Nova is not a destination restaurant. I go there for the sole purpose of pre-partying before a Giants game. It’s perfect for that, being about two blocks from the ballpark and off the local’s radar as a pregame spot.
While nearby bars are asses to elbows before baseball games, with lines four people deep waiting at the bar, you can actually get a seat and some food at Nova.
My negroni was a bit sweet for my taste, and I’m weirded out by that hunk of orange, but whatever, it did its job.
The lunch menu features the usual suspects for an American food restaurant. Fried calamari, wings, soups, salads, burgers, pizzas. There are a couple of seafood items that are a little different, but they aren’t particularly noteworthy or exciting. I met friends there before the game yesterday, and they had already ordered three snacks for us.
The first was the lobster quesadilla
I just think lobster is so boring. And I don’t understand why people are so impressed when lobster is thrown into a dish it’s not normally found in. The whole thing is stupid. I didn’t actually taste any lobster in the quesadilla, I just tasted poblano’s and lemon. I don’t get the point of this thing at all.
The second was the crab tower.
I wanted to make a stupid joke like, 1995 called, they want their crab tower back. The presentation makes me a little nuts. But this dish was good, with a nice balance of flavors; rich crab and avocado, fruity mango, crisp jicama, umami packed seaweed. Sake-ginger beurre blanc and wonton chips combine to give the final product an Asian flare, and I’m a total Asiaphile, so, that would be a plus.
The third and final dish on this visit was the wings
They were just average. Not saucy and spicy enough, too many drumettes and not enough wings. But fine.
Nova Bar & Restaurant
http://novabar.com/
555 Second St.
San Francisco, CA 94107
415-543-2282
Brunch Sat-Sun 10:00AM-3:00PM
Lunch Mon-Fri 11:30AM-3:00PM
Happy Hour Mon-Fri 3:00PM-6:00PM
Dinner 5:00PM nightly, bar open until 2:00AM
postandjones 
How much do they charge for a well gin?
Well hey there Sparky…$4 during happy hour, so my guess is $6 or $7 normally. Thanks for the reminder, I must tell my dad. He’s a fool for well gin and baseball;)