I just had dinner with a friend of mine at Nopa Restaurant in San Francisco. My first observation about the restaurant was that the host was very friendly and made casual conversation with us while he was seating us. Once seated, I looked around the restaurant. I really liked the long bar. I noticed that there were several people dining there. It looked like a nice environment for single dining. There was a long communal dining table for walk-ins, as well. Several groups were using it and seemed quite happy.
I took a glance at the wine list but didn’t really recognize many of the wines there. There were selections from Spain, Portugal, Italy and France, as well as California and Oregon. We tried a half bottle of their Domaine Serene “Cote Sud” 2004 Willamette Valley chardonnay. It was excellent (and the perfect temperature for chardonnay).
Next we looked at the menu. The selections looked fantastic. I really love a restaurant that serves fresh beans (such as scarlet runner and cranberry beans), and there were several choices on the Nopa menu. We started with the Flatbread with Spicy Fennel Sausage, Gypsy Peppers and Roasted Corn, along with their Wood-baked Scarlet Runner Beans with Feta and Breadcrumbs. Next my friend had the Roasted Wild King Salmon with Succotash, Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Butter. I really wanted just vegetables so ordered three sides: Fresh Cranberry Beans and Wilted Escarole, Grilled Broccoli with Anchovy-Lemon Vinaigrette and Succotash, Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Butter. Every dish was absolutely delicious and quite generous in size. We were so full from the large portions that we decided to skip dessert (although my peek at the dessert menu did make my mouth water).
My only real complain with this restaurant was that the service was pretty slow. The wait staff was very friendly and helpful, but they seemed a bit overworked. I don’t like to rush through dinner by any means but this 2-course dinner took almost 2 1/2 hours to complete.
However, I still look forward to going back there to check out their autumn menu!
Nopa Restaurant
560 Divisadero@Hayes
San Francisco, CA 94117
(415) 864-8643
http://www.nopasf.com/