The Saratoga: Cuisine designed for cocktails in the Tenderloin
Food // Restaurants
Michael Bauer
The "Grand Pedennis" cocktail with the Flannery's Dry-Aged New York Steak at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the Chronicle
Watching two diners at a nearby table hopscotch through the menu at the Saratoga was a testament to the changing way we dine.
They first ordered cocktails, then went for some heavy protein with a steak ($32), followed by hamachi crudo ($16) before winding down with a salad of baby kale, quinoa and persimmon ($13) and a chocolate dessert. In between each course they enjoyed a cocktail.
Similar scenes unfolded at other tables where food came in progressive waves between conversation and cocktails.
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The softly lit bar features more than 800 spirits, and the rows of glowing amber bottles visually attest to the increasing popularity of brown spirits.
Spirits are king at the Saratoga, yet the food is as carefully conceived and executed as the drinks. Still it's like looking for pieces of a puzzle to construct a traditional three-course meal. The largest section is snacks, including the signature 'Toga tots ($8), a gooey potato blend with chorizo, Fiscalini cheddar cheese and scallions.
The Saratoga menu encourages skipping around the 18 or so savory offerings weighted heavily to carbs: Parkerhouse rolls ($2); pork belly buns with a hefty dose of cumin ($6); chicken liver toast lightened with half-moons of raw apples ($9); and seven-spice chicken sliders ($7). There's also a hamburger ($15) and a Cubano Frank ($15), a highly seasoned hot dog that seems to have grease oozing out of every pore.
People have dinner and drinks at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the Chronicle
These rich offerings are tailor-made for spirits such as the Bijou ($14) with gin, green Chartreuse, sweet vermouth and a dash of Angostura bitters, or the Japanese blended whiskey highball ($14).
Hearty selections include a dry-aged New York steak ($32) that's rightfully listed as being smothered in Cognac peppercorn sauce; there's so much sauce the steak practically floats. Both the meat and the sauce were superb, but it would have been even better if chef Mark Sullivan and his crew embraced the less-is-more philosophy. Other, more traditional offerings include a precisely seasoned, berbere-spiced chicken paillard with citrus, fennel and yogurt ($21) and grilled blue prawns ($18) with shaved escarole and garlic-chile vinaigrette.
However, the hamburger ($15) is one of the best to be found. Two patties are accompanied by Taleggio cheese, slaw, pickles and an onion bun. It's clever to put the onions in the bun and to shred the cool crunchy ingredients so they equally inform each bite.
A similar mastery of technique is shown throughout a menu that knows its purpose and executes it with flourish.
The four vegetable dishes go well beyond the expected, particularly the bagna cauda poached tomato ($12), smothered in garlic cream and basil, accompanied by grilled levain. The tomato is almost spreadable and the bread adds a needed textural difference.
The Bagna Cauda-Poached Tomato Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the Chronicle
The bar/restaurant concept isn't new — just about every place now seems to emphasize cocktails — but the Saratoga takes it to a higher, more sophisticated level. The restaurant is an apt follow-up to Spruce and the Village Pub, which is also owned by the Bacchus Management Group.
Early on the company saw subtle shifts in dining. At the Village Pub and Spruce they built large, comfortable bars that featured a separate menu with such items as charcuterie, Caesar salad, hamburger and steak tartare. The food was more relaxed and considerably less expensive than the offerings in the dining room.
Now it's as if they've extended that idea to include the entire restaurant at the Saratoga, located in the Tenderloin on Larkin at Post. It feels like a younger, more contemporary version of their other places.
The two floors — with a bar on each — use the existing bones of the space with its steel beams and brick walls, harking back to 1908 when the building served as a hotel. The structure was empty for years and underwent three years of restoration to create a handsome space that comfortably seats more than 100, including the downstairs dining room.
1of22A man has a drink at the bar at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
Bartender Brandon Clements makes The "Grand Pedennis" cocktail at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. on December 31st, 2016.
John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
3of22Bartender Brandon Clements makes The "Grand Pedennis" cocktail at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
5of22The Saratoga Burger at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
7of22The Toga Tots at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. are seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
8of22The Seven-Spice Chicken Sliders at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. are seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
9of22The Brassicas Grenobloise at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
10of22The Berbere-Spiced Chicken Paillard at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
11of22The Hamachi Crudo with the Japanese Highball at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
12of22Hamachi Crudo at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
13of22The Scotchy Scotch Scotch Pudding at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
14of22People have drinks in the lower bar at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
16of22The interior of the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
17of22A Manhattan cocktail on the way to a table at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
18of22A couple have a drink at the bar at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
19of22People have dinner at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
21of22The Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
22of22The exterior of the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the ChronicleShow MoreShow Less
When it's time for dessert there's a light-hearted take on the Ho-Ho ($9), the chocolate roll with vanilla cream; and a fried apple hand pie ($9). They also bring the bar to the table in the Scotchy Scotch Scotch Pudding ($9), a boozy custard with Black Label caramel. And if you want something to accompany an after-dinner drink, there's Cracker Jack ($7), caramel popcorn with peanuts and Maldon salt served in an old-fashioned red-striped container with a prize buried in the middle.
At first blush it might feel as if the food could easily take a backseat, but it easily holds its own. It's clearly designed to support the booze, which is why bold flavors dominate, but it helps to create an atmosphere where diners can come in for a few bites and a couple of cocktails, or as the two diners next to me did — spend an evening sipping, supping and shooting the breeze.
The Ho Hos at the Saratoga in San Francisco, Calif. is seen on December 31st, 2016.John Storey/Special to the Chronicle
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Full disclosure: My partner is involved with the IfOnly website featuring Mark Sullivan, chef-partner of the Saratoga.
The Saratoga
Food: ★ ★ ★
Service: ★ ★ ★ ½
Atmosphere: ★ ★ ★
Price: $$$
Noise: BOMB
1000 Larkin St. (at Post), San Francisco; (415) 932-6464 or thesaratogasf.com. Dinner 5 p.m.-midnight Monday-Thursday; and until 1 a.m. Friday-Saturday. Full bar. 4% SF surcharge. Reservations and credit cards accepted.
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Michael Bauer has been following the food and wine scene at the San Francisco Chronicle for more than 28 years. Before working at The Chronicle, he was a reporter and editor at the Kansas City Star and the Dallas Times Herald.