STATE BIRD PROVISIONS >

State Bird Provisions is the San Francisco dining zeitgeist that won’t die. Eight years after Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski opened their Fillmore Street restaurant, the Californian-Japanese register of their food feels just as original, the dim sum format is just as much fun and, yes, a reservation is just as difficult to get. Without feeling rushed, meals here are fast-paced, adrenaline-pumping affairs. Pro tip: Dim sum lovers are familiar with the predicament: How much should you order off the menu when you don’t know how many delectable goodies will be passing by your table? At State Bird, three menu items (at least one of which needs to be a pancake) is usually a good place to start before supplementing with items from the dim sum cart. You must save room for Krasinski’s desserts. Favorite detail: There’s an uncommonly thoughtful beer list here, thanks to beer director Ben Henning. This would be a good place to spring for a 750ml bottle (or a split, if you’re planning to follow it with wine) or a food-friendly, complex, hardto-find sour beer — Henning’s specialty.

Order: Pancakes are obligatory; the classic SBP pancake is made with sourdough and stuffed with sauerkraut, Pecorino and ricotta ($7). From the “commandables” (main dishes) section of the menu, don’t skip the carrot mochi, which seem to melt around bonito and umeboshi ($20). Highlights from the dim sum cart include guinea hen dumplings in a bright Meyer lemon broth ($3), a little bowl of silken tofu with savory, smoky black cod ($6) and potato chips with a creamy-crunchy smoked trout dip ($12). For dessert, order whatever granita is on offer, its fruity ice laid over barely sweet tapioca pudding ($12), and the ice cream sandwich du jour ($12), and wash it down with a shot of peanut muscovado milk ($3).

1529 Fillmore St., San Francisco. 415-795-1272 or www.statebird sf.com. Dinner daily. Reservations and credit cards accepted.

— E.M.