Commonwealth Restaurant is located in San Francisco's Mission district, and takes its name from the form of government which shares the same name. A commonwealth loosely refers to a political community founded for the public good, and this trait is one that Executive Chef Jason Fox, Chef de Cuisine Ian Muntzert, and the rest of the ownership and staff take very seriously. Ten dollars from the sale of every tasting menu is donated to local charities.
Along with the good deeds, come some terrific eats. Chefs Jason and Ian put together and incredible American menu combining progressive flavors with global perspective. The centerpiece of the menu is a seven course tasting experience, with versions available for omnivores, vegetarians, and even pescatarians. With an $85 price tag, this happens to be one of the more reasonable tasting menus in the Bay Area. For those who would rather order a la carte, the menu does offer a selection of options allowing guests to craft their own experience.
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| Hunt's Quality Donuts mural has become something of a de facto logo |
The main dining area consists of several four tops for standard parties, and a bank of two tops sharing a bench seat along the far wall. The main wall overlooking Mission St. is comprised of smoked glass, allowing for the restaurant to incorporate the city vibe from the exterior. Other walls are white, with light wood accents. Tables are sandy wood as well, while chairs are a dark charcoal color. As the evening progressed, lighting was provided by an array of suspended incandescent lights, offering a cozy subdued glow.
After being led to a two top along the opposite wall and overlooking Mission St., I was offered a glass of sparking or still water and a menu to peruse. When the server returned with the water, I ordered the tasting menu with accompanying wine pairings. With that out of the way, I sat back and allowed the evening to unfold.
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| Amuse #1: fried squid, broccoli leaf, white miso & fresh wasabi 2017 Commonwealth Restaurant. San Francisco, CA |
Served with this dish was a glass of sparkling wine from the Veneto region of Italy (sadly I cannot recall the label). On its own, it was a nice dry sparkler with good minerality and green apple flavor. With this bite, it provided a nice counter to the richness of the squid, while complimenting the flavor profile with subtle fruit notes.
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| Amuse #2: chilled allium soup with fromage blanc 2017 Commonwealth Restaurant. San Francisco, CA |
The sparkling wine was a nice pairing as well. It offered nice fruit notes that were complimentary to the earthy-creamy flavor profile of the soup. Overall, to quote my server as she cleared the bowl, this dish is "highly evocative of Spring." She certainly is spot on.
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| Smoked trout and its roe 2017 Commonwealth Restaurant. San Francisco, CA |
The trout was rich and buttery, accented by the sprigs of dill that have become such a common pairing the world over. Trout roe does a nice job lending little grenades of brine that explode with each bite, accenting the flesh of the fish. The pea soup component offers fresh, earthy flavors that are a nice pairing with the fish.
The bergamot oil, preserved in a gelatin then cut in a fine brunoise (culinary speak for really tiny), provided random bursts of earthy bergamot flavor (common in perfumery). Finally, the potato adds a nice starchy element, rounding out the texture profile of the dish, and adding some complementary flavors as well. From a wine pairing perspective, the sake's nutty notes did a nice job augmenting the dish's briny, earthy flavor profile.
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| Scallop "noodle" 2017 Commonwealth Restaurant. San Francisco, CA |
Moving along, the next course is a scallop, pounded thin to the consistency of wanton wrapper, and served with: asparagus, shiso (Japanese herb in the mint family), bird's eye chili, lime confit, ginger and citrus dashi. This was served with a delightful Greek wine: 2015 Hatzidakis Assyrtiko from Santorini. By itself, this wine has a delightful, yet balanced, assortment of bright minerality, touch of oak, and nice fruit.
The oak and minerality immediately complimented the subtle flavors from the scallop and dashi. Asparagus offers some nice fresh flavors, while the lime confit provides random hints of citrus flavors that really entices the palette. Finally, the bird's eye chili does a nice job lending spicy bursts that round out this dish's flavor profile.
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| Brandade, feuille de brik tuile 2017 Commonwealth Restaurant. San Francisco, CA |
Batting third tonight is a brandade (salted cod that is rehydrated) served in a brik pastry (fried pastry) along side meyer lemon sorbet, black olive and chervil (French parsley). This was served with a glass of 2011 Škerk malvasia from Friuli, Italy. Sporting a golden hue, this wine had a reserved nose with bright acid and minerality.
The brandade in the brik offered both buttery notes from the fried pastry, and saline flavors from the salted cod. This was complimented nicely by the meyer lemon sorbet, which offered bright creamy citrus flavors. The olive was a nice added touch, yielding earthy notes to round out the bite's flavor profile. The wine itself acted as a bridge between the brandade and the meyer lemon sorbet, by offering nice minerality and slight fruit that allowed the palette to progress from one part of the dish to the next.
The brandade in the brik offered both buttery notes from the fried pastry, and saline flavors from the salted cod. This was complimented nicely by the meyer lemon sorbet, which offered bright creamy citrus flavors. The olive was a nice added touch, yielding earthy notes to round out the bite's flavor profile. The wine itself acted as a bridge between the brandade and the meyer lemon sorbet, by offering nice minerality and slight fruit that allowed the palette to progress from one part of the dish to the next.
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| Crushed fava beans 2017 Commonwealth Restaurant. San Francisco, CA |
Moving on from the brandade, the next course was a salad course featuring crushed fava beans with cauliflower, shaved turnip, caramelized yogurt, sumac and radish green ice. Served with this was a 2016 Ostatu Rosado Rioja from Spain. Featuring crisp fruit and a touch of oak, this wine offered a floral nose and a light rose tint.
The fava beans themselves offered fresh, earthy flavors, while the cauliflower provided a nice texture differential. Rounding out the dish, the caramelized yogurt added some sweet, creamy elements. Finally, the wine's subtle fruit added nice complexity without changing the dish's overall flavor profile.
The penultimate dinner course was actually off menu, and consisted of cured beef shaved on to gem lettuce, charred broccoli, avocado and sardine purée. This was served with a glass of Albriño, a wine grown from Galicia and parts of Portugal. It offered slight oak flavors, with bright acid and notes of tangerine.
This off-menu course was excellent, and had a nice array of flavors that built an impressive flavor palette. The cured beef yielded nice meaty notes, avocado rich and creamy flavors, while the sardine purée offered salty tones. These flavors were contrasted nicely by the fresh gem lettuce, smokey tones from the charred broccoli, and nutty hints from sunflower seeds. The wine itself offers nice oak and tangerine flavors that compliment the fresh, earthy profile of the salad.
Tonight's final main entrée was lamb shoulder, grilled over redwood, and served with spring garlic, beets, walnut butter, mint and seaweed. Accompanying this was a glass of 2014 Domaine Rimbert Saint-Chinian, Languedoc-Roussillon, France. A delightful wine by itself, with subtle red fruit notes and a hint of earthy soil.
The lamb was the highlight of the meal. While it was slightly overcooked to my liking, it was still tender and juicy. Beets add a sweet, earthy component, while the charred green onion adds fresh and smokey notes.
Taking the cake was the walnut butter, which had cumin and coriander that gave it both a buttery and rich, Indian assortment of flavors. There was also a red wine reduction in this dish, offering a bridge between the flavors of the lamb, and the excellent wine.
Tonight's first desert course served as a terrific palette cleanse: celery sorbet with verjus soda. The sorbet itself was an intriguing combination of sweet/citron of sorbet, with a nice earthy flavor from the celery component. This paired nicely with the verjus soda, offering nice texture on the tongue plus subtle fruit flavors that complimented the sorbet.
With the sorbet bowl cleared, I was next offerd a bowl of salted date ice cream, with pumpkin seed croquant (think French granola) and black sesame caramel.The ice cream had a delicious balance of salty notes, sweet flavors from the dates, and creamy undertones. Pumpkin seed croquant added a nice combination of nutty flavors, and crunchy texture to the desert.
Rounding out the dish was the black sesame seed caramel, which offered a nice bridge of sweet and nutty flavors to lead the palette from the date ice cream to the pumpkin croquant. One interesting tidbit regarding the black sesame seeds: they are actually sourced from a farm in Japan that is being run by a third generation sesame seed producer.
Served with the ice cream was a glass of Broadbent ten year old Sercial Madeira. More subtle that your typical desert/fortified wine, the Madeira allowed the sweetness of the ice cream to lead, while offering nice fruit undertones that complimented the nut flavors.
Completing the evening were some mignardises: wasabi pâte de fruit and salted caramel. The former offered crisp, citrus flavors, while the latter was rich and buttery. And as I nibbled on these little gifts from the kitchen, I took a step back and dwelled on the entire experience. Chefs Jason and Ian have done a phenomenal job putting together a program showcasing a wide array of flavors and textures. Some were new and unique - like the preserved bergamot - but all were in balance and wove together to create to a broader flavor and texture tapestry that is a hallmark of haute cuisine.
The front of the house was just as exemplary as the back of the house. They took the time to delve into the various courses, and answer my questions (what is lovage powder? what is brandade? How do you spell pâte de fruit?). The wine pairings were a nice touch, complimenting the various flavors and converting the whole evening from a dinner into a complete experience. And finally, at eighty five dollars (not including the wine pairings), there are few places in San Francisco - dare I even say the world - that provide such a value.
Perfect for foodies with a distinguished palette, or those who have started to appreciate haute cuisine, and want to dip their toe in the deep end of gastronomy.
Dining date: April 16, 2017
The fava beans themselves offered fresh, earthy flavors, while the cauliflower provided a nice texture differential. Rounding out the dish, the caramelized yogurt added some sweet, creamy elements. Finally, the wine's subtle fruit added nice complexity without changing the dish's overall flavor profile.
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| Shaved beef 2017 Commonwealth Restaurant. San Francisco, CA |
This off-menu course was excellent, and had a nice array of flavors that built an impressive flavor palette. The cured beef yielded nice meaty notes, avocado rich and creamy flavors, while the sardine purée offered salty tones. These flavors were contrasted nicely by the fresh gem lettuce, smokey tones from the charred broccoli, and nutty hints from sunflower seeds. The wine itself offers nice oak and tangerine flavors that compliment the fresh, earthy profile of the salad.
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| Lamb shoulder grilled over redwood 2017 Commonwealth Restaurant. San Francisco, CA |
The lamb was the highlight of the meal. While it was slightly overcooked to my liking, it was still tender and juicy. Beets add a sweet, earthy component, while the charred green onion adds fresh and smokey notes.
Taking the cake was the walnut butter, which had cumin and coriander that gave it both a buttery and rich, Indian assortment of flavors. There was also a red wine reduction in this dish, offering a bridge between the flavors of the lamb, and the excellent wine.
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| Celery sorbet 2017 Commonwealth Restaurant. San Francisco, CA |
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| Salted date ice cream 2017 Commonwealth Restaurant. San Francisco, CA Photo credit: S. Cheung |
Rounding out the dish was the black sesame seed caramel, which offered a nice bridge of sweet and nutty flavors to lead the palette from the date ice cream to the pumpkin croquant. One interesting tidbit regarding the black sesame seeds: they are actually sourced from a farm in Japan that is being run by a third generation sesame seed producer.
Served with the ice cream was a glass of Broadbent ten year old Sercial Madeira. More subtle that your typical desert/fortified wine, the Madeira allowed the sweetness of the ice cream to lead, while offering nice fruit undertones that complimented the nut flavors.
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| Wasabi pâte de fruit and salted caramel mignardises 2017 Commonwealth Restaurant. San Francisco, CA |
The front of the house was just as exemplary as the back of the house. They took the time to delve into the various courses, and answer my questions (what is lovage powder? what is brandade? How do you spell pâte de fruit?). The wine pairings were a nice touch, complimenting the various flavors and converting the whole evening from a dinner into a complete experience. And finally, at eighty five dollars (not including the wine pairings), there are few places in San Francisco - dare I even say the world - that provide such a value.
Perfect for foodies with a distinguished palette, or those who have started to appreciate haute cuisine, and want to dip their toe in the deep end of gastronomy.
Dining date: April 16, 2017
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