I always considered myself to be very familiar with the Financial District restaurant scene. Since I work in the neighborhood, people come to me for recommendations, and I’ve got a list handy. But it wasn’t until a few months ago that Chiaroscuro caught my eye. The Michelin Guide-recommended restaurant’s entrance on Washington Street can be [...]
I’ve written about the Bay Area’s proliferation of izakayas before. It feels like nearly every month there’s a new izakaya in town — not that I’m complaining. San Francisco’s Chotto, which opened this summer, has been among the most buzz-worthy, and with good reason. Excited at the prospect of grilled offal and fresh seafood, I [...]
A few years ago, I lived in San Francisco’s Richmond District. I didn’t realize how good I had it at the time — you could hardly take ten steps in any direction without walking into a quality restaurant. My favorite dim sum restaurant was a five minute walk away, and after I moved, I searched [...]
I tend to take fusion cuisine with a grain of salt. Too many wasabi-creme foams and deep-fried California rolls have made me apprehensive, but done right, fusion can be a beautiful thing. At the Embarcadero’s Ferry Building, Hapa Ramen does fusion right by serving up bowls of locally sourced and locally influenced noodles. I stopped [...]
“Have you tried Sai’s chicken noodle curry soup?” I’ve been asked this question no less than five times by friends who work in downtown San Francisco. It’s a popular hole-in-the-wall with the Financial District crowd, and around noontime every weekday, Sai’s becomes flanked by a crowd of suits waiting for a seat. Determined to finally [...]