Limon Restaurant Review, San Francisco

Reviewer: Foodnut.com Limon 524 Valencia St. (between 16th and 17th streets) San Francisco, CA 94110 (415) 252-0918 (415) 252-1262 (Fax) Limon Website

Limon is a Peruvian restaurant in San Francisco’s Mission district serving Nuveo Latin Fusion. It closed for 16 months due to a fire and recently reopened. Martin Castillo reopened Limon with Emmanuel Piqueras from three Michelin star Arzak restaurant in Spain. They reinvented the menu so the food is different from the old Limon. Michael Bauer recently gave the place 3 stars.

Decor, Vibe – Modern citrus-hued interior, large pieces of art adorn the walls, open kitchen, communal table, lounge tables, new bar, and counter space up front. Smaller dining area on an upstairs mezzanine floor. Hot scene, crowded, and loud with lots of well dressed non Mission types in their 30’s and 40’s. This place could get transported to another neighborhood and you would not see a difference.

Menu (Click to zoom into any picture)

Picks:

Mojito Limon ($9) Premium Japanese Soju, Lime, and Hand Picked Mint Served Tall was well made and featured a very hidden but real alcoholic content.

Cebiche Limon ($12) Mixed seafood/fish, calamari, shrimp, octopus is a Peruvian Cebiche Autenticos con “Leche de Tigre”. Their signature starter was superb, with lots of carved up fish and shellfish chunks soaked in a strong and tangy lime, garlic, cilantro, fish based juice. Corn, onion, and carrot accents.

Tiraditos Mosaico ($14) Sea scallop, shrimp, octopus, three vinaigrettes. This dish is a Peruvian Style Sashimi with thinly cut fresh seafood bathed in a lime based sauce. Very good flavor and freshness. Sauce was not as strong as the Cebiche.

Pulpo a la Parrilla ($12) Char Grilled Octopus, Andean Pepper Oil, Botija Olive Foam had big slices of tender octopus that had a soft but not chewy texture.

Lomo Saltado ($21) Wok Tossed Top Sirloin with red onion, tomato, Soy, French Fries and served with Jasmine Rice. A classic dish of theirs and one that should satisfy carnivores. Nice big pieces of meat in a strong sauce that worked well with the included rice.

Chicken Breast

Pollo Latino ($18) Oven Baked Rocky Jr. Farms Chicken Breast, Stuffed Piquillo Peppers, Truffle Infused Mac n Cheese. The chicken is marinated overnight, pan roasted, and bathed in butter, making it excellent. Peppers were stuffed with three different kinds of mushrooms. The mac and cheese was huge and top notch with very good mascarpone cheese and a nice hint of truffles.

Coconut Fried Rice ($4) had jasmine rice, finely chopped nuts, sesame oil, garlic, and coconut flakes, but no eggs. Big portion, very nicely done, and not overwhelmed with coconut flavor or sweetness.

OK:
None

Pans:
None

Limon started with a glitch but was very friendly and professional throughout dinner. Food pacing was good with appetizers coming out very fast. Prices are reasonable, food quality high, and entree portion size very good. Dessert menu was on the weak side, so we skipped it. Limon is a easily place to recommend for those looking for a stylish restaurant in the Mission serving Peruvian food that is very accessible.
Good selection of wines by the glass from $6.50, bottles from $24, $15 Corkage.