The new location is beautiful and handsome - a panoramic glass view of the kitchen from the street, organic Bostonian brick walls, frosty chandeliers, egg shell leather chairs, and wide enough spaces between each table to practice yoga.
Again, the space is beautiful but I wouldn't really know because I was seated in the nose-bleed section. We were seated at the last table in the furthest corner of the restaurant. We were seated in the area where they usually host a private affair, equipped with sliding glass doors and steps to give the room its own stature. Don't get me wrong, the off-the-main-dining room housed the wine cellar (room) with the exposed bricks but as I was making my way to the hotel-ambiance restroom I couldn't help but notice the much more brightly lit, airiness and the aura of comfort in the main dining room. Feeling a little like a dunce because staring at three walls of bricks for two hours was getting old.


Speaking of the restroom, it reflects the lambent lighting, modern clean style of the food and architectural design. The fresh flower arrangement, soap and lotion are in a straight line square glass and uniformly rolled towels stacked like a pyramid to dry those pretty hands.
The service is one of the best in the city, attentive, swift, and professional like Gary Danko and Acquerello. The servers walked with grace (I could barely hear their footsteps), the synchronized plating, timing between each course did not exceed 5 minutes, the chair was pulled every time I got up, bread basket circling the room and the ice tea refilled just as the last sip was taken. The service was stellar which I find hard to come by in San Francisco.

The bread basket circled around the restaurant diligently, never leaving one's bread plate lonely with crumbs. The day's offering included skinny crunchy salty bread sticks, semolina (foccacia-like), French baguette and rosemary cibatta (which I had seconds.)


The $13 Geoduck Crudo had the distinguish smell of the seashell scent as if was plunged out of the water and immediately sliced with a tiny crackle of salt and citrus. The $18 Bay Scallops was covered in such a rich hearty sauce it had a substantial meaty quality. The $14 crispy pork belly with poached farm egg felt like a rendition of bacon and eggs, but refined in Chef Michael Tusk's style.



The $20 maccaroncello with salsa di foie gras definitely reminded me of Acquerello's famous ridged pasta with foie gras scented with masala. The maccaroncello had ridges to hold the decadent sauce but the bounce on the pasta held its own place against the richness, followed by a slightly sweet linger.


The $11 Chocolate-Caramel Cremeaux and Warm Apple Cake were plated like clouds floating in the sky. Seriously it felt like the desserts were in movement, slowly drifting in different shapes and sizes. The Cremeaux had the savory quality with the rosemary ice cream and pinenuts. The Warm Apple Cake had bite size pieces of the cake around the plate, shaved apples, and sprinkled with granola. I did notice how the ice cream was so pretty and uniformly quenelle shaped.




Three types of mignardises were served ranging from the middle C, D to E notes on the piano, a huckleberry meringue, citrus cake to the dense chocolate topped with a gold flake. The tiny detail of the gold flake reminded me of the book I'm currently reading, "Through the Glass Darkly" a novel in the Victorian era, just an off-topic tidbit I like to share.



Quince
470 Pacific Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 775-8500

5 comments:
oh whoa...the food looks amazing. i want to lick those scallops, they look so good.
Oh those desserts...those desserts. Loving both of them. Rosemary ice cream with pine nuts! So savory.
that looks amazing!!! so delicious!! yummy!!
Ohmigosh I adore the aesthetic of this place. It's so gritty yet glamorous all at once. I think I'm in love!! :)
Dear Cocochanelella, I enjoyed your site so much. I especially like your review of the places you visit, because of your writing style. I was able to picture what the atmosphere of this restaurant was by the way you described it. OMG! Incredible presentation. Loved your site, very professional. Photos were crisp and clear. I shall be back for a bite of more.
Thank you for sharing.
Cheers, Gaby
You can visit me at http://ptsaldari.posterous.com
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