The most interesting aspect of California food is how the melting pot nature of our population translates to the plate. Some of the most exciting food, in fact, comes from chefs who love living in San Francisco but stave off homesickness by incorporating familiar flavors of their native lands into their repertoire.
I've seen it bear fruit at Aziza, where Mourad Lahlou celebrates his Moroccan heritage; at Bar Tartine, where Nick Balla weaves in ingredients of Hungary; and at the four-star Benu, where French Laundry-trained chef Corey Lee gives an Asian sensibility to California flavors.
One combination we haven't seen much of in San Francisco is Scandinavian inspiration. Until now. Chef Roberth Sundell, who came to the United States 18 years ago from Stockholm, recently opened Plaj in the space that used to house Ovation in the Inn at the Opera.
Timing is everything. If he had opened a decade ago, diners might not have been as receptive. But with the publicity given to Noma and other Scandinavian restaurants, we're primed to explore Nordic cuisine.
In two months' time, Sundell redid the elegant 44-seat space, added some new furniture and light fixtures, and began weaving together such distinctive ingredients as cloudberries, herring and ground cherries with a pristine California bounty.
Plaj, which is pronounced "play," has an Old World, European feel, with wood paneling and a large fireplace. Sundell also incorporated a type of Danish touch with the artichoke-shaped wood pendant chandeliers in front of the fireplace, and he gave a nod to modern design with the bright chrome industrial lights over the polished wood bar.
Walking through the lobby of the inn and seeing the more traditional setting could be intimidating, but the staff is so welcoming and the service so smooth that the atmosphere feels relaxed and genteel. It's getting a nice buzz thanks to Sundell's cooking.
He uses Nordic ingredients, but looks at them through California eyes. He's cooked on the East Coast, in Los Angeles and at a private club at Lake Tahoe, but came to San Francisco because his wife is from here.
A Scandinavian restaurant has to serve herring, but Sundell turns it into a stylized tasting plate ($12) with various accompaniments. One has saffron and tomatoes, another coriander and chile, and the third smoked soy, ginger and lime. Arranged around each are complementary additions, including a pile of chives and coins of boiled potatoes. Even those who avoid herring because of its strong fish flavor will warm to this preparation, I predict.
Another appetizer on one visit featured white asparagus ($15) cooked just to softness and plated with spongy morels, fennel and an egg cooked to 63 degrees, with a scattering of fried sourdough croutons.
Nuggets of poached lobster ($20) look like icebergs rising from a sea of brown foam that melts into a rich broth that flavors the seafood. One is topped with pearls of black caviar, another with a wispy frond of dill. A few islands of fresh gooseberries peek over the foam.
The menu is divided into vegetables (Hagen), fish (Fjord), meat (Beta) and desserts (Godis), with each section containing four to six items.
Fjord dishes include a beautifully realized sashimi of white fish ($14) with hot dill oil, pickled onions, ginger and crisp shallots. In the caraway smoked salmon ($18), a faint taste of the herb permeates the fish, which is enhanced with roasted radishes, shaved fennel, watercress and a dollop of lemon aioli.
Salads are interesting, too. A magenta puree of beets and sunchokes ($14) becomes the base for a pile of watercress with hazelnuts, vasterbotten, a hard cow's milk cheese from Sweden; shavings of truffles give off an earthy aroma that engulfs the table. Burrata ($12) is loosely buried in a pile of tiny greens dressed with an aquavit vinaigrette with herbs and heirloom tomatoes; it's another excellent dish that references several cultures.
Beer-braised ox cheek ($22) is a homey concoction where the meat is coated in an intense sauce balanced by roasted beets, fried onions and snowy white shavings of fresh horseradish that brighten the dish. Sunchoke puree becomes the mat for two slices of beef tenderloin ($24) with a roasted scallion loosely draped over the two. Sweet-acidic ground cherries, their brown, papery coverings resembling silk scarves gently rustled by a breeze, are the distinguishing element.
One of the disappointments was Mary's chicken ($20), a knob of breast and a thigh accented with lemon, thyme jus and wild mushrooms, which was overcome by a too-salty mustard sauce.
However, Sundell's brilliance returns in some of the traditional dishes, including potato dumplings ($12) so light it's hard to believe they don't melt into the brown butter. They're accented with lardons, lingonberries and onion ragout. A big dollop of lingonberries also accompany the Swedish meatballs ($15) on potato puree and a rich pan gravy, a preparation that rises above the cliche.
For dessert (all $8), the more familiar chocolate torte is accompanied by a less familiar cloudberry sorbet with a drizzle of blood orange olive oil that wrestles domination from the chocolate. A mildly flavored cardamom creme brulee is accented by lime and mint-macerated strawberries.
As good as it is now, Sundell is still growing and finding his groove. Plaj is a gift to the Bay Area; the food feels like Christmas, regardless of the month.
