1963 Sutter Street @ Webster
phone: 415.379.7313
hours: Tues-Sun 5:30-10pm
Full Bar
Pacific Rim Fusion
cafekati.com
The upper Fillmore is packed with upscale, trendy, pretentious
restaurants. Just around the corner from the main drag, Café
Kati is a tiny little joint that would actually have the right
to call themselves all of those things. Luckily, it is instead
creative, friendly, cozy and absolutely delicious.
The Ambience:
Although tiny, often crowded and a tightly packed, the large
front windows add some space to the 10-table room. The atmosphere
is perfect for a romantic date or a special occasion dinner.
Unconventional downtempo grooves are lightly pumped through
the speakers, but when the room is full, you can't hear it over
the pleasant buzz of happy customers. I hear there's a back
room as well, but in the three times I've been there, I've never
seen it.
The Menu:
Small, seasonal and highly creative. It changes monthly, but
always offers a variety of healthy and decadent dishes. The
food is technically Pacific Rim fusion, which means little to
me. It seems well suited for the equally ambiguous term California
Fusion cuisine. In any case, they blend the flavors and ideas
of several cultures, inventing dishes that are entirely unique.
Appetizers are about $6-9, entrees run $18-$27.
The Food:
Everyone starts off with fresh, bite-sized biscuits and a dish
of butter in honey, so I was pretty much smitten from the get-go.
The presentation of every appetizer and entree is truly artistic.
The salad is laid in a bed of long leaves and tied together
vertically. Every dish is garnished festively with confetti-like
potatoes, sugar sprays or equally inventive food. You will see
vegetables and other ingredients for their color and shape instead
of just their flavors after viewing their sculptures.
Amazingly, the taste of the food lives up to its appearance.
Whether it's a goat cheese soufflÈ, grilled rosemary marinated
lamb, asparagus risotto, or whatever else they've invented,
every bite is exquisite.
The Service:
Generally friendly and knowledgeable. The last time I was there,
they seemed a little insincere (we were greet by three different
people who said, "Hey guys, how's it going?"). Still, all our
food arrived timely, accurately and was delivered with a smile.
Our waitress returned our parking ticket un-validated, so be
sure to check that one before you leave...
Reservations: Strongly suggested
Overall: A
Beautiful delicious food in a friendly, romantic, neighborhood
environment. Validated parking at the AMC around the corner
on Fillmore.
Reviewed : June 2004
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