Towards the lower end of Pacific Heights, State Bird Provisions occupies a modernist storefront facing Fillmore with wall of glass that conceals a working kitchen that many consider one of the best in the city. Visitors lucky enough to score a reservation make passage down a long corridor and into the main dining room that despite its casual style maintains stringent epicurean service standards. Rough industrial walls yield to a more polished look on concrete floors with exposed wood tabletops and underlying industrial vibe of metal lights and simply upholstered banquettes.
The Food
Expect big things when a restaurant’s name includes its hallmark dish, in this case fried quail that’s also the State Bird of California. There’s no way to overstate the culinary fortitude of this kitchen under the direction of chef/owner Stuart Brioza who delivers dishes like duck liver mousse with almond biscuit, homemade garlic bread with burrata and wild king salmon tartare with fermented turnips. A series of signature pancakes follow with fillings like sauerkraut, pecorino and ricotta or Mendocino sea urchin, ginger-scallion with soy-lime glaze. Commendable main courses make ordering the predictable CA state bird with provisions a difficult choice, especially the grilled beef and brussels sprouts or red trout with hazelnut-garum brown butter.
Last Word
Chef/owner Stuart Brioza narrates local-inspired CA comfort food that’s often heralded as the toughest table in SF. Image: SBP/Ed Anderson
