Since we missed out on eating here on Thursday, we had to try eating here (I guess I had FOMO). We had eaten here once before maybe 7 or 8 years ago (they opened in 2016). The restaurant is listed in the Michelin guide without any distinction (i.e. no stars or Bib Gourmand).
We started with an order for cocktails. They have a dedicated connected bar, the Linden Room, where all of the cocktails are made. Andrea started with the Sleepwalker, a mezcal-based drink with pineapple-infused coffee liquor and spice and I had Date Night which was a a sort of vodka martini with date eau de vie, lemon, and fig leaf oil. My drink was very much like a refreshing martini with a bit of added dimension to it thanks to all of the other additions. Andrea’s drink was richly flavored with all of the ingredients coming together. I did also ask our waitperson if they could hold back on the first course so we had time to enjoy our cocktails which he said he would, but unfotunately didn’t happen at all. I probably requested that just a bit too late, but it is a bit of a pet peeve of ours that if we order cocktails, give us some time to enjoy them before diving into the meal and wine pairing.
Dinner format was a tasting with courses that often had more than one dish associated. This was a holiday menu with a theme being the movie Elf which we found entertaining/amusing since we love that movie (and ended up rewatching it when we got home).
The first bites started with an apple beignet and their caviar tart made with caviar from The Caviar Co. which we know and like very well. The beignet was savory which was a nice counterpoint to the fresh ocean flavor of the caviar. Next came a quail egg with hollandaise and fried leek bits which also delicious. Next bite was the taste of the ocean with a miyagi (? don’t remember exactly) oyster and some Hokkaido uni. We love oysters (as well as Hokkaido uni!), but this one seemed just a bit off which unfortunately made the entire dish just a bit off-putting.
Then we were served the farro sourdough and cultured butter. I thought it was interesting to have bits of farro baked into the bread, but I don’t think Andrea was so much a fan.
The wine that came with the next course was a Koshu from Japan. Of all the wine tastings we’ve done, I don’t think we’ve ever had a Japanese wine. I only had a quick sip from Andrea’s glass. Interesting to have a wine from Japan, but I didn’t necessarily find it memorable, but I wasn’t really trying to critically taste it. Shortly thereafter camed the seared scallop dish, which was perfectly cooked.
After that came the leek tart with a bit of roe on top and tiny bit of hoshigaki (dried persimmon). A nice dish with a nice crunch from the crust.
Then came the capelletti dish. Cappelletti is sort of like a large tortellini. This was served on a unique dish with a spiral channel to deliver the sauce (the name for this course on the menu was called Sea of Swirly-Twirly Gum Drops). I enjoyed this dish all around – the broth, the local crab, the crab cappelletti, plus a few tiny balls of squash for good measure.
Then came a bite called Gnoccho Fritto which was a a fried pasta (I assume gnocchi dough, so potato based?). This dish fell pretty flat to us. The dish has the apperance that it is going to be a crisp, but it was primarily flaky mush and there seemed to just be another element missing. Last time we had a dish with fried pasta it was at Bottega in Napa where that dish (wrapped in prosciutto, marscarpone foam, honey, shaved parmagiano reggiano cheese) was more successful.
Next came the “Milk Bread Squared” which was literally cubes of milk bread with a bit of tomato on the sides and seasoning on top with a bit of beef tallow on the side. It was ok, but definitely not the best milkbread we’ve had (e.g. Four Kings).
Then came the squab course which was served 2 ways, roasted and confit. I’m not a particularly big fan of squab (we’ve had some very gamey squab even at Michelin starred restaurants in France), but we have had some good squab at Four Kings (one of their signature dishes) and this squab was excellent, both preparations. The roasted squab was not gamey at all and was cooked perfectly and flavored with a bit of coffee and date. The confit leg was also delicious and perfectly prepared.
Then came a fennel donut with nuts and a cup of squab broth. The fennel donut was not a sweet donut, but rather a savory donut as an interregnum between meat courses. The savory donut was made with something like pastry dough and wasn’t sweet, but did have chocolate. It was an interesting idea, but nothing special. The broth however was rich and flavorful and nice on a rainy wintery evening. We could easily had much more of that.
Then came the main meat course which was the short rib, cooked on a binchotan (I’m assuming the mini binchotan they wheeled out to us tableside was more for show/warming rather than where the bulk of the cooking occurred) served with a very rich jus as well as a side of sunchoke and mushrooms. I had also ordered the Hokkaido A5 wagyu supplement. Both meats were perfectly cooked and so unctuous and flavorful. Really no complaints about this dish.
Then came a palette cleanser to mark the transition to dessert. First dessert was a sort of “spaghetti” with mini M&M and maple tuile. I liked this. It was whimsical, not overly sweet and had some texture thanks to the tuile. This was followed by the petit fours to finish the meal. We were also given little gift boxes of breakfast cake to take home.
Overall, I’d say it was an ambitious menu with a lot of dishes. Some were very successful (e.g. the beignet and caviar tart, the beef course with the shortrib and the supplemental A5 wagyu) and some missed the mark (the oyster dish and the fried pasta dish) and a few were just middling. In the end, it just seemed way overpriced for the final result. Tasting menu was $195 each which is not terrible for SF. Cocktails were expensive ($25 and $20) even for San Francisco, although they were excellent. The glass on NA wine (first time I have tried that) I had was $20 (!) and really ultimately just tasted like a spiced fruit juice. The wagyu supplement was $55
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