As I type, I'm hanging out in my San Francisco hotel room, still achingly full from a very good dinner at The Cosmpolitan Cafe (121 Spear St., San Francisco http://www.thecosmopolitancafe.com/index_cos.cfm) Somehow I think my brand new Joe’s Jeans are going to be less comfortable tomorrow than they were yesterday.
After negating slew of recommendations from Vanessa (thanks, buddy!!), I came across this restaurant on the new-and-improved CitySearch. On a side note: What took CS so long to provide the ' you might also like' recommendations?
My close college friend (Hilary) and I made same-hour reservations, walked around the Ferry Building for a little bit, then headed to the restaurant at 7:30 on Wednesday night. Conveniently situated just off the Embarcadero at the foot of the financial district, the restaurant has a low key after-work crowd, scattered between the bar and the dark toned, well-windowed dining room. It looks something like a combination of NY steak house and hotel lounge. They even had a live pianist, playing just loud enough to hear, but not so loud that we couldn’t have very serious girl talk. I think the music is nightly, Weds through Sat, but check the website for details.
We were seated immediately by the super friendly hostess. Our fantastic waiter, Patrick, was prompt and polite, offering suggestions and pointers on the menu. He knew the wines by the glass well, and shared at the onset which desserts needed to be pre-ordered because they are made from scratch. What gave away my passion for dessert? Especially those made from scratch!
My friend and I got glasses of wine (Matua Sauvingnon Blanc for me….so good Riesling for her) and shared the Calamari and Artichoke Fritto Misto. A little heavy on the fritto and light on the squid, but very tasty. The batter was crisp to the point of falling off the fork, and it was served with both tartar and sweet and sour sauce, but none of the more traditional marinara. I’ve never seen artichoke hearts done like that, and they were very good, but I would I have liked a liked thicker pieces of calamari.
For entrees, we ordered two of the waiter’s recommendations - Pan Seared Rare Yellow Fin Tuna with Jasmine Rice Salad for my friend and Sauteed Dayboat Sea Scallops, Oxtail Risotto Black Trumpet Mushrooms, White Truffle Oil for me – and shared both of them.
DEEE-LISH. The three scallops were perfectly tender with none of that slight fishiness that comes from having been stored over time in a restaurant fridge. The risotto was rich and creamy, and the shredded oxtail on top provided a nice meaty taste, without being overpoweringly greasy. (Incidentally, what is oxtail? I choose to believe it’s just good ol’ beef, but I’m guessing not. That will be my next wiki search.) I don’t know for sure what truffle oil added to the dish, other than $5, but it sure tasted yummy. One of the best risottos I’ve had in a long time, but certainly not something you can eat every night. Hmm...I should try making risotto at home sometime.
Hilary’s tuna was excellent. Fresh and firm, with none of that nasty mealiness from some of the sushi restaurant back home in Hoboken. It was coated in an herb mixture that added a little salty and some crisp flavor and seared very slightly, leaving all the flavor of the fish. The Jasmine Rice salad was cool without being chilled, with the rice kernels, as Hilary put it, not totally overcooked, giving it an almost nutty texture. The Ponzu sauce lightl
y surrounding it was an excellent addition, but the pieces de resistance were the tempura’d pea pods stacked artfully on top with a tasty wasabi sauce drizzled over them. SOOOOO good. Crispy but tender, utterly tasty. I couldn’t help by steal an extra off her plate. Now that…that I could eat every day.
And onto dessert, as if we were even slightly hungry. We had already put in an order for the Chocolate Bread Pudding…more on that in a sec.
Sidebar: Hil and I went to undergrad in Boston, home of Mike’s Pastries, the best Italian pastry shop in the North End. As freshman, my folks had taken us there, and introduced my Nebraskan roommate to cannolis. Whenever our folks were in town, we ended up there. Gotta love Mike’s cannolis. And so it was only natural that when Hil saw the Ricotta Chocolate Chip Cannolis with a warm fruit compote on the menu she had to order it.
I give the cannolis a 6 – good for a restaurant, but certainly not North End material. Two pieces with light wafer-thin shells, o.k. filling sitting on more compote than there was pastry. So so. The Bread Pudding – 10 10 10 10 10. I can honestly say this might be one of the best desserts ever. It’s no wonder CitySearch named Cosmpolitan the dessert spot in SF. Light and fluffy on the outside with local chocolate gently melted in the middle and a delicate scoop of ice cream on top. It was music to my over-stuffed tummy. The chocolate was not over done, just enough to get a taste on most bites, and the ice cream added a little richness to the fluffy bread. Unreal.
The bill – not terrible. $63/each, including tip and tax. Made even better by the fact that I was traveling for work!
On the whole – SO good. It’s a great, easy option in SF with excellent service and yummy food. Easy street parking or garages nearby. Highly recommended.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment