The Best Dishes Eater SF Editors Ate This Week: March 1

Carne asada and shrimp fajitas at Elena’s

There’s certainly no shortage of excellent food to be found in San Francisco and the Bay Area — but there’s plenty worth skipping, too. Luckily for you, Eater editors dine out several times a week (or more) and we’re happy to share the standout dishes we encounter as we go.

Here’s the best of everything the Eater SF team has eaten recently. Check back weekly for more don’t-miss dishes.

Fajitas at Elena’s

Maybe the news of Chevys’ imminent closure in Emeryville has me feeling nostalgic. But for whatever reason, at dinner this week at Elena’s — the gorgeous and expansive new Mexican restaurant from the Original Joe’s team — I ordered fajitas, a dish I’ve enjoyed too many times to count but none in recent memory. They arrived at the table exactly as they should: hot and angrily spewing steam on a weighty cast-iron plate, flanked by generous sides of rice and refried beans, petite bowls of pico de gallo and sour cream, and a basket of warm tortillas. There’s something to be gained by eating with your hands (freedom, you might call it) so I reveled in tearing up the pillow-soft tortillas and wrapping them around slices of perfectly pink-on-the-inside slices of skirt steak and charred peppers. There wasn’t anything fussy about it, just well-cooked meats meant to be enjoyed independently or in concert with the smorgasbord of accouterments. But each bite made me feel like a kid again, squished into a booth with my family at a reliable neighborhood Mexican restaurant, which, oftentimes was literally Chevys. The restaurant was absolutely slammed on a Monday night, and watching families plow through bowls of oily chips with salsa and massive plates of enchiladas was like witnessing an reflection of the past. Chevys may be on its way out, but it’s a comfort to know Elena’s will keep a similar spirit alive. Elena’s, 255 West Portal Avenue, San Francisco

— Lauren Saria, Eater SF editor

Stuffed wings from RTB Wine Lounge

If you’re not already in the midst of a quest to find every amazing stuffed wing in the Bay Area, I’m here to tell you that you need to start. Finding a stuffed wing is a rarity at restaurants — and with reason, given the time-consuming preparation that goes them — so when you do, savor the opportunity. A recent visit to RTB Wine Lounge, the new wine and sake bar from chef Rodney Wages’ Avery team on Fillmore, left me re-pondering the luxury of a stuffed wing. One must give proper reverence to the preparation that goes into each wing. The crispy exterior gave way to a not-too-gummy stuffing of scallion rice. It’s a feat, as RTB general manager Sean Widger tells me: beyond the difficulties of deboning each wing, there’s also the art of stuffing them, which requires the just-right ratio of stuffing to encasement; too much, and it’ll explode in the fryer. Luckily these wings arrived tableside, intact and lovely as intended. Pair that with the accompanying hot sauce and the stellar wine and sake menu offerings, and you have an excellent start to a mellow and memorable evening with a friend. RTB Wine Lounge, 1552 Fillmore Street, San Francisco

— Dianne de Guzman, Eater SF deputy editor

Pan-fried spicy calamari at Cocobang

San Franciscans who haven’t happily gobbled down the force-fed narrative that the city is a Mad Max-esque wasteland are eating Korean snacks at 3 a.m. Or at least, that was the scene Saturday late-night at Cocobang, in that pocket of the city some call the Tendernob, where groups of diners swarmed the tiny shotgun-style restaurant. After seeing a show at the Black Cat and before nabbing a nightcap at the Owl Tree kitty-corner, I devoured cheesy corn and kimchi pancake and a few renditions of oily, sumptuous chicken. The standout was the well-spiced and chewy squid paired with a pile of thin somen noodles. The chili and pepper in the dish hit just right in the witching hour, bringing me back to life rather than slowing me down. The simple elements in this dish are worth naming, too: Beyond the squid and the unseasoned noodles, there’s really only cabbage, strips of carrots, and sesame seeds in the mix. The whole entree lands like the midnight stir-fry your friend made you after a nasty house party breakup except with calamari and sesame seeds, a protein and garnish your friend likely left on the side. The textural balance, from squish to crunch, is prime, and for about $18 the meal is well-portioned, too. Next time you’re out late in the city, if you’ve ventured into this apocalyptic landscape and kept your life, seek out squid and noodles downtown. Cocobang, 550 Taylor Street, San Francisco

— Paolo Bicchieri, Eater SF reporter