taxi cab WEST COAST BASQUE This casual spot on the outskirts of North Beach is an exciting recent addition. C

WEST COAST BASQUE This casual spot on the outskirts of North Beach is an exciting recent addition. Chef Gerald Hirigoyen, once chef/partner at longtime favorite Fringale, goes it alone in the comfy room with a wood beam lined ceiling, oak floors, and soft sconce taxi cab lighting. The large plates are best shared. My personal favorites are crabmeat coddled in a paper-thin crepe accompanied by a sweet and sassy mango-and-red-pepper salsa; a bright and

Pier 23 If there s one good-time destination that s an anchor taxi cab for the party people, it s Embarcadero s Pier 23. Part ramshackle patio spot and part dance floor with a heavy dash of dive bar, here it s all about fun for a startlingly diverse clientele. The well-worn box of a restaurant and tented patio is a prime sunny-day social spot for white collars, but on weekends, it s a straight-up taxi cab people zoo where every age and persuasion coexist more peacefully than the cast in a McDonald s commercial. Expect to boogie down shoulder-to-shoulder to live bands playing blues or funk. Pier 23, at the Embarcadero and Greenwich St. & 415/362-5125. www.pier23cafe.com. Cover $5 to $8 during performances.