Sunday, June 20, 2010

Restaurants: Frances

Oh, Frances. Frances, Frances, Frances. You are so beautiful, yet so flawed.

You're an elegant looker, and you know it. Your white walls, gorgeous wood floors, sparkling glassware, and deftly-lit artwork are an understated feast for the eyes. You're a bit loud, but that's part of your charm. You're also extremely crowded and hard to get into -- two of your less-lovable traits.

Sometimes, your beauty dazzles, and you knock it off the hook. Your Applewood smoked bacon beignets with maple créme fraîche and chive are as good as they sound. Your pannisse frites with Meyer lemon aioli, though, defy description. One is hard pressed to find the right words for how they delight the palette: the startling juxtaposition of both crispy and velvety smooth textures, the delicate flavor of the chickpeas, and the tangy, luxurious aioli. Hats off to you, girl. It's sheer perfection.

Your dungeness crab salad with little gem lettuce, avocado vinaigrette and kumquats is chock full of tender crabmeat, but all that delicate seafood is perhaps a bit overpowered by the saltiness and tang of the vinaigrette? The tiny slices of kumquat do tame the saltiness a bit, but they don't help the crab -- or those little gems -- shine like they should. Your ricotta gnocchi are pillowy-soft and skillfully complemented in both texture and flavor by the garlicky breadcrumbs, but the English peas adorning the plate are a bit large and startchy. Better to leave them off than mar a dish with so much potential.

Your smoked steelhead trout is a showstopper and is among the best seafood dishes I've had anywhere. The fish is meltingly tender, and the flavor play of the smoky fish, earthy fingerling potatoes, rich créme fraîche and pungent house-made grain mustard is stunningly good. As I write this, my mouth is watering, and my eyeballs are fluttering just a little.

Your desserts don't disappoint either. Your bittersweet chocolate pot de créme with roasted bing cherries and Vino Visciole is so fabulous that after we tasted the first bite, we immediately ordered another one. Your almond and semolina crostata, too, is excellent, and the English thyme ice cream -- though not for everyone -- is an unusual, delicious touch.

Your wine-based "Refreshers" are lovely as well. The Apples and Honey, in particular, is a pleasant surprise. The combination of cava, white wine, Bonny Doon Pommeau, and Martin Gold could easily be sweet and cloying, but instead, it's refreshingly dry and complex. And your Strawberry Fizz, though definitely on the sweeter side, really tastes like strawberries, which probably explains why there were glasses of it at every other table.

You're a woman with a lot going for you, Frances, which is why I feel the need to now be brutally honest: though you're beautiful, your demeanor leaves much to be desired.

Classy lady that you are, you really should know that it's not acceptable to seat guests almost a full half hour later than their specified reservation. You're quite a petite woman, which makes waiting so long among the crowd and din a bit unpleasant. Ettiquette also dictates that if you apologize for a seating delay and tell your guests that you will "take care of something on the bill", you follow through on your promise. Too, you need to pace yourself better. You disappeared for a good 45 minutes between our appetizers and entrees, and when you finally reappeared with our food, you didn't even apologize. I love a relaxed pace at dinner, but 3-1/2 hours for a three-course dinner? Really, you should know better, Frances. You're not cheap, and I expect more for my money.

Now that I've been up front with you, I feel much better. Despite your shabby treatment of me, though, I'm still very much enamored with you, and I think I'll give you a second chance. What can I say? I'm just a sucker for a pretty face. But remember: your beauty will only get you so far.



★ ★
Frances

3870 17th Street

San Francisco, CA 94114

(415) 621-3870