The Progress | San Francisco

We are 20 days into 2016 and I've found my favorite meal of the year so far! An impromptu girls trip over the long MLK weekend brought me to California, and I'm so glad I decided to make the journey. When is girl time in SFO, Sausalito and Sonoma ever a bad idea?!

The Progress located in the Western Addition neighborhood of San Francisco defines themselves as a vehicle for a completely local production. Innovative banquet-style meals served with memorable wines. The greatest dinner party ever.

Turns out, it is one of the greatest (intimate in our case) dinner parties ever. Everything about this place feels fresh and inspired. No one is doing it quite like they are here. Take for instance their Manhattan ($12) made with a smooth and intense black butter bourbon, vermouth and bitters. They make the black butter in house before steeping it in the bourbon. We also drank some delicious and interesting wines including a Georges Descombes Gamay ($14) (Morgon, Beaujolais, France) and a Piquentum Refosk ($15) (Istra, Croatia).

Meals are shared family style for a fixed price of $58, starting with five rotating small plates served in a portion size to compliment your party. Pictured up close and personal are the bahri dates with hazelnut crema and bite size roasted carrots with curried yogurt. The rest seen in the group photo include: smoked trout + seven pepper cracker, fish fry with kimchi tartar sauce, and buttermilk biscuits with apple bourbon black butter. These small tastes were a welcome prelude, and we had fun each ranking our favorites to least favorites. 

Then you choose four meals. These are listed on the menu from lightest to heaviest, with a recommendation to order two from the lighter section and two from the heavier section. We ended up with one light and three heavy - and although it was a bit too much food to finish as our waiter warned it would be, we were happy that we chose what spoke to us! These plates were truly remarkable and I urge anyone living in or planning a visit to the awesome city that is San Francisco to make a reservation here ASAP. 

In order of appearance: Fried Rice | tea-smoked liberty farms duck, lap cheong (Chinese sausage), bok choy + maitakes 

Celery Root Ravioli | wilted escarole, apple paste, shavings of goat gouda 

Half Moon Bay Black Cod | pea greens, pomelo + aromatic vinegar 

Lamb Merguez, Octopus + Crispy Squid | Mediterranean stewed yellow-eye beans

The Progress

1525 Fillmore Street

San Francisco, CA 94115