Somehow once October hits, the rest of the year sprints ahead like me rushing to my gate even when I swear I left with a buffer. I love/hate the chaos of holidays, work pushes, and food coma brain fog. Before my restaurant recaps vanish into the void, here’s a newish San Francisco spot I’ve visited a couple times that actually lives up to the hype.
The Happy Crane in Hayes Valley needs no intro. Chef James Yeun Leong Parry has been a media darling, with popular popups, fine dining pedigree, and a modern Cantonese menu that feels right at home in today’s SF dining scene.
Beyond creative dim sum, they run a dry-aged Peking duck experience, and yes, it’s served with thin pancake wraps (wraps > baos). It’s even harder to book than a standard reservation, but absolutely worth it. The duck skin is extra thick and actually crispy. The sliced pluot addition plays well with the classic flavors, and they make their tian mian jiang sauce with pluot juice. The pancakes were a bit underdone the day I went, but that didn’t stop me from eagerly devouring my portion.
Besides the duck, some stronger dishes were the firecracker shrimp with shiso, the rich “golden coin” bao with coppa and chicken liver mousse, chasiu Iberico pork jowl, and their house-pulled biang biang noodles. I was also a big dessert fan, especially the mango sago sorbet with passionfruit.
The cocktails keep pace. Industry vets Carolyn Cao and Kevin Diedrich built a program where drinks blend East and West flavors effortlessly. The Heilong 黑龍 & Tarantasio is a standout with clarified rum, bergamot, earl gray, pandan, five spice, and mascarpone.
If you don’t feel like waiting a month for a table, walk into the bar, where you can order from the full menu except the duck. The Peking duck experience currently requires a minimum party of four, booked in advance on OpenTable.
chinkiang balsamic, avocado, cherry tomatoes
