No this is not a politically motivated speech. Nor a lecture on economic outlook. Rather my recent experience at a supposedly highbrow restaurant in San Francisco. Part of the Michael Mina group - for someone not familiar with the name - a migrant to America who made it big cooking up meals with spices of the east and soon partnered with the business savvy of a famous tennis star to crank out a chain of high end eateries in the USA.
This establishment is named RN74. Starting with its name it tries to alienate someone trying to first figure out that they serve food. Isn't that the main idea? Apparently not. In summary I found this place to be an expensive bar with some food on the side. Literally and figuratively (as in when the check arrives).
So I did some digging before visiting. Let me back up. For someone who has known me to have a pre-conceived wariness of anything highbrow why did I go? It was a business dinner to celebrate something or the other. So the company was enjoyable but for my money the place not.
So back to why the odd name. Apparently the name is for a former road linking vineyards in the Burgundy region of France and the restaurant stocks their fermented grape juice in bulk. To me wines is a subject I know next to nothing about and my palate for one is even more incorrigible to understand the vanilla and nutty flavors on the finish.
So I veered closer to the states but not able to escape the French connection got a bourbon and bitters cocktail named after a druggist who invented it in New Orleans (former French colony) many moons ago.
As to the dim view, one can gather from the picture above that the establishment marketed as a restaurant offering French fare was rather dimly lit. I cannot read the menu and more importantly (if it is my money) see what anything costs. All crafty when it comes to trying to get the patrons to part with their cash.
Add to it wines from the Burgundy region and some folks do not even realize when they got robbed.
The food as I said was more an after thought from someone who touts to have won the other snobbish French award called a Michelin star. Not RN74 but it tries to ride the coattails of the eponymous Mina restaurant that at one point had won some.
I ordered (of course something French sounding) a soup advertised to have a white fish - that evening they were out - so with scallops instead - assembled at the table. The Bouillabaisse is a dish from the south of France - this one definitely had good flavor but for my liking was not filling enough. Herb infused broth like soup with very little protein. I for one am not watching my waist.
Finally I had to end on a sweet note and found that what I had seen on the online menu (much easy to read) was not to be had that night. We are out. Twice? High end? So ended up with a Mont Blanc. Not the pen but a burnt walnut flavor ice cream which was surprisingly a new and great taste but came hidden in what looked like a papadam gone crazy.
This establishment is named RN74. Starting with its name it tries to alienate someone trying to first figure out that they serve food. Isn't that the main idea? Apparently not. In summary I found this place to be an expensive bar with some food on the side. Literally and figuratively (as in when the check arrives).
So I did some digging before visiting. Let me back up. For someone who has known me to have a pre-conceived wariness of anything highbrow why did I go? It was a business dinner to celebrate something or the other. So the company was enjoyable but for my money the place not.
So back to why the odd name. Apparently the name is for a former road linking vineyards in the Burgundy region of France and the restaurant stocks their fermented grape juice in bulk. To me wines is a subject I know next to nothing about and my palate for one is even more incorrigible to understand the vanilla and nutty flavors on the finish.
So I veered closer to the states but not able to escape the French connection got a bourbon and bitters cocktail named after a druggist who invented it in New Orleans (former French colony) many moons ago.
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| Sazerac |
As to the dim view, one can gather from the picture above that the establishment marketed as a restaurant offering French fare was rather dimly lit. I cannot read the menu and more importantly (if it is my money) see what anything costs. All crafty when it comes to trying to get the patrons to part with their cash.
Add to it wines from the Burgundy region and some folks do not even realize when they got robbed.
The food as I said was more an after thought from someone who touts to have won the other snobbish French award called a Michelin star. Not RN74 but it tries to ride the coattails of the eponymous Mina restaurant that at one point had won some.
I ordered (of course something French sounding) a soup advertised to have a white fish - that evening they were out - so with scallops instead - assembled at the table. The Bouillabaisse is a dish from the south of France - this one definitely had good flavor but for my liking was not filling enough. Herb infused broth like soup with very little protein. I for one am not watching my waist.
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| Image enhanced to find the protein floating in the broth |
Finally I had to end on a sweet note and found that what I had seen on the online menu (much easy to read) was not to be had that night. We are out. Twice? High end? So ended up with a Mont Blanc. Not the pen but a burnt walnut flavor ice cream which was surprisingly a new and great taste but came hidden in what looked like a papadam gone crazy.
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