Jason F.
Yelp
Located in San Francisco's trendy Marina District, Boho Restaurant, occasionally known as Café Boho, may be known more as a destination for brunch, but if you have never been for dinner, then you are missing out. I had personally never heard of Boho Restaurant until a friend suggested this trendy modern restaurant with New American cuisine for a small gathering she was hosting for a party of six-seven. She made sure to call ahead for reservations since she wanted our party to sit outdoors in order for everyone to feel comfortable. Thankfully despite calling a few days before, reservations for our large party were possible, as they not only had multiple tables in a newly built outdoor patio in front of their door on Steiner Street, but they also had additional tables on the sidewalk thanks to the entire street being closed due to the current situation we are all living. In fact the atmosphere in this area of the Marina as locals call it reminded me of the sophisticated streets and cafes one would normally see in Europe, as the crowds although growing in size, remained much smaller than what we would see in normal times, which was accentuated by the fact that nearby parking was easy to find, which normally would be a rarity. Once they were able to see us at about 6:45 p.m. on a pleasant Friday afternoon by a huge propane-filled fire tower, we were able to look at both their dinner and beverage menus, which nicely were both in paper form.
The menu at Boho Restaurant was simple, as it was broken into three sections: Starters, Mids and Mains. We asked our server what from the Starter and Mids section of the menu would be best shareable and he suggested their Warm Bread Plate served with whipped butter and their Truffle Fries topped with truffle oil and Midnight moon cheese and served with an aioli dipping sauce from their Starter section of their menu and their Seacuterie Board, which was served with smoked salmon, ahi tuna, hot smoked sturgeon, octopus, smoked butterfish, mustard, horseradish, and toasted baguettes. To pair these three festive sharable starters, we each decided to order a drink from their cocktail menu, and it was nice to see they had both low proof cocktails and traditional cocktail with hard liqueur and the Wanderlust, made with their signature rum blend, spiced cranberry, lime and pomegranate and served in a goblet, the description on their menu of the drink being tropical and fun simply said it all. When it came to ordering dinner, their Hand Made Seafood Pasta served with scallops, shrimp, mussels, tomatoes, basil, garlic confit, cream and Parmesan was simply calling my name, as was their Pork Chop which was served with faro, brussels sprouts, kale and caramelized apples. Since I was there with a friend, she offered to let me sample a few slices of her dish and I offered to do the same, so we could have the best of both worlds.
Our starters and cocktails came out in no time flat and all of the plates, especially the Seacuterie, which was the fun spin on the traditional charcuterie platter, except this time as a raw plate with freshly cut fish and seafood. My pasta dish was a wonderful combination of pappardelle pasta, huge sea scallops, shrimp and mussels topped with a light sauce and sprouts was the epitome of perfect flavors, and after a sampling the Pork Chop with its warm and juiciness in a combination with the vegetables I was so happy with what we ordered and it was only accentuated by the multiple bottles of 2016 Arbalest Merlot from Bordeaux, France that was recommended by our fantastic server made for the ultimate meal out there on Steiner Street, as the foot traffic passed us by. It did get a wee bit cold dining al fresco, as the fog started to roll into the city, but thankfully that fire tower that was stationed by us, along with some dessert cocktails from their dessert menu were all there to keep us piping. I loved my experience so much that I was back mere weeks later as they were participating in San Francisco Restaurant Week and the fact that they had Happy Hour on a Sunday, made this visit a no brainer. After sharing their Truffle Fries, their prix fixe dinner menu featured a fun and satisfying salad and soup tasting along with choice of their Pan Roasted Trout served with wild rice or their Roasted Chicken Cornish Hens served with mashed potatoes. For our desserts, we had the choice of a Pavlova with fresh berries or a Chocolate Crème Brulee with orange marmalade. On their menu it says the word Boho means not bound by the ordinary, and thanks to subtle cocktails, solid shareable appetizers, and well-constructed entrées, you can't ask for much more, that and attentive service, where the manager made sure to check in with us and acknowledge the person who made the reservation in the first place made for the most memorable dining experience the both times I visited.
