Restaurants in San Francisco
IF YOU KNOW | AUG 17, 2020
Yoojin Chung
WHO
Restaurants
WHAT
San Francisco
WHERE
About
Yoojin Chung spent her early childhood in South Korea before immigrating to Texas. Yoojin studied film and production design in college, but after graduating, she felt unfulfilled and opted to pursue a career in hospitality. An interest in third-wave specialty coffee led Yoojin to work in cafes, including a management role at Los Angeles’ Republique. In 2015, she moved to San Francisco, where she worked as a manager at Cotogna.
Yoojin then left the Bay Area to travel throughout Europe and returned inspired by the culture and cuisine she encountered abroad. Next, she joined the opening management team at Stonemill Matcha, but in late 2018, the Tusks tapped her to return to their restaurant group and join Verjus as general manager, seeing the wine bar through its opening. Yoojin currently lives in San Francisco with her fiancé.
PHOTO BY DORA TSUI
They're always so delicious, and very consistent. I feel like everyone I know in the restaurant industry has immense respect for the chef/owner Sylvan and his team. It's Japanese Izakaya food. They’re famous for their homemade yakitori and oden, which is a Japanese fish cake. I love going there and it’s great for celebrations. I always try to take friends from out of town (especially friends in the food industry) and no one has ever been let down.
I had always heard about Zuni, and started going for Sunday brunch with some of my friends that would visit from out of town. We’ll start with some oysters and get a couple of items off the menu – it’s such a relaxed feeling. I love their champagne selection. I recently had a vintage bottle of Calsac champagne that was just stunning.
I love to dine out at places where I feel like I'm on vacation; I never feel rushed there and can always have a lazy and leisurely lunch with friends. Everyone loves their chicken and french fries, but I love the idea of lunching with a bottle of champagne while enjoying little snacks. I love a simple meal that transports you out of the daily grind. I think that's why I love Zuni.
For people that love to geek out over wine, The Morris is a really special place. Owner Paul Einbund is very respected in the industry. He used to be a sommelier and a beverage director for many, many years. When this restaurant first opened up, it was really exciting for people in the wine world, especially because he pours a lot of stuff that he's been collecting for years.
They do this thing called a Chartreuse Slushy, served in these beautiful coupe glasses. On a hot day it’s just like magic. Einbund's so passionate about chartreuse, he actually has a tattoo of all the different bottles he's had over the years. Their house charcuterie program is amazing and they also do a great roast duck.
The Deli Board is an absolutely delicious sandwich joint with really odd hours. It’s become my and my fiancé’s Sunday lunch spot – we’ll usually share a sandwich because they’re really filling. Try their house made waffle fries and their bottled hot sauce.
My fiancé is very conscious about the seafood supply chain and the meat industry so he’s adamant about eating very sustainable, clean fish and seafood. Hook Fish delivers on that. They have daily options of fish that are caught locally, and they’ll list what boat it was caught on and the fishing method used.
They do really simple fish and chips, fish tacos, fish burritos, and always have specials. They make a delicious carrot habanero hot sauce that we always have in the fridge. When I lived nearby, I would get the fish and chips once a week – the batter is so crispy. I always recommend it to my restaurant industry friends and they’re always blown away by how good it is. And it’s just so simple.
Other Aves is a vegetarian co-op. They have a good selection of cheeses, they carry natural wines and have a great beer and produce selection. Working at Verjus, I know which wines are hard to get and oftentimes Other Aves would have that stuff. I’m also a big beer aficionado so I love that they have Russian River stuff available, a bunch of different craft brewing and a lot of Mikkeller beers – and everything is priced really well.
My fiancé is a baker so we always have bread around. Our days off always include a really lazy lunch at home with cheese, wine and produce from Other Aves. It’s a very community driven, very neighborhood serving, small grocery store that you can rely on.
Queens is a Korean bodega owned by a Korean couple, Clara Lee and Eddo Kim. This is a godsend for me as a Korean-American who used to live in LA who had access to Korean food 24/7. In San Francisco, there’s honestly no good Korean food. All the good Korean restaurants are in the East or South Bay, so I started cooking a lot more myself.
At Queens, they make their own dumplings and their own stock which is available in their frozen section. They marinate Korean barbecue cuts and they make their own banchans and condiments. They do something called Gilgeori toast (which translates to “street toast”) that’s everywhere in Korea. It’s a sandwich made with soft white bread, shredded cabbage, a slightly sweet, salty sauce and cheese (and often ham) and they grill it. They also carry natural wines and started offering fresh Asian produce like specialty radishes, daikons and, my favorite, perilla leaf! I am so thankful that they are in the city and are bringing expertly curated Korean pantry items and food in such an approachable way.
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