La Plouf, San Francisco

It's no surprise Mark Papedis fell in love with the food of his hometown. The Bay Area native spent his childhood wandering the region's beaches and hiking trails, taking in views of local farms and crab boats. So, shortly after receiving formal culinary training, he returned home and dedicated himself to cooking seafood and French-style cuisine with the ingredients he grew up loving.

Bay Area Ingredients

Chef Papedis embraces the flavors of his home by cooking with locally sourced goods whenever possible. Organic vegetables arrive from Terra Bella Family Farm, every piece of grassfed beef is purchased directly from Olivier's Butchery, and the cheese plates feature two locally crafted artisan selections. The menus also highlight regional seafood, such as freshly snagged dungeness crab, rock cod, and calamari.

Parisian Bistro Recipes

"No dining experience [at Plouf] is complete without a bucket of steamed mussels," according to Time Out San Francisco. This classic French dish can include bivalves in a traditional broth flavored with shallots, lemon, white wine, butter, and parsley. However, the chefs also serve mussels in broths featuring coconut milk, cilantro, and other nontraditional additions. The French influences are strong throughout the bistro's other offerings, too, as evidenced by dishes such as vanilla-bean crème brûlée, duck-liver pâté, and quail-egg-crowned beef tartare.

France in a Glass

In addition to offering French beer on tap and mixing cocktails with French liqueurs, such as Domaine De Canton and St. Germain, the staff also serves a healthy number of wines. Many of these bottles hail from California or as far away as Argentina and Italy. However, the major winemaking regions and subterranean wine reservoirs of France are also well represented in Plouf's selection.