Osso, doing several galleries in one or two buildings sounds perfect. It's like what we did in New York, with excellent results.
Osso's list of restaurants is on page 3--at least on my screen. Sears definitely sounds perfect for breakfast. Cafe Metropol, Cafe Tiramisu, Fog City Diner, and Sam's Grill all sound good. I only looked at the Union Square list for Friday night, thinking that we might not want to go too far afield.
We will absolutely need reservations on a Friday night.
For French, in addition to the Fleur de Lys, there is Plouf, which is a little less expensive, but with a good write up which follows....
Michael Bauer, Chronicle Restaurant Critic
Friday, February 28, 2003
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Once upon a time, a charming seafood restaurant
called Plouf opened and brought a lot of panache
to an obscure alley-type street in the Financial
District. Last year, Plouf begat Chez Papa, a
charming corner bistro that helped bring chic
crowds to Potrero Hill.
Often there's no fairy-tale ending when the story
of this type of expansion is told; the original
restaurant can become the forgotten stepchild and
begin to lose its focus. Not so at Plouf.
On a wet night earlier this week, when most of the
streets were as empty as the Grand Canyon in
winter, the fire at Plouf was blazing, warming the
55-seat interior. The bar was packed, and
customers were jockeying for a table in the dining
room.
The reason is that chef David Spanner has
continued to turn out some of the most delicious
moderately priced seafood in the city. The
restaurant specializes in heaping bowls of mussels
($13.50), and they're prepared eight ways, from a
simple roasted garlic and sherry vinegar sauce to
a coconut curry with lime, chile and cilantro.
Steamed clams ($16) are dressed up six ways. The
fries ($3.50) are thin and crisp, a must-order
accompaniment to either dish.
These specialties are so good -- and filling --
that there's a mistaken tendency to skim over the
other half of the menu, filled with appetizers and
main courses. Crisp salmon ($18.50) is served on a
brothy bed of orzo with portobello mushrooms and
English peas, all set off by a brightly flavored
citrus aioli that sits on top of the fish like a
generous dollop of lightly whipped cream. In
addition, there's sauteed halibut with a yellow
beet truffle vinaigrette ($19) and seven other
fish main courses. The six meat dishes include an
excellent roasted chicken ($15) with a salty,
bronzed exterior topped with a dab of pesto and
propped on a bed of cannellini beans, carrots,
chard and a natural juice sauce that was so
delicate that I spooned it up like dessert.
For those who love fried calamari, the version
here mixed with fennel and other seafood ($8) is a
must-order item -- hot, salty and light. Yet even
that can't hold a candle to the scallops seared
and wrapped in a crisp slice of potato, served on
a fennel and cucumber salad ($9.50).
Plouf doesn't take a pass on dessert (all $7),
either. The delicious profiteroles with banana ice
cream, chocolate and caramel sauce are a worthy
signature dish, but the warm tarte tatin with
vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce
is equally alluring. Floating islands, a 5-inch
chocolate hazelnut parfait and a classic vanilla
creme brulee help round out the selections.
In addition, the service strikes the right note of
casual, but efficient. When we were struggling
over the menu and the waiter realized we weren't
ready to order, he brightly said, "Take your time,
I'm here until midnight." Several times during the
evening the staff changes the mussel bowl, fills
the glasses and checks to see if things are all
right.
And on these often-chilly evenings, there are few
things better than sipping wine and nibbling on
seafood by the fireplace in the corner. When the
weather warms up, the windows in front of the long
narrow dining room can be thrown open, bringing
the action in the alley and the tables outside
into the fold. That can feel pretty grand too.
It's such a good experience, start to finish, that
you'll walk away feeling happy ever after.
--------------------------------------------------
E-mail Michael Bauer at
[email protected].
PLOUF
Address: 40 Belden Place (off Bush between
Kearny and Montgomery), San
Francisco
