Best Fusion Restaurant

East meets West harmoniously indeed at the House, where the bright, crisp flavors of Chinatown make beautiful music with the lusty tastes and textures of North Beach. Proprietors Larry and Angela Tse, who grew up in this bicultural neighborhood, create and serve fresh, inventive, often complex platters exquisitely balanced between the delicate and the vivacious. Viz.: tuna tartare with fried nori; fried calamari with creamy miso; a tuna BLT with wasabi mayo; baby greens with fried polenta and miso dressing; seared ahi with a red wine reduction; velvety gnocchi with Chinese chives; and a take-away sack of crunchy, delicate almond cookies. Impressive wine list, too, featuring crisp whites, spicy reds, and sweet Rieslings to complement the kitchen's Asian-accented dishes. The setting is noodle-house minimalist with more than a few jazzy accents, a pretty good metaphor for the food itself.