Yip on Frisson
Frisson * 244 Jackson St @ Battery * San Francisco, CA 94111 * (415) 956-3004
Cuisine: American / French
Neighborhood: Financial District
The Scene
The main dining room feels like something out of a 1960s movie. Think tweed, orange and funky lighting. It’s almost like there shouldn’t be tables, just floor pillows and a mattress floor like in the Playboy mansion. Only it feels cool and hip, not sleazy and full of Viagra. There's an outdoor heated garden patio, dim downstairs lounge, and three private rooms with a chef's table, a garden view or cinema setup.
The Menu
We went for Dine About Town and all three of us had choices from the special menu. I have been here a few times before (they often have a price fix menu) and felt confident not ordering off the main menu. We started with different apps: crab and lobster bisque and a mushroom and eggplant tart. We all had sole with sautéed spinach and fingerling potatoes. And dessert was a chocolate mouse all around. I was also excited because I had recently won a bottle of Cakebread Zinfandel at a wine party and brought it along for corkage with our meal, even though they have a great wine list and are really know for all of their specialty cocktails.
The Food
We all agreed out apps were very good. And the potatoes and spinach with the fish were some of the most delicious vegetables we have ever had. But the fish, well … it’s not ok for the main course to fall flat. It was not presented nicely on the plate and was basically tasteless. A girl from LA likes nothing less (except maybe bad plastic surgery – thank you Tara Reid for getting that under control) than consuming calories that aren’t worth every delicious bite. Dessert was acceptable but our waitress never came back to ask if we wanted coffee or after dinner drinks. More to come on her participation or lack there of in our overall experience …
The Service
Things started off great. They tried to give us a table that I found to be less than desirable, and the hostess picked up on it right away even before we sat down and asked if we wanted a different table. Love it. Anticipate and handle critical situations – a skill all waitstaff need a lesson in. Unfortunately, the waitress didn’t get this training. When we all ordered from the fixed price menu, the dinning torture began. I felt a little like we were being treated like we were paying with a coupon. She insisted we order our dessert choices upfront – like it wasn’t going to be ok if post main course I decided I wanted the cheese instead of the chocolate cake. And along with that, she never came back to see if we wanted coffee when the dessert arrived. They have runners that bring the food to the table, so I don’t honestly remember seeing much of her for the rest of the night. We were constantly filling our own wine glasses and waiting a considerable amount of time between courses. Service really needs some help here. At the end of the night I was looking for the manager to give him a piece of my mind and he was nowhere to be found either. I guess that says it all.
The Bathroom
Now, this is actually the fun part of this place. It’s hidden downstairs and is surprisingly co-ed. There is a long shared trough sink in the center of the room, and stalls along the outside walls. One huge mirror on the back wall for your makeup reapplication, though the light is pretty dim so don’t pull a Bridget Jones and get your eye shadow on your cheeks by mistake. An insider’s tip is that when a stall is occupied, a red light turns on atop the stall. Be careful of the sinks because for some reason the water seems to go everywhere.
*************
In a spoonful, you should plan to come just for the exquisite and exotically flavored cocktails. But even their apps at the bar fall flat to expectations for after work happy hour or a late night nosh (the bar stays open until 2am). The scene is totally hip and cool and the bathroom is worth a visit. I’d suggest stopping here for a drink to soak up the scene and the beautiful people, and then head next door to Kokkari for dinner you can expect to please you every time.
Yip gives it 2 spoons.
Cuisine: American / French
Neighborhood: Financial District
The Scene
The main dining room feels like something out of a 1960s movie. Think tweed, orange and funky lighting. It’s almost like there shouldn’t be tables, just floor pillows and a mattress floor like in the Playboy mansion. Only it feels cool and hip, not sleazy and full of Viagra. There's an outdoor heated garden patio, dim downstairs lounge, and three private rooms with a chef's table, a garden view or cinema setup.
The Menu
We went for Dine About Town and all three of us had choices from the special menu. I have been here a few times before (they often have a price fix menu) and felt confident not ordering off the main menu. We started with different apps: crab and lobster bisque and a mushroom and eggplant tart. We all had sole with sautéed spinach and fingerling potatoes. And dessert was a chocolate mouse all around. I was also excited because I had recently won a bottle of Cakebread Zinfandel at a wine party and brought it along for corkage with our meal, even though they have a great wine list and are really know for all of their specialty cocktails.
The Food
We all agreed out apps were very good. And the potatoes and spinach with the fish were some of the most delicious vegetables we have ever had. But the fish, well … it’s not ok for the main course to fall flat. It was not presented nicely on the plate and was basically tasteless. A girl from LA likes nothing less (except maybe bad plastic surgery – thank you Tara Reid for getting that under control) than consuming calories that aren’t worth every delicious bite. Dessert was acceptable but our waitress never came back to ask if we wanted coffee or after dinner drinks. More to come on her participation or lack there of in our overall experience …
The Service
Things started off great. They tried to give us a table that I found to be less than desirable, and the hostess picked up on it right away even before we sat down and asked if we wanted a different table. Love it. Anticipate and handle critical situations – a skill all waitstaff need a lesson in. Unfortunately, the waitress didn’t get this training. When we all ordered from the fixed price menu, the dinning torture began. I felt a little like we were being treated like we were paying with a coupon. She insisted we order our dessert choices upfront – like it wasn’t going to be ok if post main course I decided I wanted the cheese instead of the chocolate cake. And along with that, she never came back to see if we wanted coffee when the dessert arrived. They have runners that bring the food to the table, so I don’t honestly remember seeing much of her for the rest of the night. We were constantly filling our own wine glasses and waiting a considerable amount of time between courses. Service really needs some help here. At the end of the night I was looking for the manager to give him a piece of my mind and he was nowhere to be found either. I guess that says it all.
The Bathroom
Now, this is actually the fun part of this place. It’s hidden downstairs and is surprisingly co-ed. There is a long shared trough sink in the center of the room, and stalls along the outside walls. One huge mirror on the back wall for your makeup reapplication, though the light is pretty dim so don’t pull a Bridget Jones and get your eye shadow on your cheeks by mistake. An insider’s tip is that when a stall is occupied, a red light turns on atop the stall. Be careful of the sinks because for some reason the water seems to go everywhere.
*************
In a spoonful, you should plan to come just for the exquisite and exotically flavored cocktails. But even their apps at the bar fall flat to expectations for after work happy hour or a late night nosh (the bar stays open until 2am). The scene is totally hip and cool and the bathroom is worth a visit. I’d suggest stopping here for a drink to soak up the scene and the beautiful people, and then head next door to Kokkari for dinner you can expect to please you every time.
Yip gives it 2 spoons.
posted by SoCalATA at 4:36 PM
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