The Slanted Door

San Francisco, CA (The Joy of Food) — On my most recent trip to northern California, I was communing with nature at Yosemite and desperately seeking two things: a wifi signal and food not meant for prisoners. A return visit to the Slanted Door — my favorite restaurant in San Francisco — is what I needed.

Since opening in 1995, the Slanted Door has been a trailblazer for modern Asian-American cuisine, a cutting-edge concept that helped pave the way for elevated ‘ethnic’ food to become more mainstream. Purists shudder at the idea of high-ended, modern, expensive Vietnamese food, but this is the wrong place to be a purist.

Vietnamese food is all about finding balance in contrasts, a traditional philosophy that Vietnam-born chef Charles Phan applies to very non-traditional dishes. At the Slanted Door, you can get cellophane noodles mixed with Dungeness crab, cubed filet mignon tossed with vegetables and lime, spring rolls, or pho. The luxe co-habitates easily with the most basic of street foods, often on the same plate.

Mostly, there are steamed seafood dishes here, a fillet of whatever is fresh with a texture so soft you could mistake it for fresh-churned butter. The trout and halibut are both exquisite and come served with vegetables and zippy dipping sauces that add dimensions of tang and tartness.

The raw oysters taste so lively and fresh you half-expect them to jump out of their shells. You’ll find oysters of sweet, briny, creamy, and musky varieties here representing both coasts. 

The spring rolls come stuffed with plump, sweet Gulf shrimp, pork shoulder, and mint for a deliciously fragrant combination. A vegetarian version with tofu and cabbage mimics the flavor profile and texture of the shrimp and pork. A side of peanut sauce for dipping gets amped up with miso.

The cellophane noodles with crab turn an ordinary dish into a luscious one. Somehow the chewy noodles end up tasting like they were smoked on a charcoal grill; I asked, and they aren’t. 

Even the vermicelli noodles tossed with chicken and peanut sauce are good, a dish that reminds me of pad Thai and one I normally abhor. When it comes to noodles, creamy isn’t my thing.

Despite an evolving, seasonal menu, you’ll always find the shaking beef available, basically giant cubes of tender Estancia filet mignon served with vegetables and a tangy-tart lime marinade. The hot meat is tossed with cool, cold, crisp greens and snappy watercress, salty fish and soy sauces, sour lime and vinegar, and a touch of sweetness from the red onions. This dish is contrasts galore, and yet it sings in perfect harmony. 

Any number of sautéed veggie dishes on the menu will hit the spot, the best for me being the baby bok choy prepared with baby shiitake mushrooms. Sourced from the local Joyful Farm, it’s bound to make you joyful.

I happen to believe that you can’t go wrong here, including whatever desserts are on the menu, ranging from fruit plates that actually are fruit plates and not glorified sugar bombs, to vanilla bean creme brûlée that would pass muster in the Left Bank cafes of Paris. A Vietnamese coffee as a post-dinner digestif, served hot or cold with condensed milk, will guarantee that you don’t sleep for five days.

The Slanted Door is not a secret exactly, but good luck finding it tucked away in the northeast corner of the Ferry Building. You could be armed with the best of directions, yet find yourself walking in circles unless someone spots you a flashlight and escorts you up to the door. Once inside, a wall of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooks the Bay and promises a view almost as extraordinary as the food.

Written by Joy

Thanks for reading. The Joy of Food blog celebrates eating well, traveling often, and living la dolce vita. San Diego, California is home base, but thoughts are from all over. Reviews and photos help to highlight wonderful (or not) food experiences from around the world.

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