San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Pour it on
Che Fico is the hottest restaurant in San Francisco. Is it worth the hype?
The most anticipated opening this year so far was that of Che Fico, and from the minute it opened in April reservations were nearly impossible to get before 10 p.m. Now, when most restaurants are winding down at that hour, it feels as if Che Fico is ratcheting up with all those willing to forgo weeknight slumber for late-night satisfaction.
At prime dining time, dozens of people without reservations line up on the stairs that lead to the 100-seat dining room, jockeying for one of the 20 nonreserved spaces at the bar or communal table.
Part of the buzz arises from the good looks of the place. Jon de la Cruz, who made a name working with interior designer Ken Fulk before going out on his own, has created an interior that’s vibrant and noisy — Che Fico feels like a place you want to be. In a secondstory, warehouse-like space, the high wood ceilings have been sandblasted to reveal raw wood, the rough concrete walls contrast with the bright wallpaper featuring pomegranates, and a dizzying array of patterned tiles paves the floors. Large windows overlook Divisadero, a street that’s beginning to rival Valencia as a restaurant destination.
The space is further defined and warmed by the black metal drop-canopy ceiling over the bar. Even the simple containers of flowers or berries on each table and the bright red salumi cooler (which eventually will populate a category that now says “Coming Soon” on the menu) all add to the allure.
Chef-owner David Nayfeld adds a new take on Italian food in a menu that covers all the expected areas, including pizza and pasta. One addition that sets the menu apart is contained in a box titled Cucina Ebraica featuring five dishes that are reflective of Nayfeld’s Jewish-Italian heritage.
Refugees from Belarus, his parents lived six months in Rome waiting for their refugee status. When Nayfeld went to Italy while planning the restaurant, he was drawn to the Jewish Ghetto in Rome. While the Jewish population has been scapegoats for centuries, its food had permeated the culture. I’ve always contended that when talented chefs mine their heritage, great things happen on the plate, and it’s true here. These dishes are special (which is not to imply that the others aren’t good).
There seems to be an extra layer of care and understanding in the Jewish dishes. Grilled chopped duck liver ($11) looks like a wreath with half-moons of purple daikon, sesame seeds and white leek blossoms providing a brilliant contrast to a deep blue plate. I’ve rarely seen such a rustic dish so elevated by presentation.
The suppli ($4 each), molten rice similar to arancini, are wrapped in a paper cone and are gooey with fontina and stained pink by tomatoes. These are a particularly good way to start, along with one of the house cocktails ($14). Each has an herbal base and they are named Basil, Pepper, Coriander, Thyme and Rosemary.
Some diners might avoid two dishes because of the ingredients, but that would be a mistake. In the chicken heart and gizzard salad ($14), the offals are well mixed (or disguised) with whole new potatoes, peas, pickles cut into thin coins, chopped olives and aioli. Diners get a modicum of the meaty flavor distinguished by the slightly chewy texture. In another, beef tongue ($14) is loosely draped around piles of pickled mustard seeds, salsa verde and crispy capers — a combination that is equally bold and inviting.
Every dish, even the familiar, has added allure. The chopped salad ($11/ $17) incorporates fava greens with chicories, salami, smoked provolone, Castelvetrano olives and chickpeas in a
pleasantly acidic vinaigrette.
Nayfeld became a certified pizzaiolo in Naples, but his version is very different than the traditional Neapolitan. He worked months to perfect the sourdough crust, and waiters have to explain that the blackened edges are intentional. He realizes it might not be a style that everyone will embrace.
My favorite is Ode to Judy Rodgers ($18), after the late chef at Zuni Cafe. More than 15 years ago, when Nayfeld was working at Michael Mina, he went to Zuni, a restaurant he says was pivotal to his career. He had never seen ricotta salata on a pizza paired with marinara sauce. The addition of this cheese works particularly well here because it smooths the slightly acrid flavor of the charred crust.
The chef is also obsessed with the pasta. Most are made in-house, whether it’s the fat orecchiette ($26) that stand up to chunks of fennel sausage, broccoli rabe and goat butter; or a lighter mafaldini ($19) with fava leaf pesto, hazelnuts, preserved Meyer lemon and ricotta salata.
Three larger plates are offered, and each is fully realized: A wood-fired chicken ($29) in a sauce with onions, agrodolce and chiles; wood-fired pork loin and belly with slow-roasted onions ($44) and a fava greens salad with cherries; and my favorite, slow-roasted lamb loin ($45 half/$85 whole) with roasted potatoes, lamb drippings and a refreshing watercress salad.
There’s an equal dose of star power in the dessert department: pastry chef Angela Pinkerton, who won the James Beard award as Outstanding Pastry Chef while at Eleven Madison Park in New York. Highlights from her menu are the gelato and sorbet options (one scoop $4, two scoops $7), and the rhubarb crostata ($18 to serve two) with its slightly smoky flavor from the woodfired oven, topped with fior di late gelato.
All the rightful buzz around Che Fico has also had a negative impact. The place is so popular that if you call or email, no one may respond. It’s almost as if the staff is trying to reinforce the idea that it’s the hottest restaurant to open in the last year. It is, but a noncaring or arrogant attitude is the best way to cool the crowd. There’s a thin line between busy and a brush-off, which is how several people I know interpret the lack of responsiveness. Those who persevere (or who maybe know the owners) will likely be satisfied. It’s this happy convergence of food and atmosphere that helps to make Che Fico the most sought-after reservation in town.