Given that I have more time and opportunities to take in San Francisco restaurants more often than other cities, I also visit some of the same dining establishments again and again. Below are some of my favorites. The only one on the list I’ve only been to once is the fairly newly opened ICHI Sushi Restaurant on Mission Street.
Perbacco: Perbacco is based in downtown San Francisco and while I don’t get there often, I’ve dined there at least a half a dozen times since I’ve lived in San Francisco, maybe more. The word Perbacco is an Italian word to accentuate positive comments and it can also be an expression of pleasure and surprise, as well as a reference to Bacchus, God of Wine and “good times.” Very traditional Italian in every way, it also mixes in a bit of urban San Francisco to the full range of flavors found in the Italian regions of Piemonte and Liguria, with a touch of France by way of Provence.
From sea scallops to a sweet pea passatina and mousseron mushrooms, your mouth will water in this somewhat of a San Francisco institution. There’s also the seared blue winged sea robi, lobster brodetto, the roasted devil’s gulch rabbit leg and boudin, liberty farm duck breast, herb crusted beef short ribs stracotto, served with balsamic braised onions and king oyster mushrooms, Wolfe ranch quail breast with wild mushrooms and snap peas and a roasted pork shoulder with braised baby turnips and kale. And of course my friends, that is not an exhaustive list.
They have a top notch wine menu – let’s just say that I’m a long time fan. One other strong suggestion is the asparagus passato soup and the veal appetizer – slow roasted veal with lemon and albacore tuna sauce with capers and arugula.
One Market: Touting sustainability, local organic food and sourcing ingredients from nearby, One Market has been around for years and is renowned for its fabulous food and ambiance along San Francisco’s Embarcadero. It is part of the Lark Creek Restaurant Group, founded by industry veterans Michael Dellar, Leslye Dellar, Chef Bradley Ogden and Jody Ogden.
Some of my favorites include the Dungeness Crab and House-Made Cavatelli Pasta served with a wild fennel pollen, orange and mint, the Wild Nettle Gnudi forest mushrooms with spring garlic and carrot emulsion, the grilled mahi mahi with a grapefruit-ginger vinaigrette and the Natural Angus Flat Iron Steak with bay leaf-marinated, green peppercorn sauce and fried shallot rings.
They also have a top notch wine list (by the glass and by the bottle), and weekly-changing whole animal menus every Friday and Saturday night in addition to the restaurant’s full à la carte menu. The “Weekly Beast” menu is available both à la carte and as a five-course prix fixe for $45.00 per person. Each week, their Sommelier offers a different wine pairing selected specifically to compliment the menu. Wine pairing price varies, depending on the selections can be included. The menus showcase many of Chef Dommen’s relationships with local farmers and ranchers, such as Salmon Creek Ranch which provides goat for “Weekly Beast,” along with lamb from Wyarte Farms, pigs from Beeler Farms and beef from Five Dot Ranch.
Slanted Door: Located in one of the Ferry Buildings in the Embarcadero, The Slanted Door is notorious for its fresh food and is popular among locals and visitors. Executive Chef, Charles Phan goes to the original source region and studies the traditional ingredients, flavors and techniques, then retreats to his Mission district test kitchen, where he and his team recreate the original using contemporary methods and the finest and freshest local ingredients.
They tout their commitment to local organic produce, ecologically and humanely raised meats, game and poultry found at farms around the San Francisco Bay Area including Dirty Girl Produce, Straus Family Creamery, Mariquita Farm, Allstar Organics, Star Route Farms, Dinner Bell Farm and Prather Ranch.
Some of the dishes that will take your breath away include their gingered beef sirloin with rice vermicelli noodle, field greens and roasted peanuts, grass-fed Estancia shaking beef with watercress, red onion and lime sauce, the Niman Ranch beef sirloin with braised leek, ginger and red chili, their lemongrass chicken with red onion, jalapeño, roasted chili paste and roasted peanuts, the scrumptious caramelized wild gulf shrimp, served with garlic, yellow onion and caramel chili sauce, the caramelize catfish claypot with cilantro, ginger and thai chili, the wood oven roasted true cod with rice vermicelli noodle, dill, pineapple-anchovy sauce, and roasted peanuts and their spicy monterey squid topped with pineapple, sweet red pepper, jalapeño and thai basil.
Le Zinc: Located in Noe Valley on 24th Street, you can sit outside in casual tables or inside where the decor is simple but very French. Very classic bistro in its style, the name “zincs” is derived from the pewter bar counters which became a trademark of Parisian cafes. Le Zinc tries to recapture that traditional cafe culture, so while simple in design, they do have a blend of earthy tones and dark wood and if you want to just hang out in the garden for a cuppa tea or a glass of wine, the most basic of plastic tables and chairs await.
They have a healthy and light appetizer menu where you can order a variety of salads, the Crispy Ahi Tuna served with French green beans,mixed greens, virgin sauce with olives and tomato. For something a little heavier, but still feel good about the impact to your waistline, try the Atlantic cod with angel hair pasta, carrott and zucchinis or the cinnamon dusted King Salmon served with a harissa beure blanc sauce.
I’d definitely recommend the duck breast served atop tagliatelle, green peppercorn and cognac sauce. Oh so French and oh so delicious!
ICHI Sushi: Relatively new to San Francisco’s Mission Street in Bernal Heights, ICHI Sushi touts such fresh sushi that they frown at you if you ask for soy sauce with any of their nigiri choices.
Executive Chef Tim Archuleta and Wife-Partner Erin Archuleta founded ICHI Catering in April of 2006 in San Francisco’s Mission District and while the sushi bar has been on Mission Street for awhile, it’s not yet that known to people in my foodie circles. I had the opportunity to try it out for the first time recently and while the chefs were not on-site at the time, the experience was top notch, including the choice of Akitabare Koshiki Junzukuri saki, which has a delicious nutty flavor.
We went wild with our selections from traditional spicy yellowtail and tuna to Kasu cod, chicken wings, Hotategai, Nasu, Umi Masu, Wagyu and spicy scallop with avocado and tobiko. Not on the list was unagi for those eel lovers out there.
Specials on the menu when I was there this month included a Japanese golden eye snapper, a seared Japanese beef, oysters from New Brunswick and Kumamoto (Washington), a salt broiled fish collar….Hawaiian Amberjack, Tai (Japanese Seam Bream), King Salmon and Gindara (Kasu Marinated Black Cod).
Our first experience was a positive one and we look forward to going back when the chef is there and we have more time to explore more of its many fresh fish offerings.
All photo credits: Renee Blodgett. Visit our San Francisco restaurants & food & wine section for more on San Francisco food & wine and San Francisco restaurants.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
