The Progress
1525 Fillmore Street
San Francisco CA 94115
Sun-Thu 5:30 – 10:00
Fri-Sat 5:30 – 11:00
bar at 5:00 every night
Having just tried State Bird Provisions a few weeks ago, all of us at TCF were dying to go back to see what else Stuart Brioza, Nicole Krasinski, and the SBP team had to offer. With the help of our friend Derek, we were able to snatch up a 5:45pm Sunday dinner reservation at SBP’s sister restaurant, The Progress (and just in time to celebrate Brian’s birthday!). It is located right next door (to the left, to be exact) of SBP and unmarked, so don’t expect any fancy signage.
The Progress was opened in 2014 and, as described on their website, is “a vehicle for a completely local production. Innovative banquet-style meals served with memorable wines. The greatest dinner party ever.” What they said. Three words that come to mind when I think of The Progress are welcoming, organic, and community. The details, from the interior decor to the plateware to the casual dress code of the staff, all work together to create a non-pretentious, inviting, and memorable experience.
But of course, you’re probably wondering, “Okay it looks nice, but how’s the food?” Well, unlike SBP, The Progress serves their food family-style with fixed pricing. This format change does provide for a very different experience however the food is just as innovative and delicious. Let’s get into it, shall we?
$58 per person will get your table 4 entrees and several “bites”/appetizers to share.
Barhi dates with hazelnut crema
Buttermilk biscuits with apple bourbon black butter
Radish with curried yogurt
Fish fry with creamy fermented pumpkin
Tofu & peanut pesto
The variety of textures and flavors in these 5 small plates were much appreciated and definitely gives you a glimpse into the quality and kinds of ingredients used here. The shining stars for me would have to be the Barhi dates and the buttermilk biscuits.
Hog Island Sweetwaters with local seaweed
Being in SF, we had to order some Hog Island oysters. The seaweed gave it that extra oomph and I think our party was unanimous in thinking that it tasted like the ocean in all the best ways.
Now for the main dishes …
Sunchoke roti pleasant ridge reserve, ranch & grating of black truffle
Immediately upon placing this dish down, our server recommended that we go in with our hands. Not only was this dish fun and interactive, but it was definitely one of the favorites of the night. Light, bright, yet bold in flavor.
Double duck broth dumplings, mushrooms & turnips
We had ordered this thinking of the hen dumplings from SBP but when it came, our server served us a surprising bit of information that was not mentioned on the menu: the dumplings were filled with foie gras! SOLD. On top of that, the broth had great depth.
Garlic fried rice local squid, crispy butter clams & preserved lemon aioli
This ain’t your average, run-of-the-mill fried rice. No, ma’am. This is a fresh, grown up twist on your Chinese takeout favorite that fills you up with great seafood but doesn’t weigh you down in grease. I also loved that some of the rice was actually crispy which gave an enjoyable textural addition to the dish.
Grilled Llano Seco pork shoulder, sunflower seed sambal, marinated baby carrots, & gem lettuce cups
The ranch from which this pork came from is less than 3 hours north of SF! With that said, this dish really highlighted how important using locally sourced ingredients is to the mission of the restaurant and how magnificent the results are when freshness and quality are prioritized. Of the main dishes, this easily tied with the sunchoke roti for first place. Tip when eating this and making your own lettuce wraps: use the lime that they give you on the side. It adds a citrus element that really brings out the flavor in the meat and the sambal.
Desserts ($10 each)
Unfortunately desserts aren’t included in the prix-fixe menu, however you can’t go wrong with any of the options below. The Progress is quite well known for their Floating Islands but the pistachio cake and ice cream should definitely not be overlooked.
Rhubarb sorbet floating island strawberry-elderflower gelatina, sheep’s milk yogurt, bee pollen
Pistachio stack cake mascarpone cream, raspberry jam, kumquats
Deluxe vanilla bean ice cream, chocolate ganache roasted dates, trufflebert hazelnuts, nocino
With all that said and done, the menu often changes (as it does at State Bird Provisions) so you may not be able to try all of the dishes mentioned in this post. However, rest assured that your experience at The Progress will always consist of great ambience and even greater food.
– Linh Linh
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