2 Bay Area Restaurants Make New York Times 'Restaurants List'

SAN FRANCISCO — If you've been paying attention to the culinary scene in San Francisco, you know it's been in a renaissance for several years.

With new Michelin Guide winners, great pizza and more, dining in the city could be better than ever.

And two restaurants in the city were listed on the New York Times' "The Restaurant List."

The list highlights the "50 places in the United States that we’re most excited about right now," according to the Times.

This year's list is the third ever by the storied publication.

"It wasn’t easy to narrow it down, but here are the 50 restaurants that excite us most right now," the Times wrote.

Noodle In A Haystack and Prik Hom are representing San Francisco on the list.

Here is what Eleanore Park wrote about Prik Hom, "It’s easy to drive past the many restaurants on San Francisco’s consistently foggy Geary Boulevard. But in one of the city’s quieter quarters, the Suwanpanya siblings, Jim (the chef) and Tanya (a co-owner) deliver joyful Thai dishes that are amplified by an arsenal of seasonal abundance like local scallops kissed with chile jam and coconut cream, or grilled beef-wrap curry that unravels with a slow, slinky heat. An aromatic scoop of young coconut ice cream is perfumed by one of two dozen traditional candles that Mr. Suwanpanya brought back from Thailand, where he worked at Michelin-starred restaurants. The dessert will teleport you to every blown-out birthday candle from your youth — and that time travel alone might be every reason to visit."

Park also reviewed Noodle In A Haystack, "When the married couple Yoko and Clint Tan started hosting pop-ups nearly nine years ago, the eventual goal wasn’t necessarily a ramen tasting menu. But last year, when the self-taught chefs, and now owners, opened Noodle in a Haystack, they arrived at exactly that. The menu is a synchronized chorus of five to 10 thoughtful and energetic courses centered on a bowl (or two) of ramen that’s often served with a bracing and nearly clear stock — like the 15-hour, simmered at a whisper, broth of whole chickens that anchors the tori shio ramen. Such a globally recognizable dish shouldn’t hold many surprises at this point, but if you find yourself here, the ramen will leave you delightfully gobsmacked."

See the full list from the New York Times online here.