CARLA TARTARE

Weather-appropriate squash soup with rye croutons

In preparation for the upcoming VVW 25th anniversary extravaganza, Dad and I headed out to Heirloom Café for dinner and, perhaps, some California-style inspiration.

Heirloom Café opened in mid-May and is a whopping six blocks from my apartment, but, of course, I hadn’t been. (To be fair, one could dine within a three block radius of 23rd and Guerrero and eat for a solid month without repetition. And I owe Beretta my late-night Saturday soul.) It’s also garnered a fair amount of acclaim and a healthy dose of sf-style-under-the-radar buzz.

The decor is simple; the food is simple; the idea is, well, simple. Homey food, done clean and right, with a clear eye toward hooking a wine geek crowd: not only is all the food wine-friendly, but corkage drops over 50% if your bottle is more than 10 years old.

This is the kind of restaurant a former somm opens – and it works.

At the end of a cozy line of two-tops, Dad and I dipped into a perfectly balanced squash soup – “It’s the perfect day for a squash soup,” murmured our server and, though his Parisian affect missed the mark, the soup was indeed spot-on – and a gigantic crostini of feta, roasted fennel, cucumber, and heirloom tomatoes. The portions were, in true home style, gargantuan – you could easily order apps and call it a night – but we followed up with a smooth chicken breast over quinoa, brussel sprouts, and bacon and coffee-braised lamb served over a gratin of celery root and topped with a bright walnut gremolata. The chicken was crying for salt – or acid – or spice – or really anything to differentiate it from the cheesy quinoa, but the lamb was deelish. Not exciting, not superb, but excellent eat-out food. As Dad said, the kind of place you come once a quarter, try the new menu, see the new crowd. Five months old and it’s already a stand-by. Not too shabby.

Ginger-molasses cookie. Pardon the poor image. Just know, this cookie is: Huge. Not a gourmet cookie. A real cookie. The perfect meal-ending cookie.

Of course, the most impressive course – as befits a homey joint – was dessert. Both the caramel-drizzled molasses cookie, served warm and gooey, almost as though it had been steamed hot, and the ultimate sf-foodie combo of the Straus-Ritual affogato, were satisfying without overwhelming, leaving you with that perfect just-about-full feeling.

Tags: Adventures with Dad, DinnerOut, food and wine pairings, Heirloom Café, restaurants, San Francisco, the mission, VinVinoWine