To keep tabs on every S.F. restaurant and bar opening is folly. But to keep tabs on the most worthy? Yeoman’s work, and we’re proud to do it. Thus we present Table Stakes, a monthly rundown of the five (or so) must-know spots that have swung wide their doors in the past thirty (or so). Bon appétit.
ONE65
Union Square
Why now: Like an upscale, hyper-français version of Eataly, the multi-story ONE65 is opening in sections. Earlier this month came the ground-level pâtisserie, and just last week, a bistro and a wine bar. Still to come: a fine-dining spot on the upper floor.
Eat this: When in France, or a pleasing facsimile of it, do as they might, with frog legs and escargot (yes — they’re leaning hard into national dining clichés), steak tartare, des frites and ribeye steak straight out of the Josper oven. Don’t forget the macarons on the way out.
165 O’Farrell St. (map)
Sushi Nagai
Union Square
Why now: You’re looking for the next big thing in omakase, and you don’t blink an eye (or reflexively retweet that WaPo story) at a price tag of $250.
Eat this: Your $250 gets you around 15 presumably painstakingly selected pieces of sushi, courtesy of chef Tomonori Nagai. Also, bragging rights. And don’t tell, but it’s only $180 until the grand opening on June 4, so if you’re gonna go, go now.
125 Ellis St. (map)
La Guerrera’s Kitchen
Fruitvale
Why now: You want to support a family-run business in the East Bay, try out another La Cocina success story — or more to the point, just feel like some first-rate regional Mexican while enjoying Aloha Club cocktails.
Eat this: Whatever the mother-daughter team of Ofelia Barajas and Reyna Maldonado feel like preparing, whether a daily special like chicken pozole or a special event like a recent mezcal-and-mole brunch.
At Aloha Club, 952 Fruitvale Ave., Oakland, (map)
Wilkommen
Castro
Why now: We just discussed our favorite outdoor drinking and dining of the 2019 summer season — this is a funny time of year for an indoor biergarten. Until you consider that the low temp tonight will dip into the low 50s.
Eat (and drink) this: Brats and knockwurst from Rosamunde — and wash that down with 10 selects from Burning Man favorite Black Hammer Brewing (including, appropriately, its renowned Sparkle Pony).
2198 Market St. (map)
Dumpling Specialist
Parkside
Why now: Retirement didn’t sit well for Paul Yu, famous as the former dumpling master of Taraval Street at Dumpling Kitchen. Following Yu’s retirement in January, that restaurant’s now moving forward with a new team — but here, Yu and his daughter have set up a small, manageable new shop with just four tables.
Eat this: The dumpling list tops out at $5.95 (for shrimp/crab dumplings), so feel free to be extravagant. Maybe the wontons in chili oil, pan-fried potstickers and Yu’s speciality, the Shanghai dumplings?
1123 Taraval St. (map)
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