tour of capitol Hailing a cab on most city str eets is a hitor- miss pr oposition, but spotting a taxi downtown is e

Hailing a cab on most city str eets is a hitor- miss pr oposition, but spotting a taxi downtown is easier , especially in fr ont of hotels. When mo ving ar ound with kids, it s probably best to phone (or hav e your hotel phone) a cab company because that s the only way to guarantee that y ou ll be retrieved. The major cab companies ar e Desoto C ab (&415/970-1300), Luxor Cabs (&415/282-4141), Metro Cab (&415/920-0715), Veteran s Cab (&415/ 552-1300), and Yellow Cab (&415/6262345).

the need arise. M y husband and I hav e dragged our kids to any number of local restaurants and found that, b y follo wing the guidelines I list below (see the Dining Out in P eace bo x), w e ve been able to enjoy many wonderful dinners and, at the same time, introduce our little ones to new and interesting foods.

Yank Sing Finds CHINESE/DIM SUM For many S an F rancisco tour of capitol families, gathering with friends on a w eekend morning over dim sum is a fr equent occurrence. Families come together in groups of 6, 8, or 10 and seat themselves at a table, while servers carrying trays or pushing trolleys offer an assortment of bite-size Chinese delicacies, usually served three or four to a plate, for everyone to share. For years, we headed out to the Sunset to brunch tour of capitol at Ton Kiang, which I still r ecommend. But more recently we ve made our way to Yank Sing, which gets my vote for best dim sum in the city. Yank Sing makes more than 100 varieties of dim sum, and ser ves at least 60 of them on any giv en day. Scallion prawns, stuffed crab claws, and sno w pea shoot dumplings ar e among the possibilities and the quality is always top-notch. While the price is higher than at Ton Kiang, if you eat at the Rincon Center location, you get the added bonus of dining inside a lovely atrium housing tour of capitol an 80-foot-high water fall. The other good ne ws is, since Yank Sing has two convenient downtown locations, you can always pop in during the week for lunch, a popular alternative for locals who work in the area.

Dottie s True Blue Cafe AMERICAN/BREAKFAST The best meal to hav e here is breakfast (some locals and tourists claim it s the best in to wn), but the place is so small that you ll have to wait unless y ou have a family of early risers. The big por tions of house-made br eads, cornmeal tour of capitol pancakes, F rench toast, eggs, gourmet sausages, fr esh orange juice, and cheer y trim make the wait w ell wor th it. The lunch menu featur es hearty salads, sandwiches, and burgers.