Tag Archives: San Francisco prix fixe

Dining At the New 7 Adams

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An elegant pork collar at 7 Adams.
An elegant pork collar at 7 Adams.

Illuminated in neon, the lucky number “7” can’t be missed, indicating that you’ve not only found your destination but are fortunate to be in for a real dining treat.

That marks the spot of 7 Adams, the new restaurant by a former Michelin-starred power couple, that’s actually located at 1963 Sutter St. in San Francisco. Chef-Owner David Fisher, who opened it in November with his wife, Pastry Chef Serena Chow Fisher, named the restaurant for the street that he grew up on in upstate New York. Peninsula diners may also recognize the duo from their stints at Bird Dog in Palo Alto.

The couple previously operated Marlena in San Francisco, which earned a Michelin star in 2021 just a year after opening. But they decided to leave that restaurant last summer when a dispute with the owner came to a head.

The sign from the sidewalk.
The sign from the sidewalk.

It’s nice to see them rebound by teaming up with the Hi Neighbor Hospitality Group, which operates such successful establishments as Trestle and The Vault, both in San Francisco.

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Dining At Afici

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A spectacular uni pasta at Afici in San Francisco.
A spectacular uni pasta at Afici in San Francisco.

Few good things resulted from the pandemic. But one of them is surely Afici.

This South of Market fine-dining restaurant in San Francisco grew out of the pasta-oriented pop-up and takeout that Executive Chef Eric Upper of Alexander’s Steakhouse did during shutdown. A New York City native who worked at Auerole in New York, and Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas, Upper had the opportunity to lean into his Italian heritage, having studied Tuscan cuisine at Lorenzo de’ Medici School in Florence.

The pop-up proved so popular that it led the Alexander’s Steakhouse Restaurant Group to open Afici last summer.

The result is a stylish restaurant featuring inspired Italian specialties not found easily elsewhere, including house-made charcuterie made exclusively with prized A5 Wagyu.

I had a chance to experience Afici last week, when I was invited in as a guest of the restaurant.

Afici's bar and lounge.
Afici’s bar and lounge.

With the wacky weather of late that’s brought snow to the Bay Area, it was an especially nice touch to be greeted at the host stand with cups of warm ginger-infused tea.

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Sons & Daughters: Grand Food From A Tiny Kitchen

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A trio of amuses starts off the night at Sons & Daughters.

A trio of amuses starts off the night at Sons & Daughters.

 

When you step inside the doorstep of San Francisco’s Sons & Daughters, you can’t help but notice the open kitchen smack in front of you — mostly because of its size.

Put it this way: Walk-in closets are larger.

To see four chefs working so seamlessly in such close quarters gives you pause.

And to see the caliber of the food they manage to turn out there takes your breath away.

The elegant restaurant, dressed up with charcoal linens, chandeliers and large framed mirrors, was opened in 2010 by chefs Teague Moriarty and Matt McNamara. These days, McNamara also lives on and works the 83-acre Dark Hill Farm in the Santa Cruz Mountains, which supplies the Sons & Daughters Restaurant Group that also includes The Square in North Beach.

A sliver of a kitchen.

A sliver of a kitchen.

A 2015 Holm Oak Pinot Noir from Tasmania as part of the wine pairings.

A 2015 Holm Oak Pinot Noir from Tasmania as part of the wine pairings.

I had a chance to dine at the cozy 28-seat restaurant, when I was invited in as a guest a week ago. When you are seated, along with the menus (which have the name of your party printed at the top in a welcome message), you are presented with a leather-bound booklet that includes information and photos of the farm. Food scraps are composted on the farm, which produces fruits, vegetables, herbs, eggs, honey, and rabbits that inspire every menu. Indeed, on the back of the menu is a list of the season’s harvest that may be in the dishes that night — everything from redwood sorrel to apriums to ice plant to Buff Orpington eggs.

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