June 16th, 2022
#LikeALocal Featuring Julianna Yang
#LikeALocal Insider: Julianna Yang
Business: Sons & Daughters
Title: General Manager
Tell us about your business. Why should it be on a visitor’s list?
Sons & Daughters is a tasting menu experience and one of the few in the Lower Nob Hill neighborhood of San Francisco. The menu is influenced by the seasons and inspired by the unique elements of the surrounding Bay Area. The intimacy of the dining room, the warmth of the service we provide and the breadth of the menu allows for our team to provide a bespoke experience when you join us.
How long have you lived in the city?
Born and raised in Chinatown, San Francisco!
What do you love about San Francisco?
At risk of sounding cliché, I love San Francisco for its inclusivity. Being a port city means that we are inevitably a melting pot of unique cultures and ideas. That inclusivity paves the way for new and broad perspectives, along with innovation. It brings together the history and the potential of so many different walks of life, which ultimately manifests in the different industries that thrive here – art, design, music, commerce, and tech, to name a few…and of course, hospitality. I also love the accessibility of the parks and overall public green spaces across an otherwise urban landscape.
What makes Nob Hill special to you?
I grew up here – well, just on the other side of the Hill, in Chinatown. It is also an iconic neighborhood in the city, centrally located and home to the most historic hotels in region…and its pathways are the hub of our beloved Cable Cars.
What is something that locals know that visitors may not?
The trek up and down the hills don’t really get easier and parking is very difficult in the city. 😊
If you were helping a first-time visitor to SF plan a trip, what are the top 3 things they MUST do/see/experience?
The touristy things are touristy for a reason (in a great way)! Walk the Golden Gate Bridge, go to Mt. Tam / Muir Woods, ride the cable cars, go on a walking tour of Chinatown and North Beach, get on a Ferry, visit our Farmer’s Market, eat a burrito from the Mission, visit the museums in Golden Gate Park (yes, all of them), get fortune cookies, go wine tasting in Napa, have a bonfire and picnic on Ocean Beach, make reservations at the iconic restaurants in the city (through the Michelin guide, yes – but also some of the classics in Fisherman’s Wharf). Fully aware that this is more than 3. 😅
What is a lesser-known attraction that should be on the list?
I don’t think they are lesser known, but definitely underrated/undermentioned: our neighborhood farmers’ markets! I have been to most and they are wonderful! More tourist + visitor-friendly would likely be Fort Mason and Ferry Building markets. There is also a Flea Market on Alemany on Sundays, and during the summer season there are free concerts on Stern Grove performed by all kinds of artists from all aspects of the music industry.
What are your favorite three restaurants in the city and why?
- Delicious Dim Sum - the name really says it all (no website, but located at 752 Jackson St. and open most days 7a-6p)
- San Ho Won - best Korean BBQ and incredible service
- Kitchen Istanbul - among the core of the wine community in San Francisco; they live and breathe hospitality and offer a really incredible wine list
If you could have dinner with four people of your choosing, who would they be?
This will sound ridiculous, but here’s the list of people I’d love to dine with. Truly this list is a random pull from any and all of these brilliant minds and brilliant hearts across history. I’d love to figure out how to get everyone in a room and a long chat over tea and coffee…in no particular order whatsoever:
Rumi, MLK, RuPaul, Ai Weiwei, Empress Wu, Julia Child, Chopin, Basquiat, Nina Simone, Mother Teresa, Theodore + Eleanor Roosevelt, JFK, Lincoln, Churchill, Confucius, Paul Simon, Steve Jobs, Steve McCurry, Ira Glass, Michael Barbaro, John McCain, Aristotle, Kant, Emerson, Kerouac, Lao-Tzu, Sartre, Maya Angelou, E.A. Poe, e.e. cummings, Shakespeare, Dickens, Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Weber, Plath, Hiyao Miyazake, Omar al-Khayyam, Jane Austen, Anne Frank, Frida Khalo, Billie Holiday, Celia Cruz, Ruth Ellis, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Thich Nhat Hanh, Queen Elizabeth, Marie Curie…this list will go on forever.
But if I have to narrow it down, I’d invite: Oprah, Pema Chodron, Julia Child, RBG
What are your favorite three bars/nightlife in the city and why?
- PCH (Pacific Cocktail haven)- each cocktail I’ve ever had here drinks like a composed dish; their approach to cocktails is intentional, thoughtful and so balanced; their approach to service and hospitality overall shares the same values.
- True Laurel - farm to glass approach to cocktails with innovative, thoughtful ideas on cocktails.
- Habibi Bar: Wine Shop & Bar - intimate, humble wine bar in Russian Hill that started as a pop-up during lockdown; folks who run this bar are passionate about skillfully and soulfully crafted wines and beers from local producers and artisans around the world.
Favorite destination?
My favorite destination is almost always my next one. My most recent excursion was Copenhagen.
The next bucket list item I check off will be…
Tea farms in Taiwan, Mt. Everest, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, road trip across U.S.A.
Last three shows you’ve streamed?
Luther, The Killing, Stranger Things
Your mixtape playlist would include…
J Dilla, The National, James Blake (yes, very moody 🤓)
You can find Julianna most Tuesday – Saturday nights at Sons & Daughters restaurant, located at 708 Bush St., just two blocks away from Stanford Court. If you're looking for a culinary experience you'll remember, Sons and Daughters will deliver. Prepaid reservations are required and their tasting menu is currently $245 per person with an optional wine pairing currently priced at $165 per person. The food, wine, and service you will receive are as good as you'll find in the city.
