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Destino
1815 Market Street
San Francisco, California 94103
(415) 552-4451
www.destinosf.com
Cuisine: South American
Loved: Great food, cozy ambiance
To Die For: Peruvian flat iron stir fry, white sangria
Prices: $-$$ (Inexpensive-moderate)
Hours: Lunch: 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Monday-Friday
Dinner: 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 5:00 p.m.-11:00 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Noise Level: Tolerable, but noisy during peak hours.
Service: Attentive
Good to Know: Reservations accepted (and recommended)
Visa, MasterCard, American Express and traveler’s checks accepted
On-street parking (on Market or Valencia) and on-street smoking
One booster seat and a high chair are available for children and babies
Catering available: Yes (on and off-site)
Recommended: Definitely!
Some San Francisco restaurants make you want to walk in, take a quick look around, and make you wish you had walked out. Destino isn’t one of them.
With tapas being all the rage, Destino is a nice change of pace if you want a comfortable, laid-back atmosphere and delectable Central and South American cuisine. As 32-year-old chef-owner James Schenk likes to call it, "Nuevo Latino."
A native Californian, Schenk’s love of food began during his teenage years working for his mother’s catering company. Years later, after earning a degree in psychology from U.C. Berkeley, Schenk spent time traveling through Europe, including two extended stays in Spain in the 1990s to study café design. "The inspiration for Destino was a charming café in Madrid called the "Nuevo Café Barbieri," says Schenk. "It was like my own living room: relaxing music, great conversation, and lots of café con leche."
Schenk also attended the Pacific Institute of Culinary Arts in Vancouver, Canada and worked in various positions in the restaurant and hotel industries before opening his own special events catering company. "I’d always dreamed of opening my own restaurant," he says. "Since there were already so many Spanish tapas restaurants in San Francisco, I wanted to focus instead on Central and South American food." Schenk’s dream came true when Destino opened in May 2000.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere at Destino is rustic, ethnic and cozy, with seating for 140 people in the dining room and 4 at the slate-covered bar. Surrounded by amber-colored walls and beneath an enormous iron chandelier, diners are surrounded by antique silver mirrors and religious icons from Peru. The service is attentive; on a breezy weekday night, as the lights flickered due to an electrical problem from the Laundromat next door, a disoriented elderly lady came in, sat down, and didn’t know where she needed to go. After several minutes, the staff politely sat her down, gave her something to drink and called the police, who discovered she needed to go to her sisters’ house in the Mission.
The Food
In a cozy space with 16 tables and room for 140 people, Schenk and his 21-person staff create culinary excellence. If you have to wait for a table, stand at the slate-covered bar and have a glass or two of white sangria ($6), mango nectar ($2.50) or mint iced tea ($2.25). The prefix dinner ($29.95 per person) is outstanding and consists of a first and second course and dessert. The first course, Ceviche a la Peruana (Pacific sea bass, red onion, cilantro, and toasted Peruvian corn nuts) was light and tangy, with just a hint of subtle fishiness. Other first course options included Chile Relleno (a poblano pepper filled with ground sirloin, sharp cheddar, roasted chipotle salsa, and citrus crème fraiche; and an Ensalada de Palmitos, a mixed green salad medley of brazilian hearts of palms, jicama, golden raisins, and sliced papaya.
The second course, Lomo Saltado (a Peruvian Flat Iron Stir Fry, sauteed with roma tomatoes, red onions, and served with French fries and white rice) was fresh, filling, and fabulous. The tender steak was seasoned with cumin, soy sauce, garlic, and onion. While the dish was a bit on the spicy side, the rice, and a big glass of sangria, helped cool the fire in my mouth quite nicely. Other second course options included Capon de Ayuama con Queso Fresco (acorn squash filled with achiote grilled eggplant and Portobello mushrooms, fresh cheese, and carrot coulis); and Salmon Marinado en Panela, Locro, Saltado de Espinaca con Datiles (caramelized salmon filet, squash-goat cheese puree and spinach sautéed with medjool dates.)
For dessert, the Torta de Chocolate (a delicate flourless chocolate torte with Andean berry compote, chocolate sauce, and fresh whipped cream) is a chocolate lover’s dream. The moist and rich dessert was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal. The other dessert option was Tres Leches (a citrus sponge cake drenched in 3 types of milk, with summer berries, merenge sticks and a passionfruit reduction.)
Destino is one of the best restaurants in San Francisco. If you’re looking for a great alternative to traditional Spanish tapas, this is one truly great destination.
Bio & Past Articles
Past Articles
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Betty's List Restaurant Review
Columnist David Grabstald.
An enthusiastic freelance writer, editor and copywriter with marketing, media and daily newspaper experience, David serves as senior food critic for Betty's List. His articles have been published by Macy's Westbound, Mervyn's, The New Filmore, SF Examiner, Marina Times, North Texas Daily, And Baby Magazine and others. He is an experienced writer of grant proposals, documentation plans, feasibility reports, press releases, employee procedure manuals and other formats. David has written news scripts for NBC and produced video packages for the Irving Community Television Network. David can be reached at dgrabstald@gmail.com. His website is http://davidgrabstald.blogspot.com/ |
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