When Stuart Brioza and Nicole Krasinski met in high school, they had no idea that they would eventually create State Bird Provisions, one of the most successful restaurants in San Francisco.
When the couple first leased the adjacent spaces that would eventually become their food business, they knew that they wanted to serve at least one thing: fried quail with stewed onions. Brioza notes that quail is California’s official bird, and the rest of the name came together organically.
What started out as a recipe for quail would go on to become a famed Michelin-starred eatery at 1520 Fillmore St. in San Francisco’s Western Addition. Now the duo is sharing the dishes that turned their restaurant into one of the country’s most celebrated foodie destinations in State Bird Provisions: A Cookbook.
The recipes in the cookbook are just as diverse as San Francisco. The combination of Brioza and Krasinski’s poignant stories and tasty recipes allows readers to bring the best of State Bird Provisions into their own kitchens.
For those not familiar with the restaurant’s concept, Brioza and Krasinski have fused together a number of influences from the east and west, serving small plates dim-sum style with far-off and local influences. Since the menu didn’t fit into any typical boxes, Brioza drew inspiration from as far away as Italy, where he sourced farro, and Vietnam, where he found the optimum fish sauce — eve as close as San Francisco’s Chinatown, where he discovered a Sichuan cumin lamb.
Recipes include a braised pork belly made with only five ingredients (but first soaked in a simple brine of salt, water, sugar, pepper, dill pickles, and smoked trout). There’s even a chapter dedicated to ferments, pickles, and preserves that shows readers how to make sauerkraut. You’ll also learn more about sauces, entrees, desserts, and everything in between — even some basic foundations of cooking.
Feature image courtesy of State Bird Provisions/Facebook.
