Thanks for the recommendations, all (particularly @Shalmanese) - in a whirlwind three days in SF, ate at:
El Farolito in the Mission - strawberry and pineapple aguas frescas and carnitas, al pastor, carne asada and chorizo tacos (and nachos for my friend in background):
Dynamo Donuts - passionfruit and chocolate, and bacon, apple and maple:
Mission Chinese - tiki pork belly, lamb dumplings, chicken fat and ginger fried rice, thrice cooked pork and Chongqing chicken wings. It was OK. Shalmanese is right, even hipster Chinese food is better in Sydney.
Chez Panisse, for the most disappointing and overpriced meal I've had in years - I've always wanted to go there, but while the quality of the produce and the atmosphere was nice and all, I seriously feel like I cook more interesting food on a bog-standard Tuesday night. I would call this quality of cooking 'medium level wedding catering food.' 
AND it was all too salty. Bah.
Brenda's French Soul Food - a GREAT recommendation. Hangtown Fry with a biscuit and hash, crawfish beignets, and pork belly with grits (and strawberry mimosas):
Kazan sushi in the mission - the nigiri set was excellent:
Excellent roasted crab and garlic butter noodles from Thanh Long:
A strange dish I don't really understand - biscuits and gravy - from the Dipsea Cafe in Marin:
And then, in a hat tip to the eG Baking threads, I lugged all my piping tips and food colours and lustre dusts and glitters to San Francisco to teach my friends' kids how to make my floral cupcakes - not a bad effort for kiddlios and a very jetlagged RRO:
Then straight after SF, it was on to Golden, BC in Canada, where I didn't eat a single thing of interest or note! 
