I’m not really surprised when restaurants meet expectations.

But I sure am when they manage to exceed them.

San Francisco’s Michelin two-starred Birdsong achieved that.

What’s more, when I dined there with family last week, Chef-Owner Christopher Bleidorn wasn’t even in the house, a testament to just how strong and capable his team is.

I knew the restaurant, which opened in 2018, had its own dry-aging room for proteins and that it specialized in live-fire cooking. I also knew that Bleidorn came with quite the pedigree, having honed his skills at such Michelin heavyweights as Alinea in Chicago; and Benu, Atelier Crenn, and Saison, all in San Francisco.

What I wasn’t prepared for was how transportive the dining experience was, drawing you in with its elegance yet also a real primalness.

Let’s face it: the Mission Street restaurant is located in a perpetually seedy part of downtown. But once seated inside the contemporary dining room done up in minimalist Scandinavian esthetics with its focal point a massive open kitchen, you feel a million miles away.

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