It was my birthday last week and my parents took me to Nopa, a fabulous restaurant in San Francisco’s North Panhandle neighborhood. Credited with providing that area with a destination foodie spot, Nopa seamlessly combines a laid back atmosphere with all the elements of a five star, multi-course, white tablecloth restaurant, but without the pretension…or the white tablecloths. This is not a place where you need to know what fork to use or speak in hushed tones, yet Nopa obviously takes food seriously, and enjoys pushing flavor boundaries, providing top notch service and dishes.
One of the first things that struck me was the ambiance. Open, light, friendly and rustic, it quickly puts one at ease. The building used to be a bank, (fun tidbit, the wine is stored where the vault used to be. Any chance one has to use the phrase “wine vault” is exciting).
Heavily focused on fresh ingredients and very much with a farm to table mentality (check out this video on their youtube page), Nopa’s knowledgeable staff were clearly excited about what they were serving. We were sold on the steak with horseradish, artichoke and almonds when she mentioned enthusiastically about how fresh the meat was (the cow had come in only a few days before).
And our servers description of the smoked trout and quinoa salad was mouth watering, fresh trout soaked in beer, salt and sugar for at least a day before smoked. Between the smoking and the plate is very little time so it was beautifully fresh and fishy and flavorful.
The entire evening was a journey through all sorts of wonderful flavor combinations. Definitely worth a visit!