But we're only a week into summer, you bemoan? Nonsense. It's summertime and thus never too early to get summer items on the menu. (See: AQ Restaurant, a noted SoMa joint that changes its decor along with its menu each season.) It being San Francisco, we don't need to tell you that the summer is fitting for a bowl of soup. And with that, we bring you Perbacco's Minestra Genovese, a soup rife with seasonal vegetables and pummeled basil. Staffan Terje, chef and owner of Perbacco in San Francisco, explains, "I love this soup because it speaks of summer. It's light, yet hearty and the mortar pounded basil pesto brings all the flavors together."

The soup will run you $10. If you think that's expensive, which it really isn't, read this piece by Michael Bauer on the $14 salad. Learn it and learn it well.

And there you have it. In other gastronomic, be sure to check out our daily list of foie gras dishes that, come July 1st, will come to an end. Stay tuned.

Perbacco, 230 California (at Battery), S.F., 415-955-0663