Palencia: Upscale Filipino cuisine in Upper Market
March 21, 2008
SAN FRANCISCO — Palencia has arrived to fill the void of a rustic, white tablecloth Filipino restaurant in San Francisco. Filipino food may be foreign to many San Francisco diners, but owner and manager Archie Palencia serves exciting dishes with inviting flavors in his restaurant, which opened last fall.
Ambiance: Embedded in a neighborhood, patrons could easily bypass the unpretentious signage on the leafy streets of Upper Market. Dark mahogany floors and lush palm fronds project the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines into the 45-seat restaurant. Capiz-shell chandeliers and tableside candles illuminate a relaxing, elegant decor.
Starters: A great springtime starter, the fresh vegetarian lumpia (2/$7.50) excites the appetite. Fresh carrots, red-leaf lettuce and sprouts provide crunch, while the thin, steamed crepe, cleverly wrapped and resembling a gyro, holds the ingredients together. This dish is all about texture, and a spoonful of the garlic-soy dipping sauce provides the needed savory touch.
Entrees: Chef Danelle Valenzuela assembles a menu of family-style dishes with a myriad of flavors and textures. In the guinataang kalabasa ($11.25), buttery kabocha squash, crunchy Chinese long beans and poached butterfly prawns all bathe in a smooth coconut milk sauce. Though creamy and subtle, a dash of salt would have rounded out the flavor of the milky sauce. Skip the pancit bihon ($9.50), comprised of vermicelli noodles mixed with carrots, cabbage, shrimp and chicken; it lacks uniqueness in the compilation of ingredients. Stealing the show is the pork adobo ($11.98), tender pork shoulder simmered in a dark gravy of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, red pepper and bay leaves, and yearning for white rice to diffuse the tartness.
To compliment the full-bodied and flavorful entrees, an order of garlic rice ($2.50/$3.50) and jasmine rice ($1.50/$2.50) is key to soak up sauces and provide balance. The garlic in the rice does not overwhelm, but instead acts as a gentle flavor boost. San Miguel ($5), a Filipino beer with sweet hops, refreshes the palate in between each dish.
End the meal with turon, a dessert that focuses mainly on texture and temperature contrasts. A pair of scorching hot, crunchy fried crepe rolls are wrapped around layers of banana and jackfruit and rescued by chilly vanilla bean ice cream.
Asian American Pioneer: Using ingredients from local farmers and ecologically sustainable meats, the restaurant pairs perfectly with the neighborhood and its customers. And Archie Palencia intentionally located his first restaurant in the Upper Market for visibility, in the hopes of bringing Filipino cuisine mainstream. Although Palencia’s goal may seem ambitious, he was ready to put his culinary passion on the line when he discarded a well-paying corporate consulting job to pursue his dream. “I have made an emotional decision to achieve this goal,” Palencia said.
PALENCIA
3870 17th Street, San Francisco
(415) 522-1888
………. Dinner ……….
Tue – Sat: 5:00 – 10:00 p.m.
Sun: 5:00 – 9:30 p.m.
………. Brunch ……….
Sun: 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Closed Monday
Prices: $15–20 per person
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Hurray to an ambitious venture. Been wanting to read good write-ups about Filipino cuisine. More power!