TREE OF LIFE
Hotel Zetta and sister properties Hotel Zeppelin and Hotel Zelos are embracing the power of giving this holiday season, participating in the Salvation Army Angel Tree program throughout December. Guests can pick a card from the tree with a wish list for a child or senior adult “angel” and purchase a gift that will be donated to the Salvation Army and placed under their family Christmas tree. Hotel Zetta is among San Francisco’s most modern and stylish boutique hotels, with smart TVs, virtual reality gaming, and playful public art like a Plinko-inspired interactive wall art and chandelier made of repurposed sunglass lenses in the lobby. 55 5th Street, zhotelssf.com/zetta

FIRST CLASS FLIGHT
San Francisco’s most exciting new fine dining restaurant is right across the street from the Civic Center. Stop in before or after a ballet, opera, or symphony performance for an abbreviated bar snacks menu, or settle in for the full 18-course tasting menu, a culinary tour de force by chef/owner John Wesley accompanied by warm, gracious service led by the general manager and co-owner Julianna Yang. The duo met while working together at Michelin-starred Sons & Daughters before branching out on their own. Recent menu highlights include a beet chip cornetto filled with bone marrow, burnt honey glazed squab, and beautifully braided fermented potato caraway bread served with a smoky mushroom broth and slow-poached egg yolk. Wine pairings are worth trying, and nonalcoholic pairings are excellent too, inspired by classic cocktails and tea. 149 Fell Street, kilnsf.com

DISTILL THE ONE
Receiving its first Michelin star earlier this year, Aphotic is best known for dry aging fish like Pacific skate and rockfish to bring out richer umami flavor and succulent texture. The ten-course tasting menu is one of the best values in town, and the wine list includes an impressive champagne selection. Aphotic also received a Michelin Green Star for its sustainability efforts, including an in-house distillation program featuring craft spirits derived from locally foraged, native ingredients like eucalyptus, bay, juniper, and lavender. Each cocktail is designed to complement chef Peter Hemsley’s oceanic cuisine, and you can even try an eight-course cocktail-tasting menu inspired by bodies of water around the world, from the Baltic Sea to the Gulf of Thailand. 816 Folsom Street, aphoticrestaurant.com

LORD STANLEY RETURNS
Michelin-starred restaurant Lord Stanley returns to Nob Hill as a Californian “Bistro de Luxe.” For the last two years, husband and wife owners Rupert and Carrie Blease have operated their restaurant as a rotating culinary hub with world-renowned and up and up-and-coming chefs popping up to showcase their cuisine. Now long-time chef de cuisine Nathan Matkowsky helms the kitchen to showcase his love of French cuisine melded with Korean influences like chicken thigh mandu in roasted hen consommé and steamed sole with matsu take mushrooms and emulsified dashi. There are both à la carte and prix fixe tasting menus, and pastry chef Harper Zapf serves pastries and desserts to go from the takeaway window where you can also grab Korean fried chicken to go. 2065 Polk Street, lordstanleysf.com

FESTIVE FEASTS
Kelly Wearstler designed San Francisco Proper is going all out for the holiday season with Nutcracker-themed afternoon tea presented by pastry chef Samara Wales every weekend through the end of the year. Holiday prix fixe dinner at Villon will feature delightful snacks like foie gras wa es with espresso and cocoa nibs, prime rib with Yorkshire pudding, and a Feast of the Seven Fishes antipasti, with gingerbread roulade and chocolate tarts with eggnog anglaise and cardamom ice cream for dessert. The luxury boutique hotel is also participating in the San Francisco Firefighters toy drive, and guests who bring a toy to donate will receive a complimentary glass of sparkling wine or hot chocolate. 1100 Market Street, properhotel.com/san Francisco