Though I’ve eaten everywhere this month from Adriano Paganini/Back of the House group’s latest, Rad Radish, to the new Arepas Latin Cuisine and Fiddle Fig Cafe in North Beach, these six newcomers (or new menus) stood out in September, covering the gamut, from Brittany-style French crêpes to NY slice pizza. Alongside this month’s full restaurant reviews — the new Bar Agricole, Fort Point Valencia, Hazie’s in Hayes Valley, Adestria Sunnyvale, Bodega Vietnamese — I share what’s worth tasting at each, with last month’s standouts here (as always, I’ve vetted, visited and/or ordered from each place reviewed):
Caviar & Champagne Break: Tsar Nicoulai Caviar Cafe, Embarcadero
In November 2021, after a roughly 11 year absence, Tsar Nicoulai returned to the Ferry Building with a new caviar cafe in the center of the hall. Of course, they’ve continued (pioneering since 1984) their sustainable Sacramento County aquaculture farm of local caviar, supplying restaurants and shops all over. It’s a delight to have their cafe back, as I missed their original cafe 2004–2011. The new spot is a chill bar and a few tables, a decadent break from the bustle of farmers market and Ferry Bldg. crowds.
There are caviar flights /service with blini and accoutrements. There are divine specials like their seasonal, eco-certified golden reserve caviar with its truly distinctive flavor profile. There are little bites like a caviar cone filled with estate smoked sturgeon pate mousse, layered with caviar and chives. On the more filling yet still luxurious side, house smoked seafood charcuterie is a rich platter of smoked sturgeon and salmon, sweet/spicy sturgeon, compressed cucumbers, seasonal pickled veggies and an irresistible house romesco dip. Pair with a lovely selection of local sparkling (like Goldeneye Brut Rose Pinot Noir sparkling from Anderson Valley/Mendocino, or Napa’s Domaine Carneros Brut Cuvee) alongside select Champagne, like Piper Heidsieck Brut — best of all, sparkling wines are served in 1930’s-esque coupe cocktail glasses the way Champagne was often served back in the 1920s-30s. A welcome return and worthwhile splurge.
// 1 Ferry Plz, Ste 16, inside Ferry Building Marketplace; www.caviarcafe.com/san-francisco
Sleek, Intimate Bar with Great Cocktails & Food: Lobby Bar, Castro
Intimate cocktail bar and lounge, Lobby Bar, which opened April 2022, was just what the Castro needed. Attached to Hotel Castro (a new 12-room boutique hotel), the generic named bar is actually not in the “lobby” but next door. However, business partners Jesse Woodward and Blake Seely were inspired by the great hotel bars of the past century. I sense whispers of London’s Savoy or 1920s-30’s-era NYC in velvet banquettes and blues and golds lining the 8-seat bar and cozy, open-air front nook. There are 7 classic cocktails, a few wines and worthwhile house drinks. Think crushable (like a signature Lobby Bird, riffing off tiki classic, Jungle Bird), a few silky clarified cocktails, or subtly interesting drinks featuring spirits I always wish to see more of, like aquavit and Haitian clairin (agricole-esque rum). My Fair Haiti is a subtly sweet, clarified milk punch of clairin, plantains, coconut, marshmallow, while Tomato? is an SF Summer (our fall) refresher of vodka, strawberry rhubarb-infused aquavit, tomato, tarragon and lemon.
Their standout bar food is meant to be eaten by hand, whether caramelized onion dip scooped up with Yukon gold chips, or Green Goddess salad wedges loaded with roasted beets, bacon bites and cured egg, easy to pick up with centered ingredients. It’s hard to resist corn arancini oozing smoked mozzarella in marinara and Parmesan, elongated in almost cheese stick form so they’re easy to pick up. Gluten-free fried chicken karaage in miso citrus sauce exude juicy comfort. A huge cheddar IPA bratwurst is doused in jalapeno apple slaw, harissa mayo and fried shallots, while spicy sweet flatbread nails that contrast with Journeyman Meats n’duja, fontina cheese and hot honey, orange zest making it “pop.”
// 4230 18th Street, Unit A; www.lobbybarsf.com
Sichuan/Szechuan in Chinatown: Z&Y Restaurant, Chinatown
Though a bit dingy and perfunctory, ever-mobbed (expect a wait) Z&Y Restaurant from chef Lijun Han is nonetheless a Michelin Bib Gourmand recommend given its hearty offering of Szechuan food, all the more desired after my adventures in Chengdu, China, home of Sichuan cuisine. I’ve written more in-depth about why the cuisine is misunderstood or only partially represented (i.e. no, it’s not even close to all spicy and numbing), and my favorite Sichuan spot in SF has long been Chili House.
But Z&Y (it’s too bad the more chill Z&Y Bistro across the street closed) has long been an important staple in Chinatown. Though heavy on red chili spicy dishes, from fried chicken to flaming chili oil fish, they also serve a couple undersung Sichuan specialties, like mustard-y, vinegary, green peppercorn-laced fish and tofu in Sichuan broth. On my recent return, the fish tasted funky (less than fresh), so that was a big downside, even as the broth was bright and vivid. But another 7–8 dishes comforted, including pork-ginger wontons in spicy peanut sauce and chili oil, rolled beef “pancake,” fried chicken under a mountain of “explosive” chili peppers (the heat builds up fast!) Highlights hide among the starters, including cold Szechuan-style chicken, offal-heavy “Couple’s Delight” and visually pleasing, rolled cold sliced pork and cucumber in spicy garlic sauce.
// 655 Jackson Street, www.zandyrestaurant.com
Ferry Building Breton Crepes: Grande Crêperie, Embarcadero
French-born owner Patrick Ascaso behind Le Marais bakeries opened a much-needed Breton-style creperie in the Ferry Building in March 2022: Grande Crêperie. There is no replacing the great Ti Couz, which closed over a decade ago in the Mission and made the best Brittany buckwheat crepes I’ve ever had, paired with Breton ciders in rustic bowls and other treats in a charming French farmhouse-style dining room. I long for someone else to do this concept right. I also miss the neighborhood ease of stall/counter offering Crêpes La Vie, run by Emilie Le Pessot before she moved back to Brittany in 2016.
While Grande Crêperie doesn’t specifically fill either of those voids, it does assuage the craving for Brittany crepes — and French crepes overall. My all-time favorite, pure French classics are where it’s at: La Complete (French ham, gruyere cheese, pasture egg) and a simple Citron et Miel (lemon, lemon zest, local honey) flour crepe. Though there are a few outdoor tables, this is more order-at-the-counter fare, subject to lines/farmers market crowds and thus more chill on weekdays. This spot confirms why we need more Breton-style cafes in easier-to-access neighborhoods for SF locals. But I’m grateful Ascaso went this route. More buckwheat crepes, please.
**Thankfully, just a week later, Grande Creperie opened up a Le Marais Castro window on October 5, serving crepes daily, 8am-3pm. Great news and easier access for the rest of the city not living by the Ferry Building.
// 1 Ferry Plz, Ste 46, inside Ferry Building Marketplace; www.grandecreperie.com
Outta Sight Pizza, Tenderloin/Civic Center
Outta Sight Pizza has been around since 2020, still being served Tuesday through Saturday at Hayes Valley’s Fig & Thistle wine bar. But as of September 2022, owners Eric Ehler and Peter Dorrance just soft-opened their Little Saigon/Tenderloin slice shop. A pristine white shop with a cassette player blasting heartwarming 80s tunes like Belinda Carlisle, this is a sunny newcomer in the rough, endearing Tenderloin. You can order whole pies or come in for a slice of thin, New York-style pizza until they sell out each day. Whether fennel sausage with pickled peppers or pepperoni, this a good NY-slice option. Less oily than many of the slices I grew up with in NJ/NYC, it’s still foldable-good, best reheated stovetop on a pan at home. My favorite, however (after trying 6 different toppings), is the thicker, square Lunch Lady, available by-the-slice only. I’d love to see them offer thin slice with this irresistible (thankfully generous smattering) vodka sauce, too. The sauce stars over dry jack and dry and fresh mozzarella, accented with basil and olive oil.
// 422 Larkin Street, www.thatsouttasight.com
Takeout Dumplings: Mom Dumpling, Park Merced
Open May 2022, Park Merced’s Mom Dumpling (with an original location in Pleasanton) is yet another of the hundreds of dim sum spots flooding the Bay Area. While my initial visit doesn’t warrant adding it to “best of” list, their housemade dumplings are worth ordering when in the neighborhood. Five kinds of steamed XLB (xiao long bao; I like crab and pork), pan-fried dumplings (especially sheng jian bao pan-fried pork dumplings), solid tan tan (dan dan) noodles and a palate cleanser of crisp cucumber in garlic sauce, all make a pleasant takeout/delivery meal.
// 31 Cambon Drive, www.momdumpling.com
