[SF] Nopa

[Carolyn Tillie]

I was fortunate to have a friend stop by on a drive-through from Los Angeles to Seattle -- and that he arrived at 10:00 p.m. in the evening as it gave me a chance to recommend Nopa up on Divisidero. It is one of the few late-night dining joints in the city.

We shared the much-lauded hamburger which I thought was very good, but not quite as opulent as the one I get at O Izakaya. It is served with pickled onions and house-made French Fries.

Three of us also ordered and shared the broccoli di ciccio with shelling peas and anchovy. None of us were blown away with this dish; good, but not amazing.

Lastly, we decided to share the dessert of toasted Johnny Cake with sautéed summer apples and bacon brittle ice cream. Honestly, this dish was all about the ice cream which was amazing. Otherwise, the Johnny Cake was essentially dry and the apples did nothing to bring the dish together. In fact, we left bites of cake and apple, just wanting the ice cream.

As many have indicated, this place is LOUD. Surprising that with such vaulted ceilings, no one has thought to hang large tapestries or textile artwork. It would certainly help the volume.

At almost midnight, the bar was still bustling with lots of 20-somethings. I thought it might be nice for me on those rare occasions to sit at the bar and enjoy a late-night snack, but I am definitely outside their demographic and I would probably feel out of place.

Other than the fact that it is great for late-night food, I am not sure I would want to go back.

[KCWilkinson]

The sous-chef has a very good blog called linecook415. I very much want to eat there. I'm sorry to hear you didn't love your meal, though. Everyone I know who has been there had a much better experience.