ediblesf.com | 13 TAKE FIVE: RESTAURANT HIT LIST This season’s most interesting openings stretch from Mission Rock to the Ferry Building to the heart of Union Square, each one anchored in a distinct sense of place. Think deli comfort with cocktail ambition, Itameshi after dark, and waterfront rooms built around fire and Northern California produce. They’re spread out across the city, but they’re well worth a trip beyond your home turf. Writer—Daisy Barringer Just off Redwood Park at the base of the Transamerica Pyramid is Ama, downtown’s new after-dark hangout where Itameshi—the art of blending Italian and Japanese flavors— takes on a sleek late-night form. In the Copper Room, windowless, low-lit, wrapped in dark wood and warmed by the glow of a polished copper bar, chef Brad Kilgore leans into contrasts: bluefin carpaccio over crackling rice, his signature “soft egg” scallop custard, and spiraled lumache in an (you’ve been warned) addictive chile-bright vodka sauce. Around the corner, Ama Social Club settles into its nighttime persona with UFO-like lighting, vintage pinball machines, deep sofas, a DJ booth, and cocktails that keep the place humming: Japanese whisky, sharp Negroni riffs, and bright citrus drinks that make it dangerously easy to lose track of time (helped along by a gentle request to keep phones tucked away). It’s a polished, moody addition to the neighborhood and quietly one of the most intriguing openings downtown has seen in a while. amabybradkilgore.com AMA & AMA SOCIAL CLUB SWANKY NIGHTS AND UFO LIGHTS Photo—Joseph Weaver Photo—Yoshihiro Makino
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