TBD Restaurant

Not as good as sister AQ, but not a bad spot.
We sampled most of the menu (although it constantly changes). I wasn’t blown away by any of the dishes.

What a cute little restaurant right by the Orpheum. We came here for a quick bite, was able to get reservations pretty last minute and the food was unique and tasteful. We had the baker’s bread because it sounded interesting… it was sort of like mushrooms on top of bread with some kind of sauce. Their honey glazed brussel sprounts was good and the presentation of the tuna tar tar was perfect. I’d definitely recommend anyone catching a show by the orpheum to come here. They also have a good yet simple selection of wine!

Constantly updating menu: if what you see on the menu for the day strikes your fancy, highly recommend giving them a shot.
Try mixing and matching from the prix fixe menu by asking the great servers politely.

Went to TBD because I planned at the last second on a Saturday and there were still seats available.
Staff: Awesome.
Décor: Awesome camp-​y vibe
Atmosphere: About half-​empty on a Saturday dinner
Drinks menu: Nice selection of beers and wines by the glass (like legit selections for a beer lover, not just a couple of CA IPAs)
Food: It’s mandatory Prix fixe for $ 48, which I liked. They also have a separate «bar menu» which you can order alongside your dinner. Food was excellent all around, but they serve family style, and gave us way less food than could fill us up, even with extras, drinks
and dessert.
1^st course: Shrimp ceviche — Super yummy, though 12 small shrimp total for our group of 5.
2^nd: Mole carrots. Excellent mole, soft sweet carrots. Very tasty.
Add-​ons: Avocado seaweed bread (soooo good) and padrones peppers (like small shishito, OK).
3^rd: Pork Posole — amazingly delicious juicy pork with some incredible jus. They need to bring bread or a starch with this, so much jus and not enough stuff!
4^th: Dessert was bowls of panna cotta with fruit /​mint sauce. 5 stars.
Extra dessert: Deconstructed s’mores. Mmmm.
So overall, fun place for a group, delicious food, but they need to make enough food, and I’d like it a bit more lively! 4.5 stars if I could.

Overall I’m a fan of this place. The food was good, the waitstaff was friendly and quick and I liked the atmosphere. I will say though that it is important to recognize that TBD has a single prix fixe tasting menu. They can modify it for people with allergies and other dietary restrictions but it is worth looking into the menu on their website in advance in case you’re dealing with just plain picky eaters or have a large group.
We had gulf prawn ceviche, carrots with mole, pork pozole, and flan. The ceviche was the weakest dish but was still ok I just would have liked it to have a little bit more bold and bright flavor. Loved the carrots and mole and the pozole though I wish they had served the pozole with a bowl instead of a flat plate because I didn’t get much of a chance to enjoy the broth with the pork, hominy, etc in the pozole. We also added the josey baker bread with avocado, great but the portion size was huge. Too much for two people and I wish they would offer a half size portion of it because that would have been perfect.
The staff at the restaurant were great too. Very professional, friendly, and everything happened at a reasonable pace. We overhead that the table next to us was late for a reservation and had an event and asked the staff to rush the meal and it seemed like they were very accommodating to this, which is the hallmark of a well run operation because clearly those customers were being kind of needy but the restaurant staff were able to deal with it with a smile on their faces.

I’ve had the pleasure of eating at TBD (and their big Sis next door, AQ) enough times now to appreciate the craftmanship and care that goes into every dish prepared. Cooking indoors over a wood burning hearth is no small feat, and doing it so well, with such an epicurean aesthetic, yet still rustic and hearty is quite an accomplishment. One I have yet to see mimicked, much less equaled.
At TBD, the bar has a menu apart from the rather new, fixed menu for the seated area, and both of them change quite regularly. Highlights at the bar for me have been, Asparagus with a soft Egg, Cojito Corn, and the grilled Peppers. During my most recent visit to the dining area the menu (
) featured a delicious and perfectly seasonal Watermelon and green Tomato salad, a perfectly large piece of Seabass with a fava Bean blend and Eggplant (
), and a huge portion of Tri-​tip crusted in burnt onion and coffee. I’m a huge Tri-​tip fan; coming from down the Central Coast and the rub on this one was so flavorful and unique.
The service stands out in my mind at TBD almost as much as the food. It’s the little things that make a difference. Such as the server being congenial and very helpful; offering to bring tastes of the available wine to make sure we enjoyed the pairing beforehand, or like when I left for the restroom and returned to find my napkin refolded in its proper place; the smaller things go a long way with me.
Overall, I consider TBD one of my favorite restaurants anywhere and I can’t wait to return to see what’s new from the grill. Cheers! @LeeShep

I haven’t been impressed with restaurants for awhile. Finally, I came across TBD. The concept was fun, food was creative and flavors were bright. Service was fine. My only gripe was that we had the pork rillettes that came with very little bread. When we asked for more bread, they never told us it was extra charge. When our bill came, we were charged $ 3 for the 2 pieces of bread we got.
You do smell like smoke when you leave so make sure you wear something you don’t mind washing.

Awesome spot, sooo «San Francisco» and I love it.
The menu is amazing and really affordable. About $ 50 for 4 courses!
I loved the gem salad and I can’t remember what else I had because I dined there last week, but I know it was awesome. On top of the tasting menu, my friend and I shared like 3 appetizers — all delicious.
Good spot, but definitely super loud — you can’t really have a quiet, conversational dinner here.

Other than my hair smelling like campfire at the end of the meal, everything was excellent at TBD. I enjoyed every dish we ordered, especially the clams with charred fava beans, charred octopus, and pork chop with charred strawberries. Yes they have an open fire stove/​grill and they love to char the hell out of everything. In the right way.
I’d absolutely go back just for the 3 dishes mentioned above. Also one of the chefs apparently likes mazzy star, great taste in music chef!

One of my new fave spots in SF! While the décor is much more beautiful at AQ, I much more prefer the slightly better prices, better quality food, & more rustic vibe at TBD.
RESERVATIONS: For Friday, 8pm. The staff was nice about our many last min changes. It was busy, not crowded, likely no wait. We sat at a communal table upstairs, around the corner: no view of downstairs, but at least the music was quieter.
THE SERVICE: Great, patient, friendly, good recs & descriptions.
THE COST: $ 55 total (incl. tax/​tip) for a filling dinner: 1x$ 6, 4x$ 13, 1x$ 26, 1x$ 13 dessert, split 3-​ways. Receipt:
MUST-​HAVES: Cauliflower, Grilled Asparagus, Grilled Artichokes, Roasted Lamb, S’mores.
$ 6 section
* Seeded Fry Bread (english peas, dill, cottage cheese) — 4 stars
pic:
Comes room temp. The flavors: amazing, esp the fresh crunchy peas, but the bread was a little hard.
* Cauliflower (smoked gribiche, golden raisins) — 4.5 stars
pic:
Tried a bite, love the charred/​roasted flavors, the golden raisins.
$ 13 section
* Grilled Asparagus (cured egg yolk, nori) — 4 stars
pic:
Didn’t get to try this. Our group was getting 2 bills. We ordered 2 of these, & apparently the big plate we got was a double order (if they told us this, no one heard it), so I didn’t try it, thinking that my order was still on its way. This did look delicious.
$ 18 section
* Charred Octopus (kohlrabi, black truffle & green garlic) — 4 stars
pic:
Also room temp. Octopus: VERY tender, sliced thin. Went well w/​the other flavors.
* Grilled Artichokes (spring veggies, breadcrumbs, nettle, whey) — 4.5 stars
pic:
My friend didn’t like this, but I tried a bit & really liked the charred flavors, soft textures of the veggies, contrasted by the crisp breadcrumbs & crunchy kale.
* Leeks Cooked in the Coals (smoked oyster verde, buttermilk) — 3 stars
pic:
Disappointing — couldn’t taste the oyster, the leeks were soggy.
* Smoked Beef Kielbasa Sausage (sauerkraut, caraway) — 3.5 stars
pic:
GREAT texture: grainy, homemade. But EXTREMELY salty. The sauerkraut: plain & cold.
* Roasted Lamb (chermoula, dandelion, sunflower seed milk) — 5 stars
pic:
Fantastic. Soft tender texture, strong smoky flavor. The dandelion: very crisp, paired surprisingly well.
$ 26 section
* Grilled Pork Chop (fennel 3 ways, wild herbs, strawberries) — 4.5 stars
pic:
The porkchop had a lot of fat, but was beautifully flavored. Fennel was unique. I didn’t love the strawberries — an odd flavor pairing, though my bf really enjoyed!
$ 6 sides
Carrots (sesame tahini, mint) — 4 stars
pic:
Tried a bite — loved it!
$ 6 desserts
* Grilled Rhubarb (whipped cream cheese, hearth graham cracker) — 4 stars
pic:
The rhubarb was very unique: still had some of its natural crisp & tartness! The whipped cream was light & smooth, graham crackers very crumbly.
$ 13 desserts
* S’mores (marshmallow, chocolate, chicory pudding) — 5 stars
pic:
Amazing! Chocolate was the BEST: cold, dense, had sea salt. Too much marshmallow to chocolate ratio; we were left w/​just marshmallow at the end — not as enjoyable by itself.

02.25.14
5:45 reservations for a party of 9. Then 8. Then 7. We first sat down at two separate tables of 4 downstairs, since it looks like the tables are stationary and quite intricate. Everything you need, from silverware to napkin to menu is in a drawer on the table.
Since we were down to 7, we were able to move to the communal table upstairs (no drawers, though) and got to ordering. The suggestion is 2 – 3 plates per person, to share. I think we did a sufficient job in ordering most of the menu!
Everyone had different hits and misses from the dishes. My highlights were the leek, octopus, and the beef. I also enjoyed the seaweed bread, uni, and trout. I wouldn’t order the corn cake again (it was… quite dense). No opinion on the dessert since I opted out.
Total damage for 7: $ 406
P. S. — excellent service!

The ambiance at TBD is a comfortable warmth that makes you feel at home with a touch of refinement. I thoroughly liked the wooden theme throughout the restaurant and felt it created the space. The open wood fire kitchen area is a thing of beauty to watch and impressed at how minimal the smoke out put is but we warned you will leave smelling a weft of smoke on your clothes.
Here are what we ordered and my thoughts
Arepa-​good sear on both sides but doughy on the inside, lacked seasoning and didn’t have anything special
Lardo-​piggy flavorful goodness, copious amount, definitely need more bread
Scallops-​beautifully presented, light hint of smoke, refreshing pop from the fennel ice and good portion but was lacking savoriness
Lamb Carpaccio-​tender slices of lamb with just the right amount of gaminess, paired nicely with the sweetness of the beets + a hint of zip from the wasabi
Roasted Lamb-​belly of the lamb was scrumptious, the loin was dry but flavorful, a good balance of texture and flavors
Uni & Potatoes-​the potatoes were delicious, they had a delightful hint of heat from the jalapenos and a wonderful silky coating on the exterior. Uni was refreshing but for the price the amount was limited
Crab and Grits-​the polenta was dried out and under seasoned, a great amount of fresh crab that was sweet and succulent
Beef Bavette-​beautifully cooked beef, well seasoned, and paired nicely with the side dishes
Seaweed Bread-​a clever use of seaweed in place of salt, it added a special briny quality to the bread that complimented well with the slight smoky char of the bread. The bread had great texture and interesting intricacies
Weisswurst-​the cabbage was overly sweetened and completely overwhelmed the dish. The sausage had great flavors but felt the texture lacked a meaty quality
Service was fair, towards the end she sort of spaced out and seemed a tad overwhelmed. She apologized for the wait to get our bill and gave us a free sample of the soft serve that night (peanut butter topped with cocoa nibs). It had a good smooth quality and just the right amount of subtle peanut butter flavor.
Overall Thoughts
For a restaurant of this caliber, I am always looking to find something that makes me want to go back for more. TBD was not able to elicit such feelings but perhaps down the round maybe this will change

TBD is SO San Francisco, and SO my kind of place. I can eat here any and every night of the week. And btw, I’d have no problem walking in solo and um… pigging out — I mean dining! — at the bar.
First off, a reservation is not required, but recommended. I had a party of two and waited for ~25 min. No big deal. We just sat back, relaxed, admired all of the unique touches inside of this über hip (dare I say hipster-​vibed) restaurant.
Onto the dining experience. We sat downstairs and first noticed how cool the tables /​quasi-​desks are. Just slide open your seat-​side drawer to find everything you need — your menu, silverware and napkin — all neatly placed inside.
OMG, TA DA! The food. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It’s all about small plates. You MUST have the bread + butter + seaweed. It was a little weird at first, but once you start muching, I gotta say, seriously rivals Tartine bread (maybe they get the bread from Tartine, I don’t know). Other stellar standouts were the heirloom carrots, cauliflower and the uni dish (sans Uni for me, but the potatoes and garnish on that dish are amaze).
And surprise surprise… Dessert didn’t disappoint either! Soft serve was bomb. And mind you, I’m not a fan of soft-​serve. And Smores — you GOTTA do it. It’s more like deconstructed smores. But who cares. All together was all good.
The only (sort of) surprise at the end of the night was the bill. I think we had ~6 dishes all together, which came up to $ 185 plus tax. A little steep so watch those little triangles on the menu if you’re counting coins!

Actually, 3.5 stars.
I came in with high expectation after seeing all the delicious pictures on Unilocal.Upon walking in, I was surprised to learn that it has the same owner and executive chef as AQ just a few doors down. Didn’t have the best impression of AQ’s food, so maybe this will be better right? Just marginally.
Pictures of the uni potatoes was the main reason I chose this restaurant. I love uni. It’s my first time having uni outside of a Japanese restaurant and I can’t say that I’m a fan. It tastes just like how it looks — uni. & potatoes. If the potatoes were softer maybe it would have gone better together.
Beef bavette was highlight of the meal. It was indeed buttery & delicious, and the collared greens adds a nice touch of flavor. Turnips went well with the dish too.
Kale & leek salad — good standard starter dish. The hazelnut «cheese» complimented the raw kale. Unfortunately, can’t give too many koodos to this since its hard to mess up a kale salad.
Cauliflower & raisin starter — tasty but way too salty, especially for an appetizer
Kumquat cake — delicious! and I don’t even like kumquat (is that how you spell it?!)
rice pudding — couldn’t get past the second bite. This was way too earthy tasting, didn’t feel like dessert. Our waitress noticed it was barely touched and didn’t charge us which was nice.
Overall, TBD has its uniqueness with the drawers that stores all your silverware/​menu/​napkins. Service was great. Décor is nice and welcoming. Menu is creative, but taste, a few good ones and a few misses.

Nelly’s It’s Hot in Herre, should be the theme song for TBD. We literally could have been buck naked and still been sweating. We were seated at the mezzanine level, above the cooking area, heat definitely rises and ladies, you will smell like you came from a BBQ after you leave.
Perfect hipster ski chalet atmosphere. Think lots of knotted wood, antlers and an open hearth.
Super friendly staff and interesting method of pricing on the menu.
The pickled beets were unique and wonderfully paired with the Serrano. Absolutely loved the lamb and the uni with potatoes.
Grits and crab, a little bland, but grew on me, tasted light. The veal and pork sausage was a fabulous way to finish off the savory courses.
Least favorite was the scallops, just not a huge fan of citrus. Similar to a ceviche, but not quite there.
Desserts were good, especially the semolina cake with kumquats, I hate kumquats, it worked and there was a nice caramelized crust to the cake. Rice pudding was more like a soup, flavors good with the unexpected candied squash, but texture a bit runny.
Gripe: due to the method of cooking, the kitchen pumps out dishes not in the order it should arrive, from light to heavy. At times we felt overwhelmed by the number of dishes on the table, the timing of the kitchen created a backlog of courses, I like no more than two dishes in front of me.
Overall a good meal, fun atmosphere and worthy of a return visit. Make sure to secure a rezi, they are busy along with their big sister a couple doors down.

Have we become too self-​reliant on the use of acronyms since we prefer texting over talking in our increasingly digitalized world? IMHO yes. I like IM my BFF and ROTFL and like she tells me to KMA and then I like tell her to STFU and so I keep it on the QT ASAP. OMG TMI. Totes McGotes indeed. In this spirit, the prodigious AQ has just sired TBD, a slightly more casual spot just 2DD, I mean, two doors down on the dour block of Mission between 6^th and 7^th. That’s my ‘hood, so UNTCO, man. Jamie W. (that’s a real initial!) was the one to suggest we try it since he was hearing good buzz about it. We managed to land a table on the main floor just a half-​hour in advance, so we felt good culinary karma coming our way, especially when we walked by the huge, custom-​built wood-​fired grill that true testosterone must have built (photo:
).
Fire good. Me hungry. Got it. The faux-​vintage, industrial chic décor fits nicely with the eclectic menu neatly folded in drawers under the tabletop (photo:
). Don’t close it yet because that’s where you’ll find your silverware and napkins, too (photo:
). I didn’t know I was going to set my own table, but the informality works in here. We started with a couple of libations — Jamie with a smooth $ 6 half-​pint glass of Devil’s Canyon Silicon Blonde (photo:
) and me with a refreshing $ 11 glass of Vive Vive Vive, a sherry infused with star anise and juniper berries with a slice of lemon (photo:
). Perusal of the food menu was like reading an issue of Consumer Reports with prices marked by one-​to-​four pyramids with each representing a multiple of $ 6 (photo:
). First up was the $ 12 Persimmons, Sunchokes and Bay Scallop Ceviche, a surprising blend of fresh flavors and textures that provided an audacious introduction (photo:
).
Another unpredictable mix came in the form of the $ 6 Goat Feta, Pomegranate and Farro wrapped in Swiss Chard (photo:
). Rustically simple but vegan-​friendly tasty. A slightly oddball dish came next with the $ 12 Rainbow Trout on Buckwheat Waffle with Dill (photo:
). While the waffle had a nice texture, the trout didn’t work for me as the weird combo of flavors doesn’t work unless I have plenty of maple syrup on hand in a cabin-​shaped tin container. Pass. We rebounded with our shared main course, the Beef Ribeye for Two with Brussel Kraut and Alliums (photo:
). Finally here was a slab of beef that took full advantage of the intense heat of the grill with an unbeatable char on the outside but perfectly pink and juicy on the inside (photo:
). It’s quite possibly the best prepared steak south of Market (did I really state that, Alexander?), and it better be at $ 24 per person.
Dessert came in two parts. First up was the $ 12 S’mores, a thick bar of rich chocolate ganache served in a huge bowl with browned dollops of creamed marshmallow and ground chicory (photo:
). A campfire favorite is given the typically SF foodie treatment. However, the scene stealer turned out to be the $ 6 Parsnip Cake with Toffee and Spiced Pear, which turned out to be the perfect after-​dinner treat for the holiday season (photo:
). Service was near-​impeccable and well-​timed, so why not five stars? Even with a miss on the trout and waffle combo, owner Matt Semmelhack and chef Mark Liberman could refine the creations in the kitchen a bit more to match the flavors that come directly from the grill. I think it’s on its way after just a few weeks. I’d love to see the menu change seasonally like AQ so it can KMSO* TYVM.
*KMSO = Knock My Socks Off… get with it, dude
FOOD — 4 stars… eclectic combos need refinement but the ribeye for two is killer
AMBIANCE — 4 stars… so SoMa with the big grill center stage, not too noisy
SERVICE — 5 stars… staff is excellent here
TOTAL — 4 stars… NJoy TBD… it’s quite good NK

This new spot is a more casual AQ with a fire theme — just about everything is made over the fire in the center of the restaurant. There is a great variety, including veggie options.
We had the chard/​feta/​grape/​farro from the raw menu, which was great and a very nice start. I love farro… Then we had the bread/​butter/​seaweed which was super interesting — does seaweed have umami? Really rich and satisfying. And pretty! like a little garden on the charred bread. The uni/​potato/​jalapeño/​scallion was wonderful too, and whodathunk to pair uni and potato? The jalapeño and scallion sauce, oh man. The pumpkin soup with onion and hay (?!) was really unique but I felt like I would have really just preferred a traditional pumpkin soup without the balsamic or whatever was in there. The shrimp/​avocado/​sweet potato/​black garlic entrée was huge and the shrimp was almost creamy.
The menu was pretty simple but when the waitstaff actually explains the dish beyond the 3 – 4 ingredients listed, everything sounds like oh-​man-​I-​gotta-​get-​that. And for the most part, it’s really damn good.
It’s still new so we were able to walk in and get seated right away, but I can see the place getting crazy, as hard as they try to be accessible. The décor is very glamping-​esque (glam camping fyi). Smells of firewood, cozy and warm, good food and wine. JUUUST the way camping should be.

After you’ve had fun the umpteenth time joking how your dinner plan is TBD, get ready to settle down, but not too long (more on that later), for a thought provoking and delicious meal.
The SOMA location might get some people, but let’s hope it deters any uncool people from discovering this wonderful addition to the hood. The interior is muted and somewhat bare, but the warmth of the wood burning fire from the kitchen will welcome you once you step through the doors. Cords of wood are stacked on the second level and emphasize the wood burning stove/​grill that’s used in many of the dishes. At every seat is a drawer where you will find a menu, napkin, and silverware. If there were a few crayons and a piece of paper, I would have been in heaven.
The menu isn’t extensive, but there is still a good variety of items that will tempt your palate. Little triangles designate the pricing tier for the dish — there’s a legend at the bottom of your menu. It took me a few seconds to figure that part out. At first I thought it designated spice levels. Our server was really friendly and encouraged us to place the bulk of our order at one time for the kitchen. We obliged by starting with an order of 5 dishes. And they all came out within minutes — one after another. From the time we sat down to the time we ate to the time we paid and left — it took us all of 30 minutes and change. Never have I had a better meal in less time. My wish is that they would have paced our meal just a bit versus bringing everything out at once. Fortunately, the food was delicious.
The scallop ceviche with persimmon was probably one of the table favorites. An unexpected combination of persimmon with scallops, but what an amazing pairing. The autumn salad is also a wonderful way to start your meal. You start seeing the influence of the wood burning grill beginning with this dish. We opted to order some grilled bread (recommend) and the flavors of the wood smoke were infused into the bread. My least favorite dish was probably the steak. While good, there wasn’t anything particularly special about this particular dish.
Though we left the restaurant in record time, TBD was actually one of our favorite meals. It’s clear that there’s talent in the kitchen and a vision for what is good food. Complemented by friendly waitstaff and team, my vote for TBD is far from TBD — they’ve earned my vote.

Live fire cooking has always been my favorite style of the culinary arts. It’s unpredictable, requires a certain level of attention, and when done right, it can be one of the most amazing things ever. Take Asador Etxebarri in Axpe (
) or Ekstedt (
) where there sole focus is the live fire. TBD represents that primal style in SF now. We came in before a show down at the Warfield on the 2^nd day of opening. Having been fans of AQ and getting to know some of the staff there, it was amazing to find more familiar faces in the new space. Some of the chefs here cooked at Atelier Crenn formerly so it was good to see them in the new venture.
We sat at the bar and had almost direct adjacency to the hearth and it’s custom built modular grills, plancha, and other implements. After looking through the menu we went with:
–Rabiit Hunter’s Stew
–Andouille sausage
–Young potato, uni, jalapeño
–Grilled sirloin of beef
–Root beer float
–Dutch oven cake
Everything was excellent. I think the sirloin might have had a section of slight over wellness but it still was darn tasty. The stew and the sausage were particularly tasty. Good thing the opening menu is so ambitious, there’s still tons of things I’d like to try. We didnt even do any alcohol imbibing so there’s still the wine, beer and cocktails that need tasting also. Staff are awesome, and the patronage is already crowded considering the area. The space has a lot of wooden elements, as you’d think from a hearth focused restaurant. The tableside service has the elements of Relæ (
) in Copenhagen where they have the serving utensils in drawers below. definitely looking for a return as there so much to try and the staff are simply awesome. Great debut! 4.5 stars

You know what drives me wild?
Guys who can write well. Just give me a guy that can arouse my mind and goodbye inhibitions! Showing me «Debbie Does Dallas» doesn’t count, ok?
You know what drives me absolutely wild?
Guys who have the balls to push the limits in the creativity department. Justin Baldoni didn’t become an overnight sensation with all the ladies for nothing:
. I’m sure every guy in America hates him now because who can top that kind of proposal? Too bad Mr. NSS fell asleep halfway through the video. Shucks.
When it comes to the culinary world, Chef Mark Liberman pushes the limits in the creativity department and it definitely shows at AQ’s new casual sister restaurant, TBD Restaurant which opened its doors on Tuesday.
TBD’s edgy menu of small plates focuses on modern Californian cuisine prepared on an open fire grill and hearth. The menu is divided into 6 sections: Raw, Smoked, Hearth, Grill, Plancha, and Sweet and are priced in tiers: $ 6, $ 12, $ 18, $ 24. Portions are small which seems to be a trend with all the new hot-​spots in SF. About 3 dishes per a person is recommended so the bill can quickly rack up. Except to spend about $ 60 pp including one cocktail.
~ * ~ D R I N K S /​F O O D ~ * ~
Having come from nearby Mr. Smiths, I was tipsy and forgot about my 2 drink max so I ordered one of their loophole cocktails. Except I think they forgot about the other half of my Churchill Bane ($ 11):
. While I give them props for finding a loophole around not having a full liquor license, I prefer having a real drink at that price.
*Bread, Butter, Seaweed ($ 6):
*Raw Beef, Cheddar & Beer Bitter Herbs ($ 12):
*Cured Wild Salmon, Rye Waffle, Dill ($ 12):
*Pumpkin Soup, Onions, Hay ($ 12):
*Young Potato, Uni, Jalapeño, Scallions ($ 16):
*Lamb Shoulder, Preserved Peaches, Urfa ($ 18):
(Sorry for the poor quality pics, there was bad lighting in the restaurant.)
The above is listed in order of our favorite to least favorite dishes. While I appreciated the innovative ingredients pairings, there were some hits and misses.
The bread, butter and seaweed are a genius combo as the seaweed acted as a salt component to the crusty bread lathered with deliciously creamy butter. Beef tartare and cheddar? I know what you’re thinking but Liberman makes it work and it was damn good. You can never go wrong with smoked salmon but with a fluffy waffle and a herbaceous dill aioli? Even better.
Nothing says fall like a bowl of pumpkin soup but I just wish there was a crunchy texture component to it. I love uni but there was a disconnect for me with the carby potatoes and jalapenos. The most disappointing dish was the lamb shoulder which was more of strip of jerky as the edges were hard and stringy.
Don’t leave without trying one of their desserts. I fell head over heels with their spiced pumpkin soft serve w/​roasted pumpkin seeds & persimmons ($ 6):
that I told our waitress about 3 – 4 times how much I loved it as if she didn’t hear me the first time. Sorry, that was the alkie talking. It was so good that I know Lolia S. would approve (I miss her on Unilocal).
~ * ~ S E R V I C E ~ * ~
For their second day of opening, the entire staff was on their A-​game. Everyone was so genuinely nice and attentive. Food service was well-​paced and timely. I’ve been to a lot of soft openings and grand openings where some of the staff didn’t seem to know their head from their arse so kudos to whoever hired and trained the staff here because they were wonderful!
~ * ~ A M B I A N C E /​D E C O R ~ * ~
Walking into TBD, you will forget that you’re a block away from crackheadsville on 6^th street. The countryside campfire themed ambiance with the open fire grill, antlers, red camping lanterns, and wooden tables that doubles as shelves (pullout drawer has the menu, napkin, and utensils) were adorable. This would make a great casual date place but I can imagine it getting very loud when it’s busy so I would wait until after the 3^rd date to come here.
~ * ~ P A R K I N G ~ * ~
Being in a more sketchy (but upcoming) part of SF, I suggest Ubering it here or carpooling. If you do drive, try to find parking on 7^th and upwards. The nearest garage is on 5^th/​Mission but you’ll have to walk through 6^th which is very sketchy so I advise against this. We were lucky enough to find non-​metered parking in an alleyway in back of TBD and I had my stun gun ready. I always carry protection. *Wink*