Located in a quiet block in the Mission district, Saison is tucked away in the back of an 1800’s stable that once served as the Mayor’s carriage house. The space today houses a coffee shop and serves as incubator for a collective of small local businesses. On weekend nights, Saison takes over the kitchen and transform the remodeled stable into one of San Francisco’s most exciting dining innovations.
Reservations are taken one month in advance on its website and upfront payment is required before confirmation. Guests are asked to arrive promptly at either 5 or 8pm as the restaurant only provides 2 scheduled seatings a night.
Diners gather in a small patio outside surrounded by lemon trees and bougainvillea vines. The hostess checks names on a guest list. Champagne is served. The dining room awaits quietly inside, the sound of clinking pots and pans can be heard in the distance. There’s a sense of exclusivity and excitement driven by the mystery of what comes next.
Thirty minutes after arrival, each party is taken to their table, one by one. And even though the dining room is accessible from the patio through a wide sliding door, the path of choice takes diners through the ample kitchen. A move that opens the curtains to the chef’s realm and turns foodies into groupies with a backstage pass.
Season’s concept is about fine dining sans its formality. Traditions are demystified to prove that you can eat extremely well without what they consider unnecessary fuss. The rustic ambiance is designed to celebrate simplicity and focus diners on the luxuriousness of the food. Wall art choices are questionable–what’s intended to look like a gallery feels more like a collection of objects from an arts-and-crafts fair. But all in all, the atmosphere is welcoming enough to make you feel comfortably at home.
This balanced informal elegance is present in many details. From the well-trained wait staff wearing pristine white shirts and ripped designer jeans to the constant changing of brand new silverware placed on the bare wood table, no white linen in sight.
The menu
Saison serves a true menu confiance, one of the only ones in San Francisco. A tasting menu carefully conceived by the chef but not revealed in advance so every dish is presented as a surprise. Food allergies and restrictions can be accommodated but no vegetarian options are available. Like many Michelin starred restaurants in Europe, this is a place for open-minded diners that are willing to put their palates in the hands of the talented chef.
Chef Joshua Skenes started his culinary career working for Jean-George Vongerichtten and later headed the kitchens of Chez TJ and Michael Mina’s Stonehill Tavern. At Saison, he creates an ever-changing menu based on the freshest offers from the restaurant’s network of small purveyors. The six-course meal is priced at $70, a wine pairing is optional for $40.
Somelier Mark Bright serves thoughtful pairings from organic producers around the world. And in another successful attempt to break restaurant conventions, refills here are free.
The meal
The sight of Saison’s open kitchen is as distracting to a culinary enthusiast as a blackberry is to a workaholic. After each course, you can’t help but watch the nonstop movement of cooks skillfully plating dish after dish, and try to guess what will come next.
The meal begins with warm bread and soft butter with salt crystals.
For amuse bouche, 2 dishes are served, each dinner gets one of them. Yellow watermelon with vadouvan spices and paneer cheese.
Or red watermelon with Pedro Jimenez vinegar and black olive. A refreshing start with mild flavors.
Slow cooked Sonoma Farms egg with Osetra caviar and dashi zabaglione served with brioche toasted with seaweed butter. A delicate dish with complex savory flavors.
Crispy vegetables salad with ice lettuce, shaved cucumbers and borage. Beautifully arranged in a Kandinsky-like abstract composition. Underneath it, raw slices or golden eye snapper with Meyer lemon crème fraîche. Delicate flavors and a nice balance of textures.
Monterey Albacore with dashi butter froth and seaweed bouillon. Tender like butter, the fresh fish is nicely complemented by the crunchiness of the seaweed and the aroma of dill.
Four Story Hills Suckling Pig with Perigord truffle jus. Prepared 3 ways; loin, fromage de tête and leg. Served with a small watercress, ice lettuce and gala apples salad on the side. A very flavorful dish that, even though not perfect (the head cheese’s texture was a miss) has outstanding elements. The leg meat literally melts in your mouth, its flavor only trumped by a crisped pork skin that accompanies it–what I’d describe as a heaven’s bonbon filled with pork fat ganache. Or in other words, something to die for.
For dessert, lemon thyme panna cotta with diced Frog Hollow Farm Peaches macerated in lemon, peach peel gelée and lemon thyme froth. On the side, a crunchy Meyer lemon sea salt cookie complements its textures and flavors. A very good dessert that celebrates the end of summer.
After the mignardises, the moment comes when you stand up and leave without dealing with the bill. Everything is taken care of, and even though you paid it in advance yourself, there’s a strange feeling of privilege. Like if you were a very important guest in an exclusive dining club. And, just as you came in, you leave through the kitchen, as only an insider would.
In short
Saison is an exciting restaurant in principle and execution. The concept brings together exclusivity and warmth, fine dining and unfussiness. Chef Skenes’ cuisine is sophisticated yet approachable. Considering all that is included–6 courses, sparkling water, French press coffee and wine, the prix fixe meal is also a great deal. Come to think of it, dining at Saison is more than a choice, it’s a privilege.
Saison is at 2124 Folsom St.
Online reservations
Saison, San Francisco
Maverick, San Francisco
This small eatery in the Mission district is the brainchild of Scott Youkilis and Michael Pierce. Both chef and general manager worked together at Sociale before they decided to open a restaurant named after the 1800’s Southwestern cattle rancher whose name now defines the independently minded (not to be confused with senator McCain).
The L-shaped dining room is simple and welcoming with wood and warm colors creating the main visual palette. Despite the Mission-hip atmosphere, there’s no fuss inside. Step in and you’ll feel right at home.
I’ve been to Maverick countless times, always for brunch. Their morning fare is inventive and full of flavor. I was happy to find that dinner is just as good.
The menu
Maverick serves regional American fare with Southern emphasis and San Francisco sensibility. The menu features 8 appetizers ($8 to $14), 6 main courses ($18 to $28) and a handful of side dishes ($6 each).
The meal
Chef Youkilis’ cuisine is sophisticatedly soulful. In good Bay Area fashion, ingredients are celebrated seasonally and purveyors are credited prominently.
The first amuse bouche is a raspberry, mint mimosa shot. It has a light effervescence and a fresh taste in a cough-syrup size dose.
The second amuse bouche contrasts the sweetness of the mimosa with a flavorful savory crostini gratin of fennel, artichoke and dry Jack cheese.
As an appetizer, Baltimore crab fluffs. Chicory salad, spicy remoulade. Think crab cake without breadcrumbs, hushpuppies sized. Fresh crabmeat lightly coated in tempura batter and deep-fried. Rich and tasty.
On the lighter side, Grape and arugula salad. Read flame grapes, arugula, roasted gypsy peppers, pickled fennel and red onion, fresh chèvre, McEvoy olive oil. Complex and refreshing.
As a main course, Eden Farms pork loin. Baked Rancho Gordo “Lila” beans, red mustard greens, pickled tokyo turnips, pork jus. A delicious dish, full of flavor and masterfully prepared.
Southern fried chicken. Buttermilk soaked Field to Family Farm chicken, roasted okra, jasmine rice pilaf with country ham, brown chicken gravy. The super crispy, golden brown crust is the perfect pairing for a juicy, tender meat. I’m not a fan of okra, especially when the cooking process keeps its characteristic sliminess. So, to be fair, I’ll withhold judgment on the accoutrements. That said, this is one of Bay Area’s best fried chickens, maybe second only to Ad Hoc’s.
For dessert, Chocolate Devil's Food Cake. Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee ice cream, salted caramel sauce. The moist cake is perfectly paired with the delicious coffee ice cream–that, by itself, is an outstanding dessert.
Concord grape pie. Peanut butter curry ice cream, crème anglaise. A classic mini pie with homey crust and a scoop of subtly flavored ice cream.
In short
One of my favorite brunch spots in the city offers comforting yet sophisticated dinner fare. Maverick may not quite be at the same level of Town Hall or Ad Hoc but with its attentive service and a relaxed atmosphere, this is a place you’ll eat well and feel at home. Home savory home.
Maverick is at 3316 17th Street
Online reservations
Sebo, San Francisco
Much has been said and written about Sebo. The small Japanese restaurant in Hayes Valley was reviewed by most food publications, appeared in Anthony Bourdain’s show “No Reservations” and was declared the best sushi in San Francisco by Alice Waters. Bourdain and Waters may disagree over shark fin soup, but not over sushi. All the media attention drew flocks of diners and countless bloggers with their snappy cameras and sharp pens; ready to put the high expectations to the test. I, for one, decided to await the dust to settle.
Nine months after the restaurant made the cover of San Francisco magazine I visited Sebo for the first time. Since no reservations are taken, the wait for a table during peak hours can be quite intimidating.
Although most of the media fuss has passed, the restaurant is still busy every night. The crowd is a mix of local habitués and food enthusiasts trying it for the first time. On my second visit, a diner equipped with a large SLR nonchalantly stood on his chair in the middle of the dining room to get an overhead shot of his sushi plate. A move that made me feel a lot less embarrassed about my own photographic table manners.
Even though I love sushi, I don’t often write about it. The reason is simple, my idea of good sushi is, well, just good sushi–no fancy or fussy rolls. And truth be told, there’s so much you can show or talk about fish over rice, besides freshness, variety and the chef’s skills.
The preference for simple, traditional nigiri is something not everyone agrees. Personal reviews on Sebo are polarizing. The high expectations created misleading images that the restaurant not necessarily fulfills. For a Californian sushi restaurant, what you find here is not what some would expect. No spicy dragon rolls or burrito-like makis. This is sushi at its best and only the best of sushi. This is a purists’ paradise.
But purists beware, at first sight Sebo may take you by surprise. The casual atmosphere and hip crowd resembles more of a neighborhood eatery than a traditional Japanese restaurant. Michael Black and Daniel Dunham are also not what you have come to expect of typical sushi chefs. While black has spent the first 6 years of his life in Japan, Dunham is from New Jersey. Both stand behind the 6-people counter on t-shirts; none look Japanese. But what the restaurant lacks in traditional appearances it delivers in its cuisine.
The menu
The one-sheet menu changes daily to reflect the chefs’ freshest seasonal catches from several fish markets in Japan. There are about 20 varieties of Nigiri sushi (fish on rice); each order of 2 pieces priced around $10. There are also 5 Maki rolls ($6 to $12); Sashimi plates ($16 for 5 pieces, $26 for 9); and small plates ($4 to $18). More adventurous diners can order the chefs’ Omakase at the sushi counter. Sushi is served from Tuesday to Saturday–Sebo is closed Monday, the day Bourdain made famous for saying you should never eat Sushi. Sunday, the restaurant offers Izakaya, about 12 small plates of Japanese pub food priced from $5 to $10.
The meal
This review would be redundant if I described the quality and freshness of every fish. So let me get it all out now so you can eat vicariously through the pictures. Every single sushi I had was outstanding. Masterfully cut, skillfully assembled and perfectly portioned. The fish always extremely fresh with a clean smell and delicate flavors.
The restaurant seasons its own shoyu (soy sauce) and recommends using it sparingly to avoid overpowering the fish flavors. The menu notes “Please don’t drown your fish”.
On sushi nights, the meal starts with edamame. Water is served in recycled green and blue Sake bottles.
From the small plates menu, Sunomono. Vinegared cucumber and wakame seaweed salad. A refreshing appetizer said to enhance the appetite.
From the Nigiri menu, Saba (mackerel) from Shizuoka in Japan.
Mebachi Maguro (big eye tuna) from the Pacific; Shimaaji (striped jack) from Kenagawa, Japan; and Inada (young yellowtail) from Tottori, Japan.
Tachiuo (cutlass fish) from Ooita and Iwashi (wild sardines) from Chiba, both Japan. The sardines are lightly seared with a blowtorch and topped with yuzu chili paste.
Anago (wild salt water eel) from Kagoshima, Japan. Deliciously tender, never slimy.
Hotategai (scallops) from Hokkaido, Japan. So good I could eat a dozen of them.
On Sundays the already welcoming restaurant becomes even more approachable with its Izakaya menu. The angular 2-tops come together like a tangram puzzle to form large communal tables. The reasonably priced small plates are perfect for sharing–although may not be recommended for a first date (more on that later).
Maguro Zuke. Marinated big eye tuna with tomato shiso sauce. The beautiful tuna slices are so tender they melt in your mouth.
Ceviche. Marinated yellowtail kingfish. A delicious ceviche with nice acidity and fresh, tender fish.
Ohitashi. Mustard greens with karashi su-miso. A nice combination of flavors from the crunchy, peppery greens, umami-rich sauce and nutty sesame seeds.
Takikomi gohan. Rice steamed with dashi and giant clam. Infused with dashi broth and with meaty pieces of clam, this sticky rice is the closest thing on the menu to Japanese comfort food.
Ika geso. Fried squid legs. Lightly battered and fried, they are very tasty but can be somewhat challenging to eat with just chopsticks–you may need to resort to your hands.
Devils shrimp. Spicy marinated shrimp. Speaking of using your hands, you’ll need both here. The tasty shrimp are served whole so getting to the meat will be messy. That’s what I meant by not necessarily suited for a first date.
Like many traditional restaurants in Japan, Sebo does not serve desserts; a small bowl of fresh fruit will be brought to the table at the end your meal to close it on a naturally sweet note.
In short
If you like Tabasco on your tuna, dinosaur-named rainbow-like rolls or even soaking your sushi in soy sauce, that’s okay, and Sebo is not right for you. But if like me you love traditional nigiri prepared with melt-in-your-mouth fresh fish and perfect rice, then there’s no better place in San Francisco. Black and Dunham’s may not look like typical sushi chefs but their talent is unquestionable. Alice Waters’ favorite is now a favorite of mine.
Sebo is at 517 hayes street
No reservations are taken
Raviolo di ricotta at 
