Tuna Around Town

While nothing beats a quality piece of toro sashimi, I'm a sucker for a good slab of ahi tuna. I'm actually at the point where I'll sometimes choose that over a steak and I'm a Midwestern, red-meat eating type of gal. In the last month I've had two terrific tuna experience that I think are worth sharing.

In August I went to check out Straw SF, which serves "upscale carnival food." I kid you not. This city has every type of dining experience you could ever imagine. The restaurant is small and the kitchen is open. While there's a kitschy feel, its not in-your-face carnival, though the air reeks of mini donuts. There's bright colors and whimsical touches. Luckily they skipped clown art for the most part. We sat at their special table, where they've converted a tilt-a-whirl pod into a corner booth. I ordered "Picadilly goes East," a spin on the traditional English fish and chips dish. They panko crust ahi tuna and serve it over either a bed of greens or house fried potato chips. Both options are served with rice wine vinegar and sesame aiolo. I would take this Asian version over traditional fish and chips any day. It was fresher, lighter and more complexly flavored. I was there with celebrating a birthday, who ordered the "nerd's inspired Shepard's pie." I can't explain the thought behind this name but it was a tasty dish. The ground beef and veggie stew was topped half and half with sweet potato and regular mashed potato. This meal is for a serious eater, as it's pretty hearty and comes in a big skillet serving size.

The second place I went to that served up a great ahi tuna was Foreign Cinema in the Mission. This upscale restaurant is in the old Mission theater and lives up to my ambiance expectations. The inside of the restaurant has a warm yet minimalistic approach. There's an outside courtyard with dining where old movies are projected on a brick way. Their menu changes constantly, as its California cuisine focusing on seasonal ingredients. They also feature a very thorough wine list that also changes constantly. When I was there earlier in the month,we started with a tasting of several oysters from various regions. It's amazing how different oysters can vary by size, taste and texture depending on the climate. For the entree I had seared ahi tuna atop haricots verts, baby carrots, butterball potatoes, hummus and fresh curry leaf. I'd never tried tuna with hummus but the textures and tastes go well together. I'm going to test mixing hummus with a can of tuna at home to see if that tastes good. If that experiment is a success then that's a healthy alternative to mayo. Foreign Cinema is also known for their fried chicken, although in my opinion it is not as good as Wayfarer Tavern.