One of our best meals while in California was at a restaurant called NOPA. Nopa is a San Francisco gathering place north of the Panhandle, serving urban rustic food and specializing in organic wood-fired cuisine. Set in a former bank, one side of the 110-seat restaurant is devoted to the bar, with 20 seats at the polished concrete counter and a large communal table. This area was quite full with people who hadn't been able to score reservations. Luckily I had persevered and made one a month ago well before we were to leave.
The crowd is as eclectic as the area. There are loads of young professionals, artists who adopted the area before it became cool and a few older residents who have called the neighborhood home for decades. The servers, know what they're doing, yet still maintain a relaxed attitude.
Chef Jossel has placed his new rotisserie in the place of honor in the front of the open kitchen, and treats it like his firstborn. It's manufactured by the same company that produced the spit at Oliveto; at Nopa, you'll likely see up to 18 chickens slowly turning above asparagus or other vegetables on the grill, alongside fresh-ground hamburgers dripping their luscious fat onto the almond wood below.
The crew not only brines the birds, but also tucks fresh herbs under the skin. In the same vein as the Zuni Cafe, Jossel serves a half chicken ($17) with spring greens, drizzling mustard vinaigrette over the salad and the bird. The spit is also used for the smoked-kissed London broil ($19) that's accented with horseradish cream and a mound of mashed potatoes.
The grill under the rotisserie can also take credit for producing one of the best pork chop ($18) I have ever enjoyed: Almond wood accentuates the thick chop's natural sweetness, and it's served with braised greens and creamy-tender flageolets. I ordered the pork chops and it was one of the most amazing pieces of meat I have had in recent memory!
There's so much to love, all you want to do is to sit back and be pampered, which brings us to the final reason that Nopa stands apart from much of its competition: even before you get to the end of the meal, you realize that this is truly your lucky day. The wine lists and drinks are outstanding!
Clearly I am not alone in my thoughts, recently the SF Examiner released its top 100 area restaurants and Nopa was amongst the winners. Here is their review:
Opened in April 2006, Nopa already feels like a neighborhood classic, much like Zuni Cafe. It has become a rallying point for the emerging North of the Panhandle neighborhood and it is attracting a wide-ranging crowd from all over the Bay Area. Because it stays open until 1 a.m., many in the restaurant industry use this as an after-work gathering place. Laurence Jossel's food is rustic and simple but totally satisfying, and the interior of what used to be a bank is a grand but warm, with a communal table for walk-ins, a mezzanine and a vault that's used for wine storage.
Specialties:
Flatbread; wood-baked giant beans with feta and oregano; rotisserie chicken; grilled pork chop; Mediterranean fish stew; hamburger; warm doughnut holes.
The one drawback was the noise. I think because we were seated on the second floor we were able to avoid much of it but it was significant.
The bill for two with drinks and wine was $ 121.60 (US).
WOW now you taught me something!
I know Laurence from when he came through Florence!
will check him out when I go back in July
Posted by: Judy | April 20, 2007 at 05:01 PM