Baker & Banker

I can’t sing B&B’s praises enough. I’ve visited several times, and I’ve never been disappointed. The wine selection is top notch, their cocktails are tasty, and the food — no matter which dish you pick — is always great. The waitstaff is attentive and friendly but discreet: I’ve never had a conversation awkwardly interrupted by a «how is everything?» type question, but I also haven’t ever had to look around frantically trying to find someone to bring more water.
All around great experience and great food.

Delicious food and comfortable atmosphere. Located on Octavia/​Bush in the midst of residential SF-​esque homes, this was a little gem that we were delighted to find. They take your coat upon entering. Décor looks more like a scotch bar, though they only have wines. Although being a non-​drinker and carb-​lover, let me proceed to the important stuff.
Artisan Bread basket with house whipped butter ($ 5) – hot bread with room temp soft butter is the best. The variety of different surprisingly good types of bread was fantastic: Rosemary crisp (I normally don’t like the crispy things in a bread basket, but in this special basket, they were so yummy), walnut (texture of banana bread), dried cherry (to me it sounded gross, but it was shockingly my fave of the basket – it was like having jam cooked in the bread), and sunflower date. Wasn’t happy at first at having to pay extra for bread, but it’s SO worth it.
Smoked trout appetizer ($ 16) – large portion for an app (it could’ve been an entrée for me). Delicious smoked trout on a crunchy potato latke, with horseradish cream, beets, fennel shavings, and beet sauce. The combination of ingredients worked really well together, with the beets bringing a great complementary sweetness to the potato latke and trout, and fennel bringing the freshness. If you’re like me and don’t like horseradish, don’t worry because you don’t really taste it – though I’m sure they’d put it on the side if asked.
Hangar steak ($ 33) – perfectly cooked, and every bite was super flavorful. This dish explored a few different preparations of eggplant (which I typically am not a fan of), which turned me into a huge fan of eggplant. There are also different sauces on the plate including a spicy chipotle-​ish sauce, so the dish was anything but one note.
I had the salmon with roe, sticky rice, pearl onions, and radish ($ 29). It was a little too sweet, which could have worked if there were an additional salty element. Fish was cooked decently well with pink in the thicker parts of the fish, although it was overall slightly overcooked for my taste. I’d recommend passing on this one.
We were so full that we didn’t finish the salmon and last few slices of bread. Overall great meal, and love that it’s walking distance!

Food is excellent. Worthy of my 1111^th review.
The wait staff was pleasant and polite.
We started off with the bread basket, $ 5. Full of slices of yummy bread — cheese and fig, almond, poppyseed, rosemary cracker. The crusts were all crunchy good and the insides were moist. Just heavenly. If that wasn’t enough to stuff you to the hilt, we had a large serving of smoked trout over a crunchy dark toast round. It was like eating smoked lox. Hubby’s pork belly was wonderful. The skin was crispy and crunchy with great flavor. I would’ve been happy if that was an entrée’ choice with a larger piece.
My entrée’ was the duck breast cooked 2 ways — sliced breast with crispy skin and a square of pressed duck, served with quinoa that had crunchy chopped nuts in it. It was also good. Hubby’s lamb cooked 3 ways was delicious.
I didn’t so much like the blueberry bread pudding as it was a firm chunk of bread with a thicky, syrupy sauce at the bottom of the bowl and blueberries. Chef Jeff Banker made rounds in the dining room 3 times when we were there and personally brought out dishes to customers.
The food here is even better than some of the restaurants we’ve been to in the city which made M. Bauer’s best 100 restaurants list.

Amazing dinner! Stated off with the smoked trout with potato latke, followed by the Gulf shrimp with fennel and tomatoes and Liberty Farms duck with quinoa and peaches-​both cooked perfectly. I am a dessert snob and the blueberry bread pudding was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had (and I don’t even like bread pudding!).
Attentive, friendly service. A few things that can be improved upon are the boring wine by the glass selection, outdated music (seriously, who wants to listen to Hall & Oats in 2014?), and lack of butter knife.

I’m not a bread person, but you must order the bread basket here. It’s an extra charge (nominal) but worth it.
We went for dinner, both of us loved our meal. I don’t remember what we ordered because too much time passed since the review, but I do remember we didn’t leave a crumb behind.

Lovely dinner here celebrating my girlfriend birthday. Everyone here was very nice and friendly. Food was very fresh and well prepared and presentations was lovely.
The bread basket was $ 5 but it was well worth the price.
I love the Parsnip soup. The Duck was very tender and cooked just right.
Again, the issue I have with some of the neighborhood restaurant is the tables are too close to each other. I guess the good food and great service can make up for the tight space.
A nice touch from our waitress to send us dessert on the house for my friend birthday. Small gesture does go a long way on my book.
I will be back to try other dishes for sure, since every dish we had was just awesome.
Kudos to chefs for creating such creative menu and intimate environment.

4 solid stars. Good food, nice intimate setting.
The mood is not trendy or flashy, which is a nice break from other crowded SF restaurants. It also means the patrons are mostly older and rich (or rich looking).
We came for dinner. Here are the things we tried:
+ House smoked trout, potato latke: very good, nice salty flavor with a good crunch to go with it. This definitely lived up to its hype.
+ Liberty Farms duck breast: This was sooo delicious. The portions weren’t super huge, which I was fine with because I wanted to save room for dessert. The presentation was simple but tasteful. It wasn’t like one thing stood out on the plate, but all of them together made a nice harmonious meal. However, the «confit crisps» which were kind of like duck eggrolls, didn’t do much for me. They didn’t taste all that good and it didn’t really add anything to the dish at all.
+ Pork roasted on the bone: My god this was good. The pork was so tender and cooked perfectly. But the real star of this dish was the corn pudding. It was like a very moist corn bread, but the sweetness coupled with the pork made is heavenly.
+ Almond cake, Amaretto cheesecake filling, buttermilk kumquat ice cream: Of course I wanted to try the «baker» part of Baker & Banker. This was the best thing of the night and I usually don’t even like dessert or almond flavored things. The cheesecake filling was sooo delicious, and the toasted crisp on top of the cake added a nice texture. Everything about this dessert was perfect.
My one gripe about Baker & Banker is the service. Our waiter was not very attentive — a few times we would have to flag someone down to ask for our waiter. It’s a tiny place so I would expect the waiters to know when waters need to be filled and when we are ready do order dessert.

Came here for another business meeting on a weekday and was glad to get accommodated and seated immediately because I heard this place gets packed.
Parking was not so bad around the area.
Everything we had here was great.
Started with a bread basket which costs $ 5 — but worth it if you love bread because they serve all kinds from brioche to foccacia.
Followed by the Market salad which was very good and fresh tasting and the octopus.
Ordered the porkloin which was well presented and tasted really good and moist.
Had a bite of the swordfish wrapped in prosciutto and the duck which were both very good and well presented.
Overall the dishes were great.
For dessert — had the banana cream pie which was served in a jar and some caramel fritter BUT the best one was the BRIOCHE PUDDING. OMG that was really good, moist and melted in my mouth.
The only DOWNFALL in this place is the following:
1) NO FULL BAR, NO COCKTAILS — only Wine & beer which is not good because some people don’t drink wine or beer. I would have expected this place to serve specialty cocktails.
2) OUR SERVER WAS VERY ARROGANT and POMPOUS– since this was our first time here, we were expected to get more explanation of the dishes and great recommendations but instead he was so arrogant and not very helpful. I would have expected GREAT SERVICE for this KIND OF ESTABLISHMENT but no I regretfully say that his service was not good at all and not professional I would say.
MR BANKER & MRS BAKER– if you want to reach out to me and find out who was our server that night, please contact me directly.
I would like to come back and recommend this place for other business meetings but now Im doubting if I will.

As I walked into this very unassuming restaurant on the corner of Octavia and Bush in Pac Heights, I had the distinct feeling I had been there before. Turns out that it had been an apothecary in a prior life but most recently it had taken the form of another Top 100 restaurant, Quince. I had visited it when it was Quince, not the apothecary, in case you were wondering.
Baker and Banker sits quietly perched on the corner of this residential neighborhood, never boasting but once inside, the farm-​to-​table new American cuisine speaks for itself. We started with a spicy aha tuna tartare with Vietnamese slaw, crispy shallots, and peanuts, all of which burst on the palette with freshness and flavor. The mixed lettuces with strawberries, feta, crushed mint, and toasted almonds was a similarly wonderfully textured accompaniment. For our entrees, we chose the braised shortribs with black pepper pappardelle, wild mushrooms, English peas and shaved pecorino (heavenly) and the sweet soy and mirin braised black cod, foie-​gras-​shitake sticky rice, and charred bok choy. B&B was four-​for-​four by the times our forks and knives laid down on our plates.
The décor reads like a unpretentious but refined brasserie: dark leather banquettes fill the single square room, black pipes criss-​cross across the ceiling, and the molding has been painted gold against caramel-​colored walls.
Baker and Banker is named after the husband and wife who own, operate, and develop the recipes for the restaurant. He handles the savory courses, she holds down the dessert side.
Service was solid; our waiter was courteous, knowledgeable, and attentive.

Very intimate, somewhat dark, on the smaller side, New Yorkish feel restaurant.
The turnip soup was delish as well as the seafood paella. I loved the bread and butter. The panna cotta was great and the chocolate cake was more so-​so. I also tried a bottle of French Chardonnay which was surprisingly great and didn’t have that bitter aftertaste.
I guess I ate too much because I felt too full and just bloated the rest of the night. I would definitely go back and probably just eat less and order only one serving of the delicious bread.

Baker and Banker still makes some of the best cinnamon rolls around.
I’ve been primarily sugar free, dairy free, gluten-​free, and egg free for awhile, but that all changed these past couple of days — due to a sudden craving for cinnamon rolls.
I tried to shrug it off — but the cravings kept on getting stronger.
One night I even dreamed about Baker and Banker’s cinnamon rolls.
I decided then that I was going to buy some.
I tried calling Baker and Banker — only to learn that they had temporarily closed their bakery while they prepare to move into a bigger/​different location. I inquired as to whether there was any way to still purchase a cinnamon roll.
They said yes — but I would need to buy 12 of them.
12 massive cinnamon rolls.
I paused for a second.
And then in a voice that even surprised myself I said «No problem, I’ll get 12 cinnamon rolls.»
The best and worst decision ever.
I carried back 12 frozen cinnamon rolls to my freezer. The brown butter cream frosting in a separate container.
I’ve eaten five cinnamon rolls since that sudden cinnamon spurred move.
Each roll was heavenly.
Each roll was buttery.
Each roll was divine.
I even made some for the office today.
I adore the cinnamon rolls here — but I know that this needs to stop. My body is confused. It’s been living fine without sugar, gluten, dairy, and eggs for months — and this cinnamon sugary shockwave is definitely not what it’s used to.
And so — after the last two cinnamon rolls in my freezer are baked to pastry perfection — I’m done.
Till next year…
Trust.

Overall, I would indicate that I had an okay experience at this restaurant. However, I would indicate that they are too pretentious, self-​indulgent, and self absorbed in their own talents.
The ambience is a very small restaurant approximately 35 to 40′ x 35 to 40 feet. The ambience seems warm but the restaurant is very loud. I was unable to hear the waitress standing right next to me asking me for my order.
We had a reservation for 830. They called us and indicated that the 645 reservation was half an hour late and therefore our reservation would become half an hour late. Although we were willing to wait approximately 15 more minutes, it ended up that they were finally able to seat us at a table approximately half an hour later. So in other words, they weren’t able to honor our reservation.
The best food was the appetizer. Smoked trout on potato latkes. This has been on their menu since they started. Apparently, they change their menu a regular basis. So it is hard to identify foods on Unilocal that will then be on the current menu.
I had a red snapper which was just okay. It came in parchment paper and was steamed and then they open the parchment paper while at the table. The fish was flaky and light but with adequate to plan to taste. My wife had lamb and it also was not flavorful. That is surprising for land. This is especially difficult when the night before we had lamb at another restaurant and it was absolutely amazing and flavorful and juicy.
They also keep trying to upsell you to buy the bread. Apparently, the owner is Baker and she prides herself on her bread. Therefore, every server has tried to Upsell us on the bread.
Finally, we had a pie that was supposed to be served in a jar. Apparently you dig deep and you get all of the flavors of the pie but in a jar. There was no crust to the pie and the flavors were mediocre at best.
Overall, it’s a nice place, with a loud but small experience. However, it seems like it’s overpriced for what you get.

I just had dinner here and it was perfect for a nice date night, so I’m glad I got to go with my bestie for such an occasion!
First of all, parking here sucks and therle is no valet so unless you know someone and you can park in their driveway or you own a smartcar, chances are things are going to be pretty frustrating goign up and down the hills getting around there.
For appetizers:
The smoked salmon was so tasty! there were so many different textures and flavors. It’s like a sophisticated lox bagel for an unsophisticated girl like myself
Duck liver pâté was really rich and perfectly paired with a sweet jam like concoction on top. We got extra crostinis because the liver party went on and on.
After our apps, we were pretty satisfied and to my joy. horror, I had a TON to eat
Duck — the skin was so crispy! Love duck in all forms and this didn’t disappoint. This was served with sausage (also well flavored) sitting on a bew of lentils which I really enjoyed. I think the lentils were the only thing that was green on my plate. Oops!
The pork — SO SO SO Good. I love pork with a sweet addition (applesauce anyone?) and this was sitting on a bed of spaetzle and red cabbage which I am typically not a fan or, but this was so sweet and flavorful. I thought it was carmelized onions they were so sweet. The spaetzle i was not a huge fan of but was an interesting addition.
Dessert was panna cotta which had so many aspects (panna cotta, almond cake, blueberries, sorbet) and they worked harmoniously together. Utter perfection and I highly recommend (even when you’re full like we were)
Can’t wait to come back! Menu is always changing so I can never get tired of it!

Would give Baker and Banker 4.5 stars if I could!
Came here on Friday night for a celebratory dinner and celebrate we did.
We had a 9pm reservation, but the eternal optimist in me decided we should go early. We were able to enjoy a glass of wine at the bar and ended up getting seated about 15 minutes early.
The hostess, bartender, and waiter, were all outstanding and the service was consistent throughout the entire evening.
To start we shared the smoked trout (omg) and grilled lettuce salad. Both were fun to eat and delicious. Don’t leave without trying the trout!
For dinner I had the snapper and the bf had the pork chop. I loved loved LOVED the pork chop. The snapper was good, but not my favorite. For dessert we got the cheesecake which was fantastic. It had a light but deep flavor and didn’t boast the typical richness/​heaviness typical of a classic cheesecake.
To make the night even better, both Baker and Banker were out and about checking on tables. Loved this touch, seeing the duo knee-​deep in action truly signifies their passion.

Excellent meal, great service, good décor. The place is smallish and intimate and had a relaxed atmosphere.
The 3 of us shared the duck liver pâté (amazing) and some spicy noodles with dungeness crab, also great. For mains we shared the duck breast which was perfectly cooked and super tencer, the steak, and a 24 hour sous vided shortrib.
For dessert we shared the Peanut butter and banana ice cream thing.
Will certainly go back.

Baker and Banker is one of those places that I should go to more often but dont because of its locale. Had gone here for a set menu occasion the last time and had a very solid meal. I had noticed that one of the captains used to be a captain over at Quince a while back. This maybe shows that I go out way too much when I recognize servers going from place to place. The menu went as follows:
–Celery root soup, duck confit, apple strudel, chestnuts
–Dungeness crab, satsuma mandarins, watermelon radish, house made sesame crackers
–Morocan roasted squash salad, Strauss yogurt, Marshall farm honey, pomegranate
–Artichoke and egg raviolo, parmesano reggiano, Perigold black truffle
–Seared Black Bass, Thai shellfish risotto, crispy shallots, cilantro oil
–Red wine braised short rib, pan fried gnocchi, black trumpet mushrooms, root vegetables
–Mulled spice persimmon sorbet
–Flourless chocolate cake, coffee ice cream, Kahlua, crème anglaise, cocoa nib brittle
–Brown butter Huckleberry donuts, Meyer lemon curd
this husband and wife duo make a great culinary team. As noted earlier they put out some mighty tasty fare. My one complaint maybe is that there were too many courses to choose from and even if you have a pact with the person youre eating with to share everything, your appetite will still not be enough to tackle all the things you want. Service is also solid and noting that they have folks from Quince and such, that’s a given. I just wish I had more reason and time to get to this part of the city as I know that there’s a restaurant worth going back to. 4.3 stars

Solid food — focusing on ingredients with a flair.
the calamari appetizer is citrusy, light, airy, and fresh (nice combination with cucumbers). Duck & quail terrine was decadent, looking like almost a chocolate mousse dessert but tasting like a smooth terrine with balanced and refined flavors.
I enjoyed the black cod but it wasn’t one of the best cod dishes. Can be more flavorful.
The desserts were the best part of the meal. We had XXX– triple dark chocolate layer cake and Vanilla bean-​yogurt cheesecake, Ed’s figs, blackberry caramel. the dark chocolate layer cake was pretty amazing, devoured by all of us within 30 seconds.
The ambience was a bit too dark for my taste but still subdued enough for some fun conversation (a bit on the serious side though).

They stopped me from showing you the quail entrée… it was a golden little bird in a tasty brown sauce surrounded by stringy, tasteless greens. Honestly, it was a meager meal and a bit fatty, so It probably doesn’t matter that the waiter said the restaurant didn’t allow photos of the food! Loved the smoked trout on potato latke as an appetizer, the bread basket ($ 5 extra) and the XXX chocolate layer cake. The rest of the table reported that their entrees (lamb, halibut) were excellent.
Service: Good, but confusing – our server/​waiter kept changing. We easily had 6 different people involved with taking our orders and delivering food to our table. Ambiance: The interior of the restaurant is dark wood paneling with soft lighting, exactly the right atmosphere for a special date.

Another rare find in SF that’s mastered the foodie trio — impeccable service, cute ambiance and excellent food.
My friends and I arrived on time for our reservation but unfortunately the party before us at our intended table wouldn’t leave — so we were instead led to the bar by an extremely polite maitre d and waiter with numerous apologies along the way. We were also provided with a complimentary bottle of sparkling burgundy (looks a bit lighter in complexion than a rose and is similar in taste to Champagne — I absolutely enjoyed it) — definite bonus points.
About 15 minutes later, we were seated and we braced ourselves for the gastronomic experience about to take place. We ordered the assorted bread plate, the black cod, the duck, the ravioli, the house smoked trout and the XXX chocolate cake and thoroughly enjoyed everything. I’d have to say that my personal favorites were the ravioli and black cod but I almost feel guilty in singling out the favorites. Everything was seriously fabulous from start to finish. All of the dishes are unique, slightly offbeat and absolutely delicious. They also have an enticing list of daily specials in addition to their excellent menu for further selection.
And lastly, the ambiance is that of a classy and cute neighborhood restaurant with a dash of pizazz.
So if you’re in the mood for a delicious, slightly upscale yet unpretentious dinner, give Baker and Banker a try — you definitely won’t regret it!
Happy Eating, Unilocalers!

Baker & Banker lives up to its name.
Baker means someone knows their way around a rolling pin — delectable pastries!
Banker means you gotta be rolling in the dough to afford this place (yes, bad pun).
The trout salad was fine to be sure, satisfyingly savory with full and balanced flavor that is rare for a salad with fish. Pretty to look at, too.