Judy
Rodgers’ personality is reflected
in every detail of San Francisco’s
Zuni Café, the hugely popular restaurant
of which she is chef and owner. Zuni Café
is all relaxed, hip, casual sophistication
– there’s no pretension or intimidation
here. You’ll never hear Rodgers yelling
"bam" into a camera or conducting
herself like a celebrity chef diva. She
is much more thoughtful and low key than
that. And deeply interested in how, as
she says in her new The
Zuni Cafe Cookbook: A Compendium of Recipes
and Cooking Lessons from San Francisco's
Beloved Restaurant
,
"the simplest dish can recall a community
of ideas and people."
Zuni Café has persevered
in San Francisco’s ultra-competitive
restaurant scene precisely because of
these "simple" dishes. From
the famous Roasted Chicken with Bread
Salad (simply seasoned and roasted
chickens served with a bread salad studded
with garlic, scallion, currants, pine
nuts, and greens, all moistened with vinaigrette
and chicken drippings. Frankly, it was
only on about our third visit that we
could tear ourselves away from this dish
to try anything else!
We were glad we did. Fabulous
assortment of top quality oysters. Standout
Caesar salad. Crispy skinny fries. Mediterranean
style grilled fish. Excellent late night
burger on chewy focaccia bread. Braised
oxtails. Intense chocolate pots de crème.
All exhibiting intense depth of flavor
and culinary soul.
Although we’ve heard
some grumbling about snooty or slow service,
I have to say that our servers have always
been very friendly and attentive.
The wine list is mostly
California, with a healthy dash of Italy.
Good selection; works well with the menu.
Floor to ceiling windows.
Split level, sleek contemporary interior.
Copper-topped bar. Always a buzz. (december
2002)
1658 Market St.
San Francisco
Tel: 415.552.2522
Entrees: $8-$22
