1177 California St. @ Taylor
Phone: 415.474.2000.
Dinner Sun-Thurs 5:30-10pm, Fri-Sat until
11pm
Parking, $7
French-Asian
Full Bar
It's an ominous name, no? The owners
opened on Valencia Street in 1998 and just recently moved up
the social ladder to Nob Hill.
I have to preface my review by saying
that it's next to the Masonic Auditorium, and we were seeing
a concert there that evening, so we were completely theater
rush. However, that said, my reservations were at 6pm, the show
was at 8pm. Sounds like enough time, even for theater rush,
right? Who's with me?
The Ambience:
It's in a hotel, but to it's credit, it doesn't really feel
like it. One long room, an open kitchen, dimish lights,
no music, a lot of hustling, big comfy booths and, er, clean.
Yup, it feels clean.
The Menu:
Fairly interesting, with some unique salads, soups, fish, etc.
They trounce lightly through the loose definition of California
cuisine, supposedly infusing Asian and Mediterranean, though
I didn't see many signs of it. They offer an appetizer/dinner
special for $25.
The Food:
I'll give them this: the food was very good and the presentation
was impeccable. Watching the open kitchen, it seems every plate
was artistically prepared. My potage was rich and spicy, the
rissotto was fresh and cheesy, the beef was peppery. I ordered
my beef medium. It arrived rare to medium-rare. And cold.
The Service:
Okay, I don't know whose fault it was. We had to wait 20 minutes
for a glass of wine, almost an hour for our soup and a total
of an hour and a half for our entree. I needed to ask for the
check when they brought us our dinner. The waiter was insanely
distracted, but apologetic when he did arrive.
Reservations:
It's a good idea. Who knows what's going on in Nob Hill that
night?
Overall: D
My dinner was undercooked and cold. It took an hour to get our
first course. Maybe if you go on a non-theater night, you'll
have a better time, but I won't be finding out.
Reviewed : Oct 2003
