It can be tough to decide where to dine out in a metropolitan area like the Bay that’s filled to the brim with excellent eats. Dining Reports are just one way to get the word out on the restaurants I’m eating at, but the Best Dishes column is where I break
down the singular dishes that stood out, were maybe inadvertently left out of a report, or just haven’t (yet) found their way into coverage — until now. This month’s selections feature a not-caprese salad, cold soba, and a surprising sushi bite in Oakland.
Not the Caprese at Back to Back
It’s been far too long since I found myself at the charming Back to Back in Nob Hill, but I was lured in October with the promise of pizza and a dinner with friends. (It also turned out to be — surprise! — a mini birthday party for me, complete with coasters emblazoned with my face on them. I have crafty friends, what can I say?) But amongst the parade of dishes ordered for the table, I was really taken with this dish (smartly) dubbed Not the Caprese. The fact that this is a hit for me is its own surprise, because I’ll admit here that I’m not the biggest caprese salad fan. While I like all the major components of the caprese salad, I find the overly large slices of mozzarella not my favorite and sometimes, frankly, the balsamic can get too sweet. At Back to Back, those issues get circumvented; the piped swirls of taleggio mousse are just so fun, with fat slices of tomato dressed in a sungold vinaigrette with sungolds on the plate is a tomato-on-tomato pleasure. Add in the concentrated flavor of dehydrated olives and a sliver of pizza dough crostini to push around the plate, and it was a nice burst of summer before the cold fall weather really kicks in. Back to Back, 1257 Taylor Street, San Francisco
Ten seiro at Soba Ichi
I’d been plotting my return to Soba Ichi — believing I’d make it to the restaurant’s sunny patio during the summer — only to find myself having my beloved soba noodles in October. Still, it was warm enough to enjoy the comfortable tables outside and my favorite soba option, ten seiro, a cold soba dipping option that Soba Ichi offers. I enjoy it best because not only does it allow me to slurp noodles in all manners of hot weather, but it also hits an umami note with a concentrated dipping sauce that I think wouldn’t translate as well in a hot soup. The tempura is also a treat, allowing diners to dress the shrimp or maitakes to their preferred level of matcha salt, digging into a crunchy bite between dips of soba noodles. The noodles are also the best, a lovely and tender bite that I think is only possible because the restaurant makes its own. Tack on a mini carafe of sake, and you’ve got the makings of a(nother) fun dinner out with friends. Soba Ichi, 2311A Magnolia Street, Oakland
Bluefin tuna at Sushi Salon
In my inaugural visit to Sushi Salon this month, I was blown away by a lot of things, much of which I detailed in a recent Dining Report. But, to be honest, it was tough to pick standout dishes; I can’t guarantee it’ll be there at your own visit, and there were too many to count. And while I went off about a lemon zest-dusted ikura bite, what I’m also still thinking about is this opening plate of maguro, or bluefin tuna. It’s an immersive Sushi Salon bite. I was unprepared for it to be dressed in a sauce with a Kalamata olive note to it. The pairing is fun, and as a newbie to Sushi Salon, I think it really set the stage for the rest of the meal to come: careful attention paid to flavors, fish, and ingredients that are tough to ignore. Sushi Salon, 4008 Martin Luther King Junior Way, Oakland
