The Nosh Box

This Peach Toast Is San Francisco’s Sweetest Summer Dish | Eater SF

"Described in the city as embodying “peak San Francisco” and recalling the notorious notion of “figs on a plate,” this SoMa bakery-café turns the idea of ingredient-forward California cooking into a showpiece with its peach toast. The toast is served on a toasted square slice of house-made bread made with malted rye and red wheat that has been cold fermented overnight, topped with a thick layer of mascarpone from Petaluma’s Bellwether Farms and drizzled with a spicy zhug oil (an olive oil saturated in dried Middle Eastern chiles and spices). The mascarpone amplifies the oil’s richness and serves to spotlight the peach itself, the star of the show. Co-owner, baker, and muscle bear daddy Stephen Wade sources yellow peaches of the Gold Dust variety from Matsumoto Family Farms in Bakersfield, expertly slicing each one to order and “collecting their poisonous pits for later processing.” Perfectly ripe, they “slide right down the gullet if you’re not careful,” with a hint of mango and an exceedingly sweet character. Co-owners Stephen and Edwin Stoodly bring decades of hospitality experience—from Union Square Cafe to pre-Starbucks La Boulange—and display cookbooks by Alice Waters, Samin Nosrat, and Michelle Polzine as part of the homage their menu pays to Bay Area chefs and bakers. Beyond the peach toast (an absolute must, though the pastries and a killer breakfast sandwich are standouts), the shop is a beloved SoMa watering hole that attracts young professionals and leather queens, operates out of a loft kitchen making pastries from scratch, hosts queer-centric Thursday nights (when it stays open until 9 p.m.), and offers natural wine—try a local Pet Nat as a fizz-forward pairing. It’s a quintessential summertime expression of California cuisine: peaches, tomatoes, or melons presented as complete dishes, and a lovely place to start the day alone with a laptop or with friends before heading to nearby bars." - Ori Ravid