You think the soaring rent prices, the mind-boggling tech innovations and the fact that there is a café with a parklet at Sixth and Mission are truly the concrete indicators of the sweeping changes in San Francisco circa late 2015?

Yes, they are, but let’s be honest. If the fact that people will actually go out of their way for a kale salad doesn’t signal how the city has transformed, absolutely nothing does. For this purpose, we’re having a Kale Salad-Off right here, right now. Not ramen, not burgers, not reubens, not anything with bacon…oh, wait. It’s time to massage those leaves and get rid of the stems. You know what time it is. It’s Kale O’Clock.

On stage today is the unofficial lunch canteen of the SoMa tech start-up set, Darwin Café, and the universally considered premier cocktail bar of the city, the Mission’s under the radar [Note: sarcasm] Trick Dog. It seems like a lot of the same people have lunch at the first then happy hour or date night at the second. Whether those folks have two kale salads in one day, well, nobody is judging. Kale does make the world go ‘round. (Does ramen? Hell no, it makes the world become round.)

Darwin Café’s kale salad ($12) does need a small asterisk. It features cavolo nero kale and radicchio. We’ll let it slide. It also isn’t vegetarian thanks to the addition of thick prosciutto nubs (frankly they’re more like bacon). Some of the meat is joyously sweet as candy after absorbing the balsamic and other pieces sadly were a majority of flabby fat. A trio of dressing elements keep the salad kicking with purpose: lemon-juice-soaked kale leaves, then the whole salad tossed with garlic-infused olive oil, and a balsamic vinegar drizzle to conclude. A shower of parmigiano reggiano appears as a much-appreciated crowning confetti.

You the diner needs to give the salad a good toss. I didn’t and found a few sections lacking moisture. Some kale stems and fiber-heavy leaves lurked about, as well, making me yearn for floss at times. Still as a whole, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable kale salad and the money bites will send you soaring into the afternoon.

Both kale salads have two distinct similarities. They both have the parmesan flourish. And, they are both tall towers of kale (it’s too bad so many Darwin kale salad- eaters have their salads squished in to-go boxes). 


Trick Dog’s original chef Chester Watson created the BaRestaurant’s kale salad ($9) and thankfully Michael Logan continues using the “tricks” that make the kale salad stand out amidst the Willy Wonka-esque imaginative drinks. Each uniform kale strip is smooth and soft; no tough parts to be found. The slow-cooked egg yolk dressing, light and effortlessly creamy, truly makes the salad function. It’s the glue clinging to every leaf. It’s the “power” button that makes this machine work. Avocado segments appear here and there, then pepitas (pumpkin seed) slide in for an additional punch. The requisite burst of shaved parmesan is on hand, too. Everything is so nicely balanced and combined together, way more so than at Darwin. This is truly an ensemble piece, not a superstar lead with a quiet supporting cast.

Now you can probably guess where we’re going here. The best cocktail bar in San Francisco. Home to the preeminent $10 or under burger around. As the (kale) leaves fall this autumn, Trick Dog is now home to San Francisco’s Kale Salad-Off winner.

Darwin Café, 212 Ritch St., 415-800-8668
Trick Dog, 3010 20th St., 415-471-2999