SoMa, San Francisco · restaurant
Copper pots hang from a ceiling rack above the open wood fire, and you can watch most of what ends up on your plate get cooked over it — the kitchen is the room's defining feature before a single dish arrives. The tasting menu draws from the full breadth of California's seasonal larder: game, seafood, and produce from local farmers and ranchers, all touched by flame in some way. The bar seats offer a five-course version of the experience for considerably less, which makes a two-Michelin-star dinner feel approachable.