Fodor's Expert Review Merchant Roots

After starting as part grocer/part lunch café/part tasting menu, this tiny Fillmore spot is now fully devoted to the elaborate tasting menus of chef-owner Ryan Shelton. Themes and dishes change every few months (it could be "flowers" or "Alice in Wonderland"), but the one constant is Shelton's incredible imagination and ability to transform those themes into elaborate, technique-driven composed dishes. Among San Francisco tasting-menu establishments, this one is probably the most relaxed and fun. The warm, intimate atmosphere (headlined by the giant woven fiber art on the wall) truly feels more like a dinner party at a friend's loft than a formal restaurant.