Working in Union Square for 10 years has left me with a relative dearth of choices for a reasonably priced, good, quick and healthy choices for lunch. Yes, it's getting better all the time (Boxed Foods, Sushiritto, Urban Picnic), but I've never wished I could have a lunch place next door to me as much as Zaré at Flytrap's new side venture—Grill and Grain. As it stands now, the Persian-Californian restaurant based in SoMa serves up this side venture in the form of counter order service within the restaurant, but I see a future beyond this. Next door to 7x7's office.
Fresh and full of flavor, the food at Grill and Grain has that Mediterranean thing that makes you feel good about your relationship to olive oil. Yesterday, I got to try just about everything chef Hoss Zaré is offering up, including grilled chicken and quinoa salad with feta and cucumber, another salad made of salmon and black pearl lentils with braised endive, and one that I'm still grazing on for lunch today made of chickpeas, eggplant, barberries and hazelnuts.
But the real reason to get yourself to Grill and Grain is the lavash wraps. For $10 or under, you can get a salmon wrap made with roasted radicchio, fennel, charmoula and raita, as well as the veggie mushroom wrap with mushrooms, grilled asparagus, green harissa, preserved Meyer lemon and arugula (a vegan's dream). There's even a sardine wrap full of grilled Monterey sardines, white anchovies, grilled tomatoes, broccoli rabe and black garlic spread. Hello Omega 3s. Fear not meat lover, there is also steak.
Should this not be enough choice for you, a couple soups are on offer, such as pomegranate soup made with split peas, lentils, greens and mini duck meatballs. Mini. Duck. Meatballs.
Lunch is looking up.
606 Folsom St. (at 2nd), 415-243-0580
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