This was our first time trying ember, and we can't wait to go back! The precision and creativity of the dishes is impressively unique. Every dish is focused around a few key ideas/ingredients, as per the names; and is plated to highlight what you are eating, allowing you the freedom to form a perfect bite, each and every time. Many dishes involve some of the smoking techniques that have been perfected by the chef, producing unique flavors you won't find elsewhere.
The menu very much cooked in the vane of a high end tasting menu, but the dish sizes larger allowing both more indulgence and more sharing. Each plate is good for sharing between 3 to 4 people.
A main highlight for our meal was the Ranger Valley Wagyu Striploin, which not only was tender and juicy, it achieved a world class crust imparted with smokey flavors hard to really discribe. It didn't realize there could be so much nuance in the smoke used.
Another favorite was the Octopus arm, again amazingly tender on the inside, featuring a savory smoked exterior hard to resist. It's quite a skill to pull off such an amazing cook on a whole octopus arm, but ember has perfected it.
Of course you must also get a Test Kitchen House Sourdough, which is as good as any I've had from San Francisco, but comes with a smoked butter that is nothing short of inspiring. Even the bread and butter is innovative here.
The only dish we wouldn't recommend was the Raw Tuna Avocado Tapioca dish. While the concept was good, the tuna didn't feel as fresh tasting as I would have liked, and was a bit too salty. But this may have been just an off day for the tuna, and we didn't feel it detracted from the overall experience at all.
Lastly we'd like to highlight the Tres Leches, which was a perfect end to our meal.
As a note: I went with just my fiance and we ordered 4 small plates, 1 steak, 2 sides, and a desert... Which was quite a lot for us. This would have 4 people 😅, and we took a bunch home. This was fine as we were excited to try a bunch for our first experience. Next time we are thinking of more along the lines of 2 small plates, 2 large plates, a desert, and maybe a side dish. That would be perfect for a date.
Hopefully we can come with friends later, so we can try and share more, this restaurant is perfect for foodie get togethers.