As dining starts to slowly re-open in the US, I cannot help but think about our lovely dinner at State Bird Provisions in San Francisco. What an endless combination of unique flavours in each of its small plates - New American tapas dishes served dim sum style on trolleys and 'food tray' platters brought around to each table for you to fawn and drool over. (Obviously this serving format may need to have a rethink given current situation but it was simply bliss pre-Covid days.)
Founded by Chef Stuart Brioza and Chef Nicole Krasinski in 2011, State Bird Provisions has been going from strength to strength, even receiving its first Michelin star. Local Californian ingredients are highlighted throughout its ever-evolving small bites menu. The menu is broken down in sections for Snacks, Provisions, Bread & Pancakes, Commandables and Dessert. Though make sure you leave enough room to order the specials that come around on the trolleys and platters.
We opted for a few selections from the menu and then eagerly awaited as dish after dish came around on the trolleys and food trays. For snacks, the Steamed egg tofu with pickled honshimeji & garlic-chili oil is a must try - a modern day take on the traditional Chinese dish Ma Po Tofu in tapas form. Don't let the fiery red of the chili oil put you off, it's not too hot to handle.
The Hog Island Oysters are a must have. If you have never tried oysters from Hog Island in Tomales Bay, you most certainly need to give them a taste as they are some of the freshest and most delicious oysters around. I have written about Hog Island Oysters in a previous post, so check out the link if you would like to learn more about Hog Island Oysters.
In a nutshell, Tomales Bay in Northern California has the perfect cool climate with clean water that is rich in plankton, an ideal setting for oysters to feed on and grow plump and sweet. The flavours of Tomales Bay is evident in every savoury bite of Hog Island's oysters.
A signature dish not to be missed is the Guinea hen dumpling with aromatic lemon broth and star anise. Yes is as delicious as it sounds. I could have eaten many parcels of this savoury goodness though reminded myself to save room for what else was to come.
The duck liver mousse with almond financiers is also a treat. The almond biscuits pair well with the smooth duck liver.
Moving onto the Provisions section of the menu, the Charred squid salad with asparagus, pomelo, scallion and fish sauce is a good shout.
And now the fun part begins, it's time to get distracted by the numerous dim sum trolleys and food trays that come around to your table.
The Clam Stew with fried tofu immediately caught our eye followed by the House Caesar salad and the Smoked Trout chip ’n’ dip. I have yet to leave a Clam dish unturned at any restaurant given my love for all things clams, especially when they are Little Neck Clams and this Clam dish certainly did not disappoint. The Smoked Trout chip and dip had just the right amount of smokiness to complement the smooth and rich texture of the trout dip.
And one not to be missed is the Ahi Tuna fresh Vietnamese style rolls. Fresh slices of ahi tuna rolled in rice paper.
We opted for a local Californian Albarino from Rorick Vineyard in the Sierra Foothills of Calaveras County from Highlawn Wine Company. Rich and deep in flavour the Albarino paired well with most of the dishes.
After devouring all of these morsels of goodness, we did not manage to leave any room for dessert. So sadly for the dessert lovers, there is not much commentary on this and you will have to venture over to State Bird Provisions to try for yourself. I am sure it will not disappoint.
LOCATION
State Bird Provisions
1529 Filmore Street (between Geary & O'Farrell)
San Francisco, California
94115, USA
info@statebirdsf.com
+1 415 795 1272