The Early Word On St. Vincent In The Mission

This past May, trailblazing former Quince/Cotogna sommelier David Lynch opened his first restaurant, St. Vincent, where Heart once lived. Lynch oversaw an impressive remodel of the space, warming it up with a green paint job, and hung textiles. The idea behind the food and drink is to put an extensive wine selection of 100 bottles priced under $100 at center stage, paired to an evolving food menu from former Bar Tartine chef and Eater Young Gun Bill Niles. At this point, it still remains to be seen if Lynch will win over the critics as a restaurant owner. To the Early Word, for a read on the situation.

The Wine News:“Let the staff guide you when it comes to drinks,” advises Paolo Lucchesi at SF Gate, and Tasting Table adds that you can safely “commit to a couple of glasses of the funky Kabaj Sivi Pinot Grigio ($40 for 750 ml).” SF Wine Blog continues: “don’t shy away from a wine opened the day before.  A lot of the wines on the list are going to be better on day 2.”

The Beer News: Equally noteworthy are the beers “Monk’s Kettle vet Sayre Piotrkwoski put together the beer program, led by eight ‘super local’ offerings on tap,” informs Lucchesi for Inside Scoop.

The Food News: Food is not secondary to beverage. “You can eat a full dinner at St. Vincent” writes Tasting Table. Sara Deseran at San Francisco Magazine enjoyed “a drop-dead gorgeous salad of greens from Little City Gardens, a great ramp soup, and some nice mains such as trout with potatoes.” Michael Bauer is a fan of the “dry aged sirloin ($50)... to serve two, served with a twice baked potato, creamed spinach and an arugula salad.” Tablehopper reviews that the “roasted bone marrow ($14) was perfection, featuring the kick of smoked chiles,” but “the showstopper dish is the house dry-aged lamb ($45), a bountiful plate for two, with leg, riblets, loin, tender farmer’s sausage (cooked sous vide), and turnips.”

The Decor News: “The look and feel of the space treads the same This Old House reclaimed-wood vibe,” writes Zagat. “The zinc-topped bar still dominates the narrow space, but the dining room now boasts more sit-down dining and a newly built full kitchen to handle the cooking tasks.” Tablehopper describes how “the space has deep green walls, tables with wood benches (made from the previous tables at Heart), a communal table with a cherrywood top.” Fabulorum sums it up as being “stylish in a funky and industrial way.”

The Pretzel News: Deseran at SF Magazine calls the pretzel: “deliciously doughy and warm.” On Yelp, reviewer Madison V describes it has having “hints of cumin and was quickly fried - the accompanying mustard is delicious as was the cultured butter. We ordered 5 orders of this!”

The Service News: “The staff is well-versed in terms of the wine and beer list so be sure to ask if it seems a bit daunting.” advises Keith Mizuguchi from SF Station. Autmn G. on Yelp reviews, “David asked what our tastes were and brought over a bottle of Reserva Mencos Rioja, 2005.  Spot on!!!  TRUST David with his wine knowledge, it truly is extensive, as is the selection.”

The Name News: There are some curiously named items on the menu. “Sure to elicit many a joke is the spotted dick ($7) for dessert, a British classic that is given a different rendition here,” writes Tablehopper. Michael Murphy (@curiousmikie) tweets, “The 'She-Crab' @StVincentSF is NOT a derogatory, misogynist slur... But rather; an ECoast classic soup.” Despite the name, said soup was reviewed by Rachel K. on Yelp as being “impeccably fresh and clean tasting, the corn chowder was rich and silky, and the greens were bright and fresh.  Simple, elegant, delicious dish.”

· All St. Vincent Coverage [~ ESF ~]