Lers Ros Thai on Hayes Street (across from my old fave the Hayes St Grill) is a place open just a year recommended by an eating companion in Paris and was he spot-on. I took one look at the daily specials and knew this was no hole-in-the-wall place like a thousand others.
The garlic and pepper rabbit spoke to me but i figured I needed a first so I ordered what I thought was a throw-away, a Thai Herb sausage; fantastic, deconstructed with green chilis, onion, sliced ginger, peanuts and lime - one of the, if not the, best Thai dishes I've ever had. Then I had the rabbit which was toasty with skin like a crusty suckling pig's - my oh my.
For drinking I went for the Talmar, if you would believe it in May, a Beaujolais Villages Nouveau that was most unGamay, unNouveau, unBeaujolais, another surprise.
With 2 glasses of the wine, no bottled water, tea, coffee or dessert, my bill was $56.16.
Go? For the best Thai meal I've ever had, in Thailand or elsewhere; it reminded me of the food I tumbled on in Toronto that was nouvelle Korean, this was not old stuff, this was new, exciting, innovative; wish had it around my neighborhood.
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Commonwealth is a place we loved in November but it has the biggest disparity berween quality of food and its location as any place I know. The menu is inventive-sounding and it delivers on its innovation.
Our friend, a frequent visitor/dining partner in France ordered oysters, cucumber, sorrel and rhurbarb ice and Colette had the scallops ceviche, carrot-soy panna cotta and crisp onion rings - interesting sounding eh? And they were, more than interesting.
I then had the short ribs with ramps, raw and cooked lettuces and kimchi; Colette had the peas, tapioca, raddishes and lemongrass broth; and our friend the tea-smoked duck, wheatberries and fried duck tongues - a winner but close, in inventiveness and tastiness.
We then sort-of shared the rhubarb sorbet and strawberries, both gussied up appropriately and deliciously.
With a bottle and a glass of wine from the Gard, no bottled water, tea or coffee, our bill was $150 for three or $100 a couple.
Go? In San Francisco, one must.