invited us there (once a year). He goes once a month. What a job! Bouchon is not worth the overnight trip. Ubuntu might be but I haven't eaten there yet.

Any way, have fun wherever you go.

Don't miss El Farolito's at 24th and Mission- super quesadilla suiza!

Wow, with only three days it's going to be impossible to get into any top tier restaurant unless you're willing to eat at one of their crowded bars; even if you're willing, you may not be able to. This is prime real estate & the market is high. But, I'd go on opentable .com and see what I could book, if I were you. If you're willing to eat at 5pm or 9pm, you may get lucky. Coi, Gary Danko, Michael Mina, Aqcuerello, La Folie, Jardiniere, Boulevard, Zuni Cafe, Slanted Door, Perbacco, Incanto, Spruce, Waterbar, Ame, Aqua, Farallon, Fifth Floor, Zuni Cafe, Quince, Epic RoastHouse

In the meantime, here are some fun casual restaurants that either don't take reservations or are so large they can probably accommodate you; but realize this: you will not be enjoying the best of what San Francisco has to offer.
Reservations usually required but you may be able to walk in. Try to reserve first. Not the best restaurants but solid:
Mamacita
Orson
Fish and Farm
Bistro Jeanty
Bar Crudo
Piperade
Bix
Yoshi's (in San Francisco not Oakland)
Pres a Vis
Garibaldi's
Hime
Terzo
Umami
Clementine
Presidio Social Club
Delfina
Dosa
Antica Trattoria
Canteen
Campton Place
Sociale
Rubicon
Ducca
Lulu's
Le Club (res. required even for drinks)
One Market (for lunch)
Blowfish Sushi to Die For
All the restaurants on Belden Place (Plouf, B-44, etc.)
All the restaurants except Slanted Door at the San Francisco Ferry Building , if you like Farmer's Markets go Tuesday, late morning early afternoon; Thursday, late afternoon; Saturday & Sunday, early mornings

No reservations accepted:
SPQR
Laoila
Ebisu
Burma Superstar
La Taqueria
Bocadillos
Ella's (for breakfast or lunch)
The Grove (for breakfast or lunch)
La Boulange (on Polk or Union St. for breakfast or lunch)
Rigolo (for breakfast or lunch)
Yank Sing (for dim sum)

Delis/markets
Lucca's Deli
Cheese Plus Deli & Market
Bryan's Quality Meats
San Francisco Ferry Building
Bristol Farms Market in Westfield San Francisco Centre
Kara's Cupcakes
Mollie Stone's
Whole Food's on Franklin St.
K&L Wine Merchants
The Wine Club San Francisco
Bi-Rite Supermarket & Creamery

Whew.... I'm pooped. Gotta stop & make dinner. There's a good start for you. Have fun & good luck!