Best Dishes Eater SF Editors Ate This Week - San Francisco - Eater SF

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There’s certainly no shortage of excellent food to be found in San Francisco and the Bay Area — but there’s plenty worth skipping, too. Luckily for you, Eater editors dine out several times a week (or more) and we’re happy to share the standout dishes we encounter as we go.

Here’s the best of everything the Eater SF team has eaten recently. Check back weekly for more don’t-miss dishes.

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January 5

Salt and pepper Dungeness crab at R&G Lounge

Lauren Saria

The commercial Dungeness crab season in California begins today — albeit specifically for the stretch of coastline from the Sonoma-Mendocino county line to the California-Oregon border, if you want to be technical — but that hasn’t stopped me from getting crabby a few days early with a trip to one of my favorites, R&G Lounge. A former co-worker first clued me into this restaurant years ago as a then-new San Francisco resident, and it’s since become a favorite spot to dip into when I’m nearby and there isn’t a long wait. Those two factors combined on a recent weekday, and despite the 2 p.m. hour, the occasion called for a whole Dungeness crab. R&G is known for its salt & and pepper version — a “Signature Dish” the menu declares — and when it arrived it was a golden, deep-fried crab masterpiece, expertly plated and looking (almost) too cute to eat. The batter had a nice crunch to it with a perfect dusting of salt and spices that inspired some not-so-classy gnawing on crab shells before exposing the meat inside. The batter does manage to flavor the meat some, but not too much to spoil the crab’s innate sweetness. The servers understood the (crab) assignment and came by to refresh plates throughout the meal as they became crowded with shells. The meal momentarily squashed my annual urge to purchase a crab and cook it on my own, and I’m looking forward to more crab dishes as the local season swings into action. (Sorry, not sorry for turning this column into a crab-eating diary.) R&G Lounge, 631 Kearny Street, San Francisco

— Dianne de Guzman, Eater SF deputy editor

Egg tarts at Golden Gate Bakery

Lauren Saria

To say I’ve been waiting to try Golden Gate Bakery’s egg tarts for years is not an exaggeration. When I first moved to the city, multiple people told me about how this tiny Grant Street shop made the city’s best Hong Kong-style tarts but had yet to reopen from its pandemic era slumber. A year later, I’d still never seen it open, and a visiting friend swooned while sharing childhood memories of enjoying the golden yellow sweets while wandering the streets of Chinatown as a kid. Which is to say, I quite literally power walked my way over to the bakery this week when I heard rumors swirling it was finally open. After a bit of a wait and cash exchange, I finally found myself holding a pink pastry box of fragrant, warm egg tarts on the sidewalk. My companion and I tore in as soon as we stepped a respectable distance away from the line of people still waiting for their baked goods, and I knew at first tsate that these tarts lived up to the hype. A sturdy pastry shell, flaky layers scattering across our feet like snowflakes, supported a silky filling that jiggled just so in the afternoon light. I appreciated the gentle sweetness of Golden Gate’s tarts, less sugary and with almost no discernable vanilla on the nose or palate. The glassy texture made each bite decadent but delicate. I can’t stress enough how much I recommend getting some for yourself...while you can. Golden Gate Bakery, 1029 Grant Avenue, San Francisco

— Lauren Saria, Eater SF editor

Salmon avocado fried rice at Dynasty Dumpling

Dynasty Dumpling

It took a global shutdown for me to start doing Christmas on my own, ordering a fleet of dim sum and Chinese dishes for the morning of. Now a holiday tradition, I look forward to finding a restaurant or parlor to tick off my list. This year was Pacific Heights newcomer Dynasty Dumpling, the makers of this light yet indulgent salmon avocado fried rice. The abundant flavor and variety in this dish can’t be overstated as fried rice can often feel like a lazy dinner whipped up in lieu of real effort and pizazz. Not so at Dynasty Dumpling where Californian ingredients meet an old school Chinese American dish. The mouthfeel of the avocado meeting the texture of salmon is nothing new, as plenty of toasts in the Bay have proven, but it was my first time enjoying that combo over a well-fried bed of rice. The effect of the meal was the glee of late-night comfort food with a generous dash of upscale preparation. This dish is just shy of $20 — not uncommon in San Francisco anymore — but fear not as the portion is mighty as can be; This is either one gut-bombing lunch or a meal to be enjoyed twice. With the new year just yawning into existence, it does my heart good, and my belly, to have new restaurants in the ring, ideal for a city of hungry optimists to work through on their day in the sun. Dynasty Dumpling, 2786 California Street, San Francisco

— Paolo Bicchieri, Eater SF reporter

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Best Dishes Eater SF Editors Ate This Week - San Francisco - Eater SF
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