MARENGO

Marengo, a new second-floor space at 1980 Union St. (441-2775; open Tues-Sun for dinner, plus Sunday brunch) specializes in sliders, those two- or three-bite sandwiches on mini burger buns which have been dotting local menus for some months now. But I don't know of another place which makes them the focal point of the menu. Marengo offers eight options (all $3.95) and occasional daily specials, and those I've tried augur well for the others. Black & Blue brings 'Luck Dog Ranch' beef topped with 'Roaring 40's' blue cheese, crisp Molinari pancetta and sliced tomato--a delight. Two other sliders contrast nicely: The Jerk has strips of jerk-seasoned chicken with a feta/sesame spread and Teleme cheese, while Porky's features pulled lean pork in a Memphis-style sauce (which means more of a vinegar edge than a tomatoey base), a blue cheese-cider vinaigrette and a garnish of zesty cole slaw. Familiar composed salads round out the menu. Wine, as one might expect, are on the younger and simpler side, but well selected, and there is a pleasing array of beers. Marengo is a pleasantly unique and informal addition to the roster of Marina dining choices.

CHIAROSCURO

Chiaroscuro is the Italian restaurant of your dreams, but unfortunately located in the deep Financial District, that being 550 Washington, at Sansome. But you really must go, because the Italian chef/owner is creating the most exciting food in town. It's CHIAROSCURO, after the Italian painting style, but there's nothing shady about the Carpaccio di Filetto, graced with great olive oil and shaved Parmesan, surely the best version I've ever had, most carpaccios ruined by meat less than tender and too thickly sliced. And you must not miss Gnochetti, green and sparkling from arugala rather than spinach. Halibut hereabouts is mostly from southern California, but nothing compares to this chef's fresh Alaskan product, the cool waters telling the whole tale. She lightly poaches the fish, finishes it in the oven and creates a masterpiece. The dessert of choice is clearly Sfogliata di Frutta, which brings you a baked-off puff pastry shell topped with sliced seasonal fruits. A masterpiece.

BAR BAMBINO

Bar Bambino is not exactly in our hood, we being in the Marina, and it's being at 16th-Mission. But we were drawn by positive comments, and we were hardly disappointed. Chef clearly knows her way around southern Italian food. You must not miss her crusty stuffed olives, or her superb rendition of rabbit, a delightful alternative to chicken, and all too rarely seen on local menus. Pig roasts are offered from time to time. and the mostly Italian wine list is surely one of the best in the city.

TACOLICIOUS

Tacolicious is at 2031 Chestnut St. @ Fillmore.  You may remember this location as Laiola, one of the few truly Spanish restaurants in the Bay Area, with a specialty in creative and traditional tapas, the delightful Iberian ‘small plates’. For whatever reason, the owner decided to change that winning concept in favor of a tacqueria, but one much different from those abounding in the Mission. Here the tacos are small, universally soft and greaseless, their fillings sometimes standard, often not.

For example, in choosing Traditional Carnitas you’d have shredded grilled beef, of course, but you’d the quality of the meat above-average, as you would the savory, fresh-tasting sauce. But you’d be more surprised by Shot-and-a-Beer Braised Petaluma Chicken, not only by the concept but by the carefully pulled lean chicken bathed in a vibrant sauce evocative of the title. And there’s nothing everyday about a taco enclosing Artichoke, Potato, Mushrooms, Green Garlic or another featuring Guajillo Braised Beef Short Rib, the meat a bit les than ideally lean when we tried it, but the smoky, lightly tart character of the comparatively uncommon chile was clearly evident. All tacos are $3.50 each or 4 for $12, with the exception of Filet Mignon, Caramelized Onions ($6.50) or the ‘Taco of the Week’, on one occasion Traditional Chile Verde ($3.75), lean cubes of pork in an admirable green sauce with a crunch grace note of shredded cabbage.

AZIZA

I first wrote about Aziza some years ago, lauding it for breaking the formulaic mold into which local Moroccan restaurants seemed to have fallen—the menu of one indistinguishable from that of another. Aziza introduced new and remarkable dishes which I assumed reflected an evolution of Moroccan cuisine, based on my dining at the classic Parisian example Timgad, but I didn’t really know because I’ve never been to Morocco except for a brief cruise stopover in Casablanca. But in the course of a recent extended stay in Paris, we discovered the quite wonderful Mansouria, surely the flagship of contemporary North African cuisine in that city, and it prepared us for a brand-new experience at Aziza. Gone is the central-casting Moroccan décor, replaced by a subtly lighted taupe-brown theme, and gone are the irrelevant belly dancers. The front room is quieter and more atmospheric than the back; you should reserve your table there.

But the big news at Aziza is the evolution of the menu, much more in the spirit of what we found at Mansouria in Paris, and way beyond the repetitive. Executive Chef and owner Mourad Lahlou (with a PBS series reportedly in the works) is responsible for that.

An ideal dinner for two might begin with Za’atar, a grilled flatbread, gently seasoned with sumac, and when cut into triangles becomes the perfect scoop for Navy Beans mixed with feta and oregano, topped with a crispy bread-crumb crust and presented in a steaming small crock. You could also dip the bread into an unusually complex, mahogany-hued Lentil Soup, its tomato base enlivened with the spicy Moroccan harissa and texturally enhanced by diced celery and dates. A classic tablemate at this point would be the quintessentially Moroccan B’stilla (here Basteeya, perhaps for phonetics), a phyllo pie stuffed with seasoned minced squab. On these shores, chicken almost always plays the part of squab. as here, and although the phyllo pastry in Aziza’s version is airy, flaky and faultless, the filling is unfortunately bland. Perhaps that’s the way it’s supposed to be, but other versions we’ve enjoyed have been more flavory. For a principal course, you as likely to be as pleased as we were by Petrale Sole, presented as two rectangles of pan-seared fish topped and based on a vinaigrette made more substantial by the presence of tiny ‘beach’ mushrooms (resembling enotake or enoki, but much tinier), the greens of baby spring onions, slivered almonds, capers and raisins. A triumph!

Also not to miss: tiny, tasty lamb meatballs interspersed on skewera with equally small grapes and onions, the skewers arrayed over a bed of julienned jicama tinted green with minced parsley.

Vitals: 3800 Geary Blvd. @ 22nd Ave.; 415-752-2222; web www.aziza-sf.com; dinner 5:30-10:30 Wed-Mon, cl Tu; parking can be difficult, and valet is a pricey $10.