The room is beautiful. Soaring
gilded ceilings, tables polished to a
gleaming shine, vintage poster artwork,
plush comfy velvet booths. It’s the
kind of place that begs you to linger
over a bottle of wine and a sumptuous
meal.
Too bad the menu is so hit
and miss, then. The hits are wonderful
– the soupe du jour was a rich mushroom
bisque sparkling with white truffle oil.
Steamed mussels were garlicky and fresh,
and the accompanying pommes frites were
just right. Salmon was perfectly cooked
and served with a flavorful sauce and
crisply cooked vegetables.
The misses are disappointing
and difficult to predict. The polenta
soufflé with mushrooms and cambozola sounded
promising, but turned out heavy and graceless.
Snapper was somehow bland and gelatinous.
The warm chocolate cake -- wasn’t...
On the bright side, the
wine list was beautiful and included many
boutique and small production wineries
that do not distribute outside California.
Service is friendly and attentive. I’d
go back for the beautiful atmosphere,
the mussels, and the wine list. And really,
what else do you need? (december 2000)
Entrées range from $14 to
$25
Appetizers range from $7 to $14
501 Geary Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415.292.0101
http://grandcafe.citysearch.com/
