This Time It's Persianal

Hoss Zaré returns to the Fly Trap with a new Middle Eastern–accented menu.

Comments (0) By Meredith Brody Wednesday, Dec 3 2008

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The most unusual dish, served only on Mondays, was a huge, steaming veal-and-pork meatball studded with pistachios and pine nuts, which our server broke open to reveal a whole plump quail dressed with dried apricots and barberries ($25). It sat in a lake of meaty broth, accompanied by roasted tomatoes, broccoli rabe, and a little dish of torshi, a tart, vinegary Persian vegetable relish. I've never had anything like it before, and I would order it again.

As I would Zaré's perfect french fries ($5), also a huge portion, which came with a rich aioli. We were less enthralled with the plate of lavash and herb bread ($4), which came with ramekins of feta-walnut spread and tapenade. No other bread is offered, which seems a bit of a shame when there are so many dishes with soppable sauces.

Jen Siska

You call it lamb shank; the Persians call it abgusht.

Location Info

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Zare at Flytrap

606 Folsom
San Francisco, CA 94107

Category: Restaurant > California

Region: South of Market

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Details

243-0580, www.zareflytrap.com. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-midnight; Saturday 6 p.m.- midnight; bar open until 1 a.m. Closed Sunday. Reservations accepted. Wheelchair accessible. Parking: street, difficult. Muni: 9X, 10, 12, 30, 45, 76. Noise level: moderate.

606 Folsom (at Second St.)

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Zaré's wine list is unusually interesting and personal; we were tempted to try wines from Lebanon or Greece, but were very happy with the light Spanish Bodegas Vizcarra Tempranillo ($32) after the Venta Mazzaron Tempranillo ($28) we tried to order proved to be the only bottle not available. There's also an unusually exciting cocktail menu (all $10).

Desserts are the creation of ex–Top Chef contestant Marisa Churchill, whose sophisticated sweets we'd enjoyed at Yoshi's. The goat cheese cheesecake ($9) was airy and light, while the slightly alcoholic mojito sorbet ($6) was tart and icy. The yogurt panna cotta with white truffle honey ($9) tasted exactly like the Greek Fage yogurt you can buy around town. The star was a stack of torrijas ($9), brioche soaked in milk and then fried, a sort of magical version of churros, dusted with powdered sugar and served with a hot chocolate sauce scented with rosewater.

The hundred-year history claimed for the Fly Trap (it was originally on Market, then Sutter, then Golden Gate) is a bit suspect, especially since we suspect there was a lot of down time — decades, in fact — before the place on Folsom took the name. But with its new owner, menu, and freshened-up room, it's poised for the second hundred in the new millennium.