100 Very Best Restaurants: – Preserve

Preserve's carrots with cumin yogurt. Photograph by Scott Suchman

Pickling, preserving, and fermenting are passions of owners Jeremy and Michelle Hoffman. So is pushing boundaries on their all-day menu with plates like fried duck tongues with chili crunch and aïoli or a fabulous Reuben that trades deli-style slices of corned beef for beef tongue. But there are more crowd-pleasing takes, too, such as smoked-salmon hash browns with garlicky cream cheese, a Roseda Farm tomahawk steak, and homey apple cobbler. Drinks pair well with the food, whether alcoholic (thyme-infused tequila with beet shrub) or not (housemade lime soda). Moderate.