OUR FAVORITE DISHES OF THE YEAR (SO FAR).
As we enter May, the year is officially (already!) one-third in the books. To mark the occasion, we’re recapping some of the best things we’ve eaten so far in 2017 — and in the process, perhaps steer you, dear reader, to some pockets of deliciousness. Me
A wet winter and subsequent lettuce shortage meant that chefs had to be even more creative with salads — kale only goes so far. Bar Agricole (355 11th St., S.F.) featured one of the best salads I’ve had, not just of the season, but in recent memory. Crunchy, rainbow-colored watermelon radishes, creamy avocado and thinly sliced kumquats were dressed in a light citrus vinaigrette. It was a triumphant study in contrasting textures and flavors. Best of all, it’s a dish I could easily re-create at home.
Hygge — the Scandinavian concept of coziness — has exploded on the home design scene, but it’s carried over to food, too. Earlier this month, Kristen Rasmussen de Vasquez of Rooted Food held a Nordic-inspired porridge pop-up at Pizzaiolo in Oakland. There were three porridges to choose. The two savory options (buckwheat, goat Gouda, soft-cooked egg, pea shoots and wild onion; millet, chicken, tamari, seared radish, crispy shallots and wood sorrel sauce) were both delightful. However, the sweet one was the showstopper: a mixture of heirloom grains, with a flavor of nutty cream of wheat, was garnished with cardamom, yogurt, maple syrup, crunchy bay nuts and a rhubarb crumble. — Sarah Fritsche
It’s been a tasty first quarter. Among other indulgences: Dino Bugica’s unforgettable spaghettini with pork cheek ragu at Diavola (21021 Geyserville Ave., Geyserville). I’d rather eat at this restaurant than anywhere in nearby Healdsburg. Also in Wine Country, I’ve happily made an entire meal out of the great vegetable dishes at Glen Ellen
Star (13648 Arnold Dr., Glen Ellen); the current menu’s cauliflower with labne and peanuts is beautiful.
I loved the dashi-based house ramen at Japantown’s
Hinodeya (1737 Buchanan St., S.F.), the lightest and most delicate — yet among the most flavorful — ramen I’ve had in San Francisco. Another noodle-soup honorable mention goes to the kanom jeen gang keaw wan gai I enjoyed at
Nute’s Noodles in Bernal Heights (903 Cortland Ave., S.F.), a vibrant green curry broth with eggplant, lime and — the best part of any noodle soup — soft boiled egg.
At Lolo (974 Valencia St., S.F.), the Perfect Stranger cocktail — gin, vermouth, oloroso, lemon, jalapeño, clarified goat’s milk — tastes just as delicious and surprising to me now as it did when I first tasted it, over a year ago. May they keep it on the menu forever. And I’ll soon be wrangling another big group to go back to Prizefighter (6702 Hollis St., Emeryville), where we’ll order the Derby Punch bowl again: Bourbon, peach, lemon tea, Prosecco, perfection. — Esther Mobley
“Foieaffle” — a waffle with foie whip and strawberry jaew — as part of Aaron London’s menu at Al’s Place (1499 Valencia St, S.F.). The foie whip uses fat from other foie gras dishes and piles in a fluffy mass on top of the buttery waffle, over a Thai-inspired spicy strawberry sauce. It reads like a breakfast waffle yet the flavors bring it someplace very different.
Caramelized carrot soup with coconut foam at In Situ (151 Third St., S.F.). This perfect sip of carrot soup, served barely warm, with a cappuccino-like coconut froth, is served as an amuse-bouche. The recipe comes from Nathan Myhrvold of “Modernist Cuisine.”
Vegetable paella with black garlic at Bellota (888 Brannan St., S.F.). At first I wasn’t sure
about getting a vegetarian paella at such a seafood-centric place, but it was full of rich mushrooms and greens, and the black garlic gave it a savory, funky depth in place of the usual squid ink.
Cold yuba noodles with sesame sauce and mung bean sprouts at Motze (983 Valencia St., S.F.). This light, bright version of cold sesame noodles is one of the dishes you can almost always find on the menu, which otherwise changes often. — Tara Duggan
It’s worth noting that I spent a large portion of my legal drinking years on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, stumbling out of the French Quar- ter’s Old Absinthe House and into the dining room of the Acme Oyster House. I have learned the world is made better by chefs who understand that the earthy, slightly bitter notes of absinthe somehow pair well with briny oysters. The oysters at Camino (3917 Grand Ave., Oakland) — baked in absinthe, topped with breadcrumbs and served with a daikon salad — are simple in preparation but beautifully complex.
I was once told that chef Sarah Kirnon of Miss Ollie’s (901 Washington St., Oakland) seasons her skillet-fried chicken by packing a special mix of herbs underneath the skin before frying it. I believe it. I also don’t care. All I know is Kirnon turned a humble dish into a celebration of Southern and Caribbean flavors. Slowfrying the pieces in a skillet only adds to an already impressive finished product.
I have spent years looking down on shortbread cookies, judging them for not having what I feel is a strong enough stand-alone flavor to truly be a fulfilling dessert. The buttery and subtly sweet taste, in my opinion, only shines when accompanied by something else, like a strong ice cream or gelato. Then I went to Shakewell (3407 Lakeshore Ave., Oakland). The restaurant’s salted caramel shortbread cookies were textured perfectly and full-bodied in taste. The gelato that accompanied it wasn’t even necessary. — Justin Phillips