PIPERADE >

The Financial District and its surrounding blocks are full of large-scale, sophisticated, white-tablecloth restaurants that fit the bill for a business lunch or special dinner. Places like Perbacco, Boulevard and Kokkari have been on this Chronicle list for decades, and for about $50 a head (plus drinks), you’re all but assured of getting decent meals. But for such occasions, Piperade is my favorite option, and it’s worth singling out. Not only does Piperade have a beautiful, unique dining room, with exposed bricks and beams carved out of an otherwise nondescript block off Levi’s Plaza, but it feels good to be in there, like you’ve found something special (which you have). Piperade is a worthy setting for chef-owner Gerald Hirigoyen’s impeccable Basque food. The room is relaxed enough to be comfortable, but formal enough to feel like a night out.

Piperade’s Basque flavors have always held a unique space in San Francisco. Especially as San Francisco’s Spanish restaurants have faded — Contigo and Zarzuela both said goodbye this year — Hirigoyen’s food has become even more of an outlier. He’s a constant presence in the restaurant, too, fluttering to and from the kitchen, ensuring that both front and back of house are running smoothly and creating an overtly personal restaurant. Order: It’s easy to overdo it on the delicious, West Coasttinted pintxos and starters (sliced meats! mushroom tartlet! stuffed peppers! crab salad!), but it’s the heartier fare — the braises and stews — that brings the magic and will transport you to the rustic Basque countryside.

1015 Battery St., San Francisco. 415-391-2555 or www.pi perade.com. Lunch weekdays, dinner Mon.-Sat. Reservations and credit cards accepted.

— P.L.