Tinderbox Restaurant
Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Bernal Heights803 Cortland Ave
(between Ellsworth St & Gates St)
San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 285-8269
370 reviews
Neighborhood: SOMA
"One of my favorite things to do is grab a few random friends together, get a little dressed up, and head over to the W for drinks at XYZ.…" read more »
95 Reviews for Tinderbox Restaurant
The food here is really amazing, particularly the appetizers. They start you off with some amazing popcorn, if you can imagine such a thing, and drinks while you wait to be seated. The presentation is reminiscent of what you might see on Top Chef and the ambiance is both stylish and comfortable. I've only dropped it to 4 stars from 5 because it's quite expensive.
Pretty good place. Dunno if I'd trek out to Bernal Heights again for it, but a good experience overall. We sat down and enjoyed the general chic wooden diner look. Think West Elm and CB2 meet Mel's Drive-In. It took us a while to notice the keyboard player in the corner. He's easy to miss since he was kind of dressed like a chef. The popcorn was a great touch as an hors d'oeuvre. The wine, beer and sake all got thumbs up from our party of four. Then came the tri-tip, pork three ways, char and faux pasta. They were all pretty good, but no one was jumping out of their seats. The waitress' attitude was not proportional to her looks/style/general waitressing prowess.
If I find myself in the neighborhood again, I'd probably try one of many very cool looking restaurants on Cortland. Give Tinderbox a try and lemme know what you think. I haven't written it off...yet.
*m*
I have to say I have been reluctant to write this, because I don't want my favorite restaurant to have a line out the door.
I feel sorry for the poor souls that gave this place a bad review, they just don't understand food. This restaurant by far is one of the most innovative places to eat in SF. For me it is a close second behind Coi and is a simplified version of French Laundry. Now if you've never eaten at either of those places then I don't think you can call yourself a foodie.
TinderBox reaches into places most restaurants wouldn't dare to go, most people won't understand the food at TinderBox, most people aren't that adventuresome. the key is to put in your mouth a little piece of everything on your plate, If you get the shrimp and grits with the bacon, eat it the way they intended you to eat it. A little bite of that heavenly bacon with a bit of grits and a shrimp all in one mouthful. Chew your food slowly (like your mother taught you to), you don't gulp your wine like a wine cooler do you? Treat your food the same, savor it on your tongue before it goes down and try to let yourself see the creative genius behind this place.
I have had the friendliest staff, the best music and I love watching them cook from the window upstairs. Save room for dessert, because , all I can say is, they rock! I'm so tired of every frigging restaurant having the same creme brullee or flourless chocolate cake, finally someone has taken it to the next level. I would come here just for dessert. Another plus is they use sustainably caught fish and meat, organic when possible, so i know that I don't have to pull out my Monterrey Bay aquarium fish guide (if you don't know what that is, shame on you, do your research and eat responsibly). I have eaten everything on the menu, several times over and My friends and I have vowed to go here every week. And no I'm not part owner...
For the level of food you are getting the prices are cheap, and if you go late you get a prix fix menu for around $29. I feel so bad paying so little, that I tip extra.
my only bummer is that I always want to eat out on Monday or Tuesday and they aren't open at night on those nights. I also wish the lunch menu was more interesting like the dinner menu.
If you want comfort food and the same as every other SOMA restaurant then please don't come here, stay away, I don't want you taking my table. But If you appreciate the art of cooking, and like blue cheese with your chocolate then come and explore.
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Service is great and the people working there are super polite (not to mention good to look at). We were seated pretty late after our reservation time but there was an apology and a comped glass of wine - yippee! The food is pretty good too, although i agree with a lot of the other reviews that it is a little pricey for the neighbourhood. I had the arctic char and it was cooked just perfectly; he had the (game hen) and waffles, which was slightly sweeter than I like, but still tasted good and pretty unique. however, they do use top notch sustainable ingredients which likely explains the prices. overall a good experience. not exactly sure if i'd go back though, given how many restaurants there are in the city.
If you happen to be in Bernal Heights area, this place is definitely worth a visit. The popcorn is fantastic and the service was GREAT! They had a great wine list and the waitress was knowledgeable.
I would definitely recommend this place.
Cortland Avenue is turning into its own restaurant row, and Tinderbox is one of the standouts. It's a great space. The first time I went, we sat at the bar facing the kitchen, which was such a neat view to watch the operation of a small yet highly efficient kitchen space. In lieu of your standard bread basket, they serve this delectable dish of their homemade seasoned buttered popcorn. I went through two batches of the stuff. It's unreal...and highly addictive.
Last night, we started off with the asparagus, which was served with a tempura-ed poached egg and brioche. Delicious. The asparagus was perfectly cooked and tossed with a chorizo like sausage. For dinner I had the tri-tip medium rare with a horseradish marrow butter sauce, which came with their infamous truffled sweet potato tater tots. (This is what brought me back to this place...they're perfection!!) All in all, Tinderbox has fun with their menus, blending unexpected flavors and textures. They ended our meal with a complimentary pear pepper sorbet. It was delicious...
In addition to the perfect eats, the serve is always friendly, warm and attentive. The space is modern but still cozy. There's a small upstairs room with bar seating that looks down into the kitchen. (I'm going to try that the next time I'm there.) Don't forget to try their homemade sodas with flavors ranging from guava-rose to fennel-vanilla.
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I dined at Tinderbox with 2 tables full of friends and family members to celebrate my husband's birthday. It was his fortieth, and so he was very touchy about it, ha ha!
Anyway, back to the restaurant. Yes, we all loved the popcorn appetizer. The birthday boy especially loved the steak they prepared especially for him, and after one bite, I started seriously bumming food from him too :)
We loved the ambience of the place, and found the owners very kind to tolerate the children who the other guests brought over. They were a bit wild and crazy.
The only prob was our waiter, he was lacking. It didn't detract from the great food though, the fabulous food excused anything else.
Just OK. If this place were in SoMa I could understand the prices, but at a hole in the wall on Cortland Ave., everything's about 50% more than it should be. A lot of the food is original and inventive, and I like the playfulness that pervades the room and the menu. But I won't be going back - there are too many places nearby with better food at lower prices.
A good friend of mine recommended this place to me and I'm glad he did - this is truly a hidden jewel! I had a very late dinner with my lady, and since there weren't many guests left, we decided to have our first glass of wine at the tiny bar in front of the kitchen so that we could watch the chef (we're both into culinary arts), and I can tell he took pride in his work.
The preparation and presentation were top notch, and of course everything was excellent from the lamb appetizer, to the aster family tasting and the tri-tip. My girl really liked the Moroccan beignet as well, though I found it a bit rich. You can tell that everything was made with high quality ingredients and according to waiter, who was very friendly by the way, it's all organic. We both felt the prices were very reasonable.
Apart from the food, the restaurant is an art piece in itself. The place is on the small side, but they did an incredible job making use of the space. The cork walls, copper tables, earthy tones, and warm lighting make for an intimate setting and it's the perfect place to bring a date and would work well for a dinner party as well.
Don't serve me popcorn and expect manners. What is the polite way to eat popcorn at a restaurant? We weren't given plates or serving utensils, so we are left with greasy salty fingers. And then the desperate need for dental floss. The delicately seasoned popcorn was delish, but I just don't think it's rightful place was there, before my meal, on the dining table.
Service was excellent. Atmosphere was very trendy. Food was decent. I'd go if there were no other options, but wouldn't make this a destination.
Good luck in Bernal....I miss Geranium....
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Overrated and overpriced. Nice space though.
If you're going to charge $17 for a burger, it needs to be really good. Unfortunately, the burger at Tinderbox wasn't. Neither were the shrimp & grits, which I was excited for but ultimately tasted like cheap shrimp and a ton of cheese/cream...nothing related to grits really.
On the plus side, I did enjoy the Chicken n Waffles and the cocktails were quite good. I also give credit for the dining room layout and vibe. But all in all, unremarkable and not worth the prices.
The last line of Alice H's review says it all: "take your overdone cheap theatrics back to the midwest where they obviously came from. San Francisco is not your town." It's this type of attitude that will cause interesting restaurants like Tinderbox to go out of business in SF and places like Zuni Cafe to stay open for another 25 years serving Caesar salad and burgers.
Popcorn was good, but the best part of my meal was the pork belly in the pork love dish. Absolutely perfect. I like nice presentations, and it's refreshing to see someone putting out plates of food that aren't just sloppy in a lame anti-establishment way.
Alice, the midwest is light years ahead of the Bay Area when it comes to food. We are still stuck in 1970 when Alice Waters opened Chez Panisse and people 'discovered' the joy of fresh food. It's 2008 now, and every good restaurant in this country gets equally fine produce. Chez Panisse and its progeny shouldn't be considered anything but neighborhood bistros. The cooks coming up through the ranks of restaurants now are creative and forward-thinking, and it's about time San Francisco became a little more enlightened when it comes to food.
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My first foray into the string of highly rated Bernal Heights restaurants was Tinderbox. Hello Bernal.
Atmosphere is excellent. Cortland is a tiny secluded street with lots and lots of charm. Parking was a breeze. The inside of Tinderbox is tiny without being cramped, contemporary without being cold, and they had great background music playing (though I may be biased -- it was like I was listening to my own iPod).
The service was agonizingly slow. We were there around 8:30p on a Sunday. I overheard one of the staff say something about not expecting so many people. Perhaps it was an off night. At the end when we were waiting for the bill, it was almost unbearable.
Food was outstanding. The menu had some unusual offerings (chicken with waffles) and some standard fare (burger). The burger was one of the best burgers I've ever had (giving Front Porch a run for the money). Had an appetizer with the best Gritz I've ever eaten. I actually enjoyed Gritz for the first time.
Check out the Prix Fixe deal that begins after 9p -- $29 for your choice of Appetizer, Entree, and Dessert.
I ate here with some friends a week or two ago, I was in San Fran visiting. I had the Char Char and it was perfect to say the least. Nice lite crisp on the outside, tender and juicy on the inside. Great spinach side as well, I could have had that by itself. Saute, salty, fresh spinach! I can't say enough...
I actually had the chance to try a little of my friends dinner as well. She ordered a rib-eye with some kind of horseradish sauce, fantastic as well. Everything was superb!!!
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Updated 5/7/08: I had the most phenomenal burger here. I've had the signature burger before but for some reason it was just extra good. I took a friend who never eats hamburgers and he completely agreed with me. The patty was so juicy and meaty. It was a little bit of heaven between a bun.
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I eat lunch here at least once a week and it keeps getting better and better. The fish is so moist and (in the fish and chips) has a great thin, crisp, breaded batter. Oxymoron, I know, but who cares when it tastes that good. The Tinderbox burger is also delicious! Although, anything with fried shallot rings pretty much rocks in my book.
The servers are always pleasant, helpful and enthusiastic about the menu.
I tend to favor places where the server has tried everything on the menu.
Service=Absolutely wonderful!
Food=Excellent! Inventive flavors and visual design.
Atmoshere=I LOVE everything about the textures, materials, lighting and design of the interior of this restaurant!
Homo factor= The waitstaff is gorgeous and very informative. We felt very welcome.
Price=well worth every penny
Parking=very quick and easy
Bathroom= very small but clean
Dining at Tinderbox would make any date night a success.
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Tinder Box had been strongly recommended to us by people whose views on things foody we rate. We took a look at the menu online and were immediately fascinated by the jazzed-up soul food dishes on a menu littered with playful descriptions of the dishes "Char-Char" and "fried chicken n' waffles ( well...game hen)" to name but two.
We decided we had to check it out, and were not disappointed. We started with the potato salad with - delicious - caperberry and gouda croquettes and some beautifully caremalized crispy sweetbreads au vin. We then moved to the Arctic Char - with (amongst other things) char tartare on a cornbread blini (genius!). But the star of the show was without doubt the "Pork Love, Chinese Style" - imagine: Char siew bao with pulled pork and sensational barbecue sauce, accompanied by a piece of caremalized pork belly on cabbage puree and plum sauce. The flavour and texture explosion was set off by some small kimchee pickles, in one of the best dishes I've had in a long time.
This is great comfort food, but beware of the comfortable portion sizes - generous to a fault and too delicious to leave anything on your plate. You're wise to have a light luch before you dine there or vice versa. The small, neighborhood feel of the place is reinforced by friendly staff and a visible kichen, but rendered cool by an intimately lit room and a DJ playing suitably chilled tunes in a tiny booth by the front door.
Five stars, and no mistake!
Very innovative deserving of a place in the dining mecca that is San Francisco. I recently attended a private party here on a Saturday night for a friend of mine celebrating his 40th birthday. I must admit I was impressed by the food, the presentation and the incredible service. We were a big group with different age groups. That means having kids as young 3-8 years plus adults in our party. I was surprised at how they managed to keep the service together in spite of having people arrive at different times. The servers even made the kids comfortable and feel like a grown-up sipping juice in fancy champagne flutes. The pace in which they presented each dish was superb, not to mention the taste and progression of flavors--they obviously put a lot of thought on the menu and it shows. The Indian spiced popcorn was a great opening to the entire meal. We could tell that a lot of attention was spent on the details of the presentation, but the taste of each dish never felt short. Each dish complemented each other--delicate and rich, sweet and salty marrying very well. Not a lot of chefs can pull that off. They also had a HUGE wine list for this size of a restaurant. Very impressive. The staff was well versed suggesting which wine goes with the dish. The Owner was so gracious and made us feel comfortable. Although we stayed way passed closing time, we never felt rushed and were able to savor our meal. Definitely the place to go for an intimate party for those who really appreciate innovative cuisine. I can't wait to come back.
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Nicki and I went here for a delayed Valentines Day dinner. The atmosphere was warm and inviting and a bit unusual but in a good way that made you say, "wow, that's interesting". I would have to say the same of the food. It was all good,my tri tip was cooked perfectly and they have a wonderful knack for combining flavors you would never think would go together and making it work. We enjoyed ourselves and were constantly thinking, "I would have never thought of that...but it works!" That being said, nothing really blew us out of the water. Bottom line, go check it out, you'll have a very pleasant and interesting experience but don't expect to be amazed.
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Easy parking makes for a compelling change for Mission area dining. The food was inventive and different, but somewhat weird too. Cheezy grits and shrimp satisfied the glutton inside me, but didn't leave a lot of room for dinner. The pork was very tasty, but served up with gross cabbage.
Service was good, and a DJ spinnig records while you eat is definitely a plus.
Not sure I would go back, but I'm also not averse to returning etiher.
I realize this review is utterly not helpful.
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I rode my bike to get to tinderbox, so by the time I got up that gnarly hill up to Bernal Heights, my stomach was grumbling and ready to devour tasty treats. I heard about this place through a friend. Before embarking, I looked at Yelp to see what others said about the spot. At first when I saw that some yelpers gave it "okay" reviews, I pondered whether or not to check it out. But I trusted my friend, not some random yelper.
The food was amazing. The cool part is, the chef lists the source of ingredients on the menu. I had an earth shatteringly wonderful kale dish with garlic and a hint of cinnamon. I used to hate chewy yucky kale, but the chef made this just the right consistency and taste (and kale is one of the healthiest veggies out there packed with antioxidants and vitamins). For the main course, I ordered vegetarian, and the squash gnocchi blended spicy and sweet. I was sad when I ate them all ... but knew I had dessert waiting. Oh dessert, how I love dessert. I got the apple, caramel, graham cracker concoction. Yum! I've never had anything quite like it, and the flavors were a good match to my other dishes. The inside of the space is gorgeous, and their lighting is goldilocks: not too dark, not too bright. Just right.
There were special surprises at the end too, and the chef came up to our table and asked how we enjoyed our meal. That's classy. I think once word gets out on this place, it will be tough to get in. So get there quick before its impossible to get a reservation. I don't know what these chuckleheads are thinking who write critical reviews of this place, because my experience there was tops. The only thing that I would change is that the meal started with sweet and spicy popcorn. Interesting concept, but I'd ditch that and go for artisan bread instead, i.e. with nuts baked in.
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Food was overall very good, our server was good, but our food runner/busser possibly stoned? This should be more like 3.5 stars..
Okay, so came here w/ a res, seated promptly and we were given a choice of upstairs or downstairs which was nice (upstairs overlooks the kitchen). Our server was friendly and drink delivery was very prompt and quick. Wine selection was decent for a small place though their pricing is inconsistent for glass versus bottle.
Food: popcorn to start was eh, just okay. The sweetbreads were delicious. Ribeye steak w/ black truffle tater tots and horseradish sauce was good though our steak was overcooked (we asked for med/rare, it came well done). The Arctic Char which was absolutely delicious.
My gripes: service was a tad bit slow considering the restaurant was half empty. But our server was very apologetic about it and gave us a heads up on things when it was getting slow.
There's also a server there who sorry, but was she stoned? She seemed to just be in charge of bringing food, drinks, and bussing. She served a couple of our wine glasses and didn't seem to be able to communicate what they were. One wine she placed down, stared up and after a few seconds of silence said, "here's your um...." I stated the name of the wine, and she stared at me and then finally said, "um yeah." When we reordered a glass by saying, "can I get another glass of cab?" She walked off a little ways, came back and stated more than actually asked, "uh... Cabernet Sauvignon." Well they didn't have a Cab Franc by the glass that night so uh... yes.
When she brought our dessert it was excruciating hearing her description of it as the long pauses, the staring off in space, and the abrupt descriptions were just so questionable:
"Here's dessert. (pause, pause, pause).
Pistachio, uh ice cream (pause, then points),
chocolate cake (pause, pause, pause),
with cheese."
Then she walked away and on her way down the stairs calls back, "enjoy your dessert." My date and I could only look at each other after each spastic episode and ask, "did that really just happen? Was it awkward or is it just me?"
Price: $39 3-course prix fixe before 9pm Sun-Thurs. or $29 after 9pm Sun-Thurs.
Atmosphere was overall great, nice decor, food generally well executed and delish, service for the most part friendly and knowledgeable (minus stoner-girl).
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PRETENTIOUS AND BAD, what a combo
Let me start with some background. I live in Bernal and love sampling SF's many restaurants, from small neighborhood places to the most upscale. I love creative menus, fresh ingredients, and so on. I was thrilled that Cortland street was getting another restaurant that promised to offer more than the usual.
And then I went to this awful, awful pretentious place.
Seriously. From the minute you sit down it's like you can see how over-thought every detail is and how is just falls way short in the execution. The popcorn instead of bread - nice, but the seasoning when the table next to you gets a serving actually smells like mildew. We literally were checking to see what the stench was and it was the popcorn on the next table over.
The menu - again, great idea on the concept of local ingredients, but the item names have these pretentious "signature names"and the food when it came out was almost inedible. I had the rib eye and it was so charred (I ordered it medium rare) and so fatty that huge chunks of fat made up most of the meat and gristle. How can you screw up a steak that bad? And the side dish was a deep fried polenta roll that literally looked like a turd.
Anyway, I can go on and on. By the time dessert rolled around we were just dying to get out of there. The music setup, so hiply situated in the corner and sporting this over-done laptop-driven interface played the same whiny Calypso music in many, many over thought variations. How about changing it up a little? Good musical ambiance fades in the background and makes you feel pleasant, it doesn't jar you with the same beat all night. And the service was strange. Sometime two random servers would show up crowding and interrupting, and then everyone would stand by the kitchen in clumps just looking at the people eat. The place was deserted and you could smell the desperation of the management which only added to the stench of that awful popourri popcorn and burning fat on the steak.
Nice lighting... Awful food, insufferable arrogance. We cannot wait till this embarrassment closes. Shame on those pretentious owners for over-thinking a neighborhood place in a neighborhood that is starving for a small yet classy place to enjoy - take your overdone cheap theatrics back to the midwest where they obviously came from. San Francisco is not your town.
Bleeech
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Food was mediocre, service was generally average, food was overpriced for the portion. We spent last Friday evening here having dinner, it was somewhat empty, but service was attentive.
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I live in Bernal and had built up a perception that this was going to be a slightly stuffy, overpriced experience. Boy was i wrong! I went to to buddies here for dinner this week and i can honestly say it was one of the funnest restaurant experiences I've had in along time.
The food didn't necessarily leave me moaning at the table because it was so good, but each dish had such an amazing concoction of flavors, all three of us were having so much fun tasting each other's food, trying to figure out the flavors we tasted... it was a great interactive experience!
The starters were just amazing in the flavor department, the entrees were a bit more mellow, maybe a little overshadowed by the starters, and the desserts were just superb (saffron sauce over apples and caramel cheesecake? rich melting chocolate cake with blue cheese? yup, very interesting and fun!)
yes, it as on the expensive side, but it's an experience worth having. very fun and original.
the only thing i would change is the DJ: ditch the DJ, it's been done before, and find something original to enhance the mood.
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This place is a gem in the Cortland scene. I'm so glad it is in my hood. The food is wildly good and the staff was so nice. The DJ played downtempo music that really helped maked my night memorable. My sister said she's never had such good seafood and she's lives on the coast of Thailand!
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Can the word Dude be used as an adjective.??
If so I would give this place a solid "Dooouuude" :))
All jokes aside I was really impressed and uniquely speechless when some of this food hit the table. They claim their cuisine is Contemporary American but that is putting it very blandly. We sampled dishes that were Chinese, Southern, and Californian.
The big hit was this Chinese pork dish. Done with a pork bun sitting on two different kinds of bbq sauce, glazed with plum jam, and 3 styles of kimchee. Me likey likey !
Also tried a new veggie dish that my vegetarian friend ordered that consisted of a grilled artichoke on some type of a curry mayo, endive with a yummy pesto, and sunchoke risotto. I'm definitely a meat eater but you got to give props when its due.
Enjoyed a nice bottle of Spanish red wine to boot.
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This place walks the line.
The food is okay, kind of good, but not quite right. I think this place is dying from Top Chef syndrome or Iron Chef disease. Pretty okay food suffering from overwrought concept. Im not nec. a fan or hater of these food shows but seeing them once is enough to get the gist. I could draw the same conclusion here.
Excellent service. Great seating set-up. Decor is juuuust tasteful enough to be saved from Cheesy or Trendy or Cheapy. Just.
Very wintery feel: brown, pumpkin, copper, cork, leather, wood.
**Im curious how that $37 "candied" steak was received by our neighboring diners.
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I must say the Tinderbox has impressively orchestrated an establishment offering creative yet nourishing meals in a short 3 month period since opening. It was our first formal visit and we were greeted with exceptional food combined with wonderful service in a small but tastefully decorated dining room.
We started things off with the first item on the menu - sparkling wines which sharpened our senses for the experience to come. The quince vanilla was the first of a several combinations to grab my attention.
The grilled sardine was superb, and the pomegranate chai spot prawn salad grabbed our taste buds with a pleasant tartness which was balanced out with the attached pumpkin bread pudding.
I was impressed with the service and the presentation of all the dishes, from the creative popcorn to the use of the oversize white plates as canopies for the Chefs masterpiece displays. Tiny touches of simplicity and balance adorned every dish which added class and cleansed the palate.
Entrees provide a nice selection. No other restaurant in the region that I know of offers a blueberry mole pork loin, and the cocao tidbits sprinkled around the edge added extra surprise for those lovers of the ancient and sacred Theobroma cacao plant.
We also had the grilled avocado cutlet which was incredibly satisfying.
Tinderbox's wine menu represents the breadth and depth of selections one would expect for a top caliber San Francisco restaurant. The beverage menu also offers a very select menu of beers and desert wines from around the globe.
Plan to have the dark chocolate, melted blue cheese cake dessert following whatever dinner you choose, it is truly a creative success, and is quickly becoming the rave. For those wanting something on the lighter side, I was equally blown away with the basil panna cotta. This dish is a prime example of the incredible detail put into every dish. The fractalesque geometry of the presentation is eye-catching alone, but when complimented with the honeycomb and basil seed syrup, one is only left to compliment the wonders of nature and how lucky we are to embark as co-creators with her majesty.
We found the Tinderbox to be upscale without being uptight. The staff members are friendly and knowledgeable to help with explaining and suggesting menu items. The turn tables and location easily allow for casually dressed diners to comfortably patronize this hip restaurant. So don't be afraid to come as you are, just be sure to make a reservation in the near future.
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We had a very good experience here the other night. The decision was made on a whim to check this place out late the other evening. I made an online reservation and we showed up within minutes afterward. Despite the later time and the fact that the place was emptying out, they were gracious and welcoming. We were given the option of eating in the very tiny room overlooking the kitchen. It would have been very nice if there were only one table, but since there was another party in there, it would have been like sitting in each others' laps. So, we chose a table downstairs.
The service was very friendly, even waitstaff who weren't assigned to us checked in. We loved the popcorn--flavored with nutritional yeast, chives, salt, and other goodness. What a great substitute for a filling baguette.
I ordered the Tinderbox burger, which was one of the best I've ever had. It's both beef and pork belly and comes with pickled beets, arugula, fried shallots, and a blue cheese sauce smothered all over it. My stomach is convulsing right now as I think about it--it wants more! Plus, sweet potato fries...mmmm, mmmm! The boy had the steak with the marrow and horseradish sauce, which was also excellent. It was prepared perfectly and the sweet potato/truffled taters were also delicious.
I wish so much that we had room for dessert because, being a cheese-crazy person, I was dying to try the molten chocolate cake with the blue cheese center. But, I guess I'll just have to return to check that one out.
Eat here.
Tinderbox
803 Cortland Ave
San Francisco, Ca 94110
Tinderbox Restaurant is an experimental American bistro with a foundation on sustainable food and wine. The partners offer a playful interpretation of American cuisine. Much like the menu, the soulful music and rotating art installations represent the spirit of San Francisco now.
Ryan Russell is Executive Chef and owner, he was formerly an architect and it shows....he had a hand in designing the restaurant and it is really quaint, stylish & very urban...I instantly thought of the show trading spaces, he uses every inch of the restaurant space and did a remarkable job with the design of the space, he even has a window in the upper mini-dining room to watch the chefs at work...and you must check out the bathroom! They also have eclectic artists work posted on the walls to enjoy. The restaurant is very easy on the eyes, as well as pleasing to the senses...
The menu is loaded with interesting combinations and unique wine pairings are available. My favorite dish was the Char-Char. It consisted of smoked and slow roasted artic char, Bloomsdale spinach, cornmeal crisp, cerasin cream & char tartare, with a cornbread bilini. I also immensely enjoyed the berbere spiced Saratoga lamb served with minted pearl pasta, raisin jus, & Japanese noodle peppers. The deserts were also extraordinary. I loved the Moroccan pb&j Beignet and the dark chocolate cake with Molten Blue cheese center was superb .
The restaurant is fun, upbeat delicious and even has a dj spinning nightly. Believe it or not it is surprisingly quiet. I definitely recommend Tinderbox to anyone that wants to get off the beaten path and experience Bernal Heights.
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I came across this restaurant in my search for places that carry the coveted Blue Bottle coffee bean. Figuring that anybody good enough for Blue Bottle is good enough for me. Well they were right on the money !! What a cool little nook of a place over in Bernal Heights. The staff were down to earth, the atmosphere was warm, and the food was excellent. Not that I'm a big foodie or anything but I know when something is special. Tried some great gnocci (w/ crab) along with one of the tastier steaks I've had in a while. They also have a few small batch micro-brewed beers on tap that I'd never heard of before. Of course I ended it all with a victory espresso(made by the cute bartender). Worth riding your bike across town for? YES!
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You know those old time truck stop cafes where it said on the menu, "The food may be bad, but the service is slow"? Well, it's no joke here!! The only way to describe the food is: CIA graduates gone bad!! The only thing anybody agreed on was the popcorn appetizer. Oh, and the canolli shells.30 minutes + between courses - the only thing that came quickly was the check. Anyone who gives this place a 5* rating probably has a favorite brand of frozen pizza.
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Came here on a Friday night after making a reservation just a few hours before. The host was gracious and brought us drinks while we waited outside for the people occupying our table to leave, and gave us menus to peruse. We were seated about 15 minutes after our reservation.
From the descriptions on the menu, I expected the clouds to part and angels to sing with each dish. Those were some seriously intense descriptions! But alas...
The gratis indian-spiced popcorn to start was tasty....and then things went a bit sideways. We had an appetizer sampler, and the shrimp/pomegranate offering was pretty dismal. My plaintain-crusted fried hen (close to my favorite food of all time, fried chicken!) was bland despite a side of sambal sauce. In fact, all my dinner mates' plates were also somewhat on the bland side.
The saving grace was the dessert of chocolate cake with blue cheese inside - amazing. Otherwise, after spending $90/couple, we were disappointed. A bummer as I was looking forward to this place in my new 'hood.
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I really enjoyed Tinderbox. A friend and I were wandering around the neighborhood, looking for something to eat, and were drawn to this place like moths to a light. It's a little small and cozy in there, so I don't know how they are going to make it (definitely not on volume!), but it also means you get really great, personalized service.
We ended up getting seated in the mini top level, where we could watch the action in the kitchen. It's a little wierd, but fun too, watching the chefs do their thing, and being watched too (or maybe they were just looking to see what had been ordered, I'm going to be self centered and assume that they were just as interested in seeing how the guests were doing as we were in watching them).
We started off with the oft mentioned popcorn, which was surprisingly good. I started with the onion soup, which was brought to me dry, and the soup was poured into the bowl as I watched. Nice presentation. My friend had the potato salad, which is less like a potato salad per se, but more like croquettes, a la Japanese comfort food. Both very tasty.
I had the curry gnocchi with crab, which was delicious and light. A very nice combination. My friend had a dry version of their fish (can't remember the name, second entree on the menu). It was excellent, even dry (normally it comes with a cream sauce).
We ended the night with the beignets, which were OH SO GOOD. The beignets come with a little mini tea that is a perfect complement to the sweetness of the beignets. I can't even rave about it enough.
Overall, a really enjoyable experience. I had no idea when I walked in that I'd be having such a fantastic meal, and the fact that it's all locally and sustainably grown/acquired makes it a meal I can feel good about too. Way to go Tinderbox!
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Love the place, the food is amazing and inventive. check it out.
I must admit I made a mistake by ignoring Bernal Heights and the Outer Mission neighborhoods for so long. Having had plenty of success finding good restaurants in the Mission I saw no need to cross Cesar Chavez, but I have learned my lesson.
Recently had a good meal with friends over at the Front Porch and one of them had told me about Tinderbox as another cool spot that is just up the street.
Service was top notch. The staff were well informed about the menu and made some helpful suggestions when it came to their wine list too.
The run down:
Popcorn: Yes (and fun)
Appetizer (T-box) tasting: Yes
Gnocci with Crab: Yummmy
Avocado cutlet: This is a must for avocado lovers.!
Fried Chicken: YES !!
I recently tried the much hyped fried chicken at the Front Porch and its good, sure, but this is the next level. Wrapping a banana(plantain) around the chicken(game hen) and then battering and frying. Genius!!
We save a little room for dessert and split a pear cannoli, which was a sweet ending to a great meal.
I'm really falling in love with this part of SF that I never really explored before. Thanks for broadening my horizons :)
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