Nobhill Tavern

A streamlined, sleek restaurant, Nobhill is modern San Franciscan elegance at its finest.

Chili, popcorn and plain -- not flavor choices you would expect from a fine dining restaurant. Maybe that’s because they are the three flavors of butter offered with freshly baked bread. Again, not what you would expect, but silver bread warmers hold olive and garlic sourdough loaves to start your meal.

And what a meal it is. Nobhill, a Chef Michael Mina offering, creates San Franciscan dishes that take you instantly to a restaurant off Pier 39.

Executive Chef Sven Mede creates dishes like classic cheese fondue, hot and bubbly. An hors d’oeuvres sampler comes with Bay scallop tempura, grilled beef skewers, and Dungeness crab truffles.

The selection of shellfish is phenomenal. The restaurant features fresh Dungeness crab, clams, prawns, lobster, oysters, scallops and more.

But first, the starters. How about foie gras? A buttery, heavenly offering served three ways: seared with crushed macadamia nuts on top, on brioche toast topped with foie gras gelée, and in a smooth mousse.

Nobhill’s bar area is adjacent to six trendy glass-enclosed booths, prime real estate, so make sure to request one when you make a reservation. The main dining area features soft rich woods and a glass-enclosed wine cellar.

A light, brothy North Beach Cioppino is an amazing dish, with mussels, clams, fish, scallops and bread for dipping. The fresh steamed seafood is doused in the light tomato broth tableside. One of the more creative dishes is a sea bass with melon, served warm. This delightfully delicate dish is perfect for summer and is nice and light.

Sure, there are additional dishes like Kobe beef tartare, caviar, an heirloom tomato salad. But dishes like the sea bass and North Beach Cioppino are the stuff Mina restaurants should be made of.

And about dessert, farmer’s market strawberries with pistachio streusel and candied fennel is a nice option, but you can’t go wrong with the Valrhona chocolate soufflé. It's rich chocolate, it’s a soufflé, it’s out of this world.

-- Review by Nikki Neu