PREVIOUS ISSUES : CULTURE : Food Last Updated: April 9, 2008 - 1:25 PM   Eat It: Reborn! By Gwyneth Doland Published: March 5, 2008   Email this article   Printer friendly page   Old haunts, new grub. SLEEPING DOG TAVERN 114 W. San Francisco St., 982-4335 I went to Sleeping Dog at the prodding of an e-mail from the chef, Russell Thornton, who compared the restaurant to an old car that had just been washed and given new seat covers. I thought that was a charming and humble way of describing a place that serves Kobe beef burgers ($13.50), oyster corn dogs ($7.50) and a lobster salad ($14). But Thornton�s right, he�s scrubbed most of the smoky sports bar feel from the place and spit-shined it into a decidedly unpretentious restaurant with unexpectedly good food. O�KEEFFE CAFE 217 Johnson St., 946-1065 Speaking of transformations, O�Keeffe�s new French chef, Laurent Rea, has really taught this old dog some new tricks. Not that O�Keeffe was ever a dog; it�s always been a beautiful space, but the quality of the food has not been consistent. Until now. A recent sampling of the $65 chef�s tasting menu shows that O�Keeffe may now be in its prime. Spinach and ricotta-filled lobster ravioli comes bathed in a sauce so rich�yet delicate�that extra bread must be employed to relish every last drop. In fact, dinner here is worth it for the sauces alone. The early-bird special (from 5 pm-6 pm daily) offers any starter, entr�e and dessert for $37. It�s a steal. THE BAR AT BERT'S La Taqueria 416 Agua Fria St., 988-5991 Bert�s, too, has been through many incarnations, having moved from a nondescript strip mall on St. Michael�s Drive to this beautiful, rambling adobe downtown. But owner Fernando Olea has perhaps never been sure how best to use all this wonderful space. Now the bar has been given an infusion of new blood�and a menu of bar snacks that cost less than $5�by his daughter, Samanta. Do not miss out on the opportunity to do a mezcal taste test. (Just be sure to designate a driver first.) © Copyright 2000-2008 by the Santa Fe Reporter Save This Page to del.icio.us Top of Page