Café Monk
567 Fourth St.
San Francisco
(415) 777-1331
French, bistro-style cuisine
Avg. entrée: $18 dinner/$10 lunch
Bender rating: 3
Credit cards: all major
Closed Sundays

Make Mine "Monk"

  The high ceilings, cinder-block walls, tiny spots of light and sleek furnishings of Café Monk are as seemingly ascetic as this café's name would imply. Odd but charming paintings hang beside every table -- from Thelonius Monk to Betto the Baseball Monk to (of course!) the Dalai Lama -- and table centerpieces have a Zen flair (one was simply a pelt of fresh, green grass).

The portions are sparse … perhaps in the spirit of renunciation? But there are some interesting menu ideas that change with the seasons: in early summer, it's a seared lamb sirloin with vegetable gratin, baby spinach and cherry vinaigrette; or grilled pacific tuna with lime zest, served on a bed of arugula with roasted peppers and caper vinaigrette. There's also a seafood cioppino with tiger prawns, mussels and red snapper in a chile-tomato broth with arugula-pesto croutons. Starters include a spinach salad with the mild flavors of pear, shaved fennel, roasted peppers and fresh mozarella; grilled asparagus with prosciutto and lemon aioli; and Prince Edward mussels with a yukon gold potato puree and tomato fennel salsa.

Lunch is a better deal here, and Monk is popular with neighborhood high-tech types drawn by the penne pasta with lamb Bolognese, fava beans and feta cheese, smoked salmon pizza with grilled asparagus, and grilled chicken sandwich with roma tomatoes and basil pesto. Side dishes include Gremolata fries -- new potatoes fried with parsley, mint, garlic and lemon zest -- and yellow wax beans with roasted tomato vinaigrette; or braised greens with dried cranberries and melted butter.

Monk also serves Peet's coffee and snacks from 7 a.m. until closing.
-- Lisa Tsering