pretty by the bay

Before we moved to San Francisco, Corey asked a grad school friend who used to live here if he could compile a list of good SF restaurants. He replied that when he moved here and asked someone the same question, he was told, “Every restaurant in San Francisco is good. If they weren’t, no one would eat there and they would close.” True enough. There are certainly some bombs in our fair city, but for the most part, there are so many great places to eat it feels impossible to squeeze them all in. I’ve definitely hit several SF hot spots, but there are many more I’d like to try before Baby T. makes her arrival. (Rest assured, I’ll still go to restaurants after she’s here, but I have a feeling we might be limited in her first few months…)

Anyway, I’ve started a mental list of places to visit between now and October, and I was happy to hit two of those establishments in the past week. First up was Range, a Michelin-rated restaurant in the Mission District. The menu is small, but thoughtfully crafted, with an emphasis on seasonal flavors and ingredients. We started our meal with a surprising appetizer (pictured above) – seared scallops with crispy onions, braised greens and a fabulous broth that was buttery and rich. I neglected to write down exactly what it was, but the broth made the dish. (I say this appetizer was surprising because I normally hate scallops and their weird, gelatinous texture, but pregnancy has made me crave them like a mad woman!)

Entrees were equally delicious. For me: pan roasted bavette steak with squash blossoms, basil, wheat berries and parmesan jus. Again, the sauce (oh excuse me – the jus) made the dish a winner. It was a perfect complement to the beef.

For Corey: oven roasted chicken with a trumpet mushroom, erbette chard and fromage blanc bread salad. My entree was really good, but Corey’s was AMAZING. The chicken was perfectly roasted and the creamy fromage blanc took the bread salad over the edge of deliciousness.

I was so busy enjoying the food and the company of our dining companions (Erin and Adam – they’re also expecting their first baby, in August!) that I neglected to photograph the restaurant’s interior, but I have to say it was a welcoming and classy environment. The two pregnant ladies left feeling satisfied, which undoubtedly made our husbands equally content

After coming down from my Range high, I headed to another SF hot spot: Nopa. My friend Maria tagged along, and while I enjoyed her company and conversation as much as Adam and Erin’s, I took a moment to photograph the beautiful interior. Nopa is an open space with tons of natural light, and because we sat on the upper level, we had a great view of the main dining room, bar and kitchen.

Like Range, Nopa emphasizes local, seasonal and organic ingredients. We had a lovely amuse bouche of yellow romano beans drizzled with lemon olive oil and sea salt…

…and a heavenly appetizer of warm goat cheese with cherries, plums, frisee and crostini. Salty, sweet, crunchy and creamy, all in one perfect bite.

I couldn’t decide on an entree. Everything sounded delicious, but nothing jumped out as something I had to order. Remembering how good Corey’s roast chicken had tasted, I went with Nopa’s rotisserie herbed chicken with potatoes, mushrooms and dandelion greens. It was good, but not quite as good as what I tried at Range.

My mild disappointment was short lived, because dessert was the best part of the meal. Dark chocolate and cherry semifreddo with cocoa nib creme anglaise. It’s like ice cream cake. It’s like heaven.

With that, I’m well on my way to tackling my list of must-try restaurants. If you live in the Bay Area, feel free to suggest your favorites – if I haven’t yet been there, I’ll add them to my list!

*****

Random side note: I often blog and do other computer-related tasks in the morning while I drink my coffee and listen to bad morning news shows. I do a lot of this work on the couch with my laptop…apparently my other laptop has a problem with this.

This is Buddy’s morning ritual: force his way onto a tiny corner of the couch, nudge the laptop, and stare at me until I move it and make room for him. I guess I can’t blame him – he was here first!