In February 2022, I visited and reviewed Fort Point Valencia as it reopened. Reborn from a long pandemic closure, it was a shining example of a local, SF-based brewery with a unique, fresh style and focus.
All the elements of design remain — including neon signage by artist Shawna Peterson and vibrant blue, red and neutral walls — as does the friendly, laid-back staff across my visits. When it comes to the drink list, all of Fort Point’s beers are on draft when available, alongside a tight California wine list and an impressive run of guest breweries’ beers on draft. This drink side, a draw on its own, remains the same. Read more in my review here.
But with the recent departure of chef Eric Ehler and the arrival of new culinary director Cecile Macasero (former chef de cuisine at SF’s Michelin-starred Thai great, Kin Khao, which, thankfully, is about to reopen, and of Renee Erickson’s award-winning Sea Creatures group in Seattle), the food has totally changed to a refreshing — and playful — take on SF-style seafood.
This comes in conjunction with Fort Point’s just-expanded Valencia Beer “Garden” at the Ferry Plaza Building, featuring long, beer hall-esque tables, gourmet hot dog menu and Fort Point beers on draft. On farmers market days, a small section of tables is housed under the Ferry Building awning next to their ordering window, but this expands onto the sunny patio every other day, a welcome respite for a pint and bite.
But the Mission District restaurant is where you can fully dig into Macasero’s new menu, emphasizing local, sustainably sourced seafood. Starting with oysters in cucumber mignonette (from Maine on my visit; local and Pacific oysters dominate at their peak, but at times, you’ll find Atlantic oysters with related flavor profiles to West Coast oysters) is the right way to begin, ideal with a light beer or pet nat.
Swan Oyster Depot-style sashimi is a smart nod to the 120–year-old Sicilian family-run SF institution and their off-menu Sicilian sashimi drizzled in olive oil, capers and onion. At Fort Point Valencia, it’s raw halibut in capers and red onion teeming in a floral, bright yuzu, lemongrass and ginger dressing with local California olive oil. The silky dish also nods to SF’s nearly 40% Asian population and deep Asian food roots, not to mention the gorgeous yuzu citrus which grows locally.
Rice-A-Roni arancini is just smart. It’s a cheeky nod to that old school “San Francisco treat,” locals don’t eat. This Sicilian-style arancini rice balls (the Sicilian side of me loves to see that theme pop up twice already on the menu) is modernized with trumpet mushrooms and cheese oozing from inside, dusted in fennel pollen and shaved Parmesan. Damn good beer food. And just damn good food.
A Louie salad and a Dungeness crab roll (with creme fraiche, celery, onion, chives) feel necessary in an SF-style seafood spot, highlighting the glories of our incredible local crab. A little more unique is Macasero’s chowder-style clam roll. Served hot, it’s a bacon-rich clam chowder, nodding touristy, Fisherman’s Wharf fave: SF chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. It tastes just like it reimagined form, with quality clams and ingredients.
Another smart SF nod is a “big cup-a-cioppino,” tributing the dish born in San Francisco from Italian immigrants in the late 1800s. Thankfully smaller than many of the overwhelming cioppino bowls around town, my husband, Dan “The Renaissance Man,” and I still couldn’t finish the massive “cup” marked by a big slice of grilled bread. It’s a vibrant stew, “lazy style,” meaning no shells, so easier for the diner, less muss, and it fits nicely in the huge mug. Packed with pre-shelled crab, clams, mussels, shrimp, white fish and squid, tomato broth makes it all sing.
Ideally paired with cioppino or a killer bar snack on its own, ballpark garlic fries heavily doused in fresh garlic and parsley transport to a Giants’ game. Another true San Francisco treat — and a staple with beer — these garlic fries are more reasonably-priced than at the stadium and are even better.
Beyond the aracini, there are a couple non-seafood dishes (I don’t even need to bother telling you how much you miss out on if you avoid seafood, and am truly sorry for those with seafood allergies), including a green goddess dip with impeccable crudité that recalls the vibrantly fresh crudité on the menu since they reopened in February, a vegetarian version of the Louie salad and a cheeseburger (with an Impossible version, too). But why miss out on all the nods to SF food culture so thoughtfully, yet lightheartedly, done here?
Their one dessert feels for all: “Not Exactly It” is an It’s-It tribute to the legendary SF ice cream sandwich since 1928. This is the elevated version I dreamed of: an appropriately crunchy-thick tahini oatmeal cookie couches vanilla ice cream, while the whole thing is dipped in Dandelion chocolate coating, sourcing from the great bean-to-bar master whose smaller chocolate factory is literally their neighbor a couple of doors down. I dream of a version of It’s-It’s mint chocolate cookie.
From the beginning of its launch amid the Presidio’s idyllic woods and Bay views, Fort Point Beer Company nailed crowd-pleasing beers. In the last couple of years, they released standout seasonal specials, like a killer yuzu KSA radler, thankfully now part of the main line (my Time Out cover story on local breweries, including a chat with brothers/co-founders Tyler and Justin Catalana here). Whether sipping the yuzu KSA radler, a glass of zippy 2021 Broc Cellars Love pet nat, a bold, tart Fieldwork Squanchy Party fruited sour ale (Bay Area great) or another SF brewing great, Cellarmaker’s Tiny Dankster pale ale, there’s a yin for yang, flavorwise, to pair with the food.
The space’s Zen-like neutrality and skylit light soothes but the space is also bold and current. Here, it’s easy to have a relaxing lunch, dinner or drink hour. Chef Macasero brings seafood chops working with one of Seattle’s most famous chefs (Renee Erickson is widely known for her seafood mastery), but he has clearly immersed himself in SF: its unique seafood history, rich local seafood, its signature dishes like cioppino, even its ice cream past. I am grateful for his attention to some of these beloved and approachable SF food traditions. And for the gourmet versions he’s offering at one of our special city breweries.
Fort Point Valencia’s relaunch menu at the beginning of 2022 was a joy, but so is this new focus, worth a revisit, making it an almost completely new restaurant. It fits right in on Valencia Street and in San Francisco.
// 742 Valencia Street, https://fortpointbeer.com/locations/fort-point-valencia
