Here are the four standout dishes we're craving this month. Happy eating.
A meal at Michelin-starred Commonwealth is one of the best dining experiences in the city. There’s plenty that wows on the current menu, but the powerhouse pairing is two bites of raw, shaved American wagyu beef swimming in shiitake dashi and shrimp oil with Japanese ginger.
SPQR’s chestnut gnocchi
SPQR has long been one of the city's great Italian restaurants, thanks to chef Matthew Accarrino and James Beard award–winning wine director Shelley Lindgren. SPQR’s pasta tasting menus are worth splurging on but any Accarrino pasta will do, especially one as comforting as the chestnut gnocchi in a poultry sugo (made with guinea hen, turkey and chicken), laden with pancetta, charred radicchio and piave cheese.
Trick Dog’s chicken Trick Nuggets
While the crowds may flock to Trick Dog for the cocktails—and the new Trick Dog airline-themed cocktail menu is another great one—their food is no joke, whether you order the irresistible Trick Dog (a burger in a sesame dog bun) or vegetarian Frito pie. But it’s the silky-good chicken Trick Nuggets with a trio of sauces (sweet & sour, bacon ranch and smoky BBQ) that has our attention this month. They taste like childhood gone gourmet.
Nomica’s miso black cod
From the crew behind legendary Japanese restaurant Sushi Ran in Sausalito, Nomica serves a menu laden with iconic dishes (the whole chicken in brioche and the karaage chicken with Japanese beer waffles are both worth mentioning). Nomica’s miso black cod is our pick for this winter, though. Sweetened by apple white miso, the fish has a salty contrast that comes from fried shallots and brandade (salt cod potatoes).
One Market’s pommery-poached lobster
This month, One Market celebrates an impressive 25 years on the Embarcadero. To celebrate the occasion, Chef George Morrone is poaching plump lobster in Louis Pommery sparkling wine. The lobster is then served swimming in spicy-sweet vanilla bean jalapeño butter with fennel.