Best Bites: 10 Places to Eat Now

Here are just a few restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area I visited in May. Perfect gribenes, a savory espresso tonic, fresh pupusas and more….

San Francisco Restaurants

espresso tonic at Zuni Cafe, San Francisco restaurant with Market Street in the background one vegan and one cow milk sesame latte at Buoy Dessert Cafe, San Francisco restaurant, as seen from overheadgribenes - crispy chicken skin - at Brucato Amaro, San Francisco restaurant

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The savory freshness of the house Woodlands amaro was unmistakable in a Blood & Sand cocktail at Brucato Amaro. And I cannot recall the last time I ate gribenes (crispy, chewy baked chicken skin) but if that’s your jam, these were perfect (bottom left image). Octopus confit skewers were sweet with tomato glaze and we liked the harissa-spiced hangar steak, too – the allium salsa should be jarred so we can take some home next time. (Please?!)

For the first time ever, I sat upstairs at Zuni Cafe for brunch. I’ve never eaten a mediocre dish there and this time, my highlight was a Black Tonic – espresso + tonic + lemon (left image, above). Delish! My dining companion and I walked around the block to Buoy Desserts & Coffee. They’re known for rice flour desserts but I was smitten by the sesame latte (right image, above – the top cup is made with coconut milk, the bottom with cow milk).

I expected to like the anchovies at The Anchovy Bar. I even went so far as to order a San Sebastian, a vermouth cocktail, for its anchovy and olive garnish. Vermouth was a good call – it paired beautifully with a dish of Monterey seaweed and tofu and everything else we ate. Highlight: anchovy tostada. It’s lime-pickled which softens the briny tang while charred serrano crema added texture and warmth. Nice.

Over at Trestle, they’re celebrating 10 years in the business, no small thing. The place was packed on a recent Tuesday, guests waiting outside for Chef Jason Halverson’s four-course, prix fixe $52 dinner. Mine included a perfect Romaine salad, black truffle risotto, sweet tea brined pork loin and, though I longed for a slice of the Black Forest Cake, blood orange sherbert.

And I haven’t been yet but I’m delighted that chef Daniel Morales Vallejo’s pop-up phenom Pacifico has found a home. You don’t need tickets to SFJAZZ to have dinner at his new restaurant in the house’s B-Side space. Latin-tropical dishes like pancakes de choclo with caramelized quinoa crunch at brunch and ñoquis de cangrejo (cassava gnocchi with Dungeness crab, sofrito, coconut milk, and red
peppers) make my gluten-free head spin.

If you go, will you tell me about your experience? 

 

North Bay Restaurants

Overhead shot of pork chop with mashed potatoes and pickled onions on a white plate at Coast Cafe, a Bolinas restaurant Overhead shot of red wine-braised beef over gluten-free pasta at Campanella, a Sebastopol restaurant shrimp toast speckled with sesame seeds at San Rafael restaurant, Vin

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I finally made it to revamped Vin in San Rafael. Be sure to try the Shrimp Toast (right image, above) – I’ve never seen it done in quite this way and it’s fun and flavorful. Smoked Sweet Potato zhushed up with kohlrabi salad was a highlight and the wine list remains as interesting as before. Chef de Cuisine Dan Costa and Sous Chef Kendall Mazet are killing it and I love having this energy back on the downtown strip.

I’m a little embarrassed to say that a May visit was my first ever to Bolinas’ Coast Cafe. Bolinas is as low-key as it gets in Marin and this unassuming little spot won over my family with fresh oysters, creamy carrot soup, hearty and nicely done Fish & Chips, a pork chop with mashed potatoes and pickled onions (left image, above), even a lobster tail with coconut rice.

I popped by Sebastopol’s Campanella on an ideal day to hang on their cute patio. With a fizzy ume spritz in hand and Sinatra on the radio, a plate of roasted and pickled beets and red wine-braised beef over GF pasta (center image, above) lifted my spirits in a way that only neighborhood restaurants can.

On the way home from Seabstopol, I popped into Pupuseria Blankita in San Rafael’s Civic Center neighborhood. Owner Blankita is from El Salvador but her masa is second to none – so fresh. My bean-stuffed pupusa was the perfect size for a snack. Yuca-chicharrón tamale is wrapped in banana leaf and impossibly soft. Even better was my sesame horchata – dairy-free and touched with the warm sweetness of toasted sesame seeds. Yum.