Radio Africa Kitchen -- report [San Francisco]

[Ruth Lafler]

Seven of us got together tonight to check out Radio Africa Kitchen. Yes, it's in the Bayview. Yes, it's worth the trip (not bad from downtown on the T).

The menu had five appetizers and four entrees, so we ordered one of everything, and then ordered a second round of our favorites, which turned out to be the mezze plate (with a pale green hummous-like substance not listed on the menu that turned out to be made from fava beans and edamame), the aromatic kufta meatballs, and the lamb two ways (shoulder stewed with dried apricots and slices of smoky roasted leg). I would happily have ordered any of the dishes, though, although the beet salad and the barramundi were a little boring next to the more richly seasoned dishes. Service was warm and friendly -- Chef Eskender himself was acting as a busboy, wiping down tables and filling water glasses, happy and excited finally to have his own restaurant. He said he was planning on opening for lunch in June and to create a restaurant with a comfortable, community feel where people could just walk in, sit down and eat together.

Just about the only thing I didn't like was the fact that when it was more than half full it was noisy, as in leaning across the table saying "What, I can't hear you!" noisy. They have what appear to be baffles but they aren't doing the job!

Pictures: beet salad, tuna kitfo, mushroom souffle, mezze

[Cynsa]

A year+ has passed since Chef Eskender opened the doors of Radio Africa & Kitchen in the Bayview. Three of us, opting for a light dinner with fresh ingredients, met here for dinner last night at six o'clock. Parking was easy and the T-line and MUNI # 54 have stops in front of the restaurant at 4800-3rd Street @ Oakdale.
We were perfectly pleased with the hibiscus lemonade, the MEZZE for All $35 and sharing the wild barramundi entree $18, finishing with tea and sharing the dessert $7. We loved every bite and applaud Chef Eskender's talents and skill, composing complex flavors and textures with a light hand.
Service is welcoming, cheerful and friendly.

Starting with cups of the earthy mushroom soup, crunchy with chopped English peas, leeks and Spring garlic, our appetites were revved for boldness. Next up: the green beans/shrimp with spiced almonds, the smoked trout bacala with harissa/jicama/red cabbage with more bread to sop up every drop of deliciousness. The ahi tuna kitfo with quinoa accompanied the spinach, beets, tangerine salad. Every dish on the Mezze can be a stand alone; I loved the array; the dance of flavors and the contrast of textures. Experience the Mezze, it's a triumph of high notes.
I am fascinated by Chef's detailing of each dish, every ingredient adds a nuance; the wild barramundi was perfectly moist and succulent with the young grape leaves, pistachio and alicha of carrot - we were all very happy to have ordered this dish. If this is 'normal', then it's hurrahs for normal.

The Happy Hour dinner special offers soup or salad, entree, dessert for $25. The Tasting Menu is $48 pp
http://www.radioafricakitchen.com/men...

[Windy]

That sounds wonderful, including the special menus. Time to visit and enjoy the spring bounty.

[tjinsf]

glad you had a good meal. I love the tuna kitfo and really like how the chef is developing the menu the longer he is in the space. What was the crowd like when you went? Every time we've been there it hasn't been very full which is sad for a place with such good food.

[Cynsa]

We were the only table at 6 pm on Wednesday evening; by 7:30 pm there were two more tables of 4 and 2.
We also loved the ahi kitfo - it's certainly a singular dish to center the starters and pique the palate.

Third Street would feel more welcoming if swept of the unsightly wind-blown trash by the restaurant's doors - leaves, wet papers and fast food detritus. Otherwise, Radio Africa is a welcoming haven of hospitality and the complex tapestry of the Chef's talent.

We'll return to savor more meals together and hope that this food attracts a loyal following beyond the Valencia corridor and the undeniable salt and fat laden siren call of burgers and fried food.

At Radio Africa, we were nurtured, delighted, amused, and satisfied.

[Martin Strell]

I haven't been yet, but I noticed that a Groupon-like web site called Gilt City has an offer for a 5-course tasting menu for two for $60. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

[bigwheel042]

Just got back from here and thought it was great and an excellent value to boot considering the generous entree portion sizes. In addition to the mezze, which we split, I had the cornish game hen tagine and my friend had the (vegan) corn pudding dish. My main quibble was that I would have liked a bit more tartness from the preserved lemons in the tagine; the dish was very good but a bit unusual (it had prunes and apricots flavoring it; aren't those sweet ingredients more typical in non-poultry tagines like lamb?).

What I enjoyed most was the depth of flavors. Seems like whenever attempts to California-ize cuisines fall flat, it's because the flavors of the dishes have been hollowed out by leaving out some key stock or seasoning. Aseged manages to adapt these dishes without compromising flavor.

[Windy]

Excellent. Thanks for the report. And yes, depth of flavors is a fine way to describe his cooking. When we asked, he described so many layers of ingredients. Still quite delicate.

[weshoke]

I went to Radio Africa a few weeks ago. We found the dishes to be mixed. Some were super good while others just felt normal. The impression we left with was that he is still experimenting and figuring out his voice. The successes came from surprising twists and unsual combinations of african preparations and spices with otherwise familiar dishes. The night we were there there was a dish with homemade injera that was divine. I wish I could remember all that was in it.

It's definitely a place to visit again. I'll be keeping my eye on it to see where he takes things. Kudos to Chef Eskender for making Radio Africa a brick and mortar reality!

[Ruth Lafler]

Yes, the beet salad and the barrimundi dish could be described as normal. Not bad, just not different from what you might find at a dozen other places. The fish was disappointing in that it didn't live up to the description.

[Dave MP]

I was at this meal as well, and had a very nice time!

I thought the beet salad and fish were disappointing compared to the rest of the meal, and my favorite dish was the meatballs. Our second order of meatballs was even better than the first...perhaps because the sauce had simmered down more in the 30 minutes between these orders. On the Fantasy plate, I really liked the pureed red lentils with berbere and cardamom, and I also really liked the Persian cucumber salad that came with the mushroom souffle. Overall, the meal had lots of interesting spices and flavors, and sampling a bit of everything was a lot of fun.

For dessert, we ordered the only option: ice cream with berries and spiced chocolate sauce. The chocolate sauce was good (it had cardamom in it), but the dessert overall was a bit lackluster (ice cream tasted commercial, berries were nothing special). It would be nice if they could come up with something better than just a bowl of ice cream w/ berries.

Like others have mentioned, the noise was tough, but the space is really nice, and it's nice to see that the restaurant is so busy. As always, nice to dine with other hounds.

Dave MP

[Windy]

Here's the website. http://radioafricakitchen.com/about.html

I loved this dinner. As Ruth commented, there wasn't a bad bite.

DudesinMexico and I ate at the Radio Africa popup a while back, and really liked it, and I'm happy to see Eskender still serving elegant, healthy meals in a setting like this. The menu is his patented Mediterranean-Ethiopian food, especially evidenced by the vegetarian fantasy platter with lentils, okra, and dal so good even I ate it (the edible flowers helped).

Service was not just friendly but accommodating. We asked about a few ingredients we couldn't place, and each server took the time to either get an answer or the chef. Perhaps more important, service was warm. This is delicious food with good ingredients--but without forgetting the role a restaurant should play for diners. It's too rare to find a San Francisco restaurant this unpretentious and this good at the same time.

Prices are reasonable and portions are large and suitable for sharing. Since we had 7 people, we ordered one of each appetizer and main course and then ordered seconds of our favorites. I thought the meatballs and pickled carrots were even better the second time.

Corkage is $10; they brought an ice bucket for my white wine. Total for a very satisfying meal was $36 each including tax and a generous tip.

[pane]

Co-sign on everything. What a lovely experience: great food, warm service, beautiful space. My favorite dishes were the saucy meatballs, mezze plate, and "Fantasy" (which was way more interesting than I expected it to be, given the noncommittal description on the menu). The noise level was tough, but I was glad to see the chef had developed a following--the place was packed most of the time we were there.

I think the chef said he planned to open for brunch or lunch in June. I'm excited to return--the wide windows out to the avenue lend themselves to slow meals on sunny days.

[psb]

Do you recall their hours? I was in the area on Tue afternoon and it was closed and evacuated. Is that their close day, or do they only open at ~5 or ... ?

[Ruth Lafler]

They're only open for dinner at the moment, although as I said, he's hoping to open for lunch in June (and I got the impression he wanted to be open all day, not closed between lunch and dinner). Annoyingly, I can't find their hours on their website. Why are restaurant websites designed so you can't find the more important information, like when you can go there!

[Dave MP]

The hours appear to be Tuesday-Saturday, Dinner from 5:30-9:30. You can just barely read this at the bottom of Ruth's menu photo.

[psb]

Oh yes, I (barely) see now ... your sharpening filters are better than mine.

I pretty much clicked on every link I could find, getting more and more irritated, before resorting to the Nag Post here. I wonder if it is a deliberate exclusion (fear of commitment) or just flakiness.

ok tnx.

[Windy]

I wouldn't be so suspicious of their motives. Restaurant websites are almost always designed by external companies; the restaurant often can't easily update the content. And they've only been open a month or so.

[psb]

I am not "suspicious" in the sense that I think it is cagey. I mean to emphasize that it is a deliberate omission because the hours may be in flux and they dont want to advertise longer hours than they are prepared to be open.

Obviously ideal would be to have easy to find and accurate hours but if that isnt an option for one reason or another, I suppose it is better to not have any info [well aside from a phone number] than to explicitly say you are open till 11pm when you have decided to scale back to 10pm.

What is in a sense more annoying is when the hours actually ARE on the site but a PITA to find.

So dont be so suspicious of my motives.

[Ruth Lafler]

According to their website they are starting lunch service June 2 (11-3). They are also offering a "happy hour" three-course prix fixe for $25 (5:30-7).

[vulber]

yes, agree with everything here.

[Windy]

What have you eaten that you liked at Radio Africa?

I'm curious how much the menu changes week to week. Hoping those meatballs with polenta and asparagus stick around.

[Ruth Lafler]

Seriously. The empty casserole dish for the meatballs was next to me, and I kept scraping up little spoonfuls of sauce/polenta. When the chef tried to clear the dish, I literally tugged it out of his hands to scrape out the last few drops.

[Ruth Lafler]

Entrees (from left to right lamb, kufta meatballs, "fantasy" of Ethiopian greens and grains, barramundi) and dessert: