Dinner at State Bird Provisions

There are few places in the western hemisphere that have the quality and quantity of dim sum like the Bay Area. San Francisco has - after all - one of the largest and oldest Chinese enclaves outside of Asia. Thus, it's fitting that a restaurant creating 'American dim sum' should be found in this city by the Bay. What wasn't a foregone conclusions was just how popular State Bird Provisions would come to be. It's truly a testament to the ingenuity of Chefs/owners Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski for creating one of the hardest reservations in a city featuring some of America's top restaurants.

Outside of State Bird Provisions (right) and The Progress (left) on Fillmore St.

Before delving into the restaurant, let's discuss reservations. Currently State Bird Provisions is not accepting reservations after August 21, 2017 due to remodeling. With that said, one really needs to be proactive when attempting to get a reservation once they open their calendar up. State Bird Provisions allows reservations up to sixty days in advance through their website.

When one has a date in mind, my suggestion is calculating which date is 61 days prior, and setting an alarm for 11:55PM that evening so that you are at your computer before midnight. Go on to their reservation page, and input your preferred date and time. At the stroke of midnight, hit enter, as the system should refresh with the available tables for your target day. Make sure you have a credit card standing by to hold the reservation, and do yourself a favor and sign up for Open Table beforehand so you will be all set to go. Tables go fast, and even having to create an account for Open Table could result in missing out on the reservation.

Chef's table at State Bird Provisions

Back to discussing the restaurant itself. State Bird Provisions gets its name from the State Bird of California: Callipepla californica, commonly known as the California Quail. The restaurant was founded on a recipe for serving California quail, and has evolved into a restaurant specializing in fusing American cuisine with Taiwanese dim sum.

The food program can be bifurcated into two distinct yet cohesive parts. The first is the dim sum program, where the kitchen churns out an incredible assortment of dim sum recipes with a global footprint. As an example, my selection went from Vietnamese pork belly, to polenta cake (Italian), merguez sausage (North African) and Buffalo octopus (???).

The second portion of the food program consists of a small menu, the top portion being some "pancakes and toast," and the middle section being "commandables" - more substantial dishes. The bottom of the page features a small dessert section.

Walking in to the long-yet narrow space, one finds a show kitchen in the front of the space featuring "chef's table" bar seating. A small beverage area featuring various wines transitions the space to a small main dining room. Along the left wall are tables throughout the space. Checking in with the hostess, I was led to a seat at the "chef's table" bar. Before I even had a moment to get my note pad situated, the dim sum portion of the program kicked in. What follows is a recap of the various dishes that I tried.

Vietnamese pork belly with stone fruit, Vietnamese vinaigrette
2017 State Bird Provisions. San Francisco, CA

The first dish that I acquiesced to was Vietnamese pork belly. This dish featured Vietnamese vinaigrette, stone fruit, jalapeño, Thai basil and mint. The pork belly was beautifully rendered: a crispy outer layer protecting that fatty rich interior. This paired nicely with the vinaigrette, which cut the richness while adding nice Southeast Asian undertones.

Furthermore, the vinaigrette acted as a bridge to the overt herbaceous flavors provided by the Thai basil. Stone fruit added nice sweet flavors, while the jalapeño smokey and spicy tones. An excellent start to tonight's meal.

Polenta cake (left) and beef tartare (right)
2017 State Bird Provisions. San Francisco, CA

The next two dishes were provided within seconds of each other, resulting in a dual tasting. First we have a beef tartare, featuring shiitake mushrooms, scallions and greens. This came served with home made corn tortilla chips.

The beef was incredibly fresh, imbued with a light sesame sauce that, along with the scallions, offered an Asian twist to the dish. Mushrooms added nice earthy flavors, as well as a nice texture foil to the finely cut beef. Serving it with corn chips was a nice twist, as the corn flavors paired nicely with the beef.

Moving on to the polenta cake. This was first topped with a "burnt corn husk aioli" and fresh heirloom cherry tomatoes, served with a side of pickled tomato pureé. You may wonder how one can make a burnt corn husk aioli, as I did when the plate was laid in front of me. Essentially what the kitchen did was burn corn husks, then place the burnt husks into oil until the smokey notes transferred. The oil was then used to create an aioli. How someone devises something like that is beyond me!

The result was impressive to say the least. The heirloom cherry tomatoes burst with their sweet flavors. This was contrasted by smokey maize flavors of the aioli, while the polenta itself provided more overt corn notes. Finally, the pickled tomato pureé offered additional sweet elements, layered with some earthy undertones from the pickled treatment. The beauty of this dish was the acidity of the tomatoes, which kept the palette refreshed for the next bite. Absolutely incredible.

Guinea hen & shiitake mushroom dumpling (left) and lamb
merguez sausage with pickled zucchini (right)
2017 State Bird Provisions. San Francisco, CA

Just as I finished the polenta off, one of the various servers stopped over offering a small bowl with lamb merguez sausage. This was served with pickled zucchini and a yogurt sauce. The lamb sausage offered that classic North African flavor, fueled by the likes of cumin and harissa. Countering the richness of the sausage was the fresh, herbaceous notes from the zucchini. As a finishing touch, the yogurt offered both creamy elements, as well as a touch of acid to keep the palette ready for the next bite.

Following the sausage was a guinea hen and shiitake mushroom dumpling, served in a aromatic broth. The guinea hen was incredibly tender, nice subtle flavor enhanced by the earthy notes of the shiitake mushrooms. The aromatic broth furthered the subtle theme, and quite honestly, made this dish a refreshing follow-up to the bold flavors of the merguez sausage.

Buffalo octopus with picked celery and butter bean pureé
2017 State Bird Provisions. San Francisco, CA

Tonight's final dim sum offering was a buffalo octopus dish, served with butter bean pureé and pickled celery. A fascinating fusion of classical American bar food with sophisticated seafood. The octopus was perfectly prepared with just the right amount of firmness. The flesh offered chicken-like flavors and texture, but with that subtle saline note to make it unique.

Paired with the octopus was butter bean pureé, which offered almost a ranch dressing like flavor due to the inclusion of some crème fraîche. This, along with the pickled celery and home made buffalo sauce, did a heck of a job selling me on this as a true Buffalo dish. Kudos to the culinary team for dreaming up another unthinkable-yet-incredible gastronomic concoction!

Heirloom tomato-fiscalini cheddar whole grain pancake
Poppy seed buckwheat-beef tongue pastrami  pancake
2017 State Bird Provisions. San Francisco, CA

Switching gears, we now leave the land of dim sum, and start seeing some of the main entreés. First to arrive was a plate of two different types of  pancakes. The first was a heirloom tomato-fiscalini cheddar whole grain pancake. The cheddar cheese offered wonderful earthy sharp flavors, which paired nicely with the sweet and slightly acid notes from the fresh tomatoes. What an incredible pairing of flavors in such a small package!

The second pancake was poppy seed buckwheat-beef tongue pastrami. Taking a bite, I was immediately taken by the texture offered by the poppy seed buckwheat, which was more biscuit than pancake, with a subtle sweet note to it. The beef tongue was super tender and full of flavor, while the homemade sour cream and pickled onion really sell the pastrami portion of its name. Just excellent, and again: incredible flavor in something slightly larger than a Reese's peanut butter cup!

Chanterelle-yuba 'all'amatriciana' with jowl bacon, pecorino & basil
2017 State Bird Provisions. San Francisco, CA

Moving on from the pancakes, we begin to start trying a few of the "Commandables" section. First up is a pasta dish: chantarelle-yuba 'all'amatriciana' with jowl bacon, pecorino and basil. The dish is topped with fresh heirloom cherry tomatoes, This dish personifies what makes State Bird Provisions great: East (yuba noddles) meets west (Italian), embracing seasonal California ingredients (heirloom tomatoes).

This dish was absolutely perfect. Jowl bacon offered smokey, salty notes, pairing nicely with the pecorino cheese that melted from the pasta heat. The inclusion of chili flake and "a lot of cracked black pepper" (emphasis on 'a lot' from the chef who prepared it) gave the sauce a nice, spicy undertone. The heirloom tomatoes burst with fresh flavors with every bite, further enhanced by the fresh basil. The combination of all the flavors... simply perfect.

CA state bird with provisions
2017 State Bird Provisions. San Francisco, CA

Tonight's final dinner selection happens to be the dish that started it all: CA state bird (California quail) with provisions (onions sweated in buttermilk, rosemary and Meyer lemon). The quail is prepared fried,  and topped with grated Parmesan.

As to be expected, the quail is perfectly fried: breading flaky, and not in the slightest greasy. The preparation resulted in a super tender quail that offered nice subtle game notes, enhanced by the earthy flavors from the Parmesan cheese. This is complemented by the onions, with a delightful combination of Meyer lemon acid, butter and herbaceous rosemary that rounds out the dish from first class to absolutely dynamite.

[Bottom left] sweet corn panna cotta
[Upper right] 'world peace' peanut muscovado milk
2017 State Bird Provisions. San Francisco, CA

First regarding the peanut milk, you can read about it in my previous post reviewing The Progress.

Finishing up with the panna cotta, this was the perfect dessert to cap off such an indulgent meal. The dessert featured a layer of peach pureé, then topped with a poppy seed streusel and dollop of stewed blueberries. The peaches added nice fruit notes, that along with their sweetness, paired perfectly with the subtle corn-infused panna cotta. Poppy seed streusel adds a nice texture foil, while lending a nice accent of poppy side notes. Finally, the blueberries add both tasty fruit flavor, as well as refreshing acid to keep the palette ready for the next bite.

While ancient Persia and the kingdoms of central Asia were the crossroads between East and West of antiquity, San Francisco has become a modern equivalent: a nexus between Asia and the rest of the United States. With that backdrop, few restaurants capture those influences - all the while embracing the bounty that California provides - like State Bird Provisions. Personified in the chantarelle-yuba 'all'amatriciana' pasta; indulge yourself in a single bite, and it will be clear why State Bird Provisions is one of the hottest reservations in San Francisco. 

Dining date: July 22, 2017