The Other Critics

Sens Is Delighted By State Bird Provisions, Offers Advice on Pacing Yourself

Photo: Courtesy of State Bird Provisions

SF Mag’s Josh Sens tackles State Bird Provisions in a new review, a few months after all the other critics in town had their say. He gushes that chef Stuart Brioza is “a chef with omnivorous interests and the chops to work without a net … [and] his kitchen turns out a myriad of dishes of such varied inspiration that the usual pat labels fall short.” He highlights things like the marvelous green-garlic bread and duck-neck dumplings, and at least one delicious-sounding dish we hadn’t heard about before: “Korean pasta” with “chewy rice-cake coins with braised rabbit in a robust parmesan sauce.” And similar to the experiences of others before him, he says that the dim sum format encourages “early feeding frenzies” and some restraint is required. As he advises, “Best to tide yourself over with a few commandables and take on the cart service as you would a buffet, with early scouting missions followed by more vigorous surgical strikes.” All told: three stars. [SF Mag, Bauer’s earlier take, Kauffman’s]

Sens Is Delighted By State Bird Provisions, Offers Advice on Pacing Yourself