Takeout from Wayfare Tavern

Update Reviews, 2017 - 2022

After several years of not visiting, and several chef changes, at Wayfare Tavern, I finally returned for more takeout over the past few years, ranging from lunch to just dessert.  Most of the dishes I got were a notch above average, and I'll likely return again in the future.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of pickup and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes ...

• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]

Jan 2017

I called ahead to make a takeout order, but I was sent to voicemail, so I just showed up.  I was able to place an order directly with the hostess, who also pointed me to a seat on the side, and brought me the bill to settle up while I waited for food.  It did take longer than I expected, but then again, I was ordering takeout from a restaurant in full swing, and not one that, at that time, did not do much takeout business.  I was offered water by a server while I waited, a nice touch.

Takeout ... with a popover!

Normally when you order takeout from Wayfare Tavern, they do not include popovers.  I knew this, so I made a point of ordering one explicitly.  My order came from the kitchen without, but, the awesome hostess ran upstairs with my food bag and added one in for me (although it wasn't packaged up in any way, it was the thought that counted!).

The salad was nicely packaged, with the dressing on the side (which I didn't even ask for), and a container with a Wayfare Tavern logo.  I don't think they do that much takeout, I wonder if this is normally just for doggy bags?

Chicory Salad.  $13.

"Blue cheese, pecans, persimmon,Valencia orange vinaigrette."

Wayfare Tavern is famous for the fried chicken.  And the burger.  Both of which I've had before.  The menu is full of rich side dishes, like burrata whipped potatoes and baked mac and cheese.  Yet I ordered a salad.  Yes, a salad.

I was ordering takeout, so I didn't want hot food, but I still could have opted for the burrata and pear starter, or chilled lobster or crab cocktail, or of course, the deviled eggs.  But, I actually just really, really wanted a salad.  Wayfare Tavern had two options, an entree "City Salad" or the starter "Chicory Salad".  The city salad had blackberries (meh, seeds!), avocado (allergic), and chickpeas and quinoa (not really a fan of either), so I opted for the chicory salad, drawn in by the promise of persimmons and pecans.

The salad normally comes with blue cheese, but, I'm not really a fan, so I asked if they could sub  "literally any other cheese" for the blue cheese.  I knew they had other cheeses in the kitchen, like burrata for the burrata and pear appetizer and whipped potatoes, Mt. Tam for the burger, so I suggested those, or, even bacon.  Just, anything but blue cheese please!  The hostess said she'd ask, but had no idea what was possible.

I opened my box to find a few surprises.  On top was a shaved cheese, not blue cheese (yes!).  But I also saw bits of almonds and no pecans.  Eh?

The base was assorted mixed chicories, super bitter, but exactly what I wanted and very fresh and crisp.  There was also extremely thinly shaved french breakfast radishes and fennel slices, and a scattering of chives.  These elements were barely noticeable given the stronger flavors and quantities of chicories, but did lighten the salad slightly.

As I mentioned, I was hoping for burrata or Mt. Tam instead of the blue cheese, but, I got what I think was fluffy shaved pecorino, which added saltiness, a nice compliment to the other flavors actually.

It was also supposed to have pecans, but, it had bits of almond instead.  I would have preferred pecans, but, the almonds were great, toasted, and added great crunch.

And finally, you can't see many chunks here since they were on the bottom, but there was also super ripe and totally delicious sweet persimmon chunks.  I loved the persimmon and give them serious credit for using fruit at its peak ripeness.

The dressing was orange vinaigrette, not very interesting, and I'm normally one for creamy dressings rather than vinaigrettes, but it did compliment all the other flavors well, and provided needed acidity.

I really liked this salad.  Yes, salad.  It did not have that many ingredients, nothing particularly crazy, but what was there all worked together very, very well.  Fresh, crisp, crunchy, bitter, salty, sweet, acidic ... it had it all.  I'd get it again.

****.

Popover!

And of course, the popover.

It was hot when I got my bag (I know because I snuck a bite as I was walking down the street), but had obviously cooled by the time I got home.  No worries, I just put it in toaster oven for a minute to warm it right back up.

It was crispy on the outside, moist and light on the inside, a classic popover.  Slightly eggy, more eggy than I'd like, but not too bad.

It did need butter, which, was not provided in my takeout bag.  Luckily, I had honey butter at home, and quickly slathered it in it.  I also had some chipotle honey, which I liked even more, as it gave a little kick to the popover.

Still, I think there is a better spread out there for popovers, I just don't know quite what it is.  I remember thinking that last time I ate at Wayfare Tavern too ...

***+.

June 2020

My next takeout order was years later, during the COVID-19 days, when restaurants were all takeout only.  Wayfare was doing limited takeout via Caviar and their own online ordering, but I choose to visit in person to place my order, so it would be hot and fresh.

Open during COVID-19.

Like most places, they had clear signage to handle the accommodations being made, one person at a time could enter, spots to line up were on the sidewalk, etc.

Luckily, I was the only guest at the time, and literally had my own cook!

Sanitize!

To pick up, you could walk inside, where hand sanitizer was located, but only one step inside the door, everything else was blocked off.  I was also able to order from here.

The Food

As I was the only guest at the time (gulp, it was 12:15pm too, so they really clearly weren't busy ...), my food was prepared to order, by a single chef, and handed over as it was ready.  Mostly hot and fresh.

I asked for cutlery and a napkin, only to be told they were out.  Of all of those things.  No forks, knives, napkins ... I was not pleased, as I didn't quite know how I was going to eat without them.  (I did end up having utensils of my own in my bag, and tissues, but, minus one point for this!).

Picnic Lunch.

I walked literally less than half a block away, found a bench, in the sun, with no one else nearby, and dug into my picnic.

Popover with Whipped Butter. $2.

The popovers are fairly famous at Wayfare Tavern, normally served complimentary at the restaurant, hot and fresh.  I've always liked, but not loved, them.  And yes you can normally get refills.

I knew it wouldn't be the same getting the takeout, but I still expected it warm, as it was when I had gotten proper takeout before COVID days.  Sadly, this was handed over at room temp.

I was sad that these were not served warm, but it was still *really* delicious.

Pretty much textbook perfection: crispy exterior, super fluffy, nice eggy flavor but not too much ... and, yes, fantastic with butter.

It came served with their whipped butter, salted, good butter, and I was quite pleased it was soft and quite spreadable/dippable.  Since the popover wasn't hot, it didn't melt in, but it still was tasty.

I did save a popover for later in the day, was going to have with dinner, or perhaps stuff with sweet things for dessert, but, it really didn't keep well.  I heated it up in toaster oven, just enough to warm it, but it still was too crispy, and not great.  I grilled a chunk, but also didn't care for it that way.  Sadness.

But the original? Great. ***+.

For takeout before COVID-19, you could just ask for popovers included, and they included them.  Now, you order individually, $2 each.  Which, I'd still do, no question.

City Salad (grains and dressing on the side).  ($12)

"Granny Smith apple, wheat berry, red quinoa, blueberry, and pickled red onion with mustard vinaigrette. For every City Salad sold, Wayfare Tavern will donate $1 to SF Marin Food Bank."

I know it sounds boring, and I'm not one to order salads at restaurants, but, the City Salad has been a fixture of their menu for years.  And it barely changes in any way with seasonality.  To me, this is a sign that the salad must be doing something right, particularly when it has such a non-standard list of ingredients.

I did ask for "the fruit and grains" on the side, but I think "the fruit" part was lost over the phone-in order, so the apples and blueberries came on it.  The grains were separate as I asked.  

I did this for two reasons - first, I wasn't sure I wanted the grains, and second, I thought I might save part of it for a second meal, and I didn't want the juicy fruit to make the lettuce go bad (I also really doubted I'd want the apple - I like apple in desserts, cooked down, and in fritters, heh, but I'm not a raw apple kind of girl).  Anyway, it was fine, just not quite what I intended, and the pickled red onion turned out so juicy the lettuces were wet anyway.  And thus, I just polished it off!

Mixed greens are never my favorite (I love kale, baby spinach, romaine, endive, radicchio, etc, etc, but regular spring mix ... just isn't what I'd ever pick), but it was all very fresh and crisp, and a decent assortment of lettuces.

Not much to say about the radishes, just, slices of fresh radish, it seemed like less than one full radish though, which surprised me a bit. 

The apple chunks were ... well, apple chunks.  The size was perfect for a salad, truly nice bites, and I found that I did appreciate the freshness and juicy quality, and tartness, but I still wanted them to be something like jicama or even pear.  Just meh to apples, but these were fine apples, freshly cut, perfect size.

Speaking of tartness, then there was the pickled red onion.  I had expected slices, but rather this came diced.  Very pickled, very tart, but also sharp and harsh as it was red onion.  The flavor was pretty complex, and they were a lot if you just ate them on their own, but mixed in ... it all balanced out nicely.  There was quite a bit of the onion though.

Blueberries I *adore* and have been kinda obsessed with this season, literally splurging on pints at the Farmer's Market every single week, sometimes twice a week, and vowing to get my behavior under control, but alas, I just can't get enough right now.  I eat them by the handful any time of day, throw them onto my breakfast granola, have a bowl full alongside my dessert (or if it doesn't pair, I just have them later in the night), etc.  Love them.  But not something I usually toss into salad.  The berries were ripe, fresh, good berries, but not as good as the ones I've been getting at the market myself constantly.  A generous handful provided.

So the salad base? Good quality, fresh ingredients, clearly a thought out salad in its composition. ***+.

Wheat berries / mustard vinaigrette / red quinoa / ceasar dressing.
(clockwise from top left)

The rest of the ingredients came packaged separately on the side, as requested.  One little dressing container each of wheat berries, red quinoa, the mustard vinaigrette the salad is served with (dressing is always on the side for takeout orders), and, my also requested caesar dressing (they have a caesar on the menu too and I wanted to try both!).

It was nice that they put these in a box in addition, as it meant they didn't get crushed or spill everywhere, and I used the box to make a salad and go for a walk with it the next day.

The wheat berries were the least interesting thing about the whole salad.  Just cold cooked wheat berries, not seasoned, just, wheat berries.  But they added texture to the salad, and I guess protein and healthy bits as well.  I'm not sure if the portion I got was different since packaged this way, but it was a nice amount to add plenty of texture, but I'd probably prefer the salad without.  I used the rest mixed in with rice pudding later, and it was a great add for perfect amount of chew.

Speaking of crunch, the red quinoa.  This was *not* just cooked and cold, which is what I expected, but rather, it was toasted or fried.  Super, super crispy, and I loved it.  I could just eat it by the spoonful.  It was so hard to resist just eating it all that way, and not taking time to add it into the salad.  It was quite good, and I'm glad I had it on the side, as I was able to utilize it in this way.  Surprise hit of the salad.

The dressing that comes with the salad, the mustard vinaigrette, was fine.  I was glad it was a creamy style vinaigrette, as honestly, the main reason I wanted the ceasar too was because I'm a creamy dressing girl, and usually vinaigrette is not that.  The flavor was really well suited for the salad ingredients.  It was sweet, it was mustardy, but certainly not a honey style mustard.  Overall, good, well matched with the salad.

The ceasar dressing was actually excellent.  I'm so glad I added it on.  It was probably the thickest dressing I've ever encountered in my life, it did not pour in any way, and it took some serious mixing since it came out as a big glob, but it was very, very good ceasar.  Intense, legit, real ceasar.  Sooo much anchovy flavor.  So very heavy, clearly, but wonderful.  Very, very glad I tried it.  It didn't go with this salad really, but I saved it and used it to make a ceasar salad at home the next day, and I was thrilled to have it.

So, toppings and dressing?  Success. ****.

Add Salmon. Medium-Rare. $14.

To the salads, you can add protein to make a complete meal, a choice of the signature fried chicken (or just grilled if that is your style), shrimp, or salmon.  

I don't normally like cooked salmon all that much, I like it raw, I like it hot smoked, etc, but cooked salmon I am often quite temperamental on.  I don't mind fishy flavor, at all, but "fishy" salmon I never like.  And really fully cooked salmon, either dry, or with tons of albumin all over it, etc, just way too common, and I don't like it.

But a lovely rare to mid-rare roast salmon?  Now *that* I can get behind.  I still planned to get the shrimp, but after finding out that it was just 3 shrimp (for $12!), and asking the prep method (both are just seared on the flat top), I decided to get the salmon, when I was told you can specify how it is cooked.  This gave me hope.

I was pleased to see it came packaged separately, rather than put on top.  I was happy to see a lemon on the side too.

The portion was a full size entree portion, which makes sense, given the $14 price (making the fully assembled salad $26!)

Near Sear.

The salmon really did look good - the top looked crispy, and I originally thought it was nicely seasoned, but then realized that was just a bit of char from the grill.  No albumin in sight.

Before adding it to the salad, I of course decided to try it.  It was clearly fresh off the grill, still hot.  The lemon was not needed if using the salad dressing and actually making a salad, but it made it delicious as a side thing.  While salad add-ons are not offered a la carte, I think a lovely meal could be made by choosing 1-2 of their other side dishes (mac and cheese, burrata whipped potatoes, any of the roast veggies, etc), a popover or two, and this.  (Or of course you can order the salmon entree, I just don't like the things it currently comes with - artichokes and roast potatoes - meh!)

I appreciated the good sear, and it was clearly a quality piece of fish.

But I really cared about how it was inside.  I wanted rare to medium-rare.

Definitely not medium rare.

It ... was not.

It was really nicely cooked ... medium.  Which is fine if you want medium salmon.  I just didn't want medium salmon.  I wanted medium-rare at least!

This was very disappointing as I knew I was the only order being worked on, so the kitchen *wasn't* distracted.  And my order slip clearly said "medium-rare" on it.  I guess I should have gone for medium.

Again, it was a quality piece of salmon, and it was very nicely cooked medium, but, that isn't what I wanted, and isn't how I like my salmon.  I ate about half, and brought the rest home to try cold on a salad the next day.

I wouldn't get this again. ***.

City Salad: Perfect Bite.

I assembled the "perfect bite": mixed greens, a little pickled red onion, chunk  each of radish and apple, few blueberries, scattering of each of the grains, a few bites of salmon, and a drizzle of vinaigrette.

It really was a nicely composed salad, I give credit for the thoughtfulness of the ingredients used, the way they were all cut to eat together really well, and overall balance.  The dressing was a nice match with the salmon too, and I can see it working well with fried chicken (or grilled).

I enjoyed my salad, but, at $26 I likely wouldn't get it again.

January 2021

7 months later ... yeah, San Francisco back under Stay At Home order.  Sigh.  

Luckily Wayfare Tavern continued to weather the storm, offering outside dining while they could, doing tons of popups and food truck events and more, and was still available for takeout, and they have definitely improved their operations (e.g. they have cutlery!).

Pork Spare Ribs (5 Piece). $18.

"Sesame soy barbeque sauce, furikake, scallions."

When is the last time you saw me review ribs?  Yeah.  Definitely not my normal kind of food, but I was strangely really, really, really craving either pork or beef, clearly wanting red meat, and really wanting to gnaw off a bone.  I was in a mood, let's just say.

I don't think Wayfare Tavern is really known for the ribs, I am not even sure if they were on the menu prior to the food truck actually, but, hey, they said *furikake*, and that is all it takes to draw me in.

The ribs were ready promptly, and looked kinda amazing as I opened the box.  I couldn't wait to dive in.

I ... had really mixed feelings on them.

The ribs were loaded with meat, really quite generous, plenty of meat.  They were juicy, tender, moist.  The very ends were slightly caramelized and crisp which I loved.  Sure there were a few fatty or slightly lack luster areas, but for the most part, the pork itself was good (although not really "fall off the bone").  

So what made my feelings mixed?  It was the sauce!  The part I thought that I'd be sooo into!  Sesame soy bbq?  Furikake?!  Yes!  The ribs were very, very well coated in sauce.  They were sticky and messy in all the right ways.  But the sauce ... was really, really, really, really sweet.  It was just too much.  I, girl who loves sweet things, even wanted to wipe some off.  There was also no furikake, just a sprinkle of black and white sesame seeds.

I felt this needed balance.  I'm sure if I had a side dish of their burrata whipped mashed potatoes alongside, the heaviness of the potatoes would cut the sweet nicely.  Or even a popover to dunk in or something?  I had a salad in my bag, with big hunks of diakon and cabbage, which I pulled out to munch on in-between bites of rib to cut the sweet, but really, that sauce was just too much.

So close to being a great dish though, and the marrow was particularly delicious.

My 5 piece order felt a bit pricey at $18, although there really as a ton of meat here.  You may also opt for 10 for $30.

***.

Update: I brought a couple home, and heated them up later, with some sautéed greens and mashed potatoes on the side.  And ... I really enjoyed them.  Transformed, actually.  The key was diluting that sauce a little - I used it on the greens too - and it made the whole dish quite tasty, rather than overpowered.  I'm really glad I tried again.  The leftovers get a solid ****.

April 2021

Wayfare Tavern is reasonably "famous".  They are known for many things, like the fried chicken, popovers, and celebrity chef at the helm.  They are even known for the burger, their bloody mary, and their creative spins on deviled eggs.  But what they aren't known for?   The carrot cake.

Yet that is why I sought out Wayfare Tavern, on Easter Sunday.   Let's just say, I was seriously craving good carrot cake (after a mediocre one from Joe & the Juice), and when I saw Wayfare Tavern had it special for Easter brunch, I headed straight there.

The place was hopping, quite full both indoors and in their temporary outside seating.  Fried chicken was making its way to literally every table.  As were popovers.  And deviled eggs.  I glanced around, hoping to spy some desserts, but alas, just chicken chicken everywhere.

I placed my order to go, and it was ready reasonably quickly given how busy they were.

Easter Brunch Special: Carrot Cake. $11.

"Cream cheese frosting, pineapple sauce, pecans."

Ok, how cute is this?  I loved the decoration, a piped carrot with mint leaves as the greens, chopped pecans strewn about, and, a container of some kind of sauce (that turned out to be pineapple.)

The sauce was sweet and fruity, and a different way to add moisture, but I didn't really find it necessary.  I wonder how they plated it in the restaurant, it may have made more sense there?

Easter Brunch Special: Carrot Cake - Inside.

I eagerly broke into it.

It was only a sIngle layer, so no cream cheese frosting between layers.  Boo to that.  I'm all about the frosting and cake ratios!

But the frosting that was on the outside was generous, including all 4 sides.  It was quite sweet, basically, exactly what a cream cheese frosting should be.

The cake itself was extremely orange.  I've had a lot of carrot cake, but never seen one quite this orange before.  It was kinda pretty, and shocking at the same time.

It was very moist, and, well, carrot-y.  It was a decent carrot cake, but the spicing wasn't particularly strong nor interesting, and the nuts used as garnish were the only nuts - I definitely prefer a carrot cake with nuts integrated throughout, but perhaps this is a way they could make a single carrot cake, and serve it to those who don't want nuts too, by just leaving off the garnish?  I also do generally prefer to have some kind of fruit inside my carrot cake, usually pineapple, but raisins can be acceptable sometimes (if used in moderation!).  Again, nothing inside this one, but the sweet pineapple sauce that came with it did add that element.

So overall, it was fine.  I loved the look, it was a nice large slice, but, I wouldn't go out of my way to get it again, and I wouldn't rave about it.  Fairly pricey at $11 a slice too!

***+.

May 2022

I don't remember exactly why I wound up at Wayfare Tavern wanting takeout cake nearly a year later, but, um, I did.

Chocolate Cake. $11.

"Orange caramel sauce, buttermilk ice cream."

Ok.  Chocolate cake.  Not something you see me review often.  Not something I generally care about.  And, really, a bit of an odd item on the Wayfare Tavern dessert menu.  Not that their menu is particularly fancy, but, just, chocolate cake?  Still, I was drawn in, having had fairly mediocre chocolate cake (chocolate crunch cake, with toffee and almond coating, and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, at One Market a few days prior).  I also was interested in the buttermilk ice cream, having had a really tasty sour cream ice cream in Munich the week before.

I got it to go, which, as always at Wayfare Tavern, seemed to take quite a while.  I asked for the ice cream on the side, so I could slip it into my cooler bag immediately, I'm glad I did.

This didn't look like much.  Pretty standard cake and ice cream right?  Well, it actually was fairly fabulous.  Rich, moist, decadent chocolate cake.  Plenty of chocolate fudge frosting.  Again, not what I normally go for, I'm usually a buttercream girl, but, this was really quite good.  No frills, but, just great chocolate cake and fudge frosting.  Basically, what you want every office birthday cake to be, but never is.  And definitely leagues above what even your friends who are great bakers make.  But it was sweet and it was rich, and on its own, it probably would be far too much after two or three bites.

And that is where the ice cream comes in.  A nice size scoop (much bigger than what One Market served!), and slightly tangy.  Decently creamy, fairly average ice cream, but, the tang from buttermilk went sooo well with the fudgey cake.

The menu said it came with orange caramel sauce, which seems left off of mine, but I didn't mind.  It didn't need anything more.

I really enjoyed this, more than any other chocolate cake in recent memory.  Recommend.

****.

Original Review, June 2014

Almost a year ago, I wrote a review of my experience at a group private dining event at Wayfare Tavern.  The food wasn't remarkable, but, it was group dining, and, more importantly, it was before the latest executive chef took over.  Of course, Tyler Florence is still the big name everyone associates with Wayfare Tavern, but the Executive Chef these days is Joey Elenterio.  You may remember his name from a previous post of mine: my absolute top meal of 2012, at Chez TJ, when he was the chef there.  I have such found memories of that meal, and was delighted when I heard that Chef Joey would be taking over at Wayfare Tavern, since it is in San Francisco, rather than Mountain View.

I still haven't actually been for a proper meal at Wayfare Tavern, but I did stop in to pick up a few items for takeout.  I was impressed that I could order basically anything from the menu for takeout, so many places do not allow this.  Sure, I was warned that the plating would suffer, but they had no problem with me doing it.  I ordered at the bar, and chilled there while I waited.  The bartender was friendly, the atmosphere comfortable, and I quite enjoyed my wait for my food, and not only because I decided to treat myself to a cocktail!

I really must get to Wayfare Tavern for a real meal!

Spiced Pumpkin Nog. $11.

While I waited for my takeout order, I decided to treat myself to a cocktail at the bar.  I was feeling particularly seasonally inspired, and went for the Spiced Pumpkin Nog: "spiced rum, pumpkin syrup, averna".

This was an impressive drink, even before I tasted it.  It is hard to see in this photo, but it had a nice cap of foam on top, visually appealing.  The aroma the nutmeg sprinkled on top gave off was lovely.  I wanted to just sit there smelling my cocktail, rather than drinking it.

But drink it I did.  It was a bit eggy.  Nice and frothy.  I'm not sure it really had any dairy in it, besides the egg.  I somewhat expected more classic milk based nog, but this didn't seem to be.  It was far lighter.

Seasonal, flavorful, interesting. I probably wouldn't get it again, but I was happy to try it.  $11 for a well crafted cocktail was fine.  ***.

Chicken Liver Pâté: Saba balsamic jelly, arugula. $10.

So, who goes to Wayfare Tavern and orders chicken liver pâté for takeout?  Um, I do.  I know it is a perhaps a strange thing to get to go.  And, after I ordered it, the bartender did come over to warn me that it normally comes served in a beautiful ceramic vessel and that the presentation would really suffer.  I told him I didn't mind, it was the taste I really cared about.  (Don't get me wrong, presentation counts for a lot, but in this case, I was just needing a liver fix!)

The reason I wanted this so badly is that some of my fondest foie gras memories are from my meal when the chef was at Chez TJ.  I knew that he knows how to do liver well, and in particular, how to do mousses (he even sent me home with some foie mousse on that visit!)   How could I not get another one of his liver creations?

It was served with toasted crostini, which were hot and fresh when I picked it up, but obviously cooled off by the time I got it home.  I didn't care, I wasn't in it for the bread anyway.

The flavor of the pâté wasn't all that strong, and I think that people who say they don't like liver could even enjoy this.  Of course, for me, I would have liked it stronger, and with less cream to mask the flavor.  But the said, the consistency was perfect.  So creamy.

On top of the pâté was a layer of saba jelly.  This was stunning.  I love saba in general and had been using it on just about everything (I had a basil plant growing out of control, so as tomato season wound down, heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil drizzled with saba and olive oil were a daily occurrence in my household).  The jelly was a perfect sweet component against the pâté.

But, even better was the saba jelly, was the arugula!  I know, the greens shouldn't really be the most exciting thing here, and no one else probably even noticed them, but for me, they really completed the whole dish.  Fresh, crispy, and intensely peppery! I'm not sure I've ever had arugula with that much spice to it.  I loved it, and the strong spiciness of the arugula and the sweetness of the saba jelly were just perfect together.  There were also some sliced grapes, another sweet component that worked well with the arugula.

A good dish, and I'm sure when it is presented properly, a stunning one too :)  For only $10, it was a generous portion, and a far more refined creation than I was expecting.  I'd get this again.  I can't wait to keep trying more of Chef Joey's liver dishes, and, hopefully someday, another foie one.  ****.

Deviled Eggs: bread & butter pickle, green tabasco, celery. $11/6.

The real reason I went to Wayfare Tavern was to get deviled eggs as an appetizer, as I needed a small supplement for a meal, and I'd heard great things about Wayfare Tavern's eggs.  { Side note: after my visit, the eggs were actually removed from the menu, but there was such an uproar that they came back. }

Now, I have a long history with deviled eggs.  They are something I've always enjoyed, long before they became trendy in San Francisco.  When I was in college, they were just about the only thing I could find to eat in my dining hall at lunch.  Not that they SERVED deviled eggs, but they had whole hard boiled eggs in the salad bar.  And mayo, mustard, and pickles in the sandwich bar.  So ... I'd get the eggs, peel them, cut them in half, mix up my filling, stuff it back in, and eat my deviled eggs.  Yes, people thought I was crazy, I'm sure.  But I enjoyed them. Daily.

Anyway, after college, I didn't have deviled eggs for a while.  But since the deviled egg trend hit San Francisco in full force, they started popping up all over town, generally done up in sophisticated ways.  I've gotten back into trying deviled eggs, but usually, I think they are good, but I haven't had any wow me.  I think this is just one area where I've had far too many of my own deviled eggs to really be able to like someone else's as much.  They were my thing!!!

A single order consists of 6 egg halves, so pictured here is a double order.  They worked fine for takeout, except for the fact that they are uh, a bit slippery, and slid all around in the box, resulting in most of them toppling over during transit.  Whoops!  If takeout deviled eggs become a "thing", I think they totally need to come up with a carry case for them, a disposable version of those ridiculous tupperware deviled egg carriers?

Close up of a deviled egg.

The eggs were cut in half the other direction from how I do it.  I always cut down the long side. I know this is just a preference thing, but I really like them cut the other way!  The moment I felt myself caring about this, I realized I was in for trouble.  There is just no way for me to enjoy other people's deviled eggs, I have too many preferences.

Anyway.  The filling was super creamy, very whipped up.  The quantity of filling to egg seemed to imply that either multiple yolks were stuffed back into a single egg, or that there was quite a bit of extra stuff added into it.  It didn't seem that intensely mayo-y, so I think it was just extra yolk.  Perhaps the whites all went into my eggnog :)

I liked the salt level of the filling, and the crunch of the pickles on top, but, they just weren't my deviled eggs.  They were fine, but I wouldn't get them again.  ***.