Neil Davey tries out a quartet of eateries in the US city
OLD
Tommy’s Joynt
Salubrious? No. Cutting edge? No. Hugely enjoyable? Oh, yes. Tommy’s Joynt boasts a “steadfast opposition to change” – still, when cold beer, hot food and a warm welcome have worked this well since 1947, you can see their point.
It’s debatable whether it’s a sandwich counter with a bar, or a bar with a sandwich counter, but I’d recommend grabbing a booth to enjoy one of the 130-odd beers on offer, a generous, smoky, meltingly tender BBQ brisket sandwich and a couple of bratwurst, all for less than US$20.
Old fashioned? Maybe. But it’s impossible not to have a good time at Tommy’s.
Open daily 10am-1.40am (restaurant from 11am). 1,101 Geary Boulevard; tel +1 415 7754 216; tommysjoynt.com
NEW
Tosca Café
When is a 95-year-old bar “new”? When Ken Friedman and April Bloomfield buy it and offer food for the first time since the 1960s, that’s when.
The couple have brought the attitude that makes their Michelin-starred New York outposts such as the Breslin and the Spotted Pig so appealing, but preserved the room’s vintage allure.
There’s a hint of Bloomfield’s “whole animal” philosophy – rich, salty, crispy pig tails feature as a US$9 bar snack – but mostly it’s Italian-influenced comfort food. The roast chicken for two, with pine nuts, ricotta and marsala (US$42), is a stand-out, and the cocktails are superb.
Open Tues-Sun 5pm-2am. 242 Columbus Avenue; tel +1 415 9869 651; toscacafesf.com
BORROWED
The Slanted Door
You’d be pushed to find a more perfect marriage of cuisine and raw ingredients than Vietnamese food and Californian produce. And you’d be pushed to find a more perfect Californian Vietnamese restaurant than Charles Phan’s the Slanted Door.
Acknowledgements to local suppliers run throughout the menu – Estancia beef, Prather Ranch carpaccio, Hodo Soy Beanery tofu – but they’re clearly used for quality, not just convenience.
This is fresh, vibrant cooking that’s as impressive as the view across the water to the Oakland Bay Bridge. Options range from raw bar selections such as Kumamoto oysters, to the aforementioned tofu (braised, with mushrooms, sweet roasted chilli and lemongrass), via exemplary Gulf shrimp rolls with a powerful hit of fresh mint.
Lunch Mon-Sat 11am-2.30pm, Sun 11.30am-3pm; tea daily 2.30pm-4.30pm; dinner daily 5.30pm-10pm. 1 Ferry Building No 3; tel +1 415 8618 032; slanteddoor.com
VIEW
Empress of China
As San Francisco’s “only high-rise Chinese roof garden restaurant”, the Empress of China offers stunning views of Chinatown, North Beach and over to Telegraph Hill from its sixth-floor vantage point.
The décor, which doesn’t appear to have changed much since opening in 1967, and a traditional menu suggest a place that may be resting on its laurels.
However, very good pot stickers at US$9.50, succulent duck at US$16.50 and, particularly, “glazed walnut prawns” at US$22 reveal that, while perhaps lacking in originality, there are skilled hands in the kitchen.
Portions are generous but not ridiculous, prices are fair and there’s fun to be had with the celebrity diner photos in the lobby.
Open daily 11.30am-10pm, closed Mon-Fri 3pm-5pm. 838 Grant Avenue; tel +1 415 4341 345; empressofchinasf.com
