To keep tabs on every S.F. restaurant and bar opening is folly. But to keep tabs on the most worthy? Yeoman’s work, and we’re proud to do it. Thus we present Table Stakes, a monthly rundown of the five (or so) must-know spots that have swung wide their doors in the past thirty (or so). Bon appétit.
Nido’s Backyard
Jack London Square
Why now: Because it’s supposed to be 75 degrees and sunny in Oakland on Friday afternoon, and there may be nowhere better to spend such a day than in our very own “margarita garden.”
Eat this: Everything the heart might desire, including: guacamole; tacos with Oaxaca cheese, garlic shrimp, and whole pinquito beans; Hidalgo-style baked goat with fries; and ahí tuna carnitas. Plus margaritas on tap.
104 Oak St., Oakland (map)
The Lede
Downtown Oakland
Why now: *Just* opened for lunch service yesterday, The Lede is the debut project from Cal Peternell, who probably knows a thing or two about cooking after two-plus decades at Chez Panisse. While you’re there, have a look at StudioToBe, a journalist-run co-working studio in the same space.
Eat this: If “whatever they’re offering” won’t work, try the “Pan Bagnat without the Pan” with tomatoes, roasted peppers, a hard-boiled egg, olives, herbs and anchovy dressing. (Additional anchovies optional.)
906 Washington St., Oakland (map)
Tartine
Berkeley
Why now: At long last, there’s no need to cross a bridge or swim the bay for a decent croissant: Elisabeth Prueitt and Chad Robertson have brought their famed baked goods to Berkeley.
Eat this: This is Tartine’s fifth location (not counting the two in L.A. and three in Seoul!), so you probably already know your top picks — ours would be the pain au jambon or the chia seed pudding. Happily, this Tartine is part of the Graduate Hotel’s dining options, which means it’s adjacent to Henry’s and their delectable burgers.
Graduate Hotel, 2600 Durant Ave., Berkeley (map)
South Park Café
SoMa
Why now: Start-up patronage at its finest? Once a fixture of the neighborhood, the South Park Café, which shuttered in 2017 following the owners’ retirement, gets a relaunch courtesy of corporate credit card supplier Brex (valuation: $2.6B).
Eat this: The gluten-free fried chicken with collard greens, or the McFarland Spring cured trout with olive oil and crème fraiche. Or maybe the steak frites with a side of bearnaise aioli?
108 S. Park St (map)
DBC Restaurant
Fillmore
Why now: Momos may actually be the superior expression of the worldwide snack known as “dumplings” — and now we have a brand-new spot in the Fillmore to try them, courtesy of the Nepal-born restaurateurs.
Eat this: Along with the momos — in both chicken and vegetable varieties — consider the classics of the subcontinent: samosas, Goan vindaloo shrimp, a goat biryani, etc.
1109 Fillmore St. (map)
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