 Actors Don Johnson and Cheech Marin have teamed with husband and wife chef team Khai Duong and Kieu-Loan Phan to create a modern Vietnamese restaurant tucked away in Ghirardelli Square. The name means beautiful refuge, and it fits---Ana Mandara is one of the city's most beautiful restaurants, with the dramatic look of a palatial Southeast Asian home. Past the courtyard entrance, different areas of the restaurant represent the patio, the house and the garden. The space has three working fountains, many handcrafted appointments, lush greenery and priceless Asian antiques, and a fabulous view of the bay from the bar. Executive chef Duong hails from Vietnam and is also a summa cum laude graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Academie Culinaire de Paris. He combines the two techniques to create a wonderful range of traditional and modern dishes. Must-try specialties include sweet Dungeness crab soup with hand-cut noodles, an excellent version of shaking beef---caramelized, medium rare tournedos of beef tenderloin tossed in a wok with sweet onions and peppercress---and crispy lobster ravioli with mango-coconut sauce. The light-as-air spring rolls filled with crab meat, shrimp and shiitake mushrooms are some of the best we've had. Sommelier Joanna Breslin oversees the stellar wine list.
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Splurging at top-rated restaurants is fun for special events, but where can you go for a good quality meal that won't break the bank? Gather the change out of your piggy bank and sofa cushions and take it to one of our selections for the best cheap eats in your area. Also, check out our picks for the Top 40 Cheap Eats in the U.S.
