Chef

Charlie Kleinman

"Wow, these are the best tacos I think I've ever had. Amazing tortillas and each bite is more complex and interesting than the last. Definitely try as many as possible. When are they opening in SF?"

"Everything here is stunning in that it looks so simple but has complex layers of technique and flavor. Bone marrow with pickled sunchokes and shaved aged beef was rich, sour, crunchy, warm, salty and packed with aged beef umami. Go to otway now."

"Perfectly smoked pork, rich creamy grits, a runny egg and two awesome Carolina BBQ sauces. It's the best brunch deal in town."

"Everything at Monsieur Benjamin is beautifully prepared, but the sweetbreads have it all. They're crispy, tart, briny, creamy and rich. I could eat them every day. My wife says I'm not allowed to, though."

"Veal saltimbocca is a sensory memory for me. The smell of veal, salty prosciutto, cheese, and sage melting together in a warm, brown veal sauce as one of my first food memories. I order it whenever I can find it, which is harder said than done these days. Locanda has made it their own by deconstructing it into a filled pasta. The flavors are still there to remind me of my childhood, but the addition of silky, delicate pasta successfully elevates this dish while keeping its rusticity."

"The Sardinian pastas here are great and really different from the pastas you find elsewhere in the city. This fregula with sea urchin and tomatoes is no exception. Plus, they had me at the cured tuna heart."