La Scene
Mar 21, 2003 | 10:00 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wayne, PA, PHL-US Chairman's Preferred
Posts: 1,214
La Scene
My first night and San Francisco, and I should have known better when they had a schill outside promoting the menu. I had read good reviews of La Scene and went for an early supper this evening with a co-worker.
He had the fixed-price menu and I ordered a few light dishes. My friend's "roasted beet" salad was basically pickled beets and some greens. Not truly roasted beets. The scallops looked like shark cookies rather than real scallops. They were about the size of a quarter with a couple being nickle size. The sauce was too sweet.
I ordered escargot. It was fine, the right amount of garlic. The calamari was the worst I've ever had. Worse than the Olive Garden's and worse than Applebees. It was over breaded and over fried.
When the waitress came and asked how every thing was I told her that the calimari was over cooked. She shrugged and walked away. This seems to be indicative of the service.
When we arrived the dinning room was empty, but we were chastised for not making a reservation. Okay, it's Friday, I understand. But, the entire time we were there only one two other tables were filled.
One of the tables had two ladies who were on their way to the theatre. They explained that they wanted to share their appetizers. (They also ordered individual main courses.) Instead of splitting the food for them they were brought extra plates and had to do it themselves. The wait staff made it plain that this was an imposition.
On my last trip to SF my wife and I went to John's Grill. We wanted to share the porterhouse an appetizer and a salad. They split everything for us and were very pleasant about it.
On the whole I recommend skipping La Scene.
He had the fixed-price menu and I ordered a few light dishes. My friend's "roasted beet" salad was basically pickled beets and some greens. Not truly roasted beets. The scallops looked like shark cookies rather than real scallops. They were about the size of a quarter with a couple being nickle size. The sauce was too sweet.
I ordered escargot. It was fine, the right amount of garlic. The calamari was the worst I've ever had. Worse than the Olive Garden's and worse than Applebees. It was over breaded and over fried.
When the waitress came and asked how every thing was I told her that the calimari was over cooked. She shrugged and walked away. This seems to be indicative of the service.
When we arrived the dinning room was empty, but we were chastised for not making a reservation. Okay, it's Friday, I understand. But, the entire time we were there only one two other tables were filled.
One of the tables had two ladies who were on their way to the theatre. They explained that they wanted to share their appetizers. (They also ordered individual main courses.) Instead of splitting the food for them they were brought extra plates and had to do it themselves. The wait staff made it plain that this was an imposition.
On my last trip to SF my wife and I went to John's Grill. We wanted to share the porterhouse an appetizer and a salad. They split everything for us and were very pleasant about it.
On the whole I recommend skipping La Scene.
Mar 22, 2003 | 5:40 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: San Francisco, CA, USA
Posts: 437
This restaurant is usually busy only because it is near the theater district. I agree - this restaurant is bad by SF standards. Next time I can recommend other restaurants that will leave you with a good feeling!
Mar 31, 2003 | 8:20 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Wayne, PA, PHL-US Chairman's Preferred
Posts: 1,214
Agreed. I was amazed that it had gotten decent reviews in some local publications.
A much better experience in the same area was Fino at the Andrews Hotel (where I stayed). The gnocchi with a gorgonzola sauce was excellent and the service was great.
A much better experience in the same area was Fino at the Andrews Hotel (where I stayed). The gnocchi with a gorgonzola sauce was excellent and the service was great.
Apr 5, 2003 | 11:00 pm
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: San Francisco
Programs: American Airlines Platinum Pro
Posts: 3,412
If this restaurant's food and service are half as bad as the above indicates, might I suggest that someone take the liberty to click on the "Scene" link above and use the FT email function to send the owners of this little horror shop this thread.
Apr 5, 2003 | 11:56 pm
#5
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: PPSP. Yeah, I'm the bartender at that fancy 5-Star that forgot you said no salt on your freakin' frozen margarita. Listen up people! NO FROZEN DRINKS!
Posts: 2,022
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by RS:
If this restaurant's food and service are half as bad as the above indicates, might I suggest that someone take the liberty to click on the "Scene" link above and use the FT email function to send the owners of this little horror shop this thread.</font>
If this restaurant's food and service are half as bad as the above indicates, might I suggest that someone take the liberty to click on the "Scene" link above and use the FT email function to send the owners of this little horror shop this thread.</font>
Joe
------------------
"Ummm... just decaf for me, please."
Apr 7, 2003 | 5:19 pm
#7
Join Date: Dec 2000
Location: PPSP. Yeah, I'm the bartender at that fancy 5-Star that forgot you said no salt on your freakin' frozen margarita. Listen up people! NO FROZEN DRINKS!
Posts: 2,022
Beautiful Feet, Have you tried Caf Jacqueline?
A wonderful, souffl restaurant. Yes, almost her entire menu is made up of various souffls with the exception being a few non-souffl appetizers. A ceasar salad, I think, and a corn soup, at the time I visited. They were both tasty and just the right size. The souffls we ordered were 1) corn and 2)cheese. Both were delicious and not too huge, but not at all small. (I wish I could remember the prices! I do remember it not being unreasonable, though.) Something interesting, and actually fun, was that we had to order our dessert souffl when we ordered our entre. We shared a chocolate souffl for dessert. It was delish. I had heard that the Grand Marnier souffl is to die for but I don't eat foods with alcohol in them. With a larger group(there were only two of us) I would have ordered another dessert as well.
The room is beautiful and romantic with a high ceiling and is in the storefront of an old SF-North-Beach-style building. The tablecloths were crisp, white cotton on simple wooden tables with plain wooden chairs. Very french kind of feeling to me... Just two beautiful, large vases of simple flowers sitting on a 1/2 wall that seperated the dining room from the waiters station. Then the kitchen is behind a large open wall/door. You must walk through the kitchen to get to the restroom in typical Big-City, Small-Restaurant style. The two waiters pretty much double-team the tables. I do remember the cute, gay one spending a teensy bit more time at our table. Hahaha. The Caf wasn't at all pretentious. My "date" was my same-age female cousin who is not, well, she's not that well traveled, shall we say. She was very comfortable and loved the place. The wine list was simple. Nothing too fancy, I recall.
A restroom visit is a must so that you can see Madame Jacqueline making the souffls. (You can also see easily into the kitchen, anyway, by looking over the 1/2 wall.) Mme is about 4'10" tall, her white/grey hair in a bun. This is a one-woman kitchen ... which explains why you must be patient with dinner. (Our meal lasted 3 hours! I have known people who were able to rush through in an hour). Her steel work-table shimmies back and forth, back and forth, as the mixer never stops. Please stop, watch and give her a kind word on your way back from the restroom. When I told her that I was a waiter for a competitor she graciously fit us in on a Saturday night, even though I only called the day before. Very nice since I RARELY get a Saturday night off.
Well, I guess this became more of a "review" than a suggestion but there you go. I would definitly return, though I am waiting to make it a date night.
(Hint, Hint)
Joe
Cafe Jacqueline
1454 Grant Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-981-5565
------------------
"Ummm... just decaf for me, please."
A wonderful, souffl restaurant. Yes, almost her entire menu is made up of various souffls with the exception being a few non-souffl appetizers. A ceasar salad, I think, and a corn soup, at the time I visited. They were both tasty and just the right size. The souffls we ordered were 1) corn and 2)cheese. Both were delicious and not too huge, but not at all small. (I wish I could remember the prices! I do remember it not being unreasonable, though.) Something interesting, and actually fun, was that we had to order our dessert souffl when we ordered our entre. We shared a chocolate souffl for dessert. It was delish. I had heard that the Grand Marnier souffl is to die for but I don't eat foods with alcohol in them. With a larger group(there were only two of us) I would have ordered another dessert as well.
The room is beautiful and romantic with a high ceiling and is in the storefront of an old SF-North-Beach-style building. The tablecloths were crisp, white cotton on simple wooden tables with plain wooden chairs. Very french kind of feeling to me... Just two beautiful, large vases of simple flowers sitting on a 1/2 wall that seperated the dining room from the waiters station. Then the kitchen is behind a large open wall/door. You must walk through the kitchen to get to the restroom in typical Big-City, Small-Restaurant style. The two waiters pretty much double-team the tables. I do remember the cute, gay one spending a teensy bit more time at our table. Hahaha. The Caf wasn't at all pretentious. My "date" was my same-age female cousin who is not, well, she's not that well traveled, shall we say. She was very comfortable and loved the place. The wine list was simple. Nothing too fancy, I recall.
A restroom visit is a must so that you can see Madame Jacqueline making the souffls. (You can also see easily into the kitchen, anyway, by looking over the 1/2 wall.) Mme is about 4'10" tall, her white/grey hair in a bun. This is a one-woman kitchen ... which explains why you must be patient with dinner. (Our meal lasted 3 hours! I have known people who were able to rush through in an hour). Her steel work-table shimmies back and forth, back and forth, as the mixer never stops. Please stop, watch and give her a kind word on your way back from the restroom. When I told her that I was a waiter for a competitor she graciously fit us in on a Saturday night, even though I only called the day before. Very nice since I RARELY get a Saturday night off.
Well, I guess this became more of a "review" than a suggestion but there you go. I would definitly return, though I am waiting to make it a date night.
(Hint, Hint)
Joe
Cafe Jacqueline
1454 Grant Ave.
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-981-5565
------------------
"Ummm... just decaf for me, please."