Casual
but upscale dining is a national trend that only seems to keep growing in San
Francisco. These restaurants turn on the culinary firepower yet keep the
setting refined and luxurious but low key. Great food, a fun vibe , and maybe
even a Michelin star. It is all here.
Chef’s Counter at Saison
Neighborhood:
SOMA
|
Saison's Abalone |
Chef
Josh Skenes recently scored two stars from the Michelin guide for his
18-course, $250 menu at San Francisco’s Saison. He brings the same exacting
technique – and prices - to the menu designed especially for the Chef’s Counter
at Saison. Call it a free-form tasting menu and eat as much or as little as you
like of dishes such as Saison reserve
caviar and grilled seaweed bread; broth of rockfish and thistles roasted near
the fire; and wild strawberries in wild strawberry juice & milk ice cream.
The linens are luxurious and the glassware is delicate but the lack of a dress
code means come as you are.
For more information and to make reservations, please
visit: http://saisonsf.com/ or call 415.716.6008.
Californios
Neighborhood:
The Mission
|
Californios Hama Hama Oyster |
Queso.
Arroz. Frijoles. The spare descriptions of dishes on Chef Val Cantu’s current
tasting menu read like a puzzle. Grab a seat on a golden-hued, tufted banquette
and allow the simple beauty of Cantu’s interpretation of Mexican-influenced
cuisine to unfold dish by dish. Grilled Moulard duck has a surprising
crystalline crunch and a quick hit of pickled heat while huevos Californios is
a marvel of suave creaminess pricked with chile heat. The elegant food arrives
at tables dressed in creamy white linens while some of the plates and the
occasional Mexican flag express the chef’s sense of humor and a certain multi-culti
resonance. The price – about $60 per person for anywhere from seven to 14
courses – belies the quality of the food. Forget the menu. Sit back, relax and
enjoy.
For more information and to make
reservations, please visit: http://www.californiossf.com/ or call 415.757.0994.
Nico
Neighborhood:
Laurel Heights
|
Nico Sardine and Cucumber, photo credit: Eric Wolfinger |
Named one of the top 10 new restaurants of 2014 by the San Francisco
Chronicle, neighborhood favorite Nico has become a destination for its $55 three course menu. (A five-course
menu for $65 is also available.) Ladder-back chairs, long wooden benches and
unadorned wood tables add to Nico’s casual, every day vibe, but the food is
anything but quotidian. Chef Nicolas
Delaroque’s comfortable yet sophisticated food includes informal brasserie
dishes such as broccoli rabe glazed with miso and mustard alongside uni
elegantly dressed with corn and coffee. A meal here is the epitome of
affordable luxury.
For more information
and to make reservations, please visit: http://nicosf.com/ or call 415.359.1000.
Mourad
Neighborhood:
Financial District
|
Roast Chicken and Sides at Mourad |
The soaring
windows of this 6,000 square-foot restaurant in the former Pacific Telephone
Building invite your gaze upward but the soulful yet modern Moroccan cuisine of
Chef Mourad Lahlou refocuses attention on the plate. A tasting menu of “snacks”
translates to a $120 meal but the joy of Mourad is the family-style plates. A
lamb shoulder platter, heaped with greens and dusted with cumin salt is enough
for a family or intimate business dinner. Somewhat smaller dishes like
softshell crab with avocado, plum and zhug make nice shared appetizers or a meal for one on
those days when less is more. Narrow, natural wood tables and a gleaming tile
floor complete the vibrantly-hued scene.
For more information and to make reservations, please visit: http://mouradsf.com/ or call 415.660.2500.
Labels: californios restaurant, casual dining san francisco, fine dining san francisco, mourad restaurant, nico restaurant, saison san francisco