Opinionated About Dining: How to Eat Five Meals and a Snack in 18 Hours in San Francisco

Tartare, Michael Mina, Yank Sing, Hog Island Oyster Company, Golden Gate Bakery and Gary Danko

I recently had a few business meetings scheduled in San Francisco. Never one to lose an opportunity for a meal in an exotic location, I quickly checked the American Airlines flight schedule to see how I could maximize the number of meals I could have during a short visit. It became obvious immediately—I could take a 9:15 a.m. flight, have lunch, make an afternoon business appointment, have dinner, have lunch during the break the next day, and an early dinner at the bar of some restaurant before taking the redeye back to New York at 10:00 p.m. Fortunately, good weather and tailwinds going in the right direction helped my cause, and I found myself sitting down for lunch at Tartare at 1:00 p.m. sharp. Dinner, too, went as planned, and then I caught a break the next morning when my meeting ended early and I was free by 11:00 a.m. Big fresser that I am, I took advantage of the situation by going directly to dim sum without passing Go, and then having a second lunch of 18 oysters and a glass of wine at a different restaurant. Otherwise, all I can say is that San Francisco is a beautiful city, and the only city I know where in order to walk up a hill, you walk down first and then catch the cable car back up. A truly American concept....continue

Tagine of Kobe Beef at Michael Mina; Tuna Tartare at Tartare and Lobster and Pattypan Squash Risotto at Gary Danko

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Coming soon: Spain including El Bulli, El Cellar can Roca, Raco de Con Fabes, Hispania and Garbet, France including Michel Bras, La Chamarre, Table de Lancaster and Chez Michel, London including Rasoi Vineet Bhatia, River Cafe. Clarkes, The Wolesley, La Famiglia, J. Sheekey, Mohsen, Patog and a guide to New York Small Plates dining.

Tartare – Because of the way people had written about Tartare, I thought of it as a restaurant comparable to Boulevard or some other large, upper-middle San Francisco restaurant. But it was bistro scale in size, probably not more than 45 seats. The menu seemed to be pared down for lunch, and it contained a larger fusion component than I was expecting. With dinner reservations at 6:30, I was determined to have a light lunch. So I stuck to two starters (both tartares) and a dessert. Tuna with mint, pine nuts, coriander, and hot oil (as in spicy) was delicious and one of the best tuna tartares I have had in a world full of boring tuna tartares. But the hand-chopped beef tartare was not as successful (although I should disclose that I am not a huge fan of steak tartare to begin with); I found that the beef wasn’t cut finely enough and, as a result, was a bit tough. A butterscotch pudding for dessert was creamy and delicious. And the wines by the glass were very good. I had a delicious glass of Hiedler Gruner Veltliner, which went perfectly with the tartares. Not a bad place, but not one where I feel the need to rush back. B-

Hand cut Beef Tartare with Duck Fat Fries at Tartare

Michael Mina – Less than five hours after leaving Tartare, there I was sitting down to dinner at Michael Mina with a friend. Criticism of this restaurant on OA was pretty harsh, but good trouper that I am, I was willing to take one for the team just to make sure. Much to my chagrin, the OA members turned out to be right. Compared to the hype and the ratings given to this restaurant by various newspapers, this was one of the most disappointing meals of the year. The concept is a good one. Take one or two prime ingredients, pair each one with a second ingredient, and send out a dish with six small preparations. Very Pierre Gagnairesque in style. Unfortunately, Mina doesn’t execute the concept well. When you begin with watery and mushy langoustines that had obviously been frozen, and not particularly fresh halibut that was somewhat fishy tasting, the concept falls flat on its face. That isn’t to say everything was bad, some pairings were tasty. But in general, at least half of them had some issue or problem which made the dish less than perfect. This restaurant has all of the bad things about upper-middle dining packed into one meal. It’s a shame, because as I said, the concept is a good one. But the result is more like a Vegas dining experience than being at Pierre Gagnaire, or even Gramercy Tavern, the standard bearer for restaurants of this caliber. Fantastic wine list, but the prices are abominably high. Barely recommended. C+

Kobe Roast Beef Served Three Ways at Michael Mina

Yank Sing – The last time I was in San Francisco in September 2004, I tried to resolve the Ton Kiang/Yank Sing controversy by having Sunday lunch at Ton Kiang. After my meal, I proudly announced that I still preferred Yank Sing, although I hadn’t been there in a number of years, and my comparison was from memory. My conclusion was met with mixed responses. A few people insisted that Ton Kiang was better, but my bravery at stating I preferred Yank Sing seemed to make some Yank Sing lovers come out of the closet. So on this visit I was determined to get to Yank Sing, but wasn’t sure I would have time due to my meeting. Then on the flight out to SF, I was reading R.W. Apple’s guide to American cities. In the San Francisco chapter, he addressed the Ton Kiang/Yank Sing controversy directly and he came down on the side of Yank Sing. I knew I liked that guy. So when my meeting ended at 11:00 a.m., I made a mad dash over to the restaurant which was about five blocks away. For me, it’s still Yank Sing in a TKO. The tinfoil chicken and the deep-fried dishes were glorious. The best dish of the day was a tranch of Chinese eggplant that was stuffed with minced pork, battered in cornstarch and deep fried until crisp. Steaming hot, it was like eating savory cake. I think where Ton Kiang has the edge on Yank Sing is in the sautéed vegetable dishes. There is more of an artisanal component to those dishes at TK. But overall, I officially pronounce Yank Sing the champ, although all of a sudden a legion of people have appeared who claim that Koi Palace is the best. A-

Hog Island Oyster Company – After my dim sum lunch, I hightailed it over to the Ferry Building Marketplace to sit at the bar and have a dozen oysters at the Hog Island Oyster Company. This was another meal I missed out on during my September trip because the wait for a seat at the counter was too long. But this time I got there at noon on the button, and ordered a dozen assorted oysters with a glass of Crement de Bourgorge. It’s a lovely way to knock back a platter of oysters, as the views over San Francisco Bay are marvelous. Unfortunately, the oysters weren’t as riveting as I would have liked them to be, and the California kumamotos were particularly bland. One variety of oyster from Todd’s Oyster Farm in Humboldt Bay, California, was superb, and I ordered an additional six of them. A nice second lunch, but I think we are getting near the end of oyster season, and we won’t be seeing brilliant oysters until the fall. One thing people were eating which looked and smelled delicious were Cowgirl Creamery grilled cheese sandwiches. Good place and friendly service. B

Golden Gate Chinese Bakery – There is always a tray of egg custards that are still warm from the oven. I bought one, along with a fried sweet rice and lotus cake and ate them as I walked down Grant. Superb and the height of Chinese baking in my book. B+

Gary Danko – There is a lot of negative commentary about this restaurant on the OA discussion forums. That is countered by a friend of mine who is a regular at the restaurant and who loves it. Fortunately for me, she joined me for an early dinner, and we were treated like royalty. My first visit here, this is classic American upper-middle cuisine that on occasion aspires to serve haute cuisine. The best dish I had were the glazed oysters with a lettuce mousse, reminiscent of the oysters in watercress mousse that Bernard Pacaud served me at L’Ambroisie in January. Obviously, these were not as good as Pacaud’s but they were delicious just the same, and I could have had a dozen of them. A risotto with pattypan squash was also delicious. Mains were less successful as the horseradish crust on the salmon was overcooked, and the lemon-herbed duck breast was ordinary, although the side of duck hash with strawberries that came with it was super. Not a great restaurant, but not a bad one either and sort of a better version of New York’s Gotham Bar & Grill. I seem to like it better than the OA members who live in San Francisco, possibly because I wasn’t expecting it to be a three-star restaurant. B