Foodies Love The James Beard Award Winning Slanted Door in San Francisco

San Francisco offers a plethora of foodie destinations that will wow all of your senses. My favorites offer an Asian fusion menu. Next time you visit The City by the Bay, make a reservation at The Slanted Door.

THE SLANTED DOOR

We got a table on a Sunday night without reservations! Don’t take that risk, unless you are willing to wait. This Vietnamese hot-spot at the Ferry Building is still HOT on the dining radar scene, even after 20 years.

Charles Phan is the owner and Executive Chef of The Slanted Door. His parents left Vietnam after the war ended in 1975 and arrived in San Francisco in 1977. Pham was 15 years old and developed a passion for food. He became the family chef while his parents worked multiple jobs. His mother taught Pham how to prepare Vietnamese cuisine with a French fusion.

Throughout high school Phan worked at various restaurants in the Bay area including Chez Panisse and Zuni Café.

After getting a degree from UC Berkeley, he worked a variety of jobs before opening The Slanted Door with his family.

The first Slanted Door Restaurant was located in the Mission District showcasing farm-fresh, locally sourced products producing the cutting edge of Vietnamese cuisine. Ten years ago, they moved to the Ferry Building when the expansive space became available. It’s now a tourist and local go-to restaurant for extraordinary dishes.

Phan’s restaurant earned The James Beard Outstanding Restaurant Award in 2014, by redefining Vietnamese food California, so I was eager to experience his restaurant across the street from the Hyatt Regency San Francisco.

We sat in the bar/lounge area with paintings of dogs adorning the walls. The most requested tables are along the windows overlooking the bay and the raised booth tables.

Looking over the menu, the rolls section looked appealing. We ordered the crispy vegetarian Imperial roll with fresh lettuce, springs of mint, white vermicelli noodles, roasted peanuts and taro root. We took a cool leaf and spooned a little Asian sauce with sesame seeds, cool noodles, and then dropped a crispy roll on top with a few mint leave. It was heavenly.

Next a large and spicy grilled Berkshire 14 oz. pork chop arrived with poached peaches and a Thai chile lime sauce. It’s a big, spicy and hearty dish.

The stir-fry chicken was mixed with cashews, walnuts and delightful Chinese dates, raisins and soft ginkgo nuts. The flavor profile was pleasing as I placed a few scoops of brown rice on my plate and piled the stir-fry chicken with nuts and sweet dates on top. WOW!

Order the Japanese eggplant bathed in a coconut sauce with a Thai chile. It offers a kick of spice for a satisfying vegetarian dish.

We finished with freshly made beignets with a raspberry dipping sauce. A sweet ending to a wonderful meal.