Restaurants of the Summer
Flora King, 9 hot tables, Side A, El Chato, Healdsburg, Caprilli Rosso di Montalcino, Friuli, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Mad existence
The Skinny: Since opening in March, Flora King has quickly become one of the best spots for a seated meal in the Castro.
The Vibe: Husband-and-wife team Ignacio “Iggy” Garat and executive chef Angela Pryor Garat took over the former Vico Cavone/Firewood space on 18th Street and remodeled the (strangely laid-out) L-shaped space. It’s now brighter and more inviting, adorned with light-colored mosaic tile and a new skylight in the rear that gives the restaurant more breathing room than before. The open kitchen and bar remain toward the front of the space, with a wood-fire oven used to make pizza in plain view.
The Food: The Patagonia-meets-California menu ranges from a vegan pasta with seasonal vegetables to flaky beef empanadas, served with tangy house-made chimichurri. A tapas starter features fresh, pizza-like flatbread served with an array of charcuterie and Argentine salsas; a terrific, fondue-like provoleta features bubbling, oregano-scented provolone cheese, with flatbread for dipping.
Pizzas come in eclectic flavor combinations, including one with blue cheese, blueberry chevre, fresh blueberries, and roasted onion, and another topped with fresh Anjou pear, prosciutto, and smoked ham. Entrees include slow-roasted Bariloche lamb served with a rich cheese-and-wine sauce on the side, or an Argentine-style pork Milanesa. A pastry-wrapped spin on a chicken Wellington comes with a notable mushroom and wine gravy. It’s one of their most popular dishes.
Weekend brunch and lunch launched last month, with items like the scramble gramajo, a mess of hand-cut French fries cooked with scrambled eggs and topped with bacon and a cream sauce. It’s a rare style of offering for the area, where menus can verge on the performatively virtuous.
The Verdict: It’s not always easy to lure diners off the main drag of Castro. But Flora King provides ample reason to walk the extra blocks. –Jay Barmann
→ Flora King (Castro) • 4248 18th St • Wed-Fri 4-930p, Sat-Sun 11a-9:30p • Reserve.
RESTAURANT LINKS: Taco shop Ruby’s opening in the Outer Sunset • Crustacean launching FiDi location 7/18 • Union Square’s Sons & Daughters moving to the Mission • The weird dining scene at the former Washbag • Berkeley’s El Patio to close 7/4 • Ditas rebrands as Eria Cafe in Marin.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Restaurants of the Summer
Nine recent notable restaurant openings for your booking pleasure. Additions or subtractions? Hit reply or found@itsfoundsf.com. For the full archives, click here.
