Issue #22 October: SF’s Best New Restaurant This Year 😋

Plus the new PopMart store opening, a cool museum for cartoon enthusiasts, and where to eat in SF’s most touristy neighborhood

Happy Freaky Friday 👻 I’m writing this while hiding in my house since no one I live with enjoys Halloween. Our neighborhood is especially festive, attracting families from all over the city to trick-or-treat and check out the spooky decor. This month I stayed pretty local and enjoyed the remaining warm days before it starts to get too dark. Here’s everything I’ve been up to. 🍁

Eat 😋 

Arquet (Ferry Building, SF)

When it became official that Slanted Door wasn’t reopening after the pandemic, I was devastated. At the height of its popularity, Slanted Door was the highest grossing restaurant in California, drawing in both locals and tourists with delicious Vietnamese-Californian specialties like cellophane crab noodles, shaking beef, fresh rolls with the best peanut sauce, and cotton candy dessert. Earlier this year, Chef Charles Phan tragically passed away, leaving the city wondering what would happen to the restaurant's iconic space. Well, Chef, you’ll be glad to know your legacy is honored.

Arquet finally opened its doors this month to much anticipation. Alex Hong, from Sorrel, grew up in San Francisco admiring Chef Charles and opening his new restaurant in the same location is an achievement he never could have imagined. I was fortunate to be a guest at the opening party and get a first look at the renovated space and taste the delicious and creative food on the menu. The interiors are covered in light woods and bright green plants with a stunning open kitchen and wood-burning hearth at its center. 

Everything we ate was fantastic. From the giant tomahawk steaks to the roasted maitakes with garlic xo sauce. My food bestie couldn’t stop talking about the large-format carrot that’s brined and then smoked (yes, it's probably the best carrot you’ll ever eat). Desserts like vanilla bean creme brulee and hojicha tiramisu were served in Parachute, their bakery next door (more on the bakery below). I’m calling it now that Arquet is SF’s best new restaurant this year. 🥕

Parachute (Ferry Building, SF)

It’s Saturday morning and a line wraps around the outside of the Ferry Building as hopefuls eagerly await their turn to carry out a coveted orange box. No, this is not Hermès, but a new viral bakery from the same team as Aquet and Sorrel, with pastries and cakes as beautiful as a Birkin. Their sweetest offering is a chocolate entremet with caramel and Fleur de Sel in a delicate shell of its logo, a croissant-parachute. The almond croissant is topped with slivers of almonds that stand up with such precision that I imagine only a tweezer could have accomplished the task. My favorites are the croissant cube with fresh passionfruit filling and the creamy cheesecake. 🥐

DamnFine Pizza (Outer Sunset, SF)

This was another Check, Please! find and hotspot for neighborhood kids of the Outer Sunset to run around barefoot on the patio. It reminds me of my own neighborhood pizza spot, Pizzetta 211, but with a huge bar and a ton of bird artwork covering the walls. What makes the pizza special is the sourdough crust that goes through a multi-day fermentation process, creating a light and chewy texture. We ordered two pizzas, the Figgy Piggy with figs and prosciutto and a classic Margherita that arrived with perfectly charred bubbles from their woodfire oven. Both pizzas were indeed damn fine as were the caesar salad and the housemade bucatini with meatballs. 🍕

Shop 🛍️

PopMart (Union Square, SF)

Downtown SF is on the up-and-up and with the opening of PopMart, it’s getting closer to being as cool as Stonestown Galleria. I went with a couple friends on a rainy Saturday afternoon and walked right in. The store was busy, but there were no lines and plenty of items, including real Labubus in stock. I wrote a deep dive in my August newsletter on how to get one from the PopMart app, but now, anyone can buy them IRL without the shipping costs or anxiety. The staff is also super friendly and helpful despite what I imagine is a stressful job. 😅

See 🖼️

Cartoon Art Museum (Aquatic Park, SF)

My company recently hosted an event at the Cartoon Art Museum, a hidden gem in the touristy part of the city near Fisherman’s Wharf. It’s a nonprofit museum dedicated to the history of cartoon art with over 7,000 original pieces. Right now, there’s a Batman exhibit featuring costumes and props from Bronze Armory Studio. It’s a fun treat for locals and tourists alike.

Watch 📺

It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Apple TV)

If no one wants to celebrate Halloween with me, I can at least watch this adorable classic. Linus is eager for the Great Pumpkin to arrive on Halloween night even though all his friends think he’s silly, except Sally, of course. Charlie Brown gets invited to his first Halloween Party, but somehow keeps getting rocks while trick-o-treating. And Snoopy becomes a pilot. I mean, what’s not to love? 🎃

Read 📖

Dead Money (Jakob Kerr)

Murder meets Silicon Valley tech bros in this fun and twisty thriller set in San Francisco. The story is about a venture capitalist fixer named Mackenzie who gets thrown into helping the FBI solve the murder of a tech startup CEO. Days before the CEO is killed, he proactively amends his will, suggesting that he knew he was about to die. Mackenzie’s boss has a lot of money invested in the startup and needs her to get to the bottom of the situation quickly and discreetly. As part of the investigation, we meet the CEO’s executive team, each of them resembling someone we all know in tech. And yes, they do all gather at Burning Man every year and talk plenty of AI nonsense, but the ending is very satisfying. 🙃

FAQ❓

Q: My family wants to do touristy things like visit the sea lions at Pier 39, but we don’t want to eat at the touristy restaurants. Where should we go?

A: As much as I enjoy a Boudin bread bowl, I understand that visitors may want something a little more interesting. Luckily there are plenty of tasty restaurants in the Fisherman’s Wharf / Pier 39 area that show off the city’s diverse food scene. Abacá, a modern Filipino restaurant tucked inside the Kimpton Hotel, is a great option for dinner and weekend brunch. For high-end Chinese and dim sum, there’s Palette Tea House. If you like fresh seafood, Scoma’s, is a classic or go more casual at Broad Street Oyster. And who cares if it’s touristy, go get a sundae from Ghirardelli Chocolate for dessert. 🍨