Yip on Ottimista
Ottimista * 1838 Union St. @ Octavia * San Francisco, CA 94123 * (415) 674-8400
Cuisine: Wine Bar with Tapas/Small Plates
Neighborhood: Cow Hollow
This location has turned over several times over the past couple of years, each time producing a totally different menu, with a totally different decor. I thought the previous tenants offerings seemed average to me, they seemed quite popular with the local neighborhood crowd when they launched. I was a little surprised to see them go out of business with such a prime foot-trafficked location when there are so many other horrible places in the city that seem to stay in business for ages. Who knows how long this one will last...
The Scene
Feels like a wine cellar with kind of a Spanish flair. They have a cute outdoor patio out front conducive to Cow Hollow people watching, as the natives stroll down Union Street for shopping or spirits. They have many small tables and a long group table in the back perfect for tastings. They also have these beautiful slightly pink water glasses that remind me of vintage carnival glass, though I suspect they are actually reproductions from Anthropologie. I think I saw behind the bar that they actually have them for sale for interested patrons.
The Menu
To be fair, this place IS really more of a wine bar first and a restaurant second, but since this is blog is all about EATS, that is really what I chose to focus my review on. They have a small menu mostly consisting of small plates and cheeses, perfect for pairing with a glass of wine. I didn't touch the desserts, but they had a healthy number of offering in the chocolate and pastry category.
The Food
We started with the trio of Crostini (truffled white bean puree, pea puree with onion confit, and pear with blue cheese and walnut paste). I thought they were all pretty bland and tasteless. Next up was the salad of organic greens with prosciutto and melons. The melons were tasty fresh watermelon and honeydew slices that were strangely and unnecessarily salted. I'm not sure why they felt salt on the melons was necessary. They did recover themselves with the third and larger installment of our meal with the braised pork with polenta. It was fabulous and the very attentive bartender gave us a great suggestion of wine pairing with a red that really brought out the smoked pork flavor.
The Service
We sat at the bar, which is totally the way to go. Even though the establishment was super crowded (they do good business for 6-8pm on a Tuesday!), we got a lot of personal attention from the bartender. He was super attentive and served the courses in a timely manner. One thing to say about the wines is that for us California types that are used to a pethora of Napa Valley and Sonoma options, it can be a little difficult to nagivate their wine options. I have found that it can be hit or miss, so ask for a suggestion from the well-informed team behind the bar. I was happy with both the glass of red and white they suggested with our food.
The Bathroom
Two single stalls, which are both unisex, have a little personality to them and nicely scented candle burning. One funny thing is that in the first bathroom (to your left), there is a small fold-top desk in the stall with the toilet. Of course curiosity got the better of me and I had to see if there were some top secret papers in it, but alas, it was just aerosol air freshener and pest control spray. Yipes! I'd be better off if I didn't stick my nosey nose in where it doesn't belong!
*************
In a spoonful, come here for a taste of wine and a tasty snack, but ask for house recommendations on both.
Yip gives it 2.5 spoons.
Cuisine: Wine Bar with Tapas/Small Plates
Neighborhood: Cow Hollow
This location has turned over several times over the past couple of years, each time producing a totally different menu, with a totally different decor. I thought the previous tenants offerings seemed average to me, they seemed quite popular with the local neighborhood crowd when they launched. I was a little surprised to see them go out of business with such a prime foot-trafficked location when there are so many other horrible places in the city that seem to stay in business for ages. Who knows how long this one will last...
The Scene
Feels like a wine cellar with kind of a Spanish flair. They have a cute outdoor patio out front conducive to Cow Hollow people watching, as the natives stroll down Union Street for shopping or spirits. They have many small tables and a long group table in the back perfect for tastings. They also have these beautiful slightly pink water glasses that remind me of vintage carnival glass, though I suspect they are actually reproductions from Anthropologie. I think I saw behind the bar that they actually have them for sale for interested patrons.
The Menu
To be fair, this place IS really more of a wine bar first and a restaurant second, but since this is blog is all about EATS, that is really what I chose to focus my review on. They have a small menu mostly consisting of small plates and cheeses, perfect for pairing with a glass of wine. I didn't touch the desserts, but they had a healthy number of offering in the chocolate and pastry category.
The Food
We started with the trio of Crostini (truffled white bean puree, pea puree with onion confit, and pear with blue cheese and walnut paste). I thought they were all pretty bland and tasteless. Next up was the salad of organic greens with prosciutto and melons. The melons were tasty fresh watermelon and honeydew slices that were strangely and unnecessarily salted. I'm not sure why they felt salt on the melons was necessary. They did recover themselves with the third and larger installment of our meal with the braised pork with polenta. It was fabulous and the very attentive bartender gave us a great suggestion of wine pairing with a red that really brought out the smoked pork flavor.
The Service
We sat at the bar, which is totally the way to go. Even though the establishment was super crowded (they do good business for 6-8pm on a Tuesday!), we got a lot of personal attention from the bartender. He was super attentive and served the courses in a timely manner. One thing to say about the wines is that for us California types that are used to a pethora of Napa Valley and Sonoma options, it can be a little difficult to nagivate their wine options. I have found that it can be hit or miss, so ask for a suggestion from the well-informed team behind the bar. I was happy with both the glass of red and white they suggested with our food.
The Bathroom
Two single stalls, which are both unisex, have a little personality to them and nicely scented candle burning. One funny thing is that in the first bathroom (to your left), there is a small fold-top desk in the stall with the toilet. Of course curiosity got the better of me and I had to see if there were some top secret papers in it, but alas, it was just aerosol air freshener and pest control spray. Yipes! I'd be better off if I didn't stick my nosey nose in where it doesn't belong!
*************
In a spoonful, come here for a taste of wine and a tasty snack, but ask for house recommendations on both.
Yip gives it 2.5 spoons.
posted by SoCalATA at 10:32 PM
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