Without question, Aqua remains San Francisco's finest seafood restaurant, light years beyond the genre of shrimp cocktails and lemon-butter sauce. Heralded chef Michael Mina dazzles his customers with a bewildering juxtaposition of earth and sea in his seasonally changing menus. The ahi tartare, my favorite all-time rendition, period, is mixed tableside with pears, pine nuts, quail egg, and spices. The roasted spot prawn with crab stuffing, citrus hollandaise, and hot-and-sour vinaigrette is deliciously creative. Miso-marinated Chilean sea bass and grilled medallions of ahi tuna with foie gras in Pinot sauce is addictive, extravagant, and sculptural in its presentation. Desserts are equally impressive. The large dining room with high ceilings, one big floral arrangement, and otherwise stark decor can be quite loud, but that doesn't stop power-lunchers from pow-wowing by day and well-dressed gourmands from feasting in style at night. Steep prices prevent most people from making a regular appearance, but for special occasions or billable lunches, Aqua is on my top-ten list. Keep in mind that there's no valet or street parking at lunch, so you'll have to pull into one of the Embarcadero lots two blocks away.