rjs3
NJ
Barrel Filler
Posts:1124
 | | 10/04/2007 12:29 PM |
| | Does anyone know anything about La Fiole? | | | |
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Daniel Bailey
Grape Fermenter
Posts:673
| | 10/04/2007 2:36 PM |
| La Folie is classic French executed extremely well. 4 star food in a 3 star location. There's no need to leave the City if one wants to dine at The Village Pub (although the Pub is a very attractive room). Spruce is now open in Presidio Heights. Spruce is from the same team behind The Village Pub. Personally I find Spruce to be a couple of cuts above The Village Pub. | | | |
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JimmyV
Central Connecticut
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5024
| | 10/04/2007 5:25 PM |
| | It's been many years since I dined at La Folie, (before the renovation), so my opinion probably doesn't count for much. But I thought it was terrific. Especially perched among the other restaurants that you will be going to. Sometimes one needs a bit of classic "old school" to break up the monotony of the "in" places of the moment. If that makes any sense. | |
Beta testing a new signature. | |
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Eric White
San Ramon, CA
Advanced Sommelier
Posts:9147
| | 10/04/2007 9:14 PM |
| My 2 cents...
Haven't been to the dining room at the Ritz, but have heard nothing but praise - I need to get there!
Michael Mina seems to get somewhat mixed reviews, but count me as a huge fan. I would recommend the standard menu over the tasting menu in this case however, as the "three" theme only applies to the standard menu, and I really dig that.
I haven't eaten at Aqua since Michael Mina left as the chef, but it was great back then. Seems to get mixed reviews these days. Boulevard is just ok imo, I think it's bit overhyped, and doesn't really excel on execution as they should. Fleur de Lys is a perennial favorite of mine, highly recommended. You should also consider Myth, if you can get a reservation - outstanding.
La Folie - love the place! You can't go wrong there.
Alex in the Wynn - really great, also really pricey. But really great. | | | |
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Bob Bressler
Napa Valley
Wine Lover
Posts:4822
| | 10/05/2007 1:06 AM |
| Posted By Eric White on 10/04/2007 9:14 PM
You should also consider Myth, if you can get a reservation - outstanding.
For the scene, not the food. Of course, YMMV.
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rjs3
NJ
Barrel Filler
Posts:1124
| | 10/05/2007 12:51 PM |
| | Had to do some moving around, since not everything is open Sun. night. Was able to move Michael Mina to Sun. and Dining Room to Sat. That left us able to go to La Fiole. Someone in my office used to live in SF and just raved about it. So I think we are all settled. Can't forget my sneakers and pedometer - need to walk off all those dinners! | | | |
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saut
Grape Fermenter
Posts:506
| | 10/12/2007 1:01 AM |
| | Nicely done. Enjoy your trip! And do post a review so we know what you thought...them's some mighty good eats! | | | |
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gus fleener
gilroy
Barrel Filler
Posts:1346
| | 02/11/2008 11:09 PM |
| katy & i spent the weekend in san francisco without the kids & had wonderful meals at ame & la folie. i proposed to katy at la folie @ 9 years ago & we had not been back since. much has changed (2 remodels), but the food was fantastic & the service attentive but not intrusive. ame was a different style & just a small step below la folie in both food & service. my new favorite restaurant in san francisco has to be spruce. i have had 2 excellent & 1 phenomenal meals there since october. i can't compare it to the village pub since i have not been there, but the 1st meal i had there ranks with the best restaurant meals i have ever had. | | | |
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Daniel Bailey
Grape Fermenter
Posts:673
| | 02/13/2008 12:44 PM |
| | I agree Gus Spruce is really doing great things (disclosure - family members have an interest in Spruce). Only problem is that getting a reservation is really tough. | | | |
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gus fleener
gilroy
Barrel Filler
Posts:1346
| | 02/13/2008 1:03 PM |
| dan, i have been very lucky in getting reservations at spruce. the 1st time, i just happened to call about the time they decided to open up their back room for reservations for the evening in question. my brother, scott, & i enjoyed the meal so much, we changed our plans to dine elsewhere the next night & they were able to accomodate us. consequently, my brother, ted, who joined us the following night got to have his own spruce experience. when i called in december with about a week's notice for a reservation for katy & i on a friday night we were able to get a 9 pm reservation which was just fine with us. hopefully, this lucky streak continues because i definitely intend to dine there again the next time i get away to the city. | | | |
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Daniel Bailey
Grape Fermenter
Posts:673
| | 02/13/2008 1:33 PM |
| | You have been lucky. I just tried to get a reservation for two at 6 pm on Thursday night (not exactly prime time). First Thursday I could get was on the 10th of April. | | | |
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baron45
Grape Truck Driver
Posts:26
| | 02/13/2008 11:26 PM |
| Posted By Daniel Bailey on 02/13/2008 1:33 PM
You have been lucky. I just tried to get a reservation for two at 6 pm on Thursday night (not exactly prime time). First Thursday I could get was on the 10th of April.
It's gonna be tough getting any reservation at a good restaurant on Valentine's Day. | | | |
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Daniel Bailey
Grape Fermenter
Posts:673
| | 02/14/2008 12:41 PM |
| | I wasn't trying for this Thursday night (I left out an "a" in my last post"). Just any Thursday night starting on the 21st of February. Finally got a non prime time spot on April 10th - that's a seriously booked restaurant in my book. | | | |
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JimmyV
Central Connecticut
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5024
| | 02/14/2008 1:27 PM |
| | Thread drift...I am not in love with the idea of taking reservations so far out in advance (unless you are a destination restaurant like FL or Trotter's or the like). Seems that there is too much likelihood of people (concierge's?) grabbing reservations as placeholders, not really knowing if they are going to actually use them. Then, they cancelled at the last minute, or a few days ahead. In the interim, people who really can and want to go to the restaurant are faced with what you just suffered through. No real choice in times. Just what they give you. A 30 day window should suffice. Or perhaps a restaurant can book half its tables up to 60 days out, but save the other half for reservations made within 2 or 3 weeks out. I am sure that a popular place (I almost said "poplar") like Spruce will fill in the gaps through Concierges, stand-bys and walk-ins. But is sucks when a walk-in gets a table due to cancellation when the person who called two weeks in advance was given the brush-off. Just my opinion. | |
Beta testing a new signature. | |
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tanglenet
Oakland, California
Wine Bottler
Posts:3060
| | 02/14/2008 1:37 PM |
| Posted By JimmyV on 02/14/2008 1:27 PM
Thread drift...I am not in love with the idea of taking reservations so far out in advance (unless you are a destination restaurant like FL or Trotter's or the like). Seems that there is too much likelihood of people (concierge's?) grabbing reservations as placeholders, not really knowing if they are going to actually use them. Then, they cancelled at the last minute, or a few days ahead. In the interim, people who really can and want to go to the restaurant are faced with what you just suffered through. No real choice in times. Just what they give you. A 30 day window should suffice. Or perhaps a restaurant can book half its tables up to 60 days out, but save the other half for reservations made within 2 or 3 weeks out. I am sure that a popular place (I almost said "poplar") like Spruce will fill in the gaps through Concierges, stand-bys and walk-ins. But is sucks when a walk-in gets a table due to cancellation when the person who called two weeks in advance was given the brush-off. Just my opinion.
I don't know exactly how restaurants are run, but I always get a call the day before to confirm a reservation at the better ones.
I've also found Opentable.com to be quite useful for making dinner reservations.
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"I drink no more than a sponge." François Rabelais
www.tanglenet.com | |
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JimmyV
Central Connecticut
Wine Connoisseur
Posts:5024
| | 02/14/2008 2:19 PM |
| | The "day before" confirmation call is useless. Nothing stops you from saying: "Oh. Sorry. We won't be able to make it." Besides, 80% of the time I get one of those calls, it is by way of a voice message at my house while I am off traveling to the city where the restaurant actually is. Most of my fine dining is done on the road. | |
Beta testing a new signature. | |
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rjs3
NJ
Barrel Filler
Posts:1124
| | 02/15/2008 12:37 PM |
| | We loved the Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton. | | | |
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saut
Grape Fermenter
Posts:506
| | 02/18/2008 2:41 AM |
| Just a note on Spruce...we went for a leisurely lunch on a Friday and the food was great, service was great, and the wine list is just exceptional. Not food to think about, not art, but sophisticated pairings with a bit of surprise. We tried a charcuterie plate which was very good, excellent salads, and a couple of main courses that had just that little bit extra...morroccan spiced steak fanned on a rustic tabouleh surrounded by a spiced yogurt sauce struck just the right balance between spicy and subtle. Perfect with pinot.
Also, it was fully booked, but never seemed hectic or crowded. I've been to a lot of restaurants that seem to have a bustle when they are full. The staff were on the formal side of professional, but the sommelier was engaging and enthusiastic about his selections. We will be back to try dinner, but lunch was a great experience. There are not a lot of "fine dining" experiences for lunch in SF that I could find, but this fit the bill. | | | |
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MTPockets
Grape Puncher
Posts:947
| | 02/20/2008 8:34 PM |
| | Going to give Gary "Swanko" a try this Friday. | | | |
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Daniel Bailey
Grape Fermenter
Posts:673
| | 02/21/2008 12:59 PM |
| | I hope you don't find it disappointing but I bet you will. | | | |
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