There are plenty of great brunch options in San Francisco; Foreign Cinema, Canteen and Maverick to name a few. Point is, there is really no reason to leave the city for a good morning meal, except one, the fog.
Just a few minutes north of the Golden Gate Bridge you’ll find this small restaurant somewhat hidden in one of Sausalito’s posh docks. It may take some driving around to actually find the place but you will quickly realize it’s well worth the trip. As you take out the fleece jacket and give your skin some welcomed vitamin D, the sight of the city covered in fog in the distance is curiously rewarding.
The restaurant itself is unpretentious and welcoming. During the summer, its large garage doors remain rolled up merging the dining room with an open outside patio. The ambiance is a mix of sports bar and yacht club; simple and unfussy.
Sunlit tables run out quickly when brunch service starts at 10am. After that, you may have to wait a little; but don’t worry, thanks to efficient service and maybe the somewhat uncomfortable chairs, table turnover shouldn’t take too long.
Le Garage is the brainchild of the ex-chef and ex-general manager of Chef Papa–curiously, the place I had one of the most disappointed brunches in the city. But not here.
The menu
Le Garage offers classic brunch dishes with a few French twists. The menu has about 11 options; between savory and sweet, the selection is very appetizing. Prices range from $8 (for a bowl of yogurt with granola and fruit) to $15 for more elaborate dishes. The regular dessert menu is also available during the morning hours and, before 10am you can order coffee and pastries.
The meal
The drip coffee is brewed on the weak side, diner style. For a more flavorful drink order an Americano; it comes with frothed milk on the side. Lattes are also fairly mild.
Eggs Benedict – Smoked salmon, hollandaise on a baguette w/ roasted potatoes. Perfectly poached eggs and tasty potatoes with plenty of roasted garlic cloves make this a very successful dish.
Oeuf à la coque -2 soft-boiled eggs and black truffle butter mouillettes served w/ proscuitto, grilled asparagus + shaved parmesan. This inventive dish is a nice option for foodies with a lighter appetite–it will leave you happy but maybe a little bit hungry.
Omlette w/ St. Nectaire, cured duck and caramelized onions served with roasted potatoes. A perfectly cooked omelet with savory duck, sweet onions and the deliciously nutty, rich St. Nectaire–a French, semi-soft cow’s milk cheese.
Omelette w/goat cheese, Loch Duart Salmon, crème fraîche, red onions, dill, served with mixed greens. Not quite as successful as its counterpart but still very good.
Pain Perdu - brioche French toast with crème fraîche & a house made fresh berry compote. Good as a main course or as dessert, but not as good as Canteen’s.
From the appetizing dessert menu, Grilled stone fruit w/ organic pinot blanc jus, crème fraiche & a palet Breton. Even though I was expecting a warm dessert, the chilled dish is pleasantly surprising. Flavorful and refreshing.
In short
All in all, there are better brunch options in the city but Le Garage offers a good alternative with higher chances of sunshine. It’s worth going, if for nothing else, to see the San Francisco fog far in the distance as you enjoy a good French fare outside. No vest required.
Le Garage is at 85 Liberty Ship Way, Suite 109
For reservations, call 415.332.5625
Le Garage, Sausalito
A16, San Francisco
Last week San Francisco diners and foodies all around received the surprising news that Nate Appleman had resigned his position heading the kitchen at A16 and SPQR. Appleman, a 30-year-old from Ohio recently received a Best rising star chef award by the James Beard Foundation–the Oscars of the culinary world. Appleman’s popularity is in large due to his work at A16, the hip Italian eatery in the Marina where he spent the last 3 years.
The small facade on Chestnut Street hides a long dining room that extends through 3 different areas and ends on a small covered patio. The space is packed with tables like a discount airliner that tries to squeeze in a few extra seats on an already crowded plane.
The atmosphere is casual and warm. Figuratively and literally speaking. The wood-burning oven in the middle of the room produces some of San Francisco’s best pizzas but also one of the city’s hottest dining rooms. Add to that poor air circulation and the heat inside can be quite uncomfortable.
If you can choose where to sit, the cooler areas are the patio and the bar; both benefit from an occasional outside breeze. Next comes the main dining room where the slightly higher ceilings shave off a few degrees. But one area in particular offers less fortunate diners an especially unpleasant atmosphere. The mid dining room is so dark and hot that sweating is guaranteed. On my second visit, I had to ask to move to the bar after 5 minutes of full body roasting.
If you can ignore the heat, the interior design is welcoming and unfussy. Service is friendly and sharp, even under abnormal circumstances. On my first visit, our server kept her cool while two tables down a team of paramedics removed a diner who became ill. Could it have been the heat?
But there’s a good reason A16 is such a hot spot–figuratively speaking. It’s all about Appleman’s cuisine.
The menu
The restaurant, named after a highway in the south of Italy, offers a soulful Italian fare created with seasonal ingredients from a careful selection of local purveyors. Appleman’s menu includes his famous Neapolitan pizzas ($11 to $16) and house-made salumi (about $10 per serving or $15 for a tasting). It also features 9 appetizers ($4 to $12), 4 pasta dishes ($10, $18 for entrée size) and 5 meat entrées ($22 to $24). Each main course includes a side dish.
The meal
A16 serves their sliced bread with a generous portion of peppery olive oil. Save some of the oil if you order a pizza, there’s nothing better than dipping its crust in it.
Marinated San Remo and Castelvetrano olives. The bright green olives imported from Italy are even better marinated in olive oil and spices.
A great starter is the Zuchinni, olives and shaved parmesan salad. A very successful appetizer; light, fresh and crunchy.
Roasted Monterey sardines with fried breadcrumbs, currants, pickled chiles and herbs. Here, the tender, fresh sardines meet the crunchiness of breadcrumbs. The only missing element; acidity.
The restaurant’s wood burning oven produces an amazing pizza crust, beautifully charred and deliciously chewy. It’s not as crispy as Gialina’s but as good as Flour + Water’s. Seven toppings and a few add-ons are available; among them, Funghi – roasted mushrooms, smoked mozzarella, grana padano, garlic, oregano, wild arugula. Layered with flavors, this pie is just great.
Squid ink tonnarelli with octopus, black olives, tomato, chiles and garlic. In this tasty pasta, the same fried breadcrumbs found on the sardines are added for texture.
Appleman’s roasted meats are also worth trying. His house-made lamb sausage is exceptional. Served with root vegetables and paired with any of the restaurant’s side dishes. I recommend the Cannellini beans with garlic and oregano. Flavorful and creamy.
Desserts at A16 won’t disappoint. Selections change daily and include house-made gelatos in addition to more sophisticated sweets like a parfait made with candied rhubarb and mint.
The restaurant semifredos are also very good, this one made with macadamias and caramel.
In short
One of the most popular restaurants in the northern part of the city is packed with locals in a hip and a little too warm atmosphere. Its Italian cuisine was made famous by the talented Nate Appleman. For the restaurant, it remains to be seen how its food will fare with the departure of its star chef. For Appleman, foodies everywhere wait anxiously to hear where he’ll stop next. Wherever that is, it’s guaranteed to become another hot spot. But hopefully one that is also cool; literally, not figuratively speaking.
A16 is at 2355 Chestnut St.
Online reservations
Bushi-Tei, San Francisco
In the heart of Japan Town, amidst traditional eateries and authentic Asian markets is a small, modern restaurant that stands in contrast with the local heritage. Its all-glass façade provides passersby a full view into the 40-seat dining room, a space that blends elements of contemporary design with Japanese wooden planks dating back to 1863.
A communal table takes center stage surrounded by a handful of 2-tops covered in pristine white linen tablecloth. At the end of the room, a mezzanine gives those looking for more privacy a place to hide.
Despite the modern flair, the dining experience at Bushi-Tei is rooted in traditional Japanese fine dining with formal, attentive service and great attention to details. From the dining room design to the tableware, each element was carefully selected or originally designed by the 2 partners Tak Matsuba & Seiji 'Waka' Wakabayashi.
Chef Waka’s cuisine brings together disparate culinary cultures in beautiful synergy. Japanese fare meets French technique with appetizing concoctions but a somewhat anachronistic sense of inventiveness. Waka’s innovations seem to take more cues from a decade or so ago than from contemporary cuisine. A time before foams, airs and liquid spheres. A time when tuna tartare and molten chocolate cakes could be found in pretty much any restaurant menu.
The menu
The à la carte selection at Bushi-Tei includes 6 appetizers ($6 to $20) and 5 main courses ($28 to $35). Two prix fixe options are also available; curiously, prices are not printed on the menu. A 3-course omakase ($49) or the 5-course Waka’s omakase ($95) put diners in the hands of the talented chef.
The meal
The attention to details you see in the interior design is mirrored in Waka’s cuisine. The water, for example, is purified in-house and served with a pH of 8.5 to 9.5; a level above average which the restaurant guarantees to make for a more velvety and smoother drink. Meanwhile, all produce is washed in acidic water at pH 3.
The meal starts with a basket of brown rice bread and paper-thin crushed seaweed chips.
An amuse bouche of marinated scallops on crispy toast comes next.
One of Waka’s signature appetizers is the Miso-marinated wagyu beef, upland cress, apple, fennel, French blue cheese. A delicate concoction of crispy salad rolled on carpaccio-like slices of beef.
Big eye tuna tartare, tobiko, wasabi crème fraîche, coriander seed, herb oil. Presented in a neat tower layering its rich ingredients, this appetizer has a mild, fresh taste but lacks in originality of flavors.
Lobster and crab, chrysanthemum leaf, papaya, bacon, ginger cream, curry oil. While I expected a lobster and crab salad, this dish is more of a green salad with lobster and crab. Although generously portioned, the amount of greens could be easily cut in half.
From the main courses, my favorite was the Kurobuta (Berkshire pork), coco blanc beans, bacon apple-ginger chutney. Called Kuronuta (black hog) in Japan, it is referred to as the Kobe beef of pork. Its finer marbling and shorter muscle fibers yield a much more tender and flavorful meat. In this dish, it’s complemented by flavorful, aromatic beans and a crispy, thin bacon strip.
Sonoma duck breast, baby mizuna, mascarpone mustard, dried chutney. A tasty dish albeit somewhat on the dry side.
Bushi-Tei offers a good selection of desserts–a welcoming French addition to the Japanese cuisine. Among them, Mocha parfait. Berry confiture. A semifredo-like dessert, creamy and rich.
Flourless chocolate soufflé cake. Roasted strawberry, organic milk ice cream. Not very original but quite satisfying. 
Apple dumpling. French vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce. A more filling dessert, tasty and sweet.
Black sesame blancmange. Pineapple salsa, coconut milk reduction. A lighter option with French technique and Japanese sensibility.
In short
Bushi-Tei’s Modern, elegant atmosphere is a fresh addition to Japan Town’s traditional restaurant landscape. Waka’s progressive Japanese/French cuisine is worth trying, even if its inventiveness seems a bit stuck in time.
Bushi-Tei is at 1638 Post Street
Online reservations
La Mar, San Francisco
You may not have heard of Gastón Acurio, but in his homeland the celebrity chef is a mix of George Clooney and Emeril Lagasse. His popularity is enough to draw cameras and handshakes everywhere he goes. The 41-year-old chef has 29 restaurants worldwide, over 20 books and several TV shows with his name. He is doing for Peruvian food what Paul Bocuse did for French cuisine–evolving it in the kitchen and changing its role to the rest of the world. But curiously, it all happened by chance.
Son of a prominent Peruvian politician, Gastón was sent to Madrid to attend law school. It was a few hours drive from the capital, in the small town of San Sebastian, that one dinner changed his life forever. A meal that pushed Gastón to embrace his lifelong passion, drop out of law school and enroll at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. A meal cooked by Juan Mari Arzak; a Spanish chef that, like Bocuse, redefined his homeland cuisine and gave it worldwide appeal.
La Mar is Acurio’s first step in turning Peruvian food into an international sensation. Fifteen years after opening his first restaurant, the chef has taken his new franchise to Brazil, Chile, Mexico and US. San Francisco was selected as his first North American address and New York, Dallas and Las Vegas are in the planning stage. Assuming all goes well, Gastón is destined to put Peruvian gastronomy in Uncle Sam’s map.
Located at Pier 1 ½, just a few steps from the Ferry Building, La Mar has one of the most enviable spaces in San Francisco. Flooded with natural light, the ample dining room is complemented by a lively bar, a lounge and a coveted patio with views of the bay.
The interior design is simple, combining earthy colors with a bright beach-like palette of cyan, orange and green. The colorful theme is repeated on menus and paper placemats printed with La Mar’s logo–a design choice normally associated with large restaurant chains, something that I believe cheapens its image. The atmosphere is informal and welcoming albeit with a slight touristic flair.
Almost as big as the dining room is the open kitchen equipped to serve about 200 diners.
The good-looking wait staff is attentive and well trained. In my two visits, curiously the female servers seemed more enthusiastic than their male counterparts.
The menu
La Mar’s menu offers an appetizing selection of revisited Peruvian classics prepared with great technique and fresh, seasonal ingredients. Ceviches are a must. There are 6 types (priced around $17 or $10 for a smaller portion during lunchtime). A ceviche tasting ($28) gives diners the option to try 4 of them. Other specialties include about 30 appetizer-sized dishes ($9 to $16) and main courses ($17 to $29). Sharing is highly recommended, mostly so you can try multiple things.
The meal
Crispy potato, sweet potato and plantain chips served with 3 dipping sauces color coded by heat level. Green for mild, yellow for medium and red for spicy. Each one made with a different Peruvian chili pepper, spices, queso fresco, milk, olive oil and thickened with ground crackers.
Some signature ingredients in Acurio’s Peruvian cuisine make an appearance in several of his dishes. These 3 sauces are among them.
You can’t leave La Mar without trying a ceviche (called on the menu as cebiches). They are unlike most ceviches in San Francisco in which the acidity of the lime completely overpowers all other flavors. Gastón’s are made with leche de tigre (tiger’s milk), a light marinate of lime juice and chili peppers. The liquid from the ceviche is so flavorful that the restaurant offers a tasting of 5 leches de tigre shots–said but not guaranteed to have aphrodisiac properties.
Cebiche clásico. California Halibut and red onions in habanero pepper leche de tigre with Peruvian corn and yam. Simple and delicious.
Cebiche chipotle. Scallops, calamari, shrimp, red onion, cilantro, habanero, in a chipotle leche de tigre with Peruvian corn and yam. Beware, as the red color suggests, this one is flavorful but very spicy.
Empanadas de lomo saltado. Stuffed with beef tenderloin, red onions and tomato. The classic Latin American pastry turnover is filled with chopped grass fed beef and baked until crispy. A tasty appetizer.
Anticuchos de pulpo. Grilled octopus skewers, herbed mashed potato with chimichurri sauce and ají panca. La Mar offers a variety of anticuchos–barbecued skewers similar to kebabs. The octopus is tender and smoky but the herbed mashed potatoes is a bit on the dry side.
Anticuchos de lomo. Grilled marinated skirt steak served with shaved red onions and Peruvian corn. Flavorful and tender, the meat is simply exceptional.
Arroz Norteño. North Peruvian seafood combination with mussels, shrimp, octopus, clams, and fried rice with cilantro and Huancaína sauce. The majority of La Mar’s menu is made of appetizer-size dishes perfect for sharing. A few main courses are available like this Peruvian version of a Paella in which cilantro is used instead of saffron to give the rice a rich color and flavor.
Picarones. Traditional warm pumpkin and sweet potato fritters with spiced Chancaca honey. Desserts at La Mar are generously portioned. Denser than the traditional American doughnut, the Picarones have a pronounced pumpkin flavor and can be easily shared by 2 or 3 diners.
Suspiro limeño. Classic dulce de leche mousse with port wine meringue. This dessert is more like a runny pudding than a mousse but, consistency aside, it’s tasty and sweet.
In short
Beyond its impressive looks, La Mar is the best Peruvian restaurant in San Francisco. Gastón Acurio’s food brings a contemporary flair to classic dishes. His cuisine is at the same time authentic and highly approachable. Go to La Mar if you love Peruvian fare and if you don’t think you do. The accidental chef may change how you see his hometown cuisine after all.
La Mar is at Pier 1 ½
Online reservations
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