San Francisco Restaurant Week is a chance for participating restaurants to showcase limited edition offerings to Bay Area residents.
Running from April 10-19, San Francisco Restaurant Week is run by the Golden Gate Restaurant Association. It was founded in 1936 by “a group of San Francisco restaurateurs who recognized the need for an organization to speak on behalf of the local restaurant industry,” according to the GGRA’s website. The GGRA’s mission is to empower the Bay Area restaurant community by promoting them to showcase certain dishes to drive customers to try meals for a fixed deal and leaving them wanting more.
The GGRA holds two SF Restaurant Week events every year, one in the spring and one in the fall. Golden Gate Xpress took a look at three outstanding participating restaurants.
Blue Plate
Walking down Mission Street, it’s difficult to not be immediately immersed in a diverse world of restaurants and bars.
Tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Mission St., one can truly experience the cozy energy that Blue Plate maintains. Dark blue and warm lighting and dark wood throughout the interior replicated a chic diner-style experience. With an open kitchen concept, chefs were busy cooking and prepping for a packed Tuesday night of Restaurant Week.
Blue Plate offered five small plate options for the first course. The first plate chosen was smoked trout deviled eggs topped with Castelvetrano olives, lemon and fried garlic. While not your traditional deviled egg, the trout flavor added a slightly smoky note that elevated all the other flavors. Making sure to incorporate every ingredient into each bite made it very clear that these pairings were thought out before being presented and served, each bite layered and balanced.
The next dish chosen was fried chicken. Simple? Yes. But making sure the chicken is flavorful and not overcooked is somewhat tricky. Yet, like the deviled eggs, the flavor was all there, with an insane crunch and juicy inside. The outer crispy battered layer clung to the chicken rather than sliding off, making each bite manageable and delicious. The fried chicken was served with a grilled scallion and pickled pepper potato salad and a heaping side of zesty jalapeño buttermilk dressing, which complemented each other perfectly, adding different variations of crunch in each bite.
A crunch theme ran throughout both courses and continued to dessert — an indulgent dark chocolate sea salt brown sundae with vanilla ice cream and candied almonds for a satisfying crunch. The brownie itself was perfectly crispy on the edges and rich in the middle, while the ice cream slowly melted throughout it. The sea salt elevated the complex mix of flavors for a showstopping night cap.
Lily
The next stop was Lily, a Vietnamese restaurant located in the Inner Richmond on Clement Street, focusing on showcasing traditional Southeastern Asian flavors and timeless recipes. After a typical frigid and windy San Francisco night, it felt like the right place to be. Walking in, the comforting aroma of spices and warmth immediately hit you like opening an oven in a cold San Francisco apartment.
The first dish offered, a smoked salmon and strawberry roll, was simple and set the stage for the vast array of flavors served throughout the remainder of the night. It was served on soft rice paper with smoked trout roe, making for a fresh, flavor-packed one-bite dish. The roll melts in your mouth, with the salmon eggs adding a creamy, savory punch that heightens the bite. The strawberry’s sweetness was subtle but absolutely necessary to keep the dish fresh and vibrant.
The next dish was a beef pho noodle soup made with thick-cut rice noodles, beef shin, basil and cilantro, an otherworldly and remarkable dish bursting with flavor. The broth itself could’ve been the dish and you’d still be satisfied. It was salty and rich, especially with the tender, thinly-cut fall-off-the-chopsticks beef shin. The noodles and beef were cooked to perfection, with the flavors of green onion, cilantro, fish sauce and freshly cracked black pepper. This is the type of dish that you’ll end up picking up and tipping your head back to get every last drop from the bowl.
In total, there were seven entrees to choose from. In true Hué style, we chose the braised oxtail. With the oxtail on the bone and covered in a large rice noodle, this massive dish came with a set of scissors to efficiently cut through the meat. Despite the hardware, the oxtail was perfectly cooked, falling off the bone and deeply flavorful, with a tender and spicy flavor from a lengthy braise. The rice noodles soaked up every last bit of flavor, making every bite count and closing the meal on a flavorful and memorable note.
Amelie
The last stop for restaurant week was the French wine bar, Amelie. Located in Nob Hill on Polk Street, it’s a popular spot on a Friday night. Upon entering, you’re greeted by a moodily-lit bar packed with people shoulder-to-shoulder like wine-drunk sardines. After you successfully shimmy your way through to the back of the bar, you’re met with tabletops covered with glasses of wine and small plates. The energy of this place made it feel like a summer night somewhere in the depths of Paris.
For the first dish, Amelie offered two options. The first was burrata and spring hummus, a flavorful and photogenic dish; as they say, the camera eats first. The fava and spring bean hummus made the dish comparatively lighter and creamier than traditional chickpea hummus, and offered a pleasant pastel green color. The burrata was exceptionally creamy when spread on the baguette, much like the hummus. The light pairing made the appetizer exceptional.
The aromatic Gratin de Ravioles du Royans with black truffle mushrooms was chosen over the Daube Provencale, a braised, marinated beef dish, for the second dish. You could smell the black truffle mushroom’s garlic and woodsy aroma all the way from the kitchen. The cheese-stuffed ravioli was baked under a crisp layer of melted cheese and topped with black truffle mushrooms. Warm and comforting, like a crockpot meal your mother used to make, this meal was packed with flavors, and the taste lingered in your mouth until it was swiftly broken by dessert.
The dessert of the night was a frasier, a classic French strawberry cake made with layers of airy sponge cake soaked in a strawberry syrup and topped with a rich vanilla pastry cream. This was the perfect note to end on as the mix of flavors was creamy, sweet and slightly tart. Each bite was as good as the last and it kept you feeling light after the damage had been done on the previous indulgent dishes.
Each restaurant was exceptional offering different atmospheres, food, and flavors. If you’re looking for a warm comforting meal on a cold night, Lily is the place to go. Looking for your new favorite go-to restaurant? Blue Plate offers the home cooked meal and diner experience. Wanting something a little more lively? Amelie has the energy, almost surpassing how good the food was when you become deep in your third glass of wine.
