Tosca Cafe Makes Bon App's Best New Restaurants List

Bon Appetit's annual list of the 10 best new restaurants in the US of A has arrived, and of the three Bay Area longlisters in the top 50 (Kin Khao, Sir & Star, and Tosca Cafe), it was Tosca that made the top ten, clocking in at #4. The top spot went to Washington, D.C.'s Rose's Luxury, while Philadelphia's High Street on Market came in second and NYC's Estela took third. Tosca, the restaurant revamp of a historic North Beach bar from superstar NYC restaurateurs April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman, was the biggest opening of last fall, and made headlines when Beyoncé and Jay-Z dined there two nights in a row during their recent tour stop.

Bon App restaurant guru Andrew Knowlton praised Tosca for its "classic yet modern Italian" food, "minus the red-sauce kitsch," and singled out an "all-star" lumaconi with prosciutto and the "must-order" roast chicken for two. "It's a testament to the prowess of Bloomfield's deceptively simple cooking, as realized by executive chef Josh Even. It may be the end of old Tosca, but I think its best days are still ahead of it."

This is SF's third year running in Bon App's top five, with State Bird Provisions taking the #1 slot in 2012, and Saison coming in at #2 last year (when the top spot went to L.A.'s Alma).

Here's the full 2014 top ten:

1. Rose's Luxury – Washington, D.C. – Restaurant of the Year
2. High Street on Market – Philadelphia
3. Estela – New York City
4. Tosca – San Francisco
5. Westward – Seattle
6. Central Provisions – Portland, ME
7. Hot Joy – San Antonio
8. Thai-Kun – Austin
9. Måurice – Portland, OR
10. Grand Central Market – Los Angeles

· America's Top Ten New Restaurants [Bon Appetit]
· Kin Khao, Sir & Star, Tosca Make Bon App Longlist [~ ESF ~]
· Where Beyoncé and Jay-Z Ate During Their SF Visit [~ ESF ~]