Grand Cafe SF - Review
Ciccio
Cafe is about a 1/2 block away at Geary and Taylor, so it seemed like a good
choice. For whatever reason, I had never been there before, though the
worse I had ever heard about it was that it for the "tourists."
We had a 6:00 PM reservation and we were seated without delay.
The decor is a "grand" blending of art nouveau and art deco. At least,
that's what I'd call it, I'll leave it to some humanities major or architect
to correct me. The ceilings are, at least 25'. The overall lighting is dim
and yields a sepia tone. Though it is well accented with spot lighting.
My date and I were nestled into a banquette. I noted that the tables were
close enough together that if the place had been near capacity, it no doubt
would have felt crowded. Though we had an empty table on each side of us.
The waiter was prompt, attentive and friendly, but not gushing. I found him
to have a good knowledge of the menu items. Also, commendable, is that
when he didn't know, he didn't guess. Rather, he went and inquired at the
kitchen and reported back with dispatch.
French bread, French style, was served with butter. It had a good crust that
ranged from normal to well-done where it was slightly singed giving it that
rustic home baked flavor.
My date, passed on a starter, but the French onion soup sounded good to me
on a rainy evening. It was quite tasty. Though I noted a bit of an
undertaste of nuts. It didn't taste bad, but I couldn't quite put my finger
on it. The waiter inquired and reported that no nuts were used. Maybe it was
a result of all the peanut butter talk hereabouts.
For the entree I had the Grand Cassoulet. It was quite a medley upon the
taste buds. The duck conifit had a great gamy flavor. The garlic sausage had
a good spicy, not piquant, oomph about it. The braised lamb had a slight
smoky flavor. All served with a good helping of garlic crusted marrow beans.
My date had the potato and ricotta gnocchi with cheese and truffle oil. She
found it to an interesting departure from the oft served Southern Italian
style, and found it to be good.
I wanted to pass on dessert. My date, however, coaxed me into sharing with
her an order of the pumpkin spiced creme brulee. I'm not big on sweets, but
it was good.
Price for the above with a couple of cocktails and tax was $71.00. Not bad
for downtown SF, especially the theater district.
Btw, I recommend "Jersey Boys" to anybody. But it's an absolute "must see"
for any Italian-American who grew up in any American urban area.
Ciccio
Tony Lima
<franc...@comcast.net> wrote:
>I went to see/hear "Jersey Boys" the other night at the Curran. The Grand
>Cafe is about a 1/2 block away at Geary and Taylor, so it seemed like a good
>choice. For whatever reason, I had never been there before, though the
>worse I had ever heard about it was that it for the "tourists."
[snip]
We love the Grand Cafe, especially since it is located in
the Hotel Monaco and just up the street from the Hotel
Serrano. They are Kimpton Hotels with unique amenities.
My wonderful wife threw a surprise birthday party for me at
the Grand last month. All-around marvelous. The upstairs
room with the balcony overlooking the restaurant is called
the Peacock Room if anyone is interested.
BTW there are two parts to the Cafe. The larger room at the
rear is the main dining room. That's where you end up if
you make reservations. The front part of the restaurant is
bistro-style with first-come first-served seating. We've
tried to eat it the front several times but it's always full
with quite a waiting list.
Locally popular and still pretty unknown. Highly
recommended. - Tony
George Grapman
bistro. Great for a before dinner/after work snack and drink.
--
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Jed
wrote:
>Btw, I recommend "Jersey Boys" to anybody. But it's an absolute "must see"
>for any Italian-American who grew up in any American urban area.
Or even a kid who grew up in Texas (Austin, but hardly urban at 175K
in the 60s). The Four Seasons may have had a wider appeal than you
suspect.
I even liked Lou Christie.
Ciccio
news:212up2hugbo0v3gkt...@4ax.com...
> Or even a kid who grew up in Texas (Austin, but hardly urban at 175K
> in the 60s). The Four Seasons may have had a wider appeal than you
> suspect.
Oh,. I am well aware of the wide appeal they had/have. I was not referring
to the music's appeal. Just there are moments sprinkled throughout the play
that, I'm sure, would have a special significance for many
Italian-Americans.
> I even liked Lou Christie.
I liked several of his cuts. He was of the same genre, however, he was not
quite the singer Frankie Valli was.
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