World Food Guide：Where to Eat Now in San Francisco

 

Where to Eat Now in San Francisco

As a longtime eater in San Francisco, I rarely have been as excited by the breadth, depth, and creativity of our new restaurants. Their menus continue to be driven by ingredients from local farms, a movement that began over 30 years ago. And many chefs still look to Asia in this Pacific Rim city, drawing interpretively from a wide range of Eastern pantries. The big difference today is the effect of social media. The Internet created the possibility of the pop-up during the capital-scarce years of the recession. Now, in the midst of a new tech boom, online followers have become investors, supplying start-ups with brick-and-mortar homes as well as built-in buzz. Here are my hard-chosen favorites among the recent arrivals on San Francisco’s dining scene.

High-End: Benu

Former French Laundry wizard Corey Lee takes diners on a fantastic journey through a culinary territory where Eastern and Western techniques and ingredients intersect. Though the Benu dining room can feel austere, Lee’s exquisitely designed Asian-inflected tableware frames each dish: his famous lobster xiao long bao; a faux-shark-fin soup poured over black truffle custard; his spin on Peking duck. The varying 16-plus-course exploration is tightly if gracefully paced, each course commenting and building on the ones before, enhanced by intuitive drinks from the best sommelier in town, Yoon Ha. Part kaiseki but also luxuriously French, dinner at this SoMa spot calls for a splurge: The fixed price is $180, before a drop of wine. (Benu, 22 Hawthorne St.; 415-685-4860)

Hot Spot: Rich Table

Rich Table in Hayes Valley has caught the imagination of San Francisco’s most experienced eaters because it always surprises, in the best possible way. I don’t know how chefs Evan and Sarah Rich do it, but they come up with profoundly original yet accessible dishes daily for their homey dining room fashioned out of recycled wood. This disciplined kitchen balances innovation and excitement with pure comfort in dishes like potato chips threaded with sardines; rabbit cannelloni in nasturtium cream strewn with bright-orange nasturtium blossoms; or berries blanketed with berry granita, berry gelée, and tiny cilantro leaves. The waitstaff patiently describes dishes, whimsical cocktails, and unusual wines available by the glass and carafe. (Rich Table, 199 Gough St.; 415-355-9085)

Total Steal: Bun Mee

Bun Mee’s Hanoi-style sandwich of deep-fried, turmeric-dusted catfish dressed with pickled daikon and carrot, a pouf of cilantro, strategic slices of jalapeño, and a swab of red curry mayonnaise stuffed into a warm, soft roll proves that founder Denise Tran believes in tradition. Though her little counter-service café flashes Pacific Heights chic, her banh mi have soul: the Sloppy Bun filled with saucy, spicy ground beef and a fried egg; the iconic trio of soft pâté, thinly sliced roast pork, and mortadella-like lunch meat. Amazingly, all sandwiches are under $8. Couple these with addictive ginger-lime-dressed salads to revel in freshness. Bun Mee deftly balances raw vegetables and herbs with savory cooked meat, fish, and poultry, a juxtaposition at the heart of Vietnamese cooking. (Bun Mee, 2015 Fillmore St.; 415-800-7696)

World Food Guide：Where to Eat Now in San Francisco