eat

RANGE
Range is the most exciting moderately priced restaurant to open in the Mission District since Delfina in 1998. Chef Phil West and his wife, Cameron West, who handles the front of the house, did much of the design work to create a stylish space with subtle industrial elements.
The long, narrow dining room features a bar in front, a hall with tables on one side and a glassed-in window looking into the kitchen on the other. The main dining room is outfitted with an open-beam ceiling and brown leather-like banquettes.
West offers a contemporary take on California/American cuisine on his concise one-page menu. Hope he's prepared the smooth creamy chicken liver mousse ($8); it's as rich and luxurious as foie gras. His soups and salads are always fresh and interesting, such as a puree of parsnip and almond soup ($8).
For main courses the coffee-rubbed braised pork shoulder ($17) on coarse-ground hominy offers a new take on what has become a trendy cut of meat. West also has a way with fish -- one of his most recent menus highlighted slow-cooked pollack with cabbage, runner beans and fingerling potatoes flavored with pancetta ($18).
Desserts ($7) are also highlights and include a souffle; at this time of year, it's egg nog with a hot chocolate shot.
Range, 842 Valencia St. (near 20th Street), San Francisco; (415) 282-8283. Dinner nightly. Full bar. Reservations and credit cards accepted.