Self proclaimed as an International landmark in San Francisco’s North Beach Neighborhood and purportedly the first place for Espresso on the West Coast back in the 50’s my stop at Caffe Trieste was brief but enjoyable; the baristas clever and the prices good. Sure there is the traditional “coffee shop hipster” sort taking up the some of the cracked leather/vinyl furniture but the Americano I ordered was bold yet balanced, steaming hot, and otherwise excellent. Arriving late in the day there were no pastries to be sampled on this visit and the gentleman in the retail shop next door was a bit surly, but all-in-all a good place to grab a quick cup of coffee.
Sampler French Toast – Banana Nut, Cinnamon Brioche, Cranberry Orange Walnut Covered with Bananas and Fresh Berries
Carrot Cake
Crumb Cake
Monte Cristo – Roasted Turkey Breast, Honey Baked Ham, Cheddar and Gruyere Cheese battered in Egg and grilled
The conference all but wrapped up and dinner not until 8:00pm a friend suggested a walk up to Coit Tower with the side agenda of potentially visiting Mama’s, the 50 year old institution in North Beach where locals and tourists alike often wait hours to sample the fresh, made from scratch home cooking passed down from founder Mama Sanchez – the rumor was that around 2:00pm the breakfast/lunch crowd had dissipated…though that rumor turned out to be an eighty minute falsehood before we made our way through the line, placed our order, and sat awaiting our food. A cute space whose long waits are a combination of its small size, attention to detail, and (appropriately) never rushing a customer even after their meal is finished it should really come as no surprise that once our selections did arrive everything was quite delicious and although certainly the sort of thing any home cook could probably make not exactly the sort of thing mom spends hours making every morning – particularly the multiple house made breads used to make the supple French Toast or superlative, thick Monte Cristo. Obviously not the sort of place one would choose to eat every day given the crowds all-in-all Mama’s is definitely an experience worth the effort…though next time I think I’d sooner show up at 7:30 to avoid the line and order a few more of the quick breads to snack on later in the day – particularly that crumb cake with its nearly inch thick streusel topping.
Bombolini – Candy Cap Donuts, Green Strawberry Compote, Douglas Fir Crema, Warm Summer Berries
Burnt Caramel Gelato with Pine Nut Cookies
Largely replicating the dining path of the day prior due to convenience, lunch amongst the power brokers on Tuesday saw me seated at a hightop near the front of Italian stalwart Perbacco. Ostensibly a modernized take on Piemontese and Ligurian cuisine from Nordic chef Staffan Terje the first thing that struck me upon walking in was the impressive size of the restaurant and the seemingly 1:2 ratio of servers to tables assuring that each and every diner is never for want, a particularly good thing for keeping the water and bread basket clean in such a busy space and all the more so when my server, Christopher, explained to me that most plates could be ordered in half portions thus opening up my options substantially. Clearly the sort of place where a lunch could be leisurely or fit within the typical lunch hour it would not be long after my focaccia arrived that the first of two pastas would come, in this case the rich and earthy stracci, and close on its heels three of my favorite things all on one plate; tender gnocchi, supple duck, and sweet cherries – a ‘best of’ dish on a trip with many and good enough that I actually requested a second demi-portion that arrived fifteen minutes later – a decision I’d regret only slightly when I realized there were at least four desserts I wanted to taste, instead limiting myself to the truly fascinating sweet mushroom donuts filled with green strawberry jam…plus a scoop of intense caramel gelato flecked with smoked sea salt rounding out a truly excellent lunch.
Impressed as I was by Golden Gate Bakery a visit to Eastern Bakery seemed like a good followup during lunch on the last day of the conference…unfortunately the combination of a soggy, luke warm Egg Custard, oily and meagerly filled sesame buns, and a clerk that ranks high in the running for least friendly of all time marred the one item that truly shined – a coffee crunch cake with four spongy yellow layers divided by light espresso tinged cream and a crunchy toffee topping that not only served as textural variance but also added a hint of needed sweetness without overwhelming the otherwise subtle nuances of the dish.
French Toast with Strawberries, Mascarpone, Maple Syrup
Another day led to another breakfast near Potrero Hill, this time at Plow where Maxine Siu and a small team of four embracing the theme of “Midwest country boy meets San Francisco China girl” churned out a an eclectic list of early morning classics to a constantly packed dining room of locals and tourists alike. With friendly service from a young woman named Kirby and a seat at the bar allowing me to watch the kitchen at work the duration of my stay was bookended with copious refills of rich Mocha Java from Equator with three plates between, the first a dense blueberry muffin stuffed with fresh berries and the latter two single orders of the restaurant’s highly praised ricotta pancakes and custard soaked French Toast. Rich and decadent, particularly after the addition of pure maple syrup, it would be a tough call as to whether the French Toast was quite as good as that at nopa but no matter which side of the fence one falls on both are in the upper echelon of their genre and unlike nopa Plow offers their breakfast all week.
Matcha Marshmallow, Grapefruit Meringue, Garden Mint Bon Bon
Again making time for a second dinner, this time solo, a brisk walk to Jason Fox’s Commonwealth would see me seated not just at the pass, but literally in the kitchen of the small restaurant where a meal originally intended to include a few small plates slowly morphed into a nine course tasting comprising dishes from both the a la carte section and the tasting menu, some ordered and some gifted, and all remarkable in not only the ingredient quality but also in the execution – simple, unexpected pairings becoming far more than the sum of their parts. Beginning first with the best ‘salt and vinegar’ chips I can imagine alongside a slushy-style cocktail that was playful yet spirit forward before transitioning to plates walking a fine line between modernist and classical, esoteric and accessible perhaps the most impressive aspect of the meal was just how well each plate bridged to the next, a symphony of textures and flavors touching every part of the palate – creamy uni balanced by brine, rich morels finding harmony with bitter black walnuts and nettles, and snappy squid and fatty pork belly melded by smoke and vinegar…each standing on their own but building on a theme that kept my attention from beginning to end, a task rarely achieved and all the more impressive as it arose outside the framework of a traditional tasting menu.
Stone fruit with avocado, salsa verde, ricotta, almonds
Corn cappelletti with brown butter and basil
Fennel tortelli with halibut and tomato
Chervil tagliarini with clams, mussels, seaweed, lemon
Farfalle with Braised Quail, Squash, Lemon Verbena
Farro rigatoni with whey braised goat and olive
Chocolate Budino with Espresso Cream and Sea Salt
Carnaroli Rice Pudding with Apricot, Blueberries, Almond Cake, Basil
Located in the Mission and garnering more than enough acclaim since opening its doors, Thomas McNaughton’s Flour + Water was one of the first reservations I secured when planning my trip to San Francisco and opting for an early seat at the bar my arrival coincided with the daily walk-ins, a group that would fill the restaurant to capacity within twenty minutes of opening and as clear an indication as one would ever need of the restaurants sustaining popularity. Featuring a diverse menu of regional Italian specialties from antipasti and pizza to large scale secondi the focus of Flour + Water is clearly on pasta and although I’d have loved to try the pizza and no less than a dozen other menu selections I instead went with my gut and the daily pasta tasting – an antipasti, five different pastas, and dolci for a mere $65, plus an exquisite rice pudding I simply couldn’t pass up – each item remarkable in its ingredient quality and preparation with three of the pastas ranking amongst the best I’ve ever had. Rustic yet upscale and hearty yet delicate Flour + Water represents to me exactly what Italian food can be at its very best and although San Francisco harbors more than its fair share of mid-priced “Cal-Ital” fare, none of them save for perhaps SPQR are executing pasta on the same level as McNaughton and his team.
Having made the rounds to some of the purported “best” ice cream shops in America I can only say that although there are a few places with a signature flavor or two that are truly remarkable no one outside of Jeni’s so consistently produces ice cream as high quality and innovative as that at Humphry Slocombe. Fantastic in texture and pure in flavor, the Fluffernutter even maintained some yeasty notes to go along with the peanut butter and marshmallow tones.
Darlene Peach Pie – Organic Frog Hollow peaches, brown butter ice cream, rosemary sugar
Admitting up front that I’d not recognize Tyler Florence if I ran into him on the street my visit to Wayfare Tavern was predicated on one thing; a friend’s claim that the restaurant served the best fried chicken he had ever experienced – a bold claim that I hoped to verify while dining at the pass alongside some of San Francisco’s power lunch crowd. A large room, rustic but with high ceilings and large windows adding some levity to the taxidermy, wood, and leather the service at Wayfare Tavern was professional if not friendly and after brushing aside no less than three suggestions to order wine or a cocktail I placed my order and within moments was enjoying the first of two buttery popovers served with salted butter that, had I not limited myself could have easily turned into a half dozen. Moving next to an appetizer suggested as one of the chef’s signature dishes a quartet of enormous dates arrived stuffed with blue cheese and wrapped in prosciutto atop aromatic pesto and shortly thereafter came the chicken, a truly remarkable presentation very lightly breaded and rife with notes of sage, rosemary, thyme, buttermilk, and garlic – it was a dish easily large enough to feed two and if not the best fried chicken I’ve had to date at least a very strong contender for that title, a sentiment that could equally be applied to dessert – a flaky crust literally stuffed to bursting with fresh peaches and topped with a crackling sugar glaze that I was more than happy to take on solo even if it was probably intended to be shared.
I really have no excuse as to why I’d omitted Golden Gate Bakery from my Bay Area dining itinerary in the past but for the sake of saving face I’ll pretend it was because of the rumored long lines and random unannounced closures, neither of which was present when I arrived to find hot egg custard tarts emerging from the kitchen just after noon on a Monday. Warm and jiggly I quickly ate the first before more slowly enjoying the second, the pastry crisp and intensely buttery when sampled alone while the custard was sweeter than my past experiences yet still pronouncedly eggy – a great achievement, no doubt. Happily taking my server’s advice as other warm items were just coming out of the oven I also ordered a dense Moon Cake, my first experience with this pastry, and loaded with sweetened black bean paste my only regret is that I did not try the taro or lotus options as well.
Breakfast Piglet – sharp cheddar, artisan cured ham, apple mustard, rosemary butter
Hungry for a snack between sessions at the conference and having seen American Grilled Cheese Kitchen while waking past AT&T Field earlier that morning I decided to stop in for a quick bite largely because the location was convenient and the concept and sourcing seemed sound, but unfortunately the ‘pros’ of the restaurant only went that far as the signature grilled cheese was good but not terribly inventive or rave worthy when compared to the likes of Cleveland’s MELT or other artisan grilled cheese shops. Well priced at $5.50 for the sandwich and accompanied by a large lemon muffin chock-a-block full of fresh blueberries for another $2 one could certainly do worse for lunch or a snack near the ballpark, but then again in San Francisco one could also do much better.
While I have no idea how a menu touting “New Orleans and Mexican specialties, California classics” came about at Dogpatch darling Just For You Café, the hours and location couldn’t be beat given my Monday conference agenda and with breads all baked in house while meats and produce are largely local and mostly organic the restaurant seemed worthy of an early morning walk up to Portrero Hill. Finding the restaurant expectedly small, kitschy, and without a doubt the sort of place where ‘regulars’ make up the majority of the clientele I was quickly greeted like an old time friend upon entry and placing my order without much delay it would be perhaps five minutes later that I was treated to a pillowy beignet lighter, larger, and far less greasy than I’d experienced since my visit to New Orleans – a good start to be sure. Focusing more on sweets than savories, what followed the beignet would prove equally impressive with the French toast golden and soft, the cornbread a sweet block warm from the oven, and the biscuits raised high with rich buttermilk notes and a light yeasty linger than paired beautifully with the house made raspberry jam – the whole meal with tax and tip ringing in at $17.50 and worth every penny.
Another day and another second dinner led myself and a friend to Delfina, a place that had somehow always fallen off of my must visit list despite numerous raves and accolades from palates I trust. Considered by some to be the best California Italian restaurant in a city sporting the likes of Spruce, Flour + Water, SPQR, and more it came as no surprise that the bustling Mission restaurant was filled to capacity on our arrival and opting to visit the restaurant on a whim we luckily nabbed the last two seats at the bar where we were placed under the care of a young woman named Kari who offered a few suggestions, and later a complimentary glass of honey sweet Monebazillac to go with dessert. Having both already enjoyed an earlier dinner but wanting to experience a representative sample of the menu the decision was made to order one side, one pasta, and one ‘main’ before dessert and with the choices left in my hand I let personal biases guide me into a rustic trio of cheesy toothsome polenta, tender pasta ribbons with gamy duck tamed by bright, balanced tomato sauce, and finally a bowl of tripe in aromatic San Marzanos, some tender and others pan fried to crisp. Delicious but certainly not ‘light,’ dessert would consist of an airy sponge cake topped with light Meyer Lemon gel dubbed a budino positioned alongside typically perfect California Strawberries, creamy gelato, and a touch of basil – a delicate dessert to end a great evening and one of many reasons a return visit to Delfina for a better sampling of the menu is planned for the not so distant future.
Spring Princess Peach ‘Vol au Vent’ Tart – Franquette Walnut Frangipane, Candied Ginger Ice Cream
Small, intimate, and exquisite would be a good way to begin a list of adjectives describing Frances and for those willing to make a reservation far in advance (or to show up early enough to snag a walk-in table) the rewards begin almost immediately on entry with a warm greeting, flawless service, and perhaps the best warm wheat sourdough in the city. With frequent visits to the dining room by Chef Perello and a daily menu of specials the first step I’d advise would be checking out a few signatures, specifically the creamy chickpea fries and smoky-sweet fried pillows that the restaurant calls beignets. With main courses all larger than one would expect one would next be advised to bring an appetite if they plan to order three courses (which they should) and with crispy skin overlying supple, rosy flesh the duck should be ordered if it is on the menu, particularly if the preparation includes figs and the all-day braising juices from the fowl and if contemplating a side dish it would be hard to think of one better than the gnocchi – the best textured I’ve experienced in California presented in a true “California cuisine” manner with herbal pesto and slightly sweetened toasty almonds. Moving last to dessert, the Lumberjack cake is a signature for a reason but choosing just one dessert seemed illogical as all five of the daily options sounded stellar and in the end my instinct proved correct as the light, buttery pastry surrounding fresh peaches was a rustic, perfect ending to a meal that exceeded all expectations.
When the team behind Boulevard opened Prospect it quickly went on the list of places to visit whenever I next visited San Francisco and with the debut of a brunch menu plus convenient location to the Moscone Center it seemed a perfect choice for Sunday Brunch during ENDO2013…at least until I arrived, the following 75 minutes consisting of being wedged into a small table between ladies who lunch (and drink…a lot,) having my main course entirely forgotten by “Jason,” and receiving underwhelming, undersized, and overpriced plates including a scone so dry that no amount of berries or cream could help and pancakes closely approximating rubber accompanied with perhaps 1/3 of a peach for $15. A nice space, very clean and modern, perhaps my visit was an anomaly…but at $50 including tax and tip I’m not willing to go back and find out.
I first experienced Belinda Leong’s pastry at Manresa and I tasted it again at Four Barrel Coffee; both times were impressive and thus when I found out that the chef would be opening her own brick and mortar patisserie it instantly went on my must visit list – at the very least it would make an admirable breakfast or midday snack, but at its best I assumed it could add another example to the growing list of why a trip to The Bay Area for pastry can be every bit as good as a trip to Paris for the same…and after three visits in nine days I’m rather confident saying that b. patisserie fulfilled the later. Classically trained and now housed in a large, open space with plenty of working room and a well trained staff much of what I loved about b. patisserie was the atmosphere – bright, airy, high ceilings, flowers, and sunlight with marble and steel keeping it slightly modern…plus the pastries, all on display behind glass stretching a curved counter around the workspace. Tasting eight pastries plus a sample of the team’s house made granola not a single item during my visit was less than delicious but showing an incredible skill set with laminated pastry the true standouts were the signature Kouign Amann and Choaolate Almond Croissant, both purchased while still warm and both spilling semi-liquid contents on a shattering first bite – the Breton pastry pure butter and the croissant dark chocolate. Not to be outdone, a second visit found the Mille Feuille being constructed a la minute and the confit apple tart fresh from the oven – both as good as any I’ve had stateside or overseas.
Cinnamon Raisin Bread with McClelland’s Butter and Sea Salt
Country Bread with Butter and Cinnamon Sugar
Chocolate Chip Cookie
Advertised, though not really ‘advertised’ at all, as a joint venture between Josey Baker Bread and Four Barrel Coffee, The Mill reminds me of summers and Sundays with my Grandfather as a child – coffee, toast, and the occasional pastry…the simplest of breakfasts, and yet here all grown up and far evolved from the days of Folgers’s and Vienna Bread from the local Kroger. Warm, well lit, wide open, and with ample seating even when crowds get large it should be obvious to those familiar with the purveyors and products involved that a visit to The Mill does not come cheaply but with each item prepped to order this is simply a place where you get what you pay for, the steamy Americano toting a $3 price tag and toasts and pastries ranging from $3.50-$4.00, the daily special raisin bread soaked with butter and sea salt particularly memorable and something my granddad would have never paid for but most certainly would have loved.
Geranium Ice Cream, Blueberry, Redwood Clover, White Chocolate Mousse, Huckleberry Black Pepper Compote
Vanilla Macaron with Cookie Crumble and Chocolate Mint Ganache, Apricot Pate de Fruit, Cinnamon Walnut Brittle
No stranger to dual tasting menus in a given night I opted to keep my reservation at Sons & Daughters even though I’d been talked into an earlier tasting at AQ and although I cannot recommend such a thing for everyone the phrase “an embarrassment of riches” summarizes what followed quite well. Small and exceedingly Parisian in feel with a mere 28 seats divided amongst two rooms and the kitchen on full display in the upper of these, Sons & Daughters features only one menu per evening and with an intense focus on precision, minimalism, and bringing forth the true flavors of items from their farm in Los Gatos the entirety of the meal plays out like a well orchestrated dance, chefs and servers both delivering and describing plates as modern music plays lightly overhead. From the opening volley of a delicate sour chip coddling a dollop of caviar through a progression of outstanding vegetation lightly accented with herbs and spices onward to a pair of proteins including strips of ruby red squab serving as a poignant counterpoint to intensely sweet apricots each savory dish brought with it a new experience and not to be outdone the pastry team also shined, both in a pairing of light yet complex desserts and throughout the meal with a bread service that ranks amongst the best in the city.
Taco of Red Torpedo Onion, Sprouts, Mint, Caramelized Olives, Sardines /Sweet Corn Cromesquis & Cilantro Stem Vinegar /Yogurt with Tarragon Cake and Fresh Tarragon
House Made Butter, Acorn Fed Cured Pork Lomo, Preserved Green Peppers, Whey and Lemon Verbena, Brioche Bread, Chervil
Basil, Charred White Nectarines, Razor Clams in Yuzu Kosho and Tapioca Pearls, Chilled Ramp and Marcona Almond Soup
Nepitilla Octopus Mapo with Garden Peas, Smoked Potato, Okra, Crumble of dried Spicy Herbs, Szechuan Peppercorn, Soy Milk Custard
Lemon Balm caramelized Black footed Iberico Pork and Blood Pudding, Puffed Rice, Beets Roasted for Four Hours and finished with anise seed, preserved sour grapes
Rose Geranium, Local Goat Cheese Marinated with Young Olive Oil and Bay Leaf, Crystalized Rose Geranium, Raspberry
In all reality I had no intention of sitting down to a full dinner at AQ when I entered the restaurant at 5:30pm and took a seat at the pass; I was there for a few snacks and a cocktail before dinner at Sons and Daughters a few hours later…at least until my waitress Whitney told me that this night marked the first night for the early summer tasting menu and that I could be the very first guest to experience Chef Liberman’s newest interpretation of Northern California’s bounty of herbs and produce, a quick perusal of the menu assuring me this was an opportunity I shouldn’t miss. With a chef from Sonoma and substantial focus on all that is local and seasonal – on the plate, in the glass, and even hanging from the walls – plus classic French sensibilities on full display it would be difficult to sum up the experience that is a meal at AQ without using the phrase “California Cuisine,” but unlike many places in San Francisco where this can be seen as a slight due to the homogeneity of the market, here it should be seen as a compliment with each plate bright, fresh, and invigorating. Starting with a simple herbal elixir before progressing though plate after plate of intricately layered flavors and textures including an Octopus Mapo that ranks amongst the best things I’ve eaten this year to caramelized pork cooked by bathing the loin at least fifty times in braising liquid to a dessert cornbread that redefined the simple southern classic all while Chef Liberman watched, taught, tweaked, and improvised on the fly…if there is a better $70 tasting menu in America I’d like to book my plane tickets now.
Goat Cheese Bread Pudding – Agrodolce Blueberries and Arugula
Custard French Toast – Roasted Blueberries and Honey–Lemon Butter
Blue Bottle Americano
“@Nopa, probly 30m for bar seat” said the text and having originally considered the small panhandle hot-spot for Sunday brunch a quick change of plans and a mile and a half walk saw me enterthe jammed-packed restaurant with about an hour left in the brunch menu, one of my friends making a few feet of space for me to stand close enough to the bar to share some plates until I eventually landed a seat fifteen minutes later. Loud, crowded, and consistently packed from open to close yet considered by many to be the best brunch in town much of my sampling was focused on the sweet half of the menu while my friends enjoyed a burger, fries, arugula salad, and a few mezcal bloody mary’s mixed by our bartender/server Zadri and inclusive of the uncomfortable ‘seating’ and decibel level I have to admit the place lived up to its reputation, all three of the signature brunch items coming into vibrant focus through the use of produce of the highest quality. Beginning first with a buttery scone paired with tangy crème fraÎche and then moving to the surprisingly funky yet entirely enjoyable quiche-like bread pudding it was, as expected, the third dish that would prove most memorable – a perfect piece of French Toast, caramelized on the exterior and nearly liquid within, graced with pure maple syrup, bursting blueberries, and light notes of honey…the best in The Bay by far, and amongst the best I’ve had anywhere.
