Top 10 Dishes from SF Chefs

SF Chefs, along with Pebble Beach Food & Wine, Montalvo Food & Wine, and Flavor! Napa Valley has become a marquee event. Here's the top 10 dishes.

Loni Stark

08.09.2012

Jeffrey Saad - SF-Chefs — Chef Jeffrey Saad entertained at an energy-filled demonstration.

Once again, SF Chefs brought us to gastronomic heaven. Judging by the turnouts at the grand tastings, and in the various seminars, the annual event which concluded on Sunday in Union Square is as popular as ever.

And for good reason.

If you ever wanted to sample some of California’s finest culinary fare, you could do worse than indulge in one delectable dish after another at what has become a marquee foodie exposition (I’d also rank the spectacular Pebble Beach Food & Wine, the intimate Montalvo Food & Wine Classic, and the new, wine-soaked Flavor! Napa Valley high on that list).

Loni Kao Stark - SF Chefs - 2012 — Yours truly. Whistle while you work.

What I particularly liked about this year’s edition of SF Chefs was the balance across the various dishes. It’s almost as if all the chefs had orchestrated the line-up so that each dish would do its utmost to complement.

You could enjoy delectable duck rillettes (Grand Cafe), followed by an artfully served “early girl” tomato Bloody Mary (Spruce), and then refresh your palate with a most interesting heirloom tomato and watermelon salad (Barbacco) and a sinful gelato treat (Pizzera Delfina), before revving up again for some outstandingly tender Wagyu beef short ribs (Lark Creek Steak) and ever fresh King Salmon with Gravenstein apple (Poggio). No question: A world-class symphony of flavor.

But because it seems competition is the order of the day on the Food Network, and one’s thoughts must form a semblance of some sort of top 10 list…

I wracked my brain, reviewed my notes, and salivated more as I perused the photos from the event, and finally after much deliberation arrived at this top 10 list.

Stark Insider Top 10 Dishes of SF Chefs

10. Copita Tequileria Y Comida

Chef Joanne Weir

SF Chefs - Copita Tequileria — Copita Tequileria Y Comida – a comfortable favorite.

9. Nettie’s Crab Shack – Crab Slider

SF Chefs - Nettie's Crab Shack — Nettie’s crab slider was tender, scrumptious.

8. Poggio – King Salmon with Gravenstein Apple, Watermelon Relish

Chef Peter McNee

SF Chefs - Poggio King Salmon — Poggio’s King Salmon was perfectly balanced.

7. Burger Bar

SF Chefs - Burger Bar — Burger Bar – these little guys exploded with flavor.

6. AQ Restaurant & Bar – Peaches with Sweet Woodruff Burrata Ham and Almonds

Chef Mark Liberman

5. Kara’s Cupcakes

SF Chefs - Kara's Cupcakes — Cute and Delicious (without being overly-sweet).

4. The Ahwahnee – Bourbon Braised Pork Belly

Chef Robert Anderson

SF Chefs - The Ahwahnee Pork Belly — The Ahwahnee’s Pork Belly – worth a repeat visit!

3. Per Diem – Ricotta Egg Yolk Ravioli, Fried Prosciutto Dust, Chive Tomato Jam, Pork Jus

Chef Adam Hinojosa

SF Chefs - Per Diem Pasta — Per Diem – it called to me… “Loni…….”

2. Maverick – Local Burrata Cheese, Fig lead ashed rind, golden beet and Zanta grape relish

Chef Emmanuel Eng

SF Chefs - Maverick Local Burrata Cheese — Worked. Very. Well.

1. Lark Creek Steak – Red Wine Braised Wagyu Beef Short Ribs over Fresh Corn Polenta with Rainbow Chard Pickles

Chef Ismael Macias

SF Chefs - Lark Creek Steak — Melt in your mouth. Lark Creek Steak – Winner of the Stark Insider SF Chefs 2012 best dish!

So there you have it. It was a tough call choosing the top 10. This was a strong field. In fact, this may be the best showing yet for SF Chefs. See you next year. Bon appetit!