Dinner at The Progress

Tonight's outing takes us to San Francisco's Western Addition, located just west of the Civic Center area / Van Ness Avenue. On Fillmore street, in the heart of this neighborhood, lies two of San Francisco's top restaurants: State Bird Provisions, and - the topic of this post - The Progress.

Outside of The Progress and State Bird Provisions
2017 San Francisco, CA

The Progress is a New American restaurant featuring a family style format. The menu features three set starters, followed by fourteen options broken into two groups of seven that differentiate between lighter and heavier fare. For $62 per person, guests are asked to select four dishes for the table from the fourteen. Additionally, the menu includes four options guests can add to their meal that are seasonal in nature. Dishes are then served scaled up for the size of the party.

Dinner at Al's Place

Tonight's culinary adventure takes back to San Francisco's Mission district, a couple blocks southwest of Mission landmark la Taqueria, to Chef Aaron London's New American restaurant: Al's Place. Sporting a corner location, the eatery sports a beautiful blue outer façade and even a make-shift al fresco dining area on the 26th street side. Stepping inside the establishment, one enters the dining area, with only a little desk suggesting reception.

Al's Place outer facade on the corner of Valencia and 26th St.

The interior of the long and decent-sized dining area sports a delightful palette of white/off-white walls, light wood accent, and white tile wainscoting. Accenting this was various pieces of artwork, adding necessary color and an artistic flare to complete the walls. Near where the ceiling met the walls, a ledge had been built to hold various plants - their green again added a nice diversity of color to the visual aesthetic.