MICHELIN Guide’s Point Of View

Pitched as a more casual counterpart to the stellar Saison, this Embarcadero dining gem demands your attention. Its pair of plush rooms feels like a hunter’s cabin gone Danish chic, complete with taxidermy galore and fiberglass fish commingling surprisingly well with sparkling stemware and modern, throw-draped furniture. But all eyes eventually drift to the gorgeous display kitchen, where cooks tend to a live fire that gently perfumes the room with wood smoke. The touch of those embers can be felt everywhere—from the infused cream in an elevated White Russian to an intensely concentrated and roasted tomato relish piled atop a fresh-peeled beefsteak tomato. Impeccable sourcing is another one of Chef Joshua Skenes' signatures: fluke crudo in a sour plum vinaigrette is likely to have been caught that morning and picked from the tank just moments before serving. Despite such meticulousness, Angler retains some humor by transforming rabbit into the world's most lavish riff on Nashville hot chicken, or slipping a bracing tot of beer into the creamy ganache of a chocolate mille-feuille. Like a perfectly tailored suit in an arrestingly bright shade, it's polished yet very playful.