Best California Cuisine

California cuisine might best be described as the food that results when our state's uncommon confluence of cultures meets up here on the edge of the Pacific Rim -- several zillion acres of produce on the right, the largest ocean in the world on the left -- and goes at it with wok and Dungeness. At Eos, Eric Wong and Phil West have taken outstanding flavors from each side of the Pacific Rim and points between, commingled them with wit and exuberance, and created some of the lightest, most inventive tastes available in the city. Among them: the tuna tataki tower, a savory construction of supple albacore, mixed sprouts, and caviar; pan-seared California quail with chive-chevre dumplings; tea-smoked salmon with mashed yucca and taro root; and a napoleon of Scharffen Berger chocolate, fresh vanilla ice cream, and blackberries marinated in sake. The food is as lovely to look at as it is delightful to devour. Yes, this is one golden state.