San Francisco has earned its seat at the big-kid’s table of the culinary world. According to the 2016 edition of the Michelin Guide, the Bay Area trails only New York City for the most Michelin-starred restaurants in the United States. Here foodies, yuppies, techies and tourists all brush shoulders in beautiful places where the tables are inches apart. This city has always been adventurous, and the best chefs in town don’t like to play it safe.
For all the risk takers out there — those who swear they’ll try anything once — we’re serving up 10 dishes to whet your appetite! These daring delicacies are not for everyone, and they fetch a pretty penny, but they might just make for the meal of a lifetime. Hope you’re hungry / picking up the tab.
1. Squab in Mourning @ Coi—373 Broadway Street, North Beach, (415) 393–9000
“Squab in Mourning” might sound like a symphony, but it’s just a fancy way of saying grilled pigeon. The presentation is indeed a work of art, albeit anatomical — picture the bird’s head, heart and a foot to boot. Some find it delicate and delicious, while others think it’s rubbery and greasy. We’ll let you decide for yourself.
Coi’s menu is constantly changing, but executive chef Matthew Kirkley loves to feature geoduck clam. Depending on what’s in season, it’s paired with everything from lardo, Bibb lettuce and buckwheat to cucumber, radish and salad burnet. He often showcases an abalone dish accompanied by bone marrow, artichoke and black truffle. Finish it all off with their coconut cannoli with rhubarb and hibiscus.
2. Bone marrow and caviar @ Atelier Crenn—3127 Fillmore Street, Cow Hollow, (415) 440–0460
When you’re spending hundreds of dollars on dinner, you expect an experience, and that’s exactly what you get from the French stylings of Dominique Crenn — painter of palates, television star and author of the cookbook Atelier Crenn: Metamorphosis of Taste. Her bone marrow, caviar and smoked crème fraîche was voted the fifth-best dish of 2015 by renowned food blogger Elizabeth Auerbach.
Visiting this two-star Michelin oasis is like a four-hour vacation. You get treated like royalty and pampered with Crenn’s culinary sensitivity. The menu reads more like the prose of Gertrude Stein, and, in fact, the restaurant’s theme is “poetic culinaria.” The gastronomic discovery that lies atop every plate is a testament to her discipline, technique and unrivaled artistry. The journey begins with sea urchin accented by grilled oyster and fermented cucumber. Then the surf meets the turf in the most novel way possible. Chow down on Monterey abalone and grilled bacon or the squid with Spanish ham. Finally, enjoy the roasted squab with sunchoke and smoked foie gras. Treat your senses to flavors you can afford to try only once (if you’re lucky).
3. White sturgeon caviar and sea urchin @ Saison—178 Townsend Street, SOMA, (415) 828–7990
White sturgeon caviar with pumpkin mousse and sea urchin is just one of the many exotic delights on the menu at Saison. This three-star Michelin institution serves contemporary American cuisine at its finest. Chef Corey Lee achieves the sort of sophistication that few restaurants can boast of. His seductive approach is equally indulgent and ingenious.
Caviar pudding, uni on liquid toast and duck-bone consommé are but a few of the sumptuous selections on offer. Their other rotating favorites include Dungeness crab with ember-roasted yam jam, grilled-chicken gelee croquette and smoked reserve caviar. As if those weren’t opulent enough, don’t miss the mushroom custard and black-truffle consommé topped with gold leaf.
4. Shark fin soup @ Benu—22 Hawthorne Street, Financial District, (415) 685–4860
Before you flood the comments section, take heed: it’s not actually a shark fin. Technically, it’s just Dungeness crab and Jinhua ham custard with egg whites.
Benu’s tasting menu will set you back at least $200, but it incorporates some insane ingredients, and you’re paying for the three Michelin stars. Take the thousand-year-old quail egg for starters. Then check out the shrimp roe noodles followed by eel porridge. Next hop over to the frog legs and maybe a bite of the roasted quail, or perhaps the monkfish liver with trout roe and perilla.
5. Salt and pepper quail @ Hong Kong Clay Pot Restaurant—960 Grant Avenue, Chinatown, (415) 989–2638
Most Chinese food in San Francisco is Cantonese and considered tame by mainland Chinese food standards. The folks at Hong Kong, however, don’t shy away from serving authentic fare. Spicy jellyfish, fried duck tongue, abalone and oxtail are but a few staples. One of the house specials is the salt-and-pepper quail, and the cooks don’t mess around with the butchering: it just looks like the bird was dropped straight into the deep fryer. The reviews are surprisingly stellar.
And did I mention the bitter melon frog? Before you croak, you need to eat at least one frog leg, either steamed or, preferably, fried. Yes it does taste somewhat like chicken (with a lot more bone).
6. Jerk spiced duck heart @ Alembic—1725 Haight Street, Upper Haight, (415) 666–0822
Alembic is a fun hotspot in the heart of the Haight with some of the best bar bites you’ll find on the West Coast. The jerk-spiced duck hearts come on a skewer with pickled pineapple and thyme salt. They’re slightly chewy and tender — the perfect harmony of sweet and savory.
If you’re tipsy with a knack for snacks, consider the following suggestions. The pickled quail eggs are mysterious, magenta and bathed in olive oil and vinegar with a hint of beet juice. If you’re craving something a little more filling, check out the pork belly slider with smoked honey mustard, or the chicken-liver mousse with figs, celery and walnut levain toast. Keep the party going with their take on bone marrow, highlighted by caper gremolata and garlic confit.
7. Squid ink pasta with Monterey squid @ A16—2355 Chestnut Street, Cow Hollow, (415) 771–2216 / 5356 College Avenue, Oakland, (510) 768–8003
These pizza pioneers are not exactly conventional. A16’s signature pasta dish is the squid ink tonnarelli with braised Monterey squid, Senise peppers, garlic, parsley, lemon and fried breadcrumbs. If you’re feeling frisky, add some uni to the mix. You can also try the calamaro pizza featuring squid, fennel, green olives, Calabrian chile and squid ink.
Don’t miss the chicken-livers pluot compote with Tropea onion, wild arugula and grilled bread. Other addicting munchies include the prosciutto and pear as well as the Tagliere Di Salumi, which features pork-liver terrine, goat neapolitan, bresaola and giardiniera.
8. Tea-smoked eel @ Mission Chinese Food—2234 Mission Street, Mission District, (415) 863–2800
Once known as Lung Shan Restaurant, this is one of those places that tastes much better than it looks. The awning is bright and tacky like many of the ma-and-pa storefronts along Mission Street, and inside, the reddish, dimly lit interior is charmingly kitschy.
Tea-smoked eel goes well with their beer-brined Sichuan pickles, thrice-cooked bacon and Shanghainese rice cakes. The eel almost looks like a spring roll with fresh rice noodle, Chinese celery, salted plum hoisin, braised pork and cognac soy. They also do Chinese burritos: the Kung Pao pastrami and a porky mapo tofu version.
And just because cocktail umbrella picks on your plate are awesome, you have to order the tiki pork belly with soy caramel, mandarin orange, pickled pineapple, shaved coconut and macadamia nuts.
9. Baby octopus stew @ La Ciccia—291 30th Street, Noe Valley, (415) 550–8114
Family owned and operated, La Ciccia is known for its decadent Italian cuisine that pays tribute to rustic Mediterranean traditions. The baby octopus stew in a spicy tomato sauce is one of their most coveted appetizers. It manages to avoid the rubbery texture of many octopus dishes, and the flavor profile is simply exquisite — the kind of depth and richness that’ll leave you licking your bowl.
Their entrees don’t mess around either. Fresh linguine with seafood sugo and squid ink is one popular pasta option. Then there’s their signature toasted Sardinian fregola with sea urchin tomato and cured tuna heart.
10. Cellophane noodles with Dungeness crab @ The Slanted Door—1 Ferry Building #3, Embarcadero, (415) 861–8032
Get started with the wood-fire-roasted Manila clams and the crispy, wild Florida frog legs. The Slanted Door features tea-smoked duck breast, dino kale and a variety of lemongrass steak and pork options, but the main attraction is their cellophane noodles with Dungeness crab, green onion and sesame. Sure, it’s not the most daring dish on our list, but it’s undeniably inventive, fresh and irresistible.
And for dessert, you can’t possibly skip out on the peppermint cotton candy, which comes spooled at your table, suspended in midair like a prop from The Nutcracker. If you have a sweet tooth but you’re not ready for a giant sugary cloud, try the jelly candy or the cutest mini caramel apple ever.
