Yip on Fringale
Fringale * 570 Fourth St @ Brannan * San Francisco, CA 94107 * (415) 543-0573
Cuisine: French
Neighborhood: SoMa
Since I started writing this blog, people often tell me that they don’t want me to know about their favorite places for fear that I will go and report back with some horrible experience. Some, however, are up to the challenge, and thus I found myself at “a lovely neighborhood place” with a couple of friends that enjoy the overall restaurant experience as much as I do.
The Scene
When you walk up, look closely at the beautifully crafted “F” on the door, a special touch. When you enter, notice the little bowl of match books, another special touch my faithful readers know I enjoy. The restaurant is pretty small, no more than 20 or so tables, so it’s not a place for groups. The seating can feel a bit crowded, but you hardly notice once get settled in. The décor is simple and comfortable. They do have some strange background music that I didn’t even really notice until near the end of the meal, but it doesn’t exactly match. That being said, it doesn’t detract either. I was thinking that some French jazz would be perfect.
The Menu
I don’t often find myself in a position where it is nearly impossible to make a choice because all the items on the menu sound so delicious. Fringale has a great variety and several choices. Prepare yourself, as this place is a bit pricey, and I can’t believe my dining companions use this as their little “neighborhood place” for dinner on a random Tuesday night. Lucky me, I was here for SF’s Dine About Town and they had more than a few mouth-watering choices on this more affordable version of their menu. But it would be a perfect celebration spot for your next occasion, since that deal won’t be around for long.
The Food
I started with one of the special apps: the beet and goat cheese salad. It is well known that I love both beets and goat cheese to death, so naturally I licked the plate clean. My friends both also enjoyed the Soup Du Jour, which was a creamed cauliflower soup and the Frisée salad, which is a chopped lettuce salad with warm bacon dressing, poached egg & toasted pieces. Though the Frisée salad isn’t exactly my speed, but it was quite delicious. Don’t order if you’re not into bacon, but who doesn’t like bacon?!?! Besides Samuel L. Jackson’s character Jules in Pulp Fiction, that is. The soup was also excellent, but clearly not a calorie saver. But you probably shouldn’t be dining here if you are concerned about those things.
When we were reviewing our main course choices with the waiter, I was surprised to hear such a resounding recommendation for the chicken. I personally, 99.9% of the time, never order chicken when I go out to a nice dinner. I pretty much just consider chicken exclusively to be a salad topping, like cucumbers or shredded carrots. But this chicken, topped with a lobster sauce, was so different. It was my favorite. We also partook in the Lamb Osso Bucco, and it was savory and superb. Then there was the Pork Tenderloin, and that was my favorite. Each bite I took of each of the main courses totally swayed my opinion of what was the taste of the town. They were all phenomenal, and definitely warmed my appetite for a return trip.
Desserts were just as unbelievable but in this case, there was a clear winner for me. We sampled the chocolate bread pudding, hazelnut & almond mousse cake, and some sort of pear tart deliciousness: it was gorgeous, scrumptious, delightful and delectable. Oh, and don’t expect to get skim milk with your coffee. I have come to expect this at French restaurants. I don’t even know why I keep asking.
The Service
Timing was perfect. The staff was available but didn’t hover, which is a big thing for me. They even offered to take my coat, which you don’t find too much anymore. Also, one of the wine glasses at our table was a bit dirty, and one of the staff just whisked it away and immediately replaced it without fuss or distraction. Our waiter even shared a glass of wine with us at the end of our meal (we brought our own for a corkage).
The Bathroom
I waited until the end of the meal to visit the restroom. Since everything was so enjoyable thus far, I was nervous this would make or break my overall rating. They supplied a waiting chair outside both the ladies and the men’s rooms, which I rather appreciated, even though I didn’t use. They also had a chair in the ladies room to place your purse on, which I also appreciate. The décor wasn’t setting the world on fire, but it was clean and pleasant.
*************
In a spoonful, Fringale means “the urge to eat” and I second that with “the urge to return.” This place was near flawless, and I enjoyed every minute of it. But I wouldn’t want to go all the time. Some gems are meant to stay as special treats. And this one is about as special as they get.
Yip gives it 5 spoons.
Cuisine: French
Neighborhood: SoMa
Since I started writing this blog, people often tell me that they don’t want me to know about their favorite places for fear that I will go and report back with some horrible experience. Some, however, are up to the challenge, and thus I found myself at “a lovely neighborhood place” with a couple of friends that enjoy the overall restaurant experience as much as I do.
The Scene
When you walk up, look closely at the beautifully crafted “F” on the door, a special touch. When you enter, notice the little bowl of match books, another special touch my faithful readers know I enjoy. The restaurant is pretty small, no more than 20 or so tables, so it’s not a place for groups. The seating can feel a bit crowded, but you hardly notice once get settled in. The décor is simple and comfortable. They do have some strange background music that I didn’t even really notice until near the end of the meal, but it doesn’t exactly match. That being said, it doesn’t detract either. I was thinking that some French jazz would be perfect.
The Menu
I don’t often find myself in a position where it is nearly impossible to make a choice because all the items on the menu sound so delicious. Fringale has a great variety and several choices. Prepare yourself, as this place is a bit pricey, and I can’t believe my dining companions use this as their little “neighborhood place” for dinner on a random Tuesday night. Lucky me, I was here for SF’s Dine About Town and they had more than a few mouth-watering choices on this more affordable version of their menu. But it would be a perfect celebration spot for your next occasion, since that deal won’t be around for long.
The Food
I started with one of the special apps: the beet and goat cheese salad. It is well known that I love both beets and goat cheese to death, so naturally I licked the plate clean. My friends both also enjoyed the Soup Du Jour, which was a creamed cauliflower soup and the Frisée salad, which is a chopped lettuce salad with warm bacon dressing, poached egg & toasted pieces. Though the Frisée salad isn’t exactly my speed, but it was quite delicious. Don’t order if you’re not into bacon, but who doesn’t like bacon?!?! Besides Samuel L. Jackson’s character Jules in Pulp Fiction, that is. The soup was also excellent, but clearly not a calorie saver. But you probably shouldn’t be dining here if you are concerned about those things.
When we were reviewing our main course choices with the waiter, I was surprised to hear such a resounding recommendation for the chicken. I personally, 99.9% of the time, never order chicken when I go out to a nice dinner. I pretty much just consider chicken exclusively to be a salad topping, like cucumbers or shredded carrots. But this chicken, topped with a lobster sauce, was so different. It was my favorite. We also partook in the Lamb Osso Bucco, and it was savory and superb. Then there was the Pork Tenderloin, and that was my favorite. Each bite I took of each of the main courses totally swayed my opinion of what was the taste of the town. They were all phenomenal, and definitely warmed my appetite for a return trip.
Desserts were just as unbelievable but in this case, there was a clear winner for me. We sampled the chocolate bread pudding, hazelnut & almond mousse cake, and some sort of pear tart deliciousness: it was gorgeous, scrumptious, delightful and delectable. Oh, and don’t expect to get skim milk with your coffee. I have come to expect this at French restaurants. I don’t even know why I keep asking.
The Service
Timing was perfect. The staff was available but didn’t hover, which is a big thing for me. They even offered to take my coat, which you don’t find too much anymore. Also, one of the wine glasses at our table was a bit dirty, and one of the staff just whisked it away and immediately replaced it without fuss or distraction. Our waiter even shared a glass of wine with us at the end of our meal (we brought our own for a corkage).
The Bathroom
I waited until the end of the meal to visit the restroom. Since everything was so enjoyable thus far, I was nervous this would make or break my overall rating. They supplied a waiting chair outside both the ladies and the men’s rooms, which I rather appreciated, even though I didn’t use. They also had a chair in the ladies room to place your purse on, which I also appreciate. The décor wasn’t setting the world on fire, but it was clean and pleasant.
*************
In a spoonful, Fringale means “the urge to eat” and I second that with “the urge to return.” This place was near flawless, and I enjoyed every minute of it. But I wouldn’t want to go all the time. Some gems are meant to stay as special treats. And this one is about as special as they get.
Yip gives it 5 spoons.
posted by SoCalATA at 9:13 PM
1 Comments:
My Sugar Bear and I had much the same wonderful experience at Fringale all the way around! Your review is SOO right on the money!
Post a Comment
<< Home