My monthly look at restaurants in the Bay Area and beyond includes Boston’s Moon Bar, New York City’s The View, “hidden gems” in San Francisco and Oakland, and an unexpected delight at a Napa winery.
SAN FRANCISCO
Snugged in the sweetest courtyard between two brick buildings in San Francisco’s Jackson Square neighborhood, Cassava is worth a visit for its 100% FiDi neighborhood charm. I was wowed by the flickering light emerging from gas lanterns on the courtyard’s north side and thrilled by the “secret San Francisco,” nook and cranny feel, enhanced further by a long entryway.
Once seated, I savored a spirit-lifting Spiced Honey Latte and Chicken Tsukune Miso Soup before a Bento Set left its mark on my heart. The firm-yet-soft-textured Scottish salmon and Hayashi rice were enough to flutter my German-Czech blood but it was the savory hijiki seaweed salad and miso-marinated broccolini that sealed in the Japanese flavors and my memory of the meal.
A meal at Cow Hollow’s KAIYŌ Handroll Bar started with a bang, a pretty plate of Tuna Tataki Tiradito crunched with chalaquilla and plantain, lifted with leche de tigre and cilantro oil.
Nori popping up from plates of nikkei handrolls – Salmon Sumiso, Crab a la Huancaína, Causa – was playful. I especially liked Braised Short Rib: Any dish with choclo and American style sweet corn is a winner in my book but the flavors were all there — beefy, spicy, sweet, savory. It was a great dish.
North Bay/Wine Country
I was not expecting a four-course meal when I arrived at Sequoia Grove for their Taste for Cabernet experience. Nor was I expecting Chef Bryce Palmer’s flavors to span the globe. Ahi Crudo with nopal salsa verde and macadamia gave way to Pork Katsu with nuoc cham and green papaya. My favorite? Halibut and Clams. Even without the dairyfull corn butter, the Spanish-inflected dish was umami-laden, the light shellfish and tomato stock studded with potato, piquillo peppers, and chorizo. Add in some burly yet delicate clams and a nice piece of seared halibut and the updated cioppino vibes are undeniable.
East Bay
Tucked into a quiet stretch of Oakland’s Montclair neighborhood, Payakk is a fever dream of Thai cuisine. You may be tempted to try the tamarind and fish sauce marinated chicken wings (crispy and delicious), the aromatic and glistening Shrimp Fat Fried Rice, or the Crab Curry with Wild Betel Leaves over vermicelli. All were hits at my table for the confident presentation and deep flavor. But be sure to stay for a dessert of Butterfly Pea Dumplings. Radiating purple-blue and nestled into a bed of creamy coconut, it’s sweet and salty, lush and austere. A dish that is impossible to stop eating.
East Coast
After a recent huckleberry foraging expedition on the Sonoma Coast with Chef Seadon Shouse, I dropped into his Hoboken, New Jersey restaurant Halifax during a recent East Coast jaunt. Chef leans into local – his Pan-Seared Salmon dressed with Jersey tomato water, summer squash and corn, Baked Clams sourced from the Jersey coast. Yes, New Jersey, which gets lost in the shuffle between Maryland crab and New England lobster. I digress…
On Chef’s recommendation, I started with a glass of Nova Scotia-crafted sparkling wine, then ordered a plate of Cured Meats. Chef house-cures everything from pork lomo and wagyu bresaola to the pickled vegetables and mussels. He even makes the mustard. It was the most prideful New Jersey meal I’ve had in ages. My sister-in-law and I savored every bite.
The following evening, I took my mom and her friend to The View. Perched atop Times Squares’ Marriott Marquis Hotel on the 48th floor, the restaurant revolves about once an hour. The views of Midtown Manhattan are epic. The food? Less epic. Nothing wrong with East Coast Oysters that a little lemon and mignonette couldn’t improve, but my Tuna Niçoise was thinly sliced tuna under mounds of haystack potato chips, green beans and sieved egg. What it needed was dressing – a perfect Dijonnaise would be nice. Or some salt and olive oil. Alas. A high note: the piano player, strategically placed near the bathroom – you could always orient yourself when finished.
A dish from partner restaurant Mooncusser made my Best Bites of 2025 so on my most recent visit, I decided to pop into more casual Moon Bar for a bite when I arrived in Boston’s Back Bay. I did not know that Maine could be a source of bluefin, but there it was atop a whirl of green chili salsa verde, studded with fresh corn and crunchy corn nuts. Fun.
I would’ve liked a few more crisp lentils on Green Mango Salad but there was enough mint to balance the calamansi. The crew amped up the sweetness of Grilled Local Corn with god knows what but boy, was it good. My small plates dinner went all-in on sweet, wrapping up with fried plantains kicked up with pickled mango crema. Yum!
Interested in more restaurant coverage? Here’s the restaurants I covered in September.