Best Bites: 7 Places to Eat Now

Here are just a few restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area (and beyond) I visited in October. Borscht Cocktail (it’s true!), the biggest schnitzel you’ve ever seen (also true) and a tamale worth traveling for…

San Francisco Restaurants

Across the Big Red Bridge in San Francisco, Nopa Fish at the Ferry Building served up fish & chips and a tuna salad that felt (and tasted) too touristy-bland for my spoiled palate. Across town, I was inspired by an Elote Old Fashioned at Sunset Cantina in the Outer Sunset – such great neighborhood vibes!

In the Marina, the cocktail menu at Super Mensch is killing it with cachaça-infused Borscht and other inspired riffs on traditional Jewish-American fare. (I want to go back to try the Cel-Ray with tequila.) The clubby vibes here are paired with updated deli favorites. (Did I just write that sentence?) A turkey sandwich was layers of fun flavors stacked high enough to act as homage to Katz’s (a drawing of that shop’s edifice is on the wall).

In the FiDi, I snuck into The Bank at Amador for coffee and breakfast. (The rest of the day is reserved for members.) I loved a seasonally-inspired Autumn Daze coffee, fragrant with brown sugar, star anise and clove. Weeks later and I’m still dreaming of it.

North Bay Restaurants

Plate Lunch at Occidental’s Altamont General Store

Tam Tavern Pork Schnitzel – photo credit Prismic Photography

Tamale Oaxaqueña at Sonoma Eats

I always enjoy spending time in Sonoma (the town) and this time, got to try the Oaxacan-inflected deliciousness at Sonoma Eats. The Tamale Oaxaqueña blew me away. Wrapped and steamed in a banana leaf, the masa achieved a custard-like texture but it was the mole that made the dish a winner – savory not sweet, with a hint of chile and bitterness. Delish.

A little further west in Occidental, I had the good fortune to stop in at Altamont General Store. The chill vibes encourage lingering and my Lavender Latte quickly turned into a Plate Lunch complete with gluten-free mac n cheese, KFC, and two kinds of pickle.

Sticking with the North Bay, in Mill Valley, Tam Tavern in Manzanita served up the biggest Pork Schnitzel I’ve ever seen. It was also the first time I’ve ever seen schnitzel served on the bone which just goes to show you how much time I’ve spent eating boneless schnitzel in Europe. My 14 year-old would like you know that the focaccia served with hummus, and the French fries are the best he’s ever had, and my 16 year-old wolfed down a fried chicken sandwich like there’s no tomorrow. Bring teenage boys and they will leave sated.

East Bay Restaurants

Warm Rice Salad (Khao Khan Jin) at Tanzie’s Thai

Iced Ube Latte at Tanzie’s Thai

And in the East Bay, I stopped in for brunch at Tanzie’s Chiang Mai Thai. If you think Thai food has gotten boring, Tanzie’s will quickly dispell that notion with its five course tasting menu studded with dishes like Nam Prink Pla Tu (pounded mackerel with garlic), Laab Moo (ground pork with rauram and mint), Ap Ong Awe (pork offal custard with curry and makrut), and Tum Ma Muang (sour mango with coconut sugar, fish sauce and chili). Yum. Be sure and make a reservation or prepare to wait outside for a table. (Tanzie’s provides parasols to shield you from the sun – sweet!)