We (me, Andrea, Kirsten, Greg) were going to the first event of the KQED Reframe Festival and wanted to have dinner nearby. I booked us for Absinthe which conveniently about a block away. I haven’t been here for at least 15 years and it’s a testament to the longevity of the restaurant.

Andrea and I got there a bit early so we sat at the bar to wait for Kirsten and Greg to arrive (running late due to some BART delay). Andrea ordered a dirty martini and I went with a dry sherry for an aperitif. The sherry was a bit lightweight without much depth of flavor. We were still waiting for a bit so we ordered half a dozen kumamoto oysters. The oysters were sweet which we love about kumamotos. The mignonette was a basic champagne vinaigrette and shallot. Kirsten and Greg arrived and so we were seated.

I ordered the Dungeness Crab & Butter Lettuce Salad to start, Andrea ordered the English Pea Soup, and Kirsten and Greg split a Soup À L’Oignon. My salad was loaded with sweet dungeness crab. Andrea’s pea soup was a nice change since we don’t normally encounter that and was quite good.

For mains, I ordered the Beef Bourguignon (with a glass of red Burgundy of course), Andrea, Kirsten, and Greg each ordered the Duck Breast. Mine was decent, the beef was tender, on a bed of sweet potatoes with some of the jus. The duck was served on a bed of lentils.

All in all a decent meal, classic french brasserie food. The restaurant was almost entirely full by the time we left and presumably a large percentage of the diners were eating before a show (the KQED event we were attending, but also SFJazz had an event).

https://www.absinthe.com