2017 All-Star Meals

As I mentioned in one of my first posts, picking favorites is hard to do. A great meal must have delicious food, well-balanced flavors, and an interesting menu — but it’s also about the company I’m with, the mood I’m in, the skill of the waiter, and restaurant’s decor. Even with so many variables, every year there are a few restaurants that truly stand out. Below I’ve compiled a list of the meals I had in 2017 that left me feeling especially energized and impressed by the culinary talent we have in California. These are the dishes that I kept dreaming about for weeks afterwards and the restaurants that I’m clamoring to return to. I divided the list into new SF restaurants (opened in 2017), old-ish SF restaurants (opened before 2017), and LA restaurants. I narrowed down each list to just my five favorites. The lists are in alphabetical order. Enjoy!

Best Meals at New SF Restaurants

• China Live (for working hands dumplings and soft serve sesame ice cream served in a beautiful space with a semi-hidden Scotch bar upstairs and a cool retail shop next door)
• Duna (for Eastern European food in the Mission —the cabbage rolls are delicious, but the potato bread and dips are the most important items to order)
• Epicurean Trader on Union St (for the most amazing sandwich I had all year — this is more of a market than a restaurant, but it still deserves to be on this list)
• Robin (for an inventive Japanese tasting menu with a great hip hop soundtrack playing in the background — choose how much you want to pay from $75–$175/pp)
• Rooh (for beautifully plated Cal-Indian food near the ballpark — a refreshing mix of traditional and nontraditional flavors)

Best Meals at Old(ish) SF Restaurants

• ‘Aina (for a flavorful modern-Hawaiian brunch or dinner in the happiest Dogpatch room — order the ribs at dinner and the Portuguese sausage hash at brunch)
• Cala (for a Mexican meal with a seafood heavy menu when you’re in the mood for a nice evening out — don’t underestimate the sweet potato with bone marrow)
• Californios (for my favorite tasting menu in San Francisco — stunning California cuisine with Mexican influence served in a tiny Mission restaurant — the super genuine, friendly service makes the experience even better)
• Nojo (for the best ramen in SF —when you’re finally seated, request the Chicken Paitan Soy Sauce, add a spice bomb on the side, and don’t bother ordering the small plates)
• Tartine Manufactory (for ingredient-focused, seasonal dishes that are simply and excellently prepared — every meal here is great, but the family-style dinner leaves me with the warmest, fuzzy feelings)

Best Meals at Los Angeles Restaurants

• Destroyer (for some of the most beautiful food I’ve ever eaten — surprisingly served in a casual cafe on a side street in Culver City — don’t miss the chicken confit)
• Kato (for a Taiwanese and Japanese influenced tasting menu for either $55 or $80/pp in a nondescript strip-mall west of the 405 — amazing food but no alcohol offered and no BYOB)
• Kismet (for a Middle Eastern brunch that is the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy — go at an odd hour, sit at the counter, order the Turkish-ish breakfast, flaky bread, and polenta with lamb)
• République (for a restaurant that serves a little bit of everything — and somehow it’s all really good — service is slow, but hopefully you’ll be distracted by the romantic mood and pretty architecture)
• Sqirl (for the brunch I never get tired of — try the cult favorites at least once (sorrel pesto rice, crispy rice salad, and french toast), but then move on to explore the rest of the menu and the daily specials)