The May Hit List: Rich Table, Snail Bar, Schroeder’s, and More

The bar at Rich Table is a perfect place to start the night. Order everything from the bites section – sardine chips, porcini doughnuts, some dry-aged beef dumplings, grab a couple cocktails and off you go. (Just a one-meal kinda night? Stick to the Chefs Picks menu.)

Snail Bar is another wonderful place to start off. Grab a glass or bottle, a big ‘ol Petit Plateau filled with fresh sea creatures dressed up with fruits and flowers — ice-cold bivalves, mussels and a crudo, maybe get some snails because you can’t not, and then off you go. Or stay a while and order that second bottle.

The Schroeder’s happy hour has long been a fun place to start your night. Bar bites like kartoffel tots with caraway sea salt aioli, bratwurst in a bun, and fried chicken schnitzel sliders are all sub $10, while beers and wine are deeply discounted. Or just do the darn thing and get a boot.

Besharam is chef Heena Patel’s exploration of regional Indian cuisine. The menu is divided up into different parts of India — Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Surat, and the newest, latest section: Jaipur. Here you’ll find things like kachori dumplings with pigeon peas and rasam, dabeli paratha with peanut bhel and spiced potatoes, and kheema batti, which features a whole wheat bread stuffed with smoked paneer and Impossible meat.

Special Event Alert: On May 31, Besharam and Hilda and Jesse will be collaborating on a one-night vegetarian dinner: The Color Dinner. More info here.

Three words: Pasta. Tasting. Menu. That’s all you need to know about Flour + Water. Or you could also stop in for a quick pizza, which is really the perfect appetizer if you think about it. Especially the excellent light, charred, slightly sour neo-Neapolitan versions at this pasta palace.

Sit at the bar, grab a Gildatini — a.k.a. a gilda-garnished martini, here with a little sherry in the mix — and go in on some ham, whether in the form of a charcuterie plate, a mountain of crispy patatas bravas Animal style (covered with jamon iberico), a piece of grilled pork cooked on the wood-fired hearth, or all three. Spanish guitar music is a bonus and brings the vibes.

Call 415-872-6699 for reservations. Find more info here.

Let’s say you’ve got some eating stamina. Ernest will put you to the test, especially if you go with the Let The Kitchen Cook For You option. But you could also come here and get a dessert flight: the seasonally changing shave ice (most recently featuring yuzu and hibiscus), the medium rare and gooey Basque cheesecake, and the insanely delicious soft-serve sundae (it’s the best it’s ever been right now). Chef Brandon Rice could double as a pastry chef.

See also: How to Get a Table at Ernest

If you’ve never had a steakhouse hamburger as an appetizer before your bone-in rib eye hits, you aren’t living. The burger at the ultra-luxe Miller & Lux features a dry-aged blend of beef and is topped with Mt. Tam Triple Cream, bacon jam, crispy shallots, a bit of watercress for the health, plus truffle fries on the side. Make sure you share — this one is nice and thick.

Call 415-430-6580 for reservations. Find more info here.

Copas on Market has reinvented itself, just in time for summer. The menu is revamped with a focus on Mexico, now featuring tuna tostadas, Tijuana-style tacos with smoky carne asada (with yellow wrapping paper and all!), margaritas, and so much more.

The two-Michelin-starred Birdsong just turned five this year (or 15 in pandemic years) — so help them celebrate by treating yourself to their excellent multi-course tasting menu. Uni cream puff filled with a savory butterscotch, cornbread covered in cream and caviar, and the best roasted carrot you’ll ever have are just some of the bites that delight. You probably won’t be able to bang-bang after this one.

Rintaro is always worth a visit (or three) every month, but on Monday, May 15, the spectacular Mission spot is getting a special visit from Nancy Singleton Hachisu, who will be partnering with the Rintaro crew on a seasonal vegetarian menu in honor of her new cookbook, “Japan: the Vegetarian Cookbook.” Mondays never tasted so good.

Tickets and more info here.