It's sure to cause controversy, which Eater SF editor Paolo Lucchesi openly acknowledges, but Eater has just inaugurated The Eater 38, a non-ranked list of the best, most beloved restaurants in the city which they would gladly recommend, with some emphasis given to neighborhood favorites over big destination spots.

Given that preference, it perhaps shouldn't be surprising that established heavyweights like Zagat topper Gary Danko, Michael Mina and Fleur de Lys have been left off the list in favor of several established SF destinations like The Cliff House, La Taqueria and Washington Square Bar & Grill, as well as some newer favorites like Beretta (which we would argue has better cocktails than food), and Spruce. Also absent from the list, we would note, is Eater reader poll favorite La Folie. In any event, Paolo welcomes nominations for this ever-evolving list via email, and will include newer restaurants (over six months old) in the future, as they prove themselves.

The significance of the number 38? It was apparently a random choice, but we think it had something to do with the numbers looking nice graphically beside the capital E (see Eater 38 logo above).