These newcomers or new menus cover the gamut, from Sebastopol (Sonoma County) treasures in Thai and pizza to SF gems in Creole/Cajun, Japanese and elevated bar food. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews of these exceptional spots — Mourad, Delfina, Lyon & Swan, Capo’s, Montesacro Marina — these seven are also worth visiting, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve vetted, visited or ordered from each place reviewed):
Sebastopol’s “Real Deal” Thai Outpost: Khom Loi
Open in the Sonoma town of Sebastopol in August 2017 from the popular Ramen Gaijin team, Kohm Loi’s Michelin Bib nod called it out among best Thai in Sonoma County. Given my months in Thailand — and the welcome Chiang Mai regional focus here — I would say this is easily the best Thai I’ve had in Sonoma County (and there is no notable Thai eateries in neighboring Napa or Mendocino Counties, while the good Thai spots in Marin County still don’t equal Khom Lai’s closer-to-Thailand authenticity, even as there is better in SF).
Part of Khom Loi’s strength — besides a fun atrium backing the tiny restaurant with bamboo lanterns and a pond — is their tight wine list, including pair-with-everything sparklers like Petit Royal Lambert de Seyssel from the French alps, to local natural wine delights like 2021 Jolie Laide skin-contact Pinot Gris, redolent of melon and stone fruit. They also make a mean Thai tea laced with cardamom and coconut cream, blessedly not too sweet.
The food is vibrant, the curry paste made in-house, and snacks like their “Thai peanut crack” — a mini-bowl of fried peanuts, lime leaves, lemongrass, chiles and coconut — ideal drinking food. Kanom guichai tod (fried garlic chive dumplings) are plump and juicy dipped in pickled chile soy sauce. Yum tao hu (organic silken tofu salad) is dotted in “fancy” chile oil, crushed peanuts and fried shallots, under a mountain of Thai herbs (mint, cilantro/coriander) and slivers of apples and carrots.
Nam khao muu (crispy rice salad) is a favorite of mine and this is a good version of torn coconut and rice cakes tossed in red curry with pork skin, lap cheong sausage, Thai herbs, peanuts and little gems (the best version is Hawker Fare in SF). There are a few curries (including beef short rib massaman curry) and a way-better-than-average pad Thai. All-in-all, it’s a huge win for the County, also blessedly open for lunch.
// 7385 Healdsburg Avenue, www.khomloisonoma.com
Sonoma County Pizza Gem in Windsor: Pizzaleah
Pizzaleah opened early 2020 as pandemic hit, an order-at-the-counter pizza joint in a standard strip mall in the sleepy Sonoma County town of Windsor. Being Sonoma/NorCal and a neighbor of the nearby new, huge Russian River Brewing, the beer-on-tap and local wine selections are fun and quality. But it’s all about competition-winning pizzaiola Leah Scurto’s pizzas — 12 inch thin crust pies and square “grandma” Roman-style pizzas — starting with long-fermented (up to 72 hours) dough. There are white pizza delights like Po-Tay-To (mozzarella, roasted smashed potatoes, green onions, applewood smoked bacon, garlic, cream), but one of my tops is the award-winning Old Grey Beard: red sauce, mozzarella, fontina, Italian sausage, Calabrian peppers, hot honey, orange zest, with its sweet-spicy contrast. Scurto pie is another winner, heavy with red sauce, mozzarella, Uncle Frank’s (sliced) meatballs, caramelized onions, pickled peppers, pecorino cheese. There are seasonal specials as we often order ahead driving through on the 101 for a meal stop or to take home. Sonoma County has multiple pizza greats, the more remote Diavola in Geyserville being one of my all-times. But Pizzaleah is up there with the County’s very best.
// 9240 Old Redwood Highway #116, Windsor; www.pizzaleah.com
Going Strong Mexican Cantina in North Beach: Don Pisto’s
I’ve appreciated Don Pisto’s laid back Mexican Cantina ease since it opened in North Beach in 2009. Chef Pete Mrabe focuses on local ingredients and fish in raw bar offerings, alongside special of-the-season delights like Puerto Nuevo Lobster: live Maine lobster with housemade flour tortillas, garlic butter, arbol salsa, rice and beans (on New Year’s Eve served with a complimentary bottle of bubbles — and on New Year’s Day, Bottomless Brunch for $33). We recently feasted on the lobster on a crisp December night, alongside daily seasonal crudo tacos (recalling Gabriela Camara’s trend-setting Contramar in Mexico City) and Mexican sashimi (Blue Circle salmon, ponzu, serrano, red onion, cilantro). They’ve always turned out gratifying classic tacos (Baja fish to al pastor) on housemade tortillas, tacos dorados, grilled meats or fish and quesa birria (fried tacos filled with braised beef shank and queso oaxaca), dipped in consommé. Cocktails are basic but there are a few margarita variations, palomas, micheladas and wines and beers.
// 510 Union Street, www.donpistos.com
Slice of New Orleans in SF: CreoLa
Since Hayes Valley’s Boxing Room closed, there’s little “real deal” Cajun or Creole food around besides Brenda’s network of special spots. Thankfully, San Carlos classic CreoLa has been going strong for over 25 years, opening their first SF restaurant in Cole Valley in February 2020 right as pandemic hit. The charming space with two upper “decks” overlooking the intimate dining room below has been more inviting than ever in Christmas decor, glowing with holiday tunes and jazz, their live music and brunch being more key draws. They do boudin balls or fried okra in remoulade sauce right, as they also do with catfish po boys and Abita Turbo Dog beer-braised short ribs.
Hoppin’ John is a Lowcountry favorite with West African roots, a dish I adore and rarely find outside the South. Though not Cajun or Creole, they serve it as a vegan/vegetarian option here. It’s bland and missing the soul from ham hocks or other fat parts to add layers of flavor. It’s a dish that doesn’t work for me here, even as I long for more from their gumbo, too. But so much is done right and specials are a key source of goodness, like a recent Catfish St. Charles of bronzed catfish with jasmine rice in Creole meuniere (brown butter, parsley, lemon) sauce. The pinnacle of the dish, however, was a seafood stuffing of shrimp, crawfish and crab. Oh, that this would be a permanent menu dish.
// 900 Stanyan Street, www.creolabistro.com
Rooftop Delights with a View: Rise Over Run, Union Square/Tenderloin
As San Francisco’s new LINE Hotel opened this fall, Tenderheart (reviewed here) is the main restaurant with sexy rooftop bar, Rise Over Run, opening October 2022 (drinks review here). At least initially, it’s blessedly less mobbed than other rooftop bars, like nearby Charmaine’s or KAIYO Rooftop. Here’s hoping they’ll keep reservations and spaciousness at the tables, with, as they told me, a separate standing-only section. Gorgeous views over downtown SF, a solarium, intimate corners, fire pits and center vegetation give it a lush feel. Danny Louie’s cocktails make it fun.
So does chef Joe Hou’s shareable food, like Korean-spiced fried chicken thighs dipped in three different sauces: spicy garlic cream, szechuan sauce and mustard-y-good South Carolina BBQ sauce (the latter sauce recalling Hou’s days at Saison when they ran the fab Saison Smokehouse pop-up, which I still HOPE opens as a permanent spot in SF). Best of all, Hou’s dino-shaped chicken tenders “for the kids,” which I’d choose over the chicken thighs. Spicy tuna tostadas run Mexican-Asian with spicy tuna, chili crisp, avocado crema and bonito mayo. The double royale with cheese quarter pound patties burger is a winner, thanks to yuzu mayonette, pickled red onions, a soft bun and accompanying crinkle cut fries. Finish with vanilla ice cream in makrut lime meringue with cashew brittle.
// 33 Turk Street, www.thelinehotel.com/san-francisco/restaurants-bars/rise-over-run
New St. Regis Hotel Dining Digs with Extensive Martini Menu: Astra
I wrote about the St. Regis San Francisco’s gorgeous remodel and Bloody Mary menu earlier this year and in early December 2022 about their extensive, new martini menu. With the opening of Astra off the St. Regis lobby in November, there is also an all new food concept to go with those elegant martinis. While this isn’t game-changing food, it’s well executed with the one misstep being a too chewy pasta (not beautiful al dente, but almost chewy-hard).
Ahi tuna crudo is typical, yes, but this version is enlivened with caviar, espelette pepper, sesame seeds and pickled Fresno chiles. Panko-crusted short rib bomba balls ooze Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam cheese, dipped in smoked chili aioli. There’s a solid muhammara (classic Middle Eastern dip of roasted peppers, walnuts, pomegranate), embered honey, multi-colored carrots in dill creme fraiche, and a silky Ora King salmon entree with sunchokes and arugula in basil oil and lemon beurre blanc. Maple Leaf Farms duck confit over polenta lush with mascarpone and shoyu (soy) glaze was the standout savory dish: sheer comfort. Lemon icebox pie was the other top dish of pitch-perfect crust and blessedly bright tart-sour goodness.
// 125 3rd St., www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sfoxr-the-st-regis-san-francisco/dining
Mixed Experience in Tiny, Charming Space: Chika & Sake
Opening November 2022, I’m dig Chika & Sake’s intimacy, recalling Japan with its miniscule sushi/sake bar plus two tables. The tiny corner Japantown space formerly housed Kiss, which I dined at in my Zagat editor days as a high-rated Zagat spot.
There are some aspects I love: namely Chika & Sake’s size and sake focus, including special seasonal bottles and a sake sommelier in-house. In a city long rich with deep-cuts sake (to name just a few examples: the first sake store in the U.S. over two decades ago, True Sake; master sake somm Stuart Morris at Pabu, who has been richly educating me/SF over a decade on a rare sakes; Oakland’s special Umami Mart; and, of course, numerous Michelin-starred sushi and fine dining restaurants with world class sake selections — thinking of the superb sake pairing we just had returning to Nisei). Our gracious server (from my beloved Italy) and the woman behind the bar seem passionate about sake, pouring some of my faves, like Akabu Junmai.
But the experience was uneven — including the sake somm attending only to the bar guests vs. initially coming to the two tables to tell us about seasonal, off-menu sake selections and info we would have wanted before deliberating our pours for the meal — and an uneven food. While I appreciate having the rare Akita Prefecture snack of iburigakko (smoked pickled daikon) with cream cheese, the cream cheese was hard and tough to scoop up, while nori tempura chips were “one note.” We wearied of both after a couple bites. The chef’s choice sashimi platter was standard, but there are dozens better in town. Sauteed mushrooms in butter soy were fine, while the stronger veggie option was an eggplant special. Raw Hokkaido scallops dotted with lava salt, uni sauce and salmon roe, or a mini-kaisen don rice bowl topped with my beloved bafun uni, ikura roe and tuna toro were better dishes, if standard.
Again, our gracious server made the experience work, but given the rich wealth of incredible Japanese restaurants in SF, I would be hard pressed to return.
// 1700 Laguna Street, https://chika-sake.com
