Hard to believe, but we ate at Nopa for the first time last week. I’m kicking myself for not getting there sooner, as it was a mere couple of hilly blocks from my old place in Hayes Valley.

I ordered a Rum Sidecar (Scarlet Ibis Rum, Rhum Orange, Lemon Juice) at the bar, and sampled my dining companions’ drinks: Pirata, 606 and Sazerac (view the spirits menu for full details).

We sat at the chef’s counter (where this quick snap was taken), which I highly recommend. I was pleased that Nopa sous chef and blogger, Richie, found and favorited this humble photo.

We decided to sample many dishes to share amongst the four of us:

• Little fried fish with lemon and Romesco sauce
• Flatbread of spicy fennel sausage, red orach and goat cheese
• Wilted chicories, house-smoked bacon, poached egg and pomegranate seeds
• Rotisserie herbed chicken, arugula, sherry onions and garlic croutons
• Pan seared black cod, barley risotto, marinated leeks and cara cara oranges
• Country Pork Chop, cranberry beans, sauteed escarole and crispy sage.

But wait, there’s more! The kitchen sent over a complimentary bowl of their french fries and aioli. R said that the fries had a In-n-Out flavor about them (that’s a good thing), and I thought the aioli really made ‘em. Uh, wow, that’s a lot of food, but we enjoyed it all. Sharing with three other people is truly the way to get a taste of the best of the menu.

Dessert:

• Pecan Tart with “Smoke and Whisky” ice cream – Not enough ice cream, my favorite part!
• Cowgirl creamery “Red Hawk”, dried cherry compote and almonds – the almonds were delightfully crispy!

We also had more cocktails, but I don’t think I need to name them all. 🙂