beautiful, healthy northern chinese cuisine at heaven's dog

I have been a follower of Charles Phan and Slanted Door in San Francisco since the days when he was first located on Mission Street. I remember when Bill Clinton dined there, we were all a flutter and I had a birthday party there shortly after.
I love the food at Out the Door in the Westfield Center and the kinetic energy of Slanted Door at the Ferry Building.

Now, Charles Phan and executive chef Andy Wai of Heaven's Dog have developed a menu based on Northern Chinese cuisine and local seasonal products. Asian cuisine is my weakness—all that crispy goodness, chili oil this and deep fried that, with few healthy choices in between. Heaven's Dog delivers the variety we crave and the fresh, healthy ingredients we need.

First, this modern space inside the SOMA Grand has great visual appeal—a small and intimate dining room with orange leather and woven wood is flanked by a curved bar. There is also an open kitchen with counter dining and a private room that on the day I visited was used for communal dining. The restaurant uses quality ingredients such as Prather Ranch meats and organic produce from nearby farms such as All Star Organics.

On the day I dined I had a reservation for lunch and the dining room was comfortably full. I started with Shanghai dumplings ($8), steamed and light with an interior of pork and broth that you eat out of a spoon so you don't lose any broth goodness. This was flavored well with a hint of soy and vinegar. There are plenty of vegetarian choices as well, such as Chinese broccoli, organic kale, spicy green beans, and organic pea shoots. I chose a unique dish of spicy organic cauliflower ($9). These crispy florets were perfectly sauteed with honshimeji mushrooms and lots of red pepper done in a Hunan style. The attentive waiter suggested a side of Massa Organics brown rice ($3) which matched perfectly. I tried one noodle dish called dan dan mein ($7), seasoned with chili, pressed tofu and spicy peanut sauce. Although tasty, I felt the flavors ran together and the tofu was barely visible. I washed it all down with Lakewood organic pineapple juice ($5) which I had made spritzer style with sparkling water.

There is a very sophisticated cocktail list but perhaps the most interesting is “Freedom of Choice” ($10). Let the bartender know if you like your cocktail citrus driven or spirituous and he will surprise you. You can find all this and many more delicious details at http://www.heavensdog.com/.

Read more about Heaven's Dog at my column at Body Mechanix Fitness Cooperative.