Tinderbox is Excellent

Tinderbox opened August 31. I've had a chance to eat here twice already: once before it officially opened and once two days after it opened.

The concept behind the restaurant is local / organic. Therefore, you'll find cheese from Cowgirl Creamery and other provisions from local farms such as Marin Sun Farms and other nearby places. The entire design of the place is also local / organic, so you will see cork on the walls, local artists featured, and recycled materials used throughout. However, when you look around, what you will see is not a hippy-dippy green cafe, but a very sexy, elegant space.

Some favorites include the following:
-Rabbit Hot Pocket
-Tikka Masala Shrimp
-Squid with Prosciutto
-Fried Plantain Game Hen
-Pork Love

The chef shines in his creations, which highlight a mix of different flavors and textures. It's definitely a place that allows you to play around and find out how different tastes work together. For example, the game hen fried with the plantain gives a chewy/crunchy/tender mixture while at the same time giving a creamy/spicy/sweet mixture.

I think by now I've gone down the wine list and tried all the wines by the glass. Here, they decided to not simply stay local, but find reasonably priced wines from around the world (including of course local wines from Mendocino, Sonoma, Napa, etc). The wines are very aromatic and pair well with the bold flavors.

Desserts that we've tried:
-Chocolate Cake with Blue Cheese
-Blackberry Beignets with Iced Tea
-Almond Cannolis with Strawberry/Cheese filling

Here again are the mix of tastes/flavors/aromas/textures. The chocolate cake with blue cheese center is the boldest example of that. Rather than the usual chocolate cake with molten center, the molten center is still creamy but now a pungent blue cheese. The amazing flavors contrast well.

The service is great, with friendly waiters and waitresses. The kitchen is open, so you can see into the kitchen how everything is prepared. The wine consultant/sommelier will help you pair wines with your dishes. The maitre d' / part-owner / musical consultant has good tunes spinning at all times.

I've been here twice and will be back again. I highly recommend checking out this restaurant, especially if you have not yet made it over to Cortland Avenue: an exciting part of Bernal Heights.