What makes a successful restaurant? If you can answer that sixty-four billion dollar question, you will have all current and future restauranteurs at your beck and call.
Restaurants come and go and this little corner of my neighborhood has seen its first casualty. When I moved to this neighborhood, there was a light-hearted tapas restaurant called Lalola. It seemed like a trendy and happening place: every time I walk by it, it seemed full of very attractive, young, engaging people. Heck, they even expanded into the next door to more than double their space, during the time they were around.
Then, last fall, they closed shop and the restaurant was under wraps for a while. The new owners and new management came in and, behind the sheets covering the windows, worked feverishly (I'm guessing here; they could have done nothing by smoked reefers and drank bud-light all day) to remodel the inside into a very chic, nouveau european decor. Comparing the Lalola's before to the Mason • Pacific's after, I give major props to the after of Mason • Pacific. The current decor just oozes elegance with a hint of a beaux art feel. The exterior has a more outdoor parisian cafe look, which doesn't quite jibe with the interior.
I went there for the opening night. Since then, I've dropped by another four times. They're a really friendly bunch, waving at me whenever I walk by. Admittedly, opening night is not the best time to go to a restaurant, unless you're part of the friends and family or investment partners. The servers were all pros for opening night, but one dish I had was a bit too salty.
I wish their website has the menu up, so I can comment on what's great.
First great: a great wine list. They do have some really choice wines, although I've been conservative and sticking to the few I really enjoy. I haven't tried everything on the menu, wine-wise, but the several I've had have been excellent.
Second great: the tagliatelle. I like pasta, but really, it's pretty generic. I can't distinguish my home cooked fettuccine with pesto from a similar dish from most run-of-the-mill italian restaurants. Even those I attend regularly in North Beach, there's nothing much to write home about (except the Linguine Nere). It's usually the sauce that makes the pasta. Of course, no one likes a pasta that way too over-cooked. So what did Mason • Pacific do? The tagliatelle is amazing. The texture has just the perfect mouth feel. But there seems to be something in the pasta itself and not just the sauce that makes this pasta's taste pop in your mouth. YOU. MUST. TRY. THIS. TAGLIATELLE.
Third great: I can't really yet recommend it, as I have not actually tried it, but I have seen it served several times. It's an off-menu item, and that's all I'm going to say. Wait a few weeks before I get a chance to try this item and review that for you.
I fully expect to be back here a number of times, experimenting with all the items they offer.
Restaurants come and go and this little corner of my neighborhood has seen its first casualty. When I moved to this neighborhood, there was a light-hearted tapas restaurant called Lalola. It seemed like a trendy and happening place: every time I walk by it, it seemed full of very attractive, young, engaging people. Heck, they even expanded into the next door to more than double their space, during the time they were around.
Then, last fall, they closed shop and the restaurant was under wraps for a while. The new owners and new management came in and, behind the sheets covering the windows, worked feverishly (I'm guessing here; they could have done nothing by smoked reefers and drank bud-light all day) to remodel the inside into a very chic, nouveau european decor. Comparing the Lalola's before to the Mason • Pacific's after, I give major props to the after of Mason • Pacific. The current decor just oozes elegance with a hint of a beaux art feel. The exterior has a more outdoor parisian cafe look, which doesn't quite jibe with the interior.
I went there for the opening night. Since then, I've dropped by another four times. They're a really friendly bunch, waving at me whenever I walk by. Admittedly, opening night is not the best time to go to a restaurant, unless you're part of the friends and family or investment partners. The servers were all pros for opening night, but one dish I had was a bit too salty.
I wish their website has the menu up, so I can comment on what's great.
First great: a great wine list. They do have some really choice wines, although I've been conservative and sticking to the few I really enjoy. I haven't tried everything on the menu, wine-wise, but the several I've had have been excellent.
Second great: the tagliatelle. I like pasta, but really, it's pretty generic. I can't distinguish my home cooked fettuccine with pesto from a similar dish from most run-of-the-mill italian restaurants. Even those I attend regularly in North Beach, there's nothing much to write home about (except the Linguine Nere). It's usually the sauce that makes the pasta. Of course, no one likes a pasta that way too over-cooked. So what did Mason • Pacific do? The tagliatelle is amazing. The texture has just the perfect mouth feel. But there seems to be something in the pasta itself and not just the sauce that makes this pasta's taste pop in your mouth. YOU. MUST. TRY. THIS. TAGLIATELLE.
Third great: I can't really yet recommend it, as I have not actually tried it, but I have seen it served several times. It's an off-menu item, and that's all I'm going to say. Wait a few weeks before I get a chance to try this item and review that for you.
I fully expect to be back here a number of times, experimenting with all the items they offer.
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