Zuni Café - I Feel Like Chicken Today!
Restaurant: Zuni Café
Address: 1658 Market St. b/t Franklin and Gough, SF
Phone Number: (415) 552-2522
Cuisine: Californian
Date Last Visited: August 23, 2009
Dining Partner: Bub
Bub and I had always wanted to go to Zuni café since his father’s office was just down the block. We thought that brunch here on the weekend would be perfect since we are hardly ever in this area of the City during the workweek. It was a beautiful Sunday, and we were ready to eat!
We knew for sure that the roasted chicken we were going to order was going to take almost hour to prepare, so we were ready to stuff ourselves while we were waiting. Bub always has something to say about the bread and butter. He loved this bread. Nice chewy interior the crust was crunchy and pleasing. That butter wasn’t too bad either of course.
Their OJ is really good, but I could have done without the pulp. Otherwise, super fresh and a perfect balance of sweetness and tang.
Whole Romaine, Parmesan, Croutons, Anchovy Dressing
I started with the Caesar salad because I read on some discussion boards that Zuni’s is one of the best in the City. I can see why people would say that. The leaves of Romaine were fresh, the croutons were a great crunch, there was a healthy amount of grated cheese, but what topped it all off was the dressing. The anchovy jumped at me right away. I mean, it was really strong. It was just too bad that Bub couldn’t eat any of the salad since he was allergic, but then again, more for me! More restaurants these days cut up the Romaine and don’t use real anchovy in their dressings, so it was good to know that Zuni makes it the traditional way.
on Grilled Focaccia with Garden Lettuces, Aïoli, and Zuni Pickles
Bub, of course, ordered the burger. He commented that he wanted to get this not only because it was a burger obviously, was because he said he never had one that was served on focaccia. This burger was so light. I just inhaled and it just fell apart in my mouth. There was minimal chewing required and all the components were delicious. The meat was beautifully cooked to a medium and the juices flowed out with every bite. Great burger.
After 45 minutes, Bub and I kept looking back into the kitchen for any hint that our chicken was done. At one point, he caught us an flashed a smile. =) He knew we were ready.
with Warm Tuscan-Style Bread Salad
Here it was, #1 on 7x7’s Big Eat SF 100 list, Zuni’s famous roasted chicken. Now, people out there might be thinking that I am crazy for waiting for an hour and paying almost fifty bucks for a chicken, but it was GOOD! The chicken was so tender and juicy. Some of the best chicken I have ever had.
The Tuscan bread salad was something I never had before. They combined the chunks of bread with pine nuts and a tasty vinaigrette. It was a bit too tangy for my taste, but it was delicious. I don’t think that I would spend that much on a chicken again, but I can say now that I have done it! It was so funny how fast Bub and I dug into the plate of chicken when we got it. By the end of the meal, a breast piece and a wing and the remainder of the greens and bread salad remained. We were fully satisfied.
Zuni Café is a San Francisco “must-go” to many San Francisco locals. It was a gorgeous space with the high windows and the open kitchen. The service was incredibly friendly and the food was outstanding. If you don’t have a reservation, you are welcome to eat anywhere in the bar area. That is actually where we sat - right by the door on the bar’s left side. It is off to the side where we had a bit more privacy. Since we only went there for brunch, I am eager to come for dinner. The rest of their menu looked fantastic.
1 tonguegasms:
That's pretty expensive chicken! I've heard about Zuni Cafe and have always wanted to check it out. I've never seen a burger on Focaccia either but it looks really good!
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