We enjoyed a Friday night dinner with our friends Kat and Jon. They made reservations at a restaurant close to their apartment in Russian Hill, Frascati.
The atmosphere of the restaurant was bustling yet quaint and a good place for a romantic dinner or a small intimate group. We had a table upstairs which has a low ceiling but was nice as it seemed more private than downstairs.
For an appetizer, I ordered the Bison carpaccio. The meat was very thinly sliced albeit maybe a bit too thin. It was hard to pick up the slices as it would break apart very easily. A very nice presentation.
For the main course, I ordered the duck breast with herb spactzle, arugula, hearts of palm, scallions, and huckleberry sauce. Kat ordered the same thing and with first bite, we both tasted an odd “liver-like” flavor. We asked our waiter about how it was prepared and all he could tell us is that it was marinated in lemon juice for 2 days and would check with the chef. He came back telling us that there was no liver in the sauce… the chef probably thought we were crazy. The duck breast with the crispy skin on it was the best piece.
Ron had the striped bass. I only had a small bite and from what I tasted, I didn’t really enjoy it, it had the taste of the ocean still.
Although the restaurant has a nice atmosphere, the food wasn’t spectacular and a bit on the expensive side. It probably doesn’t help that it’s in Russian Hill and on the cable car line, so maybe a bit touristy. We shared one bottle of wine and it was $100 for each couple for dinner.
I’m glad we went though since we found a few other restaurants on the same street that we’d like to try. Plus there was a Swensen’s ice cream shop up the street where we bought some dessert.
Afterwards we went to their apartment for ice cream and brownies. Kat has a great way of making brownies in a cupcake/muffin pan so that they are individual servings AND the entire edge is crunchy and chewy! No need for me to buy that Edge Brownie Pan I keep on seeing on Amazon. She also puts a chocolate non pareil in the center of each brownie so the center comes out nice and gooey. Can’t wait to try this out for my next set of brownies….
Frascati
1901 Hyde Street (at Green)