One of my favorite SF spots, Embarko, closed down a couple years ago and I've been mourning ever since. Pickled Ginger is the second restaurant to try out that space. It is the brainchild of a former Betelnut chef and the food is FABULOUS. You can waltz in on a Saturday night and there's plenty of free tables - hopefully that won't be true forever. But in the meantime, I highly recommend checking out the nouveau Asian American cuisine. Tonight we had Chinese Dumplings and Seared Ahi appetizers. The dumplings were so amazing we had to order a second. For main course, my date had Pad Thai with Calamari and Rock Shrimp and I had smoked Chilean Sea Bass on Buckwheat Noodles. And as a topper, they serve Oakville Ranch wines, another high quality but lesser known find. Check it out at Brannon & Embarcadero and see whether or not this is the best kept secret in San Francisco dining. We're hoping to start a trend thus insuring we can enjoy this food far into the future. -e
San Francisco, CA