One of the newest openings in San Francisco is coming from a husband and wife team.
7 Adams opened in late 2023 where they offer a 5 course tasting menu at $87 per person which is actually quite affordable for the city’s standards. They do have a few supplements that can easily up the price of the menu. What initially intrigued me about the restaurant was that the chefs were previously the chefs of Marlena, a one Michelin starred restaurant that’s currently closed (I never got around to trying it). They had a falling out with the owner which ultimately led them to open their own restaurant on their own terms.
What I liked about the 5 course menu was that for 3 of the courses we had two options that we got to choose from and we didn’t have to pick the same dishes.
7 Adams.
Bread and Butter (8-8.5/10).
We started off with the homemade bread and cultured butter. Pillowy buns with silky butter with a bit of funk. Pretty solid.
Hokkaido Scallop with Roasted Kombu, Hazelnut, and Cara Cara (9/10).
We both agreed that this was the strongest dish of the night. The seared scallop had a fantastic char but still remained raw in the middle which we both liked. The roasted kombu added umami where as the hazelnuts added a really nice nuttiness and the Cara Cara orange added some brightness.
Butternut Squash Velouté with Red Endive and Wagyu Vinaigrette (6.5/10).
This was my least favorite dish of the night as it felt elementary. I love butternut squash but this velouté felt a bit flat. I didn’t get much flavor of the wagyu vinaigrette and the red endive felt like an afterthought. The crème fraîche added a bit of fattiness which was pleasant.
Celery Root Ravioli with Caper and Basil Pesto (7.5/10).
While the ravioli were beautifully shaped, we both felt like the dish was missing something. I didn’t get much of the celery root flavor inside the ravioli. The sauce was a Parmigiano Reggiano emulsion with a basil pesto and capers but it felt a little one noted.
Ricotta Gnudi with Perigord Black Truffle and Chestnut (6.5-7/10).
I was really excited to try the gnudi since I never eat it but this was a little bit of a letdown. When I think of gnudi (it’s basically like a naked ravioli so think of just the filling that’s cooked without the pasta encasing it), I imagine a pillowy soft boiled ball. This was anything but as it was very firm and almost seemed undercooked in the middle.
Seared Black Cod with Fermented Fresno Aioli and Confit Sunchoke (8/10).
The black cod was excellently cooked with crispy skin and flaky meat. I also enjoyed the shellfish broth sauce underneath.
Berkshire Pork Collar with Castelfranco and Leeks (7.5/10).
The pork collar was extremely tender which was the strongest part of the dish. What I really didn’t care for was the crispy pork pieces on top that were so hard, basically inedible.
To Share: Yukon Gold Potato Terrine with Black Garlic Mayonnaise (8/10).
This was a tasty bite served with the main dishes (the black cod and pork).
Chocolate and Rye (8/10).
Rye crumble was on the bottom topped with a cocoa lavender ice cream with lemon curd. Simple but very tasty.
Winter Citrus (8/10).
Graham cracker crumble was topped with a yogurt mousse and mandarin sherbet. A refreshing dessert. I did feel like both desserts were a little elementary, neither necessarily required a high level of baking experience.
With so much competition in the city, it’s really hard to stand out. Was the food good for the price point? Yes, but a handful of dishes needed some tweaking. We were also still hungry at the end as the portions were on the smaller side but maybe we have larger appetites compared to most people. Therefore, my rating is a 7-7.5/10.