Maverick in the Mission

Every so often, I stumble upon a gem in the city by pure chance, rewarding me for taking the risk to try something new or different. When I was glancing through the latest edition of San Francisco magazine's food review section, the name Maverick caught my eye. Not because it reminded me of Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun, but the name itself held the potential of being something different and unconventional in this city that constantly pushes the limits of individuality and steadfast conventions*. Ever hopeful and very hungry, I decided this would be the evening's dinner venue. We almost missed the restaurant when we first drove past 17th Street, because it wasn't the most prominently lit on the row, nor did it have a clear signage that caught one's eye. Anyway, GPS saved the day and we were able to find parking a block down the street.

We were 15min early, and the table before ours had not settled their bill yet, so while we were waiting by the door of this tiny restaurant, the chef came over with 2 pieces of pureed fava beans pesto on toast to distract us. Then Mike the manager offered to let us try some of the featured house wines of the evening, and introduced himself as the restaurant's sommelier as well. The little details in taking care of their patrons made me ever hopeful of the wonderful dining experience I was about to embark on, and truly I was not disappointed at all.

The menu at Maverick constantly changes depending on the season and availability of local produce, and tonight's list featured octopus tostadas, grilled pork balls with polenta and green and sweet potato soup. These were great starters and every selection was truly awesome. The octopus chunks were very well marinated and tender, the grilled pork meat balls had a light fennel flavor and grilled perfectly, and the sweet potato soup was deceptively bland on first sight, but hid an abundance of flavor. For the mains, I had to try their famous buttermilk soaked southern fried chicken with citrus flavored chard and wild rice. This was truly a decadent twist on a traditional southern staple, the chicken was moist, juicy and very tender, and the skin was crispy and full of spiced seasoning. The lemon flavored chard was a very good contrast to the chicken, as were the wild rice seasoned with a tomato based sauce.
Maverick is located at 3316 17th Street in the Mission, San Francisco, CA 94110. Tel: (415) 863-3061