Oola

I heart this place.

I like the fact that they are located in Soma near parking. 
I like that they have settled into a comfortable rhythym with their service and cuisine and they always provide a consistent experience. 
I like the dark, split level dining area, complete with burning votives and original oil paintings.
I like that the service is impeccable and it's not arm-twisting to get a reservation.
I like the big heavy door than heaves open when you enter and blasts the first few rows with cool, foggy air.

There are a lot of reasons why I like this place, and not the least is the food.

Oola has the best baby back ribs you will ever eat in your life.  No joke. 

It's a scientific fact that has been proven by my friend, John Merz, who is a scientific expert in baby back rib cooking and eating, and hold's the multi-year title "Best Ribs in Town."  (Well, okay, the title is on his apron, which he wears every summer, and I think that counts.)  Albeit unconventional, these babies are slathering in a ginger soy glaze and braised until they reach that fall-off-the-bone-just-as-it-reaches-your-mouth consistency, and then served with delicious crunchy apple slaw. 

Other winners on the menu:  Scallop on a potato chip, Mac n Cheese, Beet and Watermelon Salad, Chicken and Buttermilk Waffles, Filet Mignon, brussel sprouts, and the Rock Shrimp appetizer.

Chef Ola Fendart sources locally and uses organic produce and natural meats, which is practically mandated in SF by now, and he was classically trained in many of the other kitchens you and I have been to before.

Who knew a Swedish Chef could make such original and delectable Californian cuisine (and not just funny "bleep-da-blork" noises like in the Muppets)?  Ola did.  I do.  And now, you do, too.

Oola | 860 Folsom Street, San Francisco, CA | www.oola-sf.com