Machka Restaurant- San Francisco
By
Carol & Joe Davis
Dining Detectives
We've
always enjoyed Turkish cuisine and when we heard that Machka
had just opened in San Francisco's Financial District we knew
we had to try it. Located directly across the street from the
Transamerica Pyramid Center, the new restaurant exudes an active
lively "after work" friendly business vibe. The Décor
features an exposed brick wall lined with high top tables, a beautiful
chandelier, interesting suspended spot lighting, a communal table,
vintage Turkish photographs, and sidewalk seating.
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We
were seated at a table by the window where we could see the entire
restaurant and the active street. We started with a few Mezes
(small plates). Our favorite was salad with Fava beans, English
peas, snap peas, cilantro, fresh mint, sumac, lemon and smoked
paprika vinaigrette. It was absolutely amazing!
All
the ingredients were so fresh and the vivid color of the green
peas and beans was just beautiful. We also enjoyed the Duo
of Hummus which came with excellent warm pita bread. We found
both the Classic Hummus and the Spicy Chipotle & Red Bell
Pepper Hummus to be outstanding.
Another
excellent small plate choice is the Grilled Octopus served
in a salad with chick peas, celery, lemon and olive oil. Next,
we had a bowl of their "Soup of the Day" which
was a luscious Roasted Tomato with pureed chickpeas and Argon
oil. Thinly fried garlic slices topped this perfect soup! We also
loved the Imported Turkish Feta which was quite pungent and firmer
than we've had in the past and really delicious. It was perfect
with the grilled walnut bread and fabulous imported olives.
The
Grilled Marinated Lamb Rack served with sautéed
spinach, feta potatoes gratin and whole grain mustard sauce was
an outstanding entree! It was a large portion and was prepared
medium rare just like we love it. Another great entrée
choice is their Skewer Kebobs. We loved the Machka smoked
paprika marinated beef kebob which had luscious grilled onions,
grilled bell peppers, cilantro and was served over rice pilaf.
This
is a great option for a lighter entree.
The
Wine List is well thought out and features some excellent California
and International options. We were impressed at how focused and
reasonably priced the selections were. We also appreciated that
the wines by the glass are offered in both 5 oz. and 8 oz. pours.
We enjoyed the crisp and fruity 2011 Ned Pinot Gris from Waihopai
New Zealand with our starters and the spicy pinot like 2011
Kavaklidere "Yakut" Okuzgozu from Ankara Turkey
with our entrees.
We
saved room for dessert and enjoyed the Orange Blossom Panna
Cotta with raspberry and strawberry coulis and candied orange
strips, as well as a traditional Turkish dessert Kunefe. It is
made with very thinly shredded filo dough, soft white cheese then
fried and soaked in rose water syrup topped with pistachios and
served with tasty maple ice cream. A Broadbent Reserve Port and
a piping hot double Espresso were the perfect finish to our fabulous
dinner. Machka is San Francisco's new must go
to restaurant and will be for years to come. The cuisine was excellent,
the service was outstanding and the fun vibe makes you want to
come back! We really enjoyed our dinner and look forward to returning
soon.
Machka
Restaurant
584 Washington Street
San Francisco, CA. 94111
415-391-8228
www.584washington.com