I've been trying out various restaurants in San Francisco, discovering the good and the bad. Some are quite good, some are just so-so. But I hadn't discovered a "wowza" moment as yet. Until, that is, I went to La Folie.
La Folie is a french restaurant located in the Russian Hill/Pacific Heights area on Polk Street. This family run restaurant shows that small businesses and simple, homey dishes can be both extravagantly delicious and financially successful.
My party of four started off with drinks at the lounge with seven others. I only had wine, so I can't tell you whether the mixologist was as good as any other. However, the appetizers were amazing to behold and addictively tasty. I had to refrain from gorging on them as I knew I had dinner coming soon.
Four of us from the group of eleven split off and entered the dining area next door to the drinks lounge. We were shepherded into the green room, which evoked a Napoleonic era establishment. The ceiling was stunningly high, the green walls were decorated with elegant paintings, and the ambience was most certainly Parisian.
I had the four course, starting with a tempura duck egg. Imagine a soft-boiled egg deep-fried in a tempura batter. It was both fragile and hearty. The serving size was just enough to whet the appetite for the remaining courses.
For the appetizers, I had the sauteed burgundy snails. Unlike snails at probably every other snail-offering restaurant, these aren't stuffed into ceramic shells and boiled into a tasteless gummy substance stewing in garlic and butter. The snails were unshelled and stuffed into a veal bone and covered with bone marrow gratin. Yes, you can actually taste something that is snail-like. And the bone marrow gratin added to the flavor to make this attractively presented dish a keeper.
Unlike many other restaurants that favor quantity over quality as a way to charge exorbitant prices, La Folie favors quality. This actually makes the dining experience more enjoyable as one isn't likely to be shlepping back home a doggie bag full of leftovers. I had the duck breast for the main course and it was very pleasant. The portion, as I mentioned, was just the right size. It was served with some sort of a corned beef, which was not mentioned on the menu.
Others in the party had the John Dory fish and the lobster. Another had the same duck breast. Each dish was a sight. The presentation and the arrangements, as well as seductive aroma of each, made the dining experience unforgettable.
For dessert, I and another had the bread pudding. One had the cheese souffle and the fourth had the chocolate fondant and a beaufort cheese plate. In between courses, we had several amuse bouches and ended the evening with this amazing set of sweet treats.
While the prix fixe courses may seem expensive, it really isn't so much more than other restaurants where a dessert here or an appetizer there adds up to practically the same amount. So in the interest of helping others decide where to go before the coming armageddon, I wholeheartedly recommend you visit La Folie at least once in your lifetime. You'll thank me for sure.
La Folie is a french restaurant located in the Russian Hill/Pacific Heights area on Polk Street. This family run restaurant shows that small businesses and simple, homey dishes can be both extravagantly delicious and financially successful.
My party of four started off with drinks at the lounge with seven others. I only had wine, so I can't tell you whether the mixologist was as good as any other. However, the appetizers were amazing to behold and addictively tasty. I had to refrain from gorging on them as I knew I had dinner coming soon.
Four of us from the group of eleven split off and entered the dining area next door to the drinks lounge. We were shepherded into the green room, which evoked a Napoleonic era establishment. The ceiling was stunningly high, the green walls were decorated with elegant paintings, and the ambience was most certainly Parisian.
I had the four course, starting with a tempura duck egg. Imagine a soft-boiled egg deep-fried in a tempura batter. It was both fragile and hearty. The serving size was just enough to whet the appetite for the remaining courses.
For the appetizers, I had the sauteed burgundy snails. Unlike snails at probably every other snail-offering restaurant, these aren't stuffed into ceramic shells and boiled into a tasteless gummy substance stewing in garlic and butter. The snails were unshelled and stuffed into a veal bone and covered with bone marrow gratin. Yes, you can actually taste something that is snail-like. And the bone marrow gratin added to the flavor to make this attractively presented dish a keeper.
Unlike many other restaurants that favor quantity over quality as a way to charge exorbitant prices, La Folie favors quality. This actually makes the dining experience more enjoyable as one isn't likely to be shlepping back home a doggie bag full of leftovers. I had the duck breast for the main course and it was very pleasant. The portion, as I mentioned, was just the right size. It was served with some sort of a corned beef, which was not mentioned on the menu.
Others in the party had the John Dory fish and the lobster. Another had the same duck breast. Each dish was a sight. The presentation and the arrangements, as well as seductive aroma of each, made the dining experience unforgettable.
For dessert, I and another had the bread pudding. One had the cheese souffle and the fourth had the chocolate fondant and a beaufort cheese plate. In between courses, we had several amuse bouches and ended the evening with this amazing set of sweet treats.
While the prix fixe courses may seem expensive, it really isn't so much more than other restaurants where a dessert here or an appetizer there adds up to practically the same amount. So in the interest of helping others decide where to go before the coming armageddon, I wholeheartedly recommend you visit La Folie at least once in your lifetime. You'll thank me for sure.