THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Ana Mandara

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Ana Mandara Restaurant Review:

It might surprise you to hear that actors Don Johnson (Miami Vice) and Cheech Marin (Cheech and Chong) paired with husband and wife chef team Khai Duong and Kieu-Loan Phan to open a modern Vietnamese restaurant in Ghirardelli Square. Ana Mandara means beautiful refuge and the restaurant is one of the city's most attractive, with the dramatic look of a palatial Southeast Asian home. The space has three working fountains, lush greenery, priceless Asian antiques and a striking view of the bay from the bar. Executive chef Duong hails from Vietnam and is also a summa cum laude graduate of Le Cordon Bleu Academie Culinaire de Paris. He combines the two techniques to create a range of traditional and modern dishes. Must-try specialties include sweet Dungeness crab soup with hand-cut noodles, an excellent version of shaking beef---caramelized, medium rare tournedos of beef tenderloin tossed in a wok with sweet onions and peppercress---and crispy lobster ravioli with mango-coconut sauce. We also recommend the light-as-air spring rolls filled with crab meat, shrimp and shiitake mushrooms. Sommelier Ryan Williams oversees the notable wine list.