Eater SF: All Posts by Andrew DaltonThe San Francisco Restaurant, Bar, and Nightlife Bloghttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52682/favicon-32x32.png2018-08-16T12:27:59-07:00https://sf.eater.com/authors/andrew-dalton-2/rss2018-08-16T12:27:59-07:002018-08-16T12:27:59-07:00Dyafa’s Middle Eastern Hospitality Earns Three Stars from Michael Bauer
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<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="http://www.patriciachangphotography.com" target="_blank">Patricia Chang</a></figcaption>
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<p>Also: Janelle Bitker explores the complicated neighborhood politics at Soba Ichi and Pete Kane finds a bargain at Violet’s</p> <h4 id="mInzPU"><a href="https://sf.eater.com/venue/dyafa">Dyafa</a></h4>
<p id="bjPLjt">With a <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/2/21/17037144/reem-assil-california-bakery-oakland-daniel-patterson-haven">new</a> full service restaurant in Jack London Square, 2017 Chronicle Rising Star Reem Assil finally <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Dyafa-dazzles-with-modern-Arabic-cuisine-in-Jack-13128145.php#photo-15958026">got the full Michael Bauer treatment</a> this month. Although the names and flavors of the Middle East might be foreign to many, Bauer notes, the staff are “warm, friendly and helpful at guiding diners through the <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/4/11/17225466/dyafa-reem-assil-daniel-patterson-middle-eastern-restaurant-oakland">menu</a>” and Dyafa is an excellent <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/4/27/17270948/dyafa-reem-assil-patterson-dinner-photos-menu-oakland">place</a> to sample the world’s oldest cuisine filtered through a Bay Area culinary lens. Flatbread wraps named after local basketball heroes may have helped Assil build a following at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market, but as Bauer writes, it’s the “careful respect” and “modern edge” she brings traditional dishes that really set Dyafa apart.</p>
<aside id="TmTi7L"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Inside Dyafa’s Sunny Dining Room in Jack London Square, Now Serving Dinner","url":"https://sf.eater.com/2018/4/27/17270948/dyafa-reem-assil-patterson-dinner-photos-menu-oakland"}]}'></div></aside><p id="4h1VF4">There’s “always something on the table to share,” Bauer says, but his must-order highlights included the mana’eesh flatbreads, the “exceptional” Little Gem fattoush, freekeh-stuffed squid, “silken” hummus with slow-cooked spiced lamb, and the “fragrant sumac-spiced” confit chicken. The braised lamb shank did leave our critic “wanting,” but it the whole fish and the vegetarian maklouba erased that memory pretty quickly. After a couple cocktails and a simple, “near-perfect” dessert of almond-stuffed dates, Bauer pulls out <strong>three stars</strong>.</p>
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<h4 id="NgBwiV">Violet’s</h4>
<p id="AG3pa7">For the Weekly, Pete Kane checked out <a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/the-richmond-goes-ultra-violet/">the latest hotspot to land in the Richmond</a>. Violet’s, a spinoff of Clement Street’s <a href="https://sf.eater.com/venue/fiorella-2">Fiorella</a>, offers a “subtle 1940s feel” and a cocktails-and-oysters vibe that might make you feel underdressed, Kane says. But the setting is perfect for “inventive” dishes and drinks that “typically include five or more discrete ingredients.” Diners would do fine ordering drinks like the Trans Siberian Tea Service (a Suntory whiskey hot toddy with vodka and oolong) and some oysters from the raw bar, Kane notes, but then they’d miss out on Chef Dante Cecchini’s “more-elevated-than-elevated-bar-food menu.” Highlights from the kitchen include Fiorella’s beloved Chex Mix, grilled wings that are “neither uptight nor shamelessly messy,” and the “unanimous favorite” polenta with a soft egg and a “snowstorm” of Parmesan. Above all, Kane concludes, “the price is right” and you’ll save a few bucks compared to equal-caliber restaurants in trendier parts of town.</p>
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<h4 id="zPtWsA"><a href="https://sf.eater.com/venue/soba-ichi">Soba Ichi</a></h4>
<p id="QzR2hd">Express critic Janelle Bitker tread some touchy ground in West Oakland this week, where Soba Ichi has <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2017/5/10/15614270/ippuku-ichi-soba-fusebox-west-oakland-opening">taken over the former home</a> of beloved Korean fusion spot Fusebox. “<a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/soba-ichi-serves-impressive-handmade-soba-noodles-but-the-setting-complicates-things/Content?oid=19153049">Walking in to Soba Ichi feels simultaneously exciting and sad</a>,” Bitker writes, noting it’s the first Bay Area restaurant to make fresh soba from scratch. But the displacement of Fusebox — and the displacement still happening all around the restaurant — make it difficult for her to appreciate.</p>
<p id="Nte6s8">On the other hand, her fellow diners who “piled out of cars, rushed toward the waiting list” didn’t seem to mind waiting 45 minutes for a table. And for soba purists, chef Koichi Ishii’s noodles, which he makes daily from buckwheat milled by hand in-house, show some “impeccable” attention to detail. The nihachi noodles were “lovely,” Bitker says, with a “delicate nutty flavor and bouncy chew” that’s best served cold, dipped in sauce. Chef Ishii’s dashi, meanwhile, exhibits an “excellent pureness” that deserves to be experienced hot. Non-soba items, like a dashimaki cold Japanese omelette or spinach salad topped with sous vide duck reveals the common thread in Ishii’s kitchen: “delicate, subtle flavors executed with precision,” even if the prices might give the neighbors pause.</p>
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<li id="REpgsg">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Dyafa-dazzles-with-modern-Arabic-cuisine-in-Jack-13128145.php">Dyafa dazzles with modern Arabic cuisine in Jack London Square</a> [SFChronicle]</li>
<li id="FfehPR">
<a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/the-richmond-goes-ultra-violet/">The Richmond Goes Ultra-Violet</a> [SF Weekly]</li>
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<a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/soba-ichi-serves-impressive-handmade-soba-noodles-but-the-setting-complicates-things/Content?oid=19153049">Soba Ichi Serves Impressive Handmade Soba Noodles — but the Setting Complicates Things</a> [East Bay Express]</li>
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https://sf.eater.com/2018/8/16/17694604/dyafas-review-michael-bauer-critics-san-franciscoAndrew Dalton2018-08-01T15:41:43-07:002018-08-01T15:41:43-07:00Pre-Retirement, Michael Bauer Liberally Applies His Final Stars
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kQ6CXNLEHId9_MICRuaDOVzJlxY=/112x0:1889x1333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60697789/Avery_PChang_1840.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="http://www.patriciachangphotography.com" target="_blank">Patricia Chang</a></figcaption>
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<p>He’s singing praises for Avery and Birdsong, while Pete Kane gets comfy at Kantine</p> <h4 id="wowZNR">Pearl</h4>
<p id="bhcC0t">On Eater SF, Rachel Levin believes Pearl has <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/8/1/17639636/pearl-6101-review-outer-richmond-san-francisco">revived the art of neighborhood dining</a> out in the avenues. The vibe is “Hamptons beach house meets New Orleans meets... mid-Richmond,” Levin writes, with freshly shucked oysters, a cheery staff, and a house martini with that skyrocketed to the top of the best-of list. Come for the seafood, but stay for the handmade pastas and “hefty” pork chops. <strong>Three stars</strong>.</p>
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<h4 id="NZw1HJ">Avery</h4>
<p id="zWLvpz">Chef Rodney Wages and his front of house man Matthew Mako have created a “well executed” and “coherent” tasting menu at Avery, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/At-Avery-on-Fillmore-the-shorter-tasting-menu-13091700.php">Michael Bauer wrote in July</a> and the experience is one he’ll remember “long after I pay off the credit card.” [<em>nb: Bauer is, of course, speaking metaphorically here. He doesn’t pay his own review meal tabs.</em>] In fact, Bauer steers diners to the shorter, more budget-friendly seven-course menu that showcases the kitchen’s Japanese-via-California technique just fine, while the pricier menus felt “padded.”</p>
<p id="HhCJH4">“Less is often more,” Bauer says after a five-paragraph introduction about San Francisco’s current tasting menu trend, and Wages’ best dishes reflect that. A starter course of simple, salty grain broth set the mood for Bauer’s first dinner with “an explosion of flavor” that led into more highlights: oysters swimming in “a buttery slurry,” Lobster curry, tortellini filled with cultured butter and mushrooms, and the standout cheese course: a candy cap mushroom tart topped with Harbison cheese. On the expanded menu, Bauer felt Wages and company were still working up to the four-star level, and some items like a potato draped with iberico ham were just “clumsy or awkward to eat.” The <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/6/5/17430246/avery-review-fillmore-rodney-wages-tasting-menu-san-francisco">caviar bump</a> — a cheeky menu add-on beloved by off-duty sous chefs and Instagram mavens — “tasted good but felt self-conscious.” <strong>Three and a half stars</strong>.</p>
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<h4 id="5eGv3V">Birdsong</h4>
<p id="55szwU">If Avery is mid-century modern, then chef Christopher Bleidorn’s Birdsong is “primal,” Bauer <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Birdsong-s-exquisite-call-of-the-wild-in-SF-13110768.php#photo-15919583">writes this week</a>. A wine cooler from the restaurant’s former life as AQ has been converted into a “morgue for animals” with whole muttons, a side of water buffalo and “more duck carcasses than you can count.” Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Bleidorn’s “centuries-old techniques” create “intense, earthy overtones” — as in a dish of morels stuffed with lamb and activated charcoal that pays tribute to last year’s fires in Wine Country. This “huntsman style” feels like a mix of Saison and Atelier Crenn, Bauer notes, appearing to learn mid-review that the chef spent a significant amount of time working at both. </p>
<p id="XZ6t8b">For $168, the 10-course menu celebrates ingredients from the Bay Area to the Pacific Northwest like trout wrapped in cedar paper, cured duck with liver and gizzards, and wild boar flavored by pine and eucalyptus. As an added bonus, you get to watch the kitchen staff work to a soundtrack of Billy Joel and the Counting Crows. The experience, Bauer concludes, is unique and “not easily forgotten; one that feels like a hike in the woods.” <strong>Three and a half stars</strong>. For those keeping score at home: that’s four <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/7/18/17587990/week-in-reviews-michael-bauer-nico-stem-kitchen-pete-kane-pearl">3.5-star</a> <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/7/12/17561938/reviews-michael-bauer-rachel-levin-sorrel-pete-kane-cafe-boho">reviews</a> in a row from Bauer. Is the critic formerly known as “Mikey Two-Stars” saving all the best restaurants for last, or is he just more comfortable dishing out near-perfect ratings knowing he’ll never have to file a review update again? </p>
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<h4 id="Dwuo40">Kantine</h4>
<p id="0tUOJn">In the mid-Market/Castro hybrid area around Laguna Street and Guerrero, Pete Kane visits the <a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/kantine-is-hygge-af/">smørrebrød and herring joint Kantine</a> for more woodsman-esque vibes. If you like rye bread, you’ll be in heaven, Kane says, but “surprisingly winning” salads, “profoundly generous” savory porridges and unexpected dishes like “luscious” curried herring are the best examples of Kantine’s “unexpected angle” on comfort food.</p>
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<h4 id="zp9HxB">Queen’s Cajun Seafood</h4>
<p id="hNEmsQ">In the East Bay, <em>Express</em> critic (and new <a href="https://twitter.com/JanelleBitker/status/1024086936229621760">Eater SF contributor</a>) Janelle Bitker <a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/queens-cajun-seafood-delivers-the-viet-cajun-flavors-of-houston/Content?oid=18390377">explores the intersection of Vietnamese and Cajun cooking</a> at Queen’s Cajun Seafood. While most of the bay areas Viet-Cajun spots tend to focus on boiled crawfish and fried sides, Queen’s Cajun steers towards a more comprehensive Texas-style menu that includes highlights like an “ideally salty and soothing” turkey neck stew or jambalaya “leaned toward fried rice” rather than the traditional seafood and rice stew you might find at Louisiana-style joint.</p>
<p id="sLHamw">Queen’s Cajun also knows how to fry their seafood “exceptionally well,” Bitker says, and the fried alligator tasted like “pleasantly chewier” popcorn chicken with a side of gravy that “deftly straddled the American South with Saigon.” Fried catfish — that old Southern standby — retained its crisp skin and flaky flesh until the final bite. While the all-important crawfish were bigger and meatier than the ones you usually find at California’s seafood shacks, the sauces were disappointingly bland compared to “the nostril-clearing stuff” you might find at a backyard mudbug boil.</p>
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<h4 id="1yup9o">Shabu House & Hancook</h4>
<p id="3Uq3Ys">For her latest, Bitker has <a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/shabu-house-hancook-offer-two-ways-to-shabu-shabu/Content?oid=18617017">a <em>shabu shabu </em>double feature</a> that covers the traditional Japanese and Korean styles of hot pot dining. At San Leandro’s “immaculate” Shabu House, “you’ll get a sense of how <em>shabu shabu</em> is truly meant to be experienced,” Bitker says. There’s plenty of table space, smart cooking features, and “flawless,” “beautifully marbled, radiantly hued” cuts of meat. The downside: the broths were “bordering on bland,” aside from the spicy miso.</p>
<p id="dos9tp">Further North in Temescal, Bitker says she ultimately preferred the “deeply flavored” soup bases and pre-meal <em>banchan</em> at Hancook. With extensive protein options, a wide range of seafood selections and “very reasonable all-you-can-eat pricing,” the Korean <em>shabu shabu</em> experience won out, even if Hancook’s interior was “slightly more haphazard.”</p>
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<ul>
<li id="E8GGfe">
<a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/8/1/17639636/pearl-6101-review-outer-richmond-san-francisco">Pearl Brings the Art of Neighborhood Dining Back to San Francisco</a> [Eater SF]</li>
<li id="fJuMmN">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/At-Avery-on-Fillmore-the-shorter-tasting-menu-13091700.php">Avery is a tasting menu restaurant for modern San Francisco</a> [SF Chronicle]</li>
<li id="l0aHgW">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Birdsong-s-exquisite-call-of-the-wild-in-SF-13110768.php#photo-15919582">Birdsong’s exquisite call of the wild in SF</a> [SF Chronicle]</li>
<li id="21le4k">
<a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/kantine-is-hygge-af/">Kantine Is Hygge AF</a> [SF Weekly]</li>
<li id="Uv52gD">
<a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/queens-cajun-seafood-delivers-the-viet-cajun-flavors-of-houston/Content?oid=18390377">Queen’s Cajun Seafood Delivers the Viet-Cajun Flavors of Houston</a> [East Bay Express]</li>
<li id="oRpZWz">
<a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/shabu-house-hancook-offer-two-ways-to-shabu-shabu/Content?oid=18617017">Shabu House, Hancook Offer Two Ways to Shabu Shabu</a> [East Bay Express]</li>
</ul>
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https://sf.eater.com/2018/8/1/17614412/reviews-michael-bauer-avery-birdsong-janelle-bitker-viet-cajunAndrew Dalton2018-07-18T14:24:08-07:002018-07-18T14:24:08-07:00After Neighborhood Transplant, Nico Gets a Bauer Bump
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5JV7hGoC8QwflP4rfbYR63z0bcs=/112x0:1889x1333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60413427/Nico_PChang_5304.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="https://www.patriciachangphotography.com/" target="_blank">Patricia Chang</a></figcaption>
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<p>Also: luscious pastas at Pearl and more praise for Nyum Bai</p> <h4 id="utS1WV">Nico</h4>
<p id="7Ebrw1">At Nico’s new home in the Financial District, Bauer says the move “<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Nico-takes-its-exceptional-French-cuisine-to-the-13072902.php">hasn’t impeded</a>” chef Nicolas Delaroque’s creativity, but made it more “precise and focused” in the process. The prix fixe tasting menus are still a steal and it’s worth the extra $20 for two more courses at dinner just to watch the chef indulge what Bauer calls, “his penchant for marrying unexpected ingredients.”</p>
<p id="bJVc3V">Although the menu changes nightly, the style is “consistent” and each dish “is fully composed to awaken all the senses,” Bauer says, like squid noodles topped with “fleshy” purslane, or “fatty” lamb refined with a “velvety” meat sauce. A dessert course, followed by fresh-baked madeleines left Bauer claiming Nico would be “even more popular in France than it is in San Francisco.” <strong>Three and a half stars</strong>.</p>
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<h4 id="oObTTe">STEM Kitchen & Garden</h4>
<p id="sQyDzs">In an unstarred fast-casual blog post, Bauer found “<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Stem-Kitchen-and-Garden-in-Mission-Bay-Go-before-13070533.php">a true oasis</a>” amidst the construction in Mission Bay. Despite being owned by the massive Bon Appetit food service company, the three-year-old restaurant has kept its SF bonafides by hiring former Public House chef Jorge Lumbreras, growing its produce in the on-site patio garden and hitting all the necessary menu highlights like charcuterie boards, pizzas and big main courses. “While I’ve had better at a dozen other places,” Bauer says, before getting sentimental, “nothing can compete with the view, the ambience and being immersed in the ever-growing community.”</p>
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<h4 id="J0XGCF">Pearl</h4>
<p id="tDEUCs">In the Richmond, Pete Kane found something to like <a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/pearl-is-all-about-handkerchief-pasta-and-eggs-in-purgatory/">around the clock at Pearl</a>, the all-day cafe and bistro from the team behind Pizzetta 211. At breakfast it’s a toasted farro bowl or the wood-fired bagel with smoked salmon that stand out (although avocado toast and granola are “present and accounted for”). At brunch, the star is a “magnificent assemblage of lamb sausage,” spicy tomatoes and polenta called Eggs in Purgatory.</p>
<p id="w5JIJ4">At dinner, Kane recommends starting with the soft egg before moving onto the “soft and luscious” handkerchief pasta in a sauce that “exhibited just the right amount of restraint” to create a “genuinely gratifying” sense of unity.</p>
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<h4 id="uniHKA">Nyum Bai</h4>
<p id="PlDQpV">In the East Bay, <em>Express</em> critic Janelle Bitker <a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/why-oaklands-nyum-bai-is-poised-for-national-acclaim/Content?oid=18226484">joins the chorus of praise</a> for Nyum Bai’s modern Cambodian cuisine. Chef Nite Yun recently landed on Eater’s <a href="https://www.eater.com/2018/5/31/17256702/eater-young-guns-2018-best-new-chefs-bartenders">Young Guns list</a> and was named one of the Chronicle’s <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/The-Chronicle-s-2018-Rising-Star-Chefs-13069996.php">Rising Star chefs for 2018</a>, and it’s easy to see why she’s “poised for national acclaim,” Bitker says. The proof is right there in the “hella Cambodian” <em>machoo kroeung, </em>the <em>amok</em> catfish in coconut curry,<em> </em>or the “shatteringly crispy” and “flawlessly executed” ginger fried chicken.</p>
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<ul>
<li id="ttWxjV">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/news/article/Nico-takes-its-exceptional-French-cuisine-to-the-13072902.php">Nico takes its exceptional French cuisine to the FiDi</a> [SF Chronicle]</li>
<li id="SJyP1U">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Stem-Kitchen-and-Garden-in-Mission-Bay-Go-before-13070533.php">Stem Kitchen and Garden in Mission Bay: Go before it’s ‘discovered’</a> [SF Chronicle]</li>
<li id="n3wMne">
<a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/pearl-is-all-about-handkerchief-pasta-and-eggs-in-purgatory/">Pearl Is All About Handkerchief Pasta and Eggs in Purgatory</a> [SF Weekly]</li>
<li id="cS3z6M">
<a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/why-oaklands-nyum-bai-is-poised-for-national-acclaim/Content?oid=18226484">Why Oakland’s Nyum Bai Is Poised for National Acclaim</a> [East Bay Express]</li>
</ul>
https://sf.eater.com/2018/7/18/17587990/week-in-reviews-michael-bauer-nico-stem-kitchen-pete-kane-pearlAndrew Dalton2018-07-12T09:14:51-07:002018-07-12T09:14:51-07:00SF’s Critics Enjoy Sorrel’s Flowery Menu
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GFnnUV6U0I0QdLzXypd8cwyz4aw=/112x0:1889x1333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60348775/Sorrel_PChang_2118.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><a class="ql-link" href="http://www.patriciachangphotography.com" target="_blank">Patricia Chang</a></figcaption>
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<p>Also: Pete Kane investigates “seacuterie” in the Marina</p> <h4 id="yVDRzG"><a href="https://sf.eater.com/venue/sorrel-2">Sorrel</a></h4>
<p id="OgDIJl">Chef Alexander Hong’s buzzy new project Sorrel in Presidio Heights is already winning over our local critics. It’s “a neighborhood restaurant befitting its neighborhood,” <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/7/11/17561982/sorrel-adam-hong-sacramento-street-pac-heights-san-francisco">writes <em>Eater’s </em>Rachel Levin</a>, and Hong brings confidence to the table with a refreshing lack of pretentiousness. Over at the Chronicle, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Sorrel-off-to-a-stellar-start-in-Pacific-Heights-13052693.php">Michael Bauer agrees</a> that Hong has honed “a sophisticated approach” during Sorrel’s life as a weekly pop-up, and his training shows in the “fully realized” pastas, the <em>Alice in Wonderland</em>-esque “salad of various chicories,” and a masterful duck breast lacquered with honey, fennel seeds and pollen. While dishes like the spring lamb tartare, the “playful” soft shell crab and that “bronzed, beautiful” duck swaddled in honey stood out to Levin, the rest of the menu suffered from predictable San Francisco sameness — and a few too many nasturtium flowers.</p>
<p id="thSo73">Bauer, on the other hand, was a little more generous, noting everything was “reasonably priced for the complexity of the preparation.” He did, however, think the wines could be a little more wallet-friendly for the neighborhood crowd. <strong>Three and a half</strong> Bauer stars. <strong>Two</strong> Levin stars.</p>
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<h4 id="gGvdII">Cafe Boho</h4>
<p id="jTK5Lf">In the Marina, Cafe Boho <a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/boho-rhapsody-cafe-bohos-seacuterie-punches-above-its-weight/">set off Pete Kane’s radar</a> with its “seacuterie” menu, featuring items like tuna pastrami, sturgeon boudin blanc, and a “bear with it” salmon napoleon. After diving for roe and sourdough, Kane recommends the opulent mussels steamed in rouille with crème fraîche “so it’s almost like a smoked cheddar broth” and the pappardelle with squash and wax beans that tastes like “high summer dropping into autumn.” Though the plates are “maddeningly small” and the interior is “little more than a signifier of money,” Kane still thinks Cafe Boho’s food is worth the trip.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="fAjyhw">
<h4 id="3Z2cep">Mister Bolenca</h4>
<p id="tcATpN">In the East Bay, Janelle Bitker found Asian and Latino flavors “stuffed into french bread” at <a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/at-mister-bolenca-the-art-of-the-asian-inspired-sandwich/Content?oid=17990173">perma-pop-up Mister Bolenca</a>, inside Berkeley’s Highwire Coffee. Chef Sincere Justice brings together various styles to create sandwiches like the Thai beef marinated in Mexican beer and guajillo red curry. Topped with labneh, Chimichurri and turmeric slaw, “every single element was well-seasoned and thoughtfully placed,” Bitker writes, “creating a juicy, messy, and super-satisfying gut-buster of a globetrotting sandwich.” Other pleasures at Mister Bolanca’s include: a messy, decadent and vegetarian cauliflower grilled cheese; a surprising sous-vide Korean chicken sandwich; and a “blisteringly flavorful” huevos Sichuan sandwich with fried eggs and toasted peppercorns.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="BCXTb4">
<ul>
<li id="dIZCPF">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Sorrel-off-to-a-stellar-start-in-Pacific-Heights-13052693.php">Sorrel off to a stellar start in Pacific Heights</a> [Chronicle]</li>
<li id="iVsII4">
<a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/boho-rhapsody-cafe-bohos-seacuterie-punches-above-its-weight/">Boho Rhapsody: Cafe Boho’s ‘Seacuterie’ Punches Above Its Weight</a> [SF Weekly]</li>
<li id="MVKyzh">
<a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/at-mister-bolenca-the-art-of-the-asian-inspired-sandwich/Content?oid=17990173">At Mister Bolenca, the Art of the Asian-Inspired Sandwich</a> [East Bay Express]</li>
</ul>
https://sf.eater.com/2018/7/12/17561938/reviews-michael-bauer-rachel-levin-sorrel-pete-kane-cafe-bohoAndrew Dalton2018-06-29T14:14:00-07:002018-06-29T14:14:00-07:00Atelier Crenn Joins Michael Bauer’s Four-Star Club
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bctU8QFPwXUET9YlHP9g5FmcTfo=/112x0:1889x1333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60226435/AtelierCrenn_PChang_2367.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><a href="http://www.patriciachangphotography.com" target="_blank">Patricia Chang</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A synesthesia-inducing meal and incredible service led to a perfect rating</p> <p id="0fo3yR">Seven years, two Michelin stars and <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/5/7/17329866/dominique-crenn-james-beard-award-winner-san-francisco">one James Beard award</a> after its debut, Atelier Crenn has finally achieved the highest honor bestowed upon a Bay Area restaurant: four pristine, twinkling Michael Bauer stars. In <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Atelier-Crenn-SF-s-newest-4-star-restaurant-13035706.php">this week’s big review</a>, Bauer strolls down memory lane, recalling how Crenn’s whimsical, poetic menus have now evolved into a “fanciful maturity” and “a more enduring voice ... that equally incorporates the artistic and the emotional into a unified whole.”</p>
<p id="6U0wqK">“Last year I was very close to awarding the restaurant four stars,” Bauer notes, but he felt that pastry chef Juan Contreras’ Mayan-influenced dessert courses were out of place at the end of a French meal. (Although <a href="https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/Atelier-Crenn-debuts-a-dessert-menu-with-a-Mayan-11087222.php">he loved</a> the desserts themselves.) Now, Contreras and Crenn are, “in sync and have discovered the magic formula.” Like a microdose of whatever Michael Pollan is on, this new magic formula has a profound effect on the longtime critic and he begins to have visions of future dinners at Atelier Crenn before drifting off to speak in vague metaphors of his own.</p>
<p id="kx9PQ1">Each dish “reveals something new and complex,” Bauer says, recalling a plate of meticulously arranged sliced geoduck, “like the unfolding of a satisfying friendship over time.” A bite of English peas, creme fraiche and ham hock gelee even induced synesthesia, resulting in “a joy similar to that of solving a complex math problem” — which is a joy most diners try to save until the bill arrives.</p>
<p id="2dS2Ax">Those ethereal moments combine with terrestrial pleasures, like a recently <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2017/4/26/15425964/atelier-crenn-dominique-crenn-san-francisco-open">refined dining room</a> and a level of service that is more “interactive” than any other restaurant in Bauer’s <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2017/10/27/16561402/californios-michael-bauer-four-star-review-chronicle-michelin">the four-star club</a>, to put Atelier Crenn alongside local heavyweights like Single Thread (which <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2017/3/24/15056370/michael-bauer-single-thread-flawless-four-stars">debuted with four stars</a>), <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/3/21/17147904/reviews-michael-bauer-benu-progress-coi-hawking-bird">Benu</a>, Californios, Chez Panisse, the French Laundry and Coi (<a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/4/30/17302714/daniel-patterson-coi-reacts-bauers-top-100-list-san-francisco">maybe</a>).</p>
<ul><li id="VVyMUe">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Atelier-Crenn-SF-s-newest-4-star-restaurant-13035706.php">4 stars for the artistry of Atelier Crenn</a> [SF Chronicle]</li></ul>
<p id="98yqOM"></p>
https://sf.eater.com/2018/6/29/17519466/michael-bauer-atelier-crenn-four-star-reviewAndrew Dalton2018-06-27T14:02:41-07:002018-06-27T14:02:41-07:00Palo Alto’s Newest Fine Dining Restaurant Earns Three Stars From Bauer
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MBB6HNpzecY4sYYeOMWsOulrfoo=/0x82:782x669/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60201737/IMG_8249.0.jpeg" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BguYgWBlTPz/?taken-by=kronnerc" target="_blank">Chris Kronner/Instagram</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Plus, a look at Una Pizza Napoletana’s first Eater NY review since leaving San Francisco</p> <h4 id="ruYkm9">Henry’s at the Graduate</h4>
<p id="PoHKvz"><em>“</em>Leave it to Berkeley” — and chef Chris Kronner — “to lure students with oil-cured fennel salads and coal-roasted lamb neck,” <em>Eater</em> San Francisco critic Rachel Levin <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/6/26/17506572/henrys-restaurant-review-chris-kronner-berkeley">writes this week</a> from Kronner’s new full-time, all-day endeavor at the “recently remodeled and hip-ified” Graduate Hotel. As <em>East Bay Express</em> critic Janelle Bitker notes, Kronner and his team have created “a <a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/henrys-soars-to-new-heights-thanks-to-the-kronnerburger-team/Content?oid=17254799">dramatically new and ambitious restaurant</a>” here, and the menu proves Kronner’s crew has a range that goes well beyond burgers. Or, as Levin put it, “like senior year: still in school, but insisting upon sophistication.”</p>
<p id="fV8e6E">The Parisian gnocchi, for example, stood out to Bitker with its “bright, cinematic sauce” of miso brown butter and preserved lemon. And, at brunch, there’s a “perfect, pristine specimen” of a Tartine biscuit drenched in spicy <em>nduja</em> gravy. On the other hand, Levin thought gnocchi “tasted like underseasoned cotton balls” and the halibut tartare was “more reminiscent of a chunky, slightly fishy yogurt.” While Bitker veered to the more grown-up entrees, Levin’s advice was to stick with the burgers. <strong>One star</strong> from Levin, and “soaring” praise from Bitker.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="8KhVrT">
<h4 id="oF0jAy">Protégé</h4>
<p id="11A5jc">While heading out the door for <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bj06OlTgnlP/?taken-by=michaelbauer1">a holiday in Italy</a>, Bauer filed a review of Protégé, the peninsula’s “cutting-edge concept” from French Laundry alums Dennis Kelly and Anthony Secviar. “If Protégé doesn’t thrive,” then there’s no hope for Palo Alto’s dining scene, Bauer declares, “for it has excellent food, a well-tailored interior and good service” with “little of the pretense” of Thomas Keller’s mothership.</p>
<p id="7r6tQu">The lounge “is a fully realized restaurant” with an a la carte menu that shows a surprising amount of care and dishes that are “miles above your typical bar food.” Picture: crystalized tapioca chips, meticulously diced kampachi and chickpea panisse topped with octopus. <strong>Three stars</strong>.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="p9z7Ls">
<h4 id="d8Loov">Nico</h4>
<p id="aM10Y5">The full liquor license that came with Nico’s new home in the FiDi has resulted in “<a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/nico-has-the-most-beautiful-cocktail-in-san-francisco/">the most beautiful cocktail in San Francisco</a>,” Pete Kane writes after crossing paths with the charcoal and rose <em>Le Chat Noir</em>. The six-course, $62 dinner menu that follows is tour of local produce and a parade of various <em>sabayons</em>. “Let the world be free of foams forever,” Kane proclaims, “and full of sabayons instead.” While there were a few flavors and textures “out of whack,” the whole experience is relatively free of gimmicks or trends, Kane says, and no where else in the FiDi “feels quite this romantic.”</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="KSqk0B">
<h4 id="ZiFc1J">The Black Cat</h4>
<p id="2wtqR0">Speaking of dark felines, Pete Kane also filed <a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/black-cats-second-life/">an update review</a> from the Tenderloin’s jazz club du jour, where former <em>Top Chef </em>contestant and pop-up wrangler Tu David Phu has taken over the <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2016/9/23/13033928/bauer-sens-critics-san-francisco">previously maligned</a> kitchen. With Phu in charge, the Black Cat has trimmed the menu down to the classics, Kane says, but the prices are still too high and the portions too small for the food to outweigh the live music. That said, while you’re enjoying the tunes, Kane recommends the “melt-in-your-mouth” Mayan ceviche tostada with “fastidiously sourced amberjack” or the “expertly handled” scallops Rockefeller.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="in8tAk">
<h4 id="0r0Sro">Kamado Sushi</h4>
<p id="BHjAZr">In North Berkeley, Janelle Bitker also <a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/kamado-sushi-a-haven-for-traditionalists/Content?oid=17479883">checked out</a> “traditionalist” sushi spot Kamado Sushi, where chef Jin Joo’s eschews Americanized sushi rolls in favor of “exciting, unusual specimens” from Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji Fish Market. Omakase meals might include mantis shrimp that is only available a few weeks per year, “cold and crunchy” ice fish with a flavor “reminiscent of grapefruit,” and “remarkably creamy and soft” firefly squid — but, as a neighborhood Japanese joint, you shouldn’t skip the “excellent” chawanmushi either.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="YyJ8PI">
<h4 id="NhrbGe">Elsewhere</h4>
<p id="AAT7oL"><a href="https://sf.eater.com/2017/12/13/16773396/una-pizza-napoletanas-closing-december-san-francisco">Pizza traitor</a> Anthony Mangieri’s fourth iteration of Una Pizza Napoletana has <a href="https://ny.eater.com/2018/6/27/17507808/una-pizza-review-anthony-mangieri">lost some of its luster</a> now that the shop is back in Manhattan <a href="https://ny.eater.com/2018/6/27/17507808/una-pizza-review-anthony-mangieri">writes <em>Eater</em>’s Ryan Sutton</a>. Although Mangieri’s dough still reigns supreme, toppings like “subpar imported mozzarella” mean the margherita can be skipped in favor of what have become the real draws here: desserts by chef Fabian von Hauske and appetizers by Jeremiah Stone. <strong>One star</strong>.</p>
<p id="teV4Ah">Finally, as part of the Chronicle’s big <a href="https://projects.sfchronicle.com/2018/mission-district-guide/">Mission guide</a>, Listicle Bauer pulled out the neighborhood’s <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/The-4-best-tasting-menu-restaurants-in-the-Mission-12994847.php">four best tasting menu restaurants</a> from his Top 100 list. Then, in hopes of chasing away the last of the June Gloom, he <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Michael-Bauer-s-best-Top-100-Restaurants-with-13007412.php">pulled out another ten spots with outdoor tables</a>. Bauer’s pre-flight appetizer before that trip to Italy, by the way? Avocado and bay shrimp salad from Cotogna.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="iHzPL8">
<ul>
<li id="Qc2LVM">
<a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/6/26/17506572/henrys-restaurant-review-chris-kronner-berkeley">Henry’s, a Berkeley Classic, Still Has Room to Improve</a> [Eater SF]</li>
<li id="HjQuMk">
<a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/henrys-soars-to-new-heights-thanks-to-the-kronnerburger-team/Content?oid=17254799">Henry’s Soars to New Heights Thanks to the Kronnerburger Team</a> [East Bay Express]</li>
<li id="hOrbi5">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Palo-Alto-finally-gets-an-exceptional-restaurant-13017985.php#photo-15741550">Palo Alto finally gets an exceptional restaurant: Protégé from French Laundry alumni</a> [SF Chronicle]</li>
<li id="rXv3CV">
<a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/kamado-sushi-a-haven-for-traditionalists/Content?oid=17479883">Kamado Sushi: A Haven for Traditionalists</a> [East Bay Express]</li>
<li id="4zQhYc">
<a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/nico-has-the-most-beautiful-cocktail-in-san-francisco/">Nico Has the Most Beautiful Cocktail in San Francisco</a> [SF Weekly]</li>
<li id="BprNj3">
<a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/black-cats-second-life/">Black Cat’s Second Life</a> [SF Weekly]</li>
</ul>
<p id="F5MlNh"></p>
https://sf.eater.com/2018/6/27/17486388/week-in-reviews-michael-bauer-protege-henrys-nicoAndrew Dalton2018-06-13T16:00:31-07:002018-06-13T16:00:31-07:00Bauer Agrees With Levin: Three-Star Che Fico Lives Up to the Hype
<figure>
<img alt="Orecchiette with fennel sausage and broccoli rabe at Che Fico" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d-Un6etENCPKN4FgKWTfpUY6h1E=/112x0:1889x1333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/60056319/FoodCheFico_PChang_8015.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Orecchiette at Che Fico | <a href="http://www.patriciachangphotography.com" target="_blank">Patricia Chang</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also: fast-casual versions of Dosa and Comal in the East Bay</p> <h4 id="c7vyss">Che Fico</h4>
<p id="PWBEIS">After the parade of praise from <em>Eater</em>’s <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/5/24/17377496/che-fico-review-pizza-pasta-divisadero-san-francisco">Rachel Levin</a>, the <em>Weekly</em>’s <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/5/24/17386424/michael-bauer-wursthall-henrys-review-pete-kane-che-fico-la-perla-oakland">Pete Kane</a> and America’s Chief Goop Officer <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/4/23/17270828/gwyneth-paltrow-che-fico-sf-instagram">Gwyneth Paltrow</a>, Che Fico has quickly become “the most sought-after reservation in town” Michael Bauer writes <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Che-Fico-12977186.php">in his own review this week</a>. Like his younger colleagues, Bauer praises chef-owner and certified pizzaiolo David Nayfield’s work in the pizza and pasta departments. But Bauer points to the menu’s Cucina Ebraica section of Roman Jewish dishes as the real standouts.</p>
<p id="3NFc2P">The “wreath” of grilled duck livers and white leek blossoms, for example, was not only worthy of instagram, but Bauer says he’s “rarely seen such a rustic dish so elevated by presentation.” Elsewhere, offal appears in the chicken heart and gizzard salad, and the “bold and inviting” beef tongue — two dishes that “would be a mistake” to avoid. With three “fully realized” larger plates, simple house cocktails and Angela Pinkerton’s James Beard-worthy pastries rounding out Che Fico’s offerings, Bauer’s only real gripe is that the restaurant’s “noncaring or arrogant attitude” can sometimes feel like a brush-off. <strong>Three stars.</strong></p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="jbYPsY">
<h4 id="cF0GDT">Dosa by Dosa</h4>
<p id="KwlXqs">Elsewhere, fast-casual Bauer dropped <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Dosa-by-Dosa-quickly-takes-fast-casual-to-a-new-12973979.php">an unstarred review of dosa by DOSA</a>, where he notes that the interior of the quick-service Indian spot is “more impressive than the full-service Dosa in San Francisco.” While the menu “isn’t as involved” as the table service version, the ever-popular butter chicken has “that familiar deep flavor” in Oakland, Bauer says, although he’s partial to the potato masala dosa himself.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="BCyHsu">
<h4 id="P0j04m">Comal Next Door</h4>
<p id="II0ahq">Comal’s sister taqueria in Berkeley already got <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/5/30/17410014/michael-bauer-perennial-review-indo-pete-kane-marufuku-temescal">the Bauer seal of approval</a>, and <em>Express</em> critic Janelle Bitker gives us <a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/comal-next-door-offers-solid-taqueria-fare-in-downtown-berkeley/Content?oid=17013824">an even deeper review</a> of a place that will feel “surprisingly familiar” to fans of the original. You’ll get the same thoughtful salsas and meat options — sourced from the same purveyors as Comal itself — but in a “takeout-friendly” format at “reasonable price points.” Each burrito is “a fully composed thought,” and the al pastor stars on a menu that also boasts “soft, rich carnitas” and “flavor-packed” achiote chicken. Although the main vegetarian options were “fine,” a simple side of green beans was Bitker’s biggest highlight, but if it’s fried chicken you’re after, the fried chicken torta could be giving <a href="https://sf.eater.com/venue/bakesale-betty">Bakesale Betty</a>’s a run for the money.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="NRGXSZ">
<ul>
<li id="k4kFmt">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Che-Fico-12977186.php">Che Fico lives up to hype as most anticipated newcomer</a> [<a href="https://sf.eater.com/venue/san-francisco-chronicle">San Francisco Chronicle</a>]</li>
<li id="ldEZJI">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Dosa-by-Dosa-quickly-takes-fast-casual-to-a-new-12973979.php">Dosa by Dosa quickly takes fast-casual to a new level</a> [San Francisco Chronicle]</li>
<li id="rSRiVw">
<a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/comal-next-door-offers-solid-taqueria-fare-in-downtown-berkeley/Content?oid=17013824">Comal Next Door Offers Solid Taqueria Fare in Downtown Berkeley</a> [East Bay Express]</li>
</ul>
<aside id="vTjRMa"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"sf-eater"}'></div></aside>
https://sf.eater.com/2018/6/13/17460530/che-fic-review-bauer-critics-week-in-reviewAndrew Dalton2018-06-06T13:32:40-07:002018-06-06T13:32:40-07:00Napa’s Gran Electrica Gives Michael Bauer a Tortilla Buzz
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_wQUe2CQG0_udgWe54hc6MSeBnI=/320x0:5440x3840/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59978535/GE_67__1_.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Mimi Giboin</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also: an update from Terzo in Cow Hollow, the first word on Dyafa and rustic Thai in Temescal</p> <h4 id="okLahu">Avery</h4>
<p id="ZxfgwX"><em>Eater</em>’s Rachel Levin visited the latest “<a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/6/5/17430246/avery-review-fillmore-rodney-wages-tasting-menu-san-francisco">elaborate, expensive tasting menu</a> in a high-flying town that’s teeming with them.” Despite some awkward service and a cold atmosphere, chef Rodney Wages covers “all of culinary hedonism’s greatest hits” and Levin “revered, and demolished, almost every dish” on the 15-course menu. <strong>Two stars</strong>.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="tdVfrw">
<h4 id="SZHL8y"><strong>Gran Electrica</strong></h4>
<p id="e6pI08">In a full-length, unstarred review, <a href="https://twitter.com/linecook/status/1003804510051971072?s=21">noted local fedora-wearer Michael Bauer</a> buzzes with excitement for the housemade tortillas at <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Gran-Electrica-in-Napa-Mexican-cuisine-straight-12958767.php">Gran Electrica in Napa</a>. As the West Coast offshoot of the popular “straight outta Brooklyn” upscale Mexican spot, the restaurant has a built-in audience and a “tongue-in-cheek approach” that translates into cocktails that sound exotic — like a cucumber rhubarb margarita or the charcoal and mezcal negra negroni — but are, in Bauer’s critical opinion, “fine.”</p>
<p id="OGiIez">Foodwise, everything on chef Ignacio Beltran’s menu of Botanas, Tacos, Tostadas, Platos and Acompanamientos is “good,” Bauer says, but “consistency is still an issue” and dishes that fell flat on one visit were “electric” on another. One thing the kitchen has mastered though: the barbacoa in which, “the complexity unfolds in layers and each bite elicits a different impression.” That and the “excellent” tortillas. (Unrelated: whoever wrote “straight outta Brooklyn” into Michael Bauer’s headline needs to fess up right now.)</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="x0PsSe">
<h4 id="s5DGzk"> <strong>Terzo</strong>
</h4>
<p id="VqNFkq">Operating on a hot tip from “the OpenTable website,” Bauer also <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Terzo-feels-at-home-in-Cow-Hollow-12967160.php">dropped in to Cow Hollow’s Terzo</a>, to see what <a href="https://www.opentable.com/r/terzo-san-francisco?page=1">this 4.8 user rating</a> is all about. Bauer’s last memory of the restaurant dates back at least seven years, the critic notes, back to a time when an important debate was raging in the local restaurant industry: should tablecloths be allowed in our local dining establishments? At the time, Terzo, which has a neighborhoody Cal-Ital menu, came up with a clever solution: use tablecloths that cover only <em>part of</em> the table.</p>
<p id="hx6iP8">Anyhow, seven years later, Bauer has returned, the chefs have all been promoted, the dining room “still feels current,” the large plates are “particularly generous,” and the desserts are “fully realized.”</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="U5eu3v">
<h4 id="6zCKLc"><a href="https://sf.eater.com/venue/dyafa">Dyafa</a></h4>
<p id="Q2ZQRu">The sequel to Reem’s California “proves that Reem Assil is the chef to watch,” the <em>Weekly</em>’s <a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/dyafa-proves-that-reem-assil-is-the-chef-to-watch/">Pete Kane writes</a>. With a bigger, more formal dining room and Daniel Patterson’s Alta Group behind her, Kane is feeling Assil’s dedication to “the art of making perfect strangers feel as welcome as a beloved aunt” almost as much as the “pillowy, oven-fresh” and “comforting” pita coming out of the oven. The <em>salatet bakleh</em> with purslane, bulgur, and asparagus was “spot-on,” and the <em>haliyoon</em> with asparagus and fried egg was “remarkable,” leading Kane to conclude Assil’s biggest strength is “making deceptively simple-looking dishes burst with flavor.”</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="ZPbBhE">
<h4 id="z4LsMo">Bird & Buffalo</h4>
<p id="kbWRVj">Among the ever-growing variety of Thai restaurants in the East Bay, Temescal’s Bird & Buffalo “offers a unique experience,” Express critic <a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/bird-and-buffalo-serves-thai-soul-food-with-mixed-results/Content?oid=16716335">Janelle Bitker writes</a>. It’s Americanized in some ways (like the beer list and the dietary considerations) but the menu focuses on “simple, rustic” Thai cooking. The “casual, laid-back” spot offers rice bowls inspired by the roadside curry stands in Thailand — although the best orders are the “satisfying, balanced” stir-fried options, as Bitker found the actual curries to be a little more inconsistent. Bitker also recognizes Bird & Buffalo’s thoughtful vegan menu for it’s “comprehensive intent” and dishes that “felt on a par with [the] meaty options in the funk and spice departments.” That said, there were as many disappointments on the menu as high points. Skip the roast chicken and go for the lamb chops.</p>
<ul>
<li id="nlbEe0">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/diningout/article/Gran-Electrica-in-Napa-Mexican-cuisine-straight-12958767.php">Gran Electrica in Napa: Mexican cuisine straight outta Brooklyn</a> [San Francisco Chronicle]</li>
<li id="Gi3qCl">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Terzo-feels-at-home-in-Cow-Hollow-12967160.php">Terzo feels at home in Cow Hollow</a> [San Francisco Chronicle]</li>
<li id="W3V2B7">
<a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/dyafa-proves-that-reem-assil-is-the-chef-to-watch/">Dyafa Proves That Reem Assil Is the Chef to Watch</a> [SF Weekly]</li>
<li id="XOwFeS">
<a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/bird-and-buffalo-serves-thai-soul-food-with-mixed-results/Content?oid=16716335">Bird & Buffalo Serves Thai Soul Food with Mixed Results</a> [East Bay Express]</li>
</ul>
<aside id="yHlioF"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"sf-eater"}'></div></aside>
https://sf.eater.com/2018/6/6/17435144/reviews-michael-bauer-napa-gran-electrica-terzo-dyafa-pete-kaneAndrew Dalton2018-05-30T14:33:46-07:002018-05-30T14:33:46-07:00The Perennial Blooms in Michael Bauer’s Biennial Review
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<img alt="The Perennial" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5GZogS1AdFcpircmRhDAaC8C7Fw=/109x0:1886x1333/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59901525/ThePerennial_PChang-6073.0.0.jpg" />
<figcaption><a href="https://www.patriciachangphotography.com/">Patricia Chang</a></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Also: Comal’s new neighbor, fresh Indonesian in the Castro and a new ramen hotspot in Temescal</p> <h4 id="LDAYxI">The Perennial</h4>
<p id="lpCoDh">More than two years after his initial review of the Perennial, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/The-Perennial-makes-environmental-activism-taste-12944397.php#photo-15603873">Michael Bauer returned</a> to Anthony Myint and Karen Leibowitz’s high-concept <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2016/1/19/10784686/the-perennials-san-francisco-opening">dojo of sustainability</a> for an unstarred check-up. On his first go-round, Bauer had <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2016/3/18/11265284/michael-bauer-the-perennial-review">mixed impressions</a> that added up to a two and a half star review. While he initially felt the concept could be “at times… painfully politically correct,” he also saw opening chef Chris Kiyuna “finding his groove and standing tall” amidst all the restrictions. Now, with Myint and chef Michael Andreatta handling the kitchen duties, the restaurant proves “diners don’t have to give up pleasure to help reverse climate change.”</p>
<p id="TfMh4k">The beef tartare was “intense,” the viola and rue sorbet was “refreshing,” the vegetable barbecue “will make vegetarians rejoice,” and the pork medallions will be just as exciting for the carnivores, Bauer says. Although the tofu panna cotta turned out “chalky,” overall the restaurant has gained confidence and appeals beyond its activist roots.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="lyNT11">
<h4 id="1n1Rdg">Comal Next Door</h4>
<p id="V1heTh">Berkeley’s upscale Mexican mainstay Comal has a new fast-casual little sibling called Comal Next Door, Bauer writes in <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Comal-Next-Door-hits-all-the-right-notes-12954765.php#photo-15628056">another unstarred <em>Between Meals </em>column</a> this week. Comal’s head chef Matt Gandin runs both kitchens, so the quality — and the carnitas — “easily makes the move” to the smaller, taqueria-style setup. At Comal Next Door, the burritos are “fully realized” belly bombs, a single taco order is substantial enough to split into two, and the sizeable tortas should satisfy most appetites, especially when paired with the “always excellent” chips and salsas. For the always budget-conscious Bauer (and the legions of college students who make up the restaurant’s clientele) that’s all the restaurant needs to “hit all the right notes.”</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="RuxMsG">
<h4 id="hqtNln"> INDO</h4>
<p id="CnciIl">In the Castro, the <em>Weekly</em>’s Pete Kane went to the newest location of <a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/borneo-again-at-indo-in-the-castro/">Palo Alto Indonesian favorite INDO</a> for <em>martabak</em>, curry and duck <em>kapitan</em>. Martabak, a Yemeni version of samosas, are “almost like little, triangular beef Wellingtons,” Kane writes, and they should kick off any dinner inside the “low-key,” “dark and subdued” space. Although the prices are steeper than INDO’s predecessor Mekong Kitchen, Kane says there are “strong contenders” in the noodle section and the seafood green curry might be good enough make you switch from your favorite neighborhood takeout spot. The “most intriguing” dish, however, was the aforementioned duck dish with confit bird leg and kaffir lime sauce that provided “a great anchor” to the meal.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="B1wR1t">
<h4 id="eGwB9s">Marufuku </h4>
<p id="Maqknw">In Oakland, <em>Express</em> critic Janelle Bitker <a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/marufuku-new-oakland-ramen-royalty/Content?oid=16513019">swooped through</a> the <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2018/2/20/17032388/marufuku-ramen-oakland-opening-temescal-telegraph-japantown-sf">highly anticipated</a> Temescal outpost of San Francisco’s Marufuku Ramen to find what might be “the best Hakata-style ramen in the entire East Bay.” Marufuku’s 20-hour tonkotsu is an “incredibly creamy, rich broth” that “tasted luxurious without feeling heavy or overly salty,” Bitker says, and the accompaniments — from the scallions to the ceramic bowl itself — were “well thought-out.” The only downside was the “not particularly memorable” pork belly itself.</p>
<p id="r1sxVF">On the other hand, the <em>paitan</em> ramen — tonkotsu’s chicken-based relative — was “even more impressive,” Bitker notes, while pointing diners to the deluxe version that comes with a sizzling grilled chicken leg to balance out the milky broth. Looking out for the vegans in the audience, Bitker also probes manager Yuki Sakakibara for the secret to his off-menu but “stellar” vegan ramen. Made primarily from boiled Chinese cabbage, veggies and soybean oil, the vegan broth arrives just as milky and “rich in mouth feel” as the two meat-based versions. With a text message waitlist system that makes the line much more bearable, Bitker concludes “it’s hard to argue” with Marufuku’s results.</p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="nCSwue">
<ul>
<li id="iCbgLy">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/The-Perennial-makes-environmental-activism-taste-12944397.php#photo-15603873">The Perennial makes environmental activism taste good</a> [San Francisco Chronicle]</li>
<li id="GT2Cxv">
<a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/restaurants/article/Comal-Next-Door-hits-all-the-right-notes-12954765.php#photo-15628056">Comal Next Door hits all the right notes</a> [San Francisco Chronicle]</li>
<li id="UCw9S0">
<a href="http://www.sfweekly.com/dining/borneo-again-at-indo-in-the-castro/">Borneo Again, at INDO in the Castro</a> [SF Weekly]</li>
<li id="qpoobp">
<a href="https://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/marufuku-new-oakland-ramen-royalty/Content?oid=16513019">Marufuku: New Oakland Ramen Royalty</a> [East Bay Express]</li>
</ul>
https://sf.eater.com/2018/5/30/17410014/michael-bauer-perennial-review-indo-pete-kane-marufuku-temescalAndrew Dalton2018-05-25T10:08:44-07:002018-05-25T10:08:44-07:00Temescal’s Lanesplitter Pizza & Pub Will Become Artichoke Basille’s This Fall
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/T0UZ_jRbkoLzL1UxHRJZPAfIAmQ=/125x0:976x638/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/59853765/lanesplitter_temescal.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Lanesplitters Pizza & Pub in Temescal | Google Street View</figcaption>
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<p>It’s the next step in Artichoke’s nationwide expansion</p> <p id="oXolv8">After two decades of New York-style pizza and local craft beer, East Bay institution and homegrown mini-chain <a href="https://sf.eater.com/venue/lanesplitter-pizza-pub">Lanesplitter Pizza & Pub</a> will begin downsizing this year, making way for a new location of New York chain Artichoke Basille’s in the process. </p>
<p id="ZyJKQh">Lanesplitter, which currently boasts four full-service spots across Albany, Berkeley and Oakland, has already begun the process of transferring the liquor license at its Temescal location on Telegraph Avenue to Artichoke Basille’s franchisee Jim Trevor. After a refresh, Artichoke plans to begin pouring pints and serving slices under the new logo as soon as this Fall.</p>
<p id="YqkoGJ">Before opening Artichoke’s first West Coast outpost <a href="https://sf.eater.com/2013/11/12/6331659/artichoke-basilles-hot-slices-in-berkeley">in Berkeley in 2013</a>, Trevor helped open two locations in Chelsea and Greenwich Village, just as the chain was riding <a href="https://ny.eater.com/2011/10/14/6644135/new-yorks-10-worst-lines">a wave of celebrity-fueled popularity</a> in New York City. While there are no firm plans yet, Trevor hopes to spread the Basille’s brand even further throughout the East Bay with more locations around Downtown Oakland, Lakeshore and Berkeley in the near future.</p>
<p id="4X6hTz">“We observed a large number of customers traveling to the Berkeley store from Oakland,” Trevor said in a statement, “and many of the UC Berkeley students, who are some of our most loyal customers, move to Oakland neighborhoods after they graduate. I’m excited to bring New York’s best pizza to Oakland residents, and I have full confidence that Artichoke will be well-received by the city’s bustling food scene.”</p>
<p id="dDW4cK">Back on the East Coast, Artichoke Basille’s plans to expand its reach beyond New York City with additional multi-unit franchise deals headed to New Jersey and Connecticut. Meanwhile, in the East Bay, <em>Eater</em> has reached out to Lanesplitters owners Daniel Rogers and Vic Gumper for additional details about the changeup coming to Temescal and what the future might hold for their business. We’ll update when we hear back.</p>
<p id="1F5Y6z"><em><strong>Update, 10:45 am: </strong></em>In a statement, co-founders Rogers and Gumper write that the decision to hand off the Temescal location was a personal one driven by family issues, and complicated by last year’s fires in Sonoma. The change won’t affect the rest of their businesses, however, and “currently, there are no plans to close more locations.” Finally, on a lighter note, the pair are fans of Artichoke’s pizza and see the transition as a great fit. The full statement from Lanesplitter is below.</p>
<blockquote>
<p id="ITVSX7">Over the last twenty years Lanesplitter Pizza has faithfully served the East Bay with great pizza, great beer, and great service. It’s been an honor to serve this community and we are so thankful for the support and relationships that have been created. We look forward to continuing to serve this community as we evolve and improve as a business.</p>
<p id="rn6sBf">Two years ago, one of the co-founders made the decision to move to the North Bay to help his aging parents through end of life issues which unfortunately was further complicated by the fires in Sonoma County. Due to this change and his family commitment, the decision was made to sell our Temescal restaurant to allow us to focus on our other three locations and be able to manage them more effectively. We have loved being in Temescal and have a great relationship with the community. We have kept our employees in the loop through this process, while attempting to maintain employment for all of the staff who indicated a preference to stay. Currently, there are no plans to close more locations. </p>
<p id="WQUl1n">We have gotten to know Jim Trevor and encouraged our landlord to enable Artichoke Basille’s to expand into our location. It is very exciting to hear new ideas and we like their pizza. We really look forward to the location’s evolution. </p>
<p id="9pwOFA">Of course, we will continue to support our East Bay community from our other locations and look forward to serving you!</p>
<p id="Kqe8Ea">Thank you to everyone for your continued support! See you all soon!</p>
</blockquote>
https://sf.eater.com/2018/5/25/17387032/temescal-lanesplitter-pizza-pub-artichoke-basillesAndrew Dalton