Bay area micro reviews

Il Fornaio, San Jose: The readers of the Metro rate this third best restaurant in Silicon Valley for culinary excellence, placing it just after Manresa. It's not! What it is, is affordable, nicely decorated and easy to get to. A starter of calamari were delicious and an anti-pasta sharing plate was ok if not very inspired. A porterhouse steak, one of the more expensive items on the menu, was riddled with inedible lines of fat. Luck of the draw? It was indifferently prepared as well as served rested too long (I mean cold). Dessert of ice cream reformed to look like semi-fredo was alright, but again it seems like a restaurant going through the same old tired motions guest after guest. This is my second time here and now my last.

McCormick & Schmick's Seafood, San Jose: Service is as important as food. Why don't more restaurants realise that? Basically even if the food had been amazing (it wasn't, it was ok) the astonishingly inattentive service would have still ruined the night. I won't be going back here, and I'm not sure I'll be in a hurry to try any of their other restaurants in the future. In retrospect I wish we'd taken the car and gone to The Fish Market. 

Left Bank, San Jose: Prompt service. Onion soup with way too much cheese. Nice veggie tart, but falls apart when you lift it. Equally nice fish stew. Steak frites ordered medium, arrived rare, went back and returned very well done. Annoying. Prices keen, but when the best recommendation for a restaurant you can think of is 'excellent parking' you know it's just a place to hang out, not to keep eating at. Reminded me of the UK chain Cafe Rouge. That's not a good thing. 


Triptych, San Francisco:  Funky and fun but with the crisp and insightful service of a 'classier' joint, I loved this place from the friendly welcome to the strains of mexican radio wafting out of the kitchen when you go to the bathroom (which is itself a shrine to 70s pop kitsch). The food was terrific and though the kitchen is clearly better set up for two or four-tops than our group of 16 David, front man of the very charming front of house staff, kept us informed about what dishes would be up when and there was plenty of wine and attention to make up for the fact that dishes tended to appear in 3's rather than for all the table at once. Arty without ever being pretentious and with a terrific, well priced cellar. This is definitely on my list of places to go back to.

Kiji Sushi Bar and Cuisine, San Francisco: Super sushi in a tiny 36 cover restaurant. Brilliant service - we let the waitress choose our food for a large group. She worked out how adventurous we were then delivered the goods superbly. A brilliant choice and has knocked Tsunami to my number two choice for San Fran Sushi.


Hops and Hominy, San Francisco: A very young restaurant - they didn't even have enough menu's to go around when I was there. Young staff too, but likeable and trying hard. Slow service made up for by well stocked, fast to serve bar. Buttermilk battered chicken to die for. Sides include mac and cheese, sprouts, chard, grits. A fun taste of the south in San Francisco. 

La Folie, San Francisco: It's hard to know what to write about La Folie that I haven't already said. You know that amazing high end dining experience you keep dreaming of? This is it. Just look at the picture; says it all. Plus Chef Passot and his family remain some of the most charming restauranteurs you are ever likely to meet.