San Francisco has a wonderfully diverse culinary and art scene. To find a place that so flawlessly combines the two is a treat unlike any other.
Last weekend was my 16th wedding anniversary and, up until then, my husband divulged absolutely nothing about the adventure he had in store for me. All I knew was that he had made a reservation, and it was a surprise. Given our history I was fully prepared to enjoy another evening at our perennial favorite Frances in the Noe Valley, or even check out Michael Mina's new restaurant Estiatorio Ornos in the Financial District. In fact I was almost convinced it would be the latter as we neared California Street but became wildly confused as we continued past and headed through Chinatown up toward Russian Hill.
After parking and wandering up the block or so to our final destination, clarity started to set in. It was 5:23 pm when we strolled up to Berber. Our reservation was for 5:30, and the doors were tightly locked. Almost immediately after our arrival a woman dressed up like a 1940s pinup model with a garment bag slung over one arm tried the same set of doors without success. She let out a reluctant sigh, turned and headed toward what I could only assume was a side door to the same establishment. Eventually a man peeked his head out the entry and informed us they were not yet open but would open soon.
As we waited and more people began to congregate around us, I noticed a small placard next to the front doors with a picture of an aerialist. And at this precise moment I began to realize this wasn't going to be like any other restaurant experience we've had before.
Once invited inside, we were escorted to an intimate, sparsely lit room with tables surrounding a small stage set in the center. A solo drummer sat at the edge of the stage creating a melodic rhythm to set the tone for the evening. After being seated we were presented with the menu for the evening, a four-course prix-fixe dinner with wine pairings included.
Now, Berber is a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant and the food was every bit as incredible as the performances we witnessed that evening. The courses included house smoked bread with bissara, muhammara, and labneh dips, a gem salad with grapefruit and pistachio vinaigrette, a spiced carrot soup, lamb tagine, and baklava for dessert. Everything was delicious, and the wine pairings were perfection. I honestly had no idea how wonderful a good Syrah can be with lamb tagine and I will forever credit this restaurant for opening my eyes to a varietal I had not previously appreciated until that moment.
Between each course we were treated to a bewitching enchantment of dance and acrobatics set to what I believe was Arabic Trap music. In fact the music contributed as much to the evening as everything else, to the point that I've now adopted it as a part of my rotating Spotify playlists.
One of the best advantages of the intimacy of the venue was the level of engagement each performer had with the audience. You could tell they thoroughly enjoyed what they were doing, and we were enjoying it with them.
As the evening wound down I found myself wishing I could rewind time so I could experience it all over again. It was an experience unlike any other, and I highly recommend it to anyone living or visiting the San Francisco Bay Area.
To learn more and make reservations please go to berbersf.com.