Mourad Restaurant

Absolutely delicious. Like a fancy Aziza downtown. Slightly less Moroccan, but the menu will be familiar to Aziza veterans.
Not busy at lunch, which is nice.
At dinner you can order a la carte or go all out for the 12 course tasting.

The food here was delicious! Everything we tried was excellent. I am already looking forward to going back.
We came here with a group of friends and were able to take advantage of the family style options. We were advised that for a group of 6 we should get 4 – 5 appetizers and then 2 of the la’acha family style options, which automatically come with a bunch of sides.
Appetizers:
— Eggplant prepared 3 ways (none of which resemble flatbread despite my impression based on the menu) — good flavors
— basteeya — a nutty duck rolled in a large phyllo pastry — my favorite of the appetizers
— chicken wings — nothing like chicken wings but tasty with a sweet topping
— octopus with a merguez broth (didn’t try this)
Entrees:
— short rib — this was amazing. Braised for 72 hours, it is incredibly soft, and so tasty.
— snapper — comes as a whole fish that’s deboned and stuffed wth kale and red charmoula — very good although be sure to get some of the stuffing and the fish –as its not evenly spread out!
These la’acha entrees take 30 – 40 minutes to prepare, but come out with some awesome sides including a buttery couscous, beans that are covered in a feta cheese mousse and a crumble (and looks a bit like a yogurt parfait), kale (so flavorful in an olive and citrus broth), and potatoes, which were perfect for the charmoula and harissa sauces that they serve with the meal.
Décor is beautiful — I especially love the driftwood display in the entry way, and the white and black Moroccan floor tiles. There’s a long bar as well which might be a good option for another night.
Service started off really slow — it took awhile for anyone to stop by and offer us water, another while before anyone came to talk to us about the menu/​take our order, and it was easily an hour before we finally got our first bottle of wine. But the server gave us fantastic food suggestions so I can’t complain.
All in all, we had a delicious meal. Along with two bottles of wine, the total ended up about $ 120 a person pre tip.

The first surprise was the décor. Being (new) Moroccan food, I was expecting the vibe to be dark and opulent, but it’s actually kind of stark and minimalist. The one warmth is the front lounge and the huge tree root art piece. Impressive.
The food is all pretty modern, sophisticated and perfectly executed. And yet really comforting and satisfying. Definitely umami and delicious.
Very knowledgeable and professional staff. Training must be tough.
A great experience all around. I want to go back…

best cocktails inside a restaurant in San Francisco hands down!
always creative, tasty and fun.
Food is great as well. Just note that the Morrocan style dinner is a huge portion feeding up to 4 people on a medium appetite.
Great staff and ambience!

Love, love, love– Mourad is one of the favorite restaurants I’ve been to in a while. The ambiance is very modern, but with a sleek/​romantic/​sexy vibe if that makes sense. The BFF and I came for our birthday dinner tradition– instead of purchasing a gift, we take each other to a fancy dinner twice a year. We were sat in the upstairs loft, which was perfect since it wasn’t a loud as the downstairs area. We were on the side with the kitchen, so we could look down and watch the chefs cooking– I’d highly recommend requesting a table with a view! We opted for the Tasting Menu ($ 150/​person), which, at the time (March 2014 I believe), was the below:
–Snacks (
): The oysters and the puff were the favorites.
–Caviar (Smoked Brioche, Maple, Almond,
): Amazing and I could’ve eaten 3 of these.
–Asparagus (Green Strawberry, Cucumber,
): Interesting, and very fresh/​clean tasting.
–Salmon (Peas, Horseradish, Soubise,
): The salmon was seasoned well and perfectly cooked.
–Egg Yolk (Charmoula, Cumin, Quinoa

): Just ok for me– the quinoa texture was still a bit crunchy, and I wasn’t a fan of the soup.
–Snack (Mini Duck Confit Basteeya,
): This was an amazing bite, and you get good umami flavor.
–Radish (Calcots, Harissa, Sweet Herbs,
): Very refreshing.
–Short Rib (Pepper Jam, Fava Bean,
): Yum– perfectly cooked and very tender.
–Couscous (Blossoms, Brown Butter,
): I loved the aroma of the brown butter, but the couscous could have used more seasoning. They also give you a huge portion, and I couldn’t finish it all.
–Rose (Beet, Rhubarb,
): Not my favorite since I’m not a big fan of rose flavored food.
–Honey & Almond (Beeswax, Granita,
): Yum, this was good.
–Mint Tea (
): This was a good mint tea, and a nice ending to a great meal.
–Mignardises (
): Some items were better than others, but I loved the variety.
–Melissa’s Granola (
,
): They give this to you in a small tin container to take home, which I was grateful for since I was so full from the rest of the meal! I thoroughly enjoyed the granola the next day, which was AMAZING– it was the perfect combination of ingredients and sweetness.
We also tried some of their cocktails (
), but we weren’t a big fan of the flavors. We would prefer the traditional mixed drinks versus the specialty cocktails.
Service was amazing here, and our server was super accommodating and professional, and it just added to our wonderful experience. We will definitely be back to Mourad, and hopefully sooner rather than later! Parking around this area can be challenging, but metered street parking spots are available.

Oh maan, what a gratifying experience! This spot has been on my radar for a while, with its stylish take on Moroccan cuisine.
They are definitely accommodating to groups and they even showcase a separate menu of different family style dishes. Both of the family style dishes that we ordered, the short rib and the duck, were pretty scrumptious and well prepared. Portions were generous.
Even the side dishes and sauces were surprisingly good!
Order the chicken wings appetizer (squash, pomegranate, gooseberry, harissa, buckwheat) and if you’re a chocolate enthusiast, you should order it (it’s called just ‘Chocolate’ on the menu here, btw).
In addition to the flavorful food, I really appreciated the service and chic venue.
+ UNIQUE cocktail menu

Incredibly disappointing. I’d really been looking forward to coming here.
Service — 1 star
We got our menus, got a runthrough of the menu, ordered a couple of the «snacks» and then waited. and waited. and waited. 20 – 30 minutes later they took our actual meal order. No apologies. The waiter tried to spin it as if we’d just wanted the snacks. We weren’t at the bar bud, nice attempt though though.
Our waters we’re continually empty. (Which could actually be in part because the water glasses are very small?)
Food — 2 stars
I don’t even want to leave this many stars. It wasnt good.
Almonds: nasty. wrong mix of sugar and savory. They just flat out weren’t good.
Deviled Eggs: for some reason they come 3 halves to a plate. Overstuffed and WAY TOO SALTY. Like, I’m going to puke salty.
Lamb tartare — best thing we ordered. Correctly sized portion. Tasted ok.
Basteeya (basically a big egg roll stuffed with duck): totally mediocre. This is a smallish appetizer disguised as a main course. The dough was flakey and nice but the duck was ruined. Took perfectly good duck and wasted it. I couldve grabbed an empanada from any random place for $ 5 and had it be better than this.
We skipped dessert because we just wanted to get out at that point.
The décor isn’t bad. It feels pretty generic business restaurant type. No draw there either.
Again, incredibly disappointed. blehk.

Très bon dîner chez Mourad. Né vous attendez pas à un resto marocain comme on peut les connaître en France, c’est plutôt d’une fusion maroco-​californienne qu’il s’agit ici, et il faut vraiment bien chercher dans la (pourtant courte) carte pour trouver la trace d’un couscous.
On a pris un des «la’ acha» qui sont présentés comme des plats marocains complets traditionnels, avec viande, légumes et sauces. Celui au poulet est présenté comme étant pour 2, mais c’est pantagruélique et rassasiera au moins 3 personnes, voire 4 si vous attaquez par des entrées. Heureusement le doggy bag est proposé spontanément !
Service discret et agréable; quant aux prix, on s’en est tirés pour moins de 100 dollars par personne tout compris, ce qui pour la qualité de l’assiette, l’ambiance cosy et le poids du doggy bag à la fin, me semble très justifié à SF. Allez-​y !

Mourad, I have had my eye on you for awhile now. Having been a fan of Mourad Lahlouh since 2002 when I tried Aziza for the first time, long before Moroccan food became trendy, I cannot help but reminisce about all the beautiful creations I shared with friends and family over many dines there in the past 14 years.
So why did it take me a year to walk through the doors of his newest venture? Possible fear that my expectations would not be met after the bar had been set so high and the hefty price tag that seems to be a common theme among many Unilocalers. That in itself made me so hesitant to choose this place when my friend asked where I wanted to go for my belated birthday dinner. After salivating over the flavors of the menu, she agreed that Mourad would be an excellent choice to try since we like discovering and/​or introducing each other to new restaurants over the years.
While I agree that $ 14 and up for a drink is pricey, the food especially the La’acha Moroccan Family Style Dining including all of the 4 sides was worth every penny.
Drinks: Since my friend was having a cocktail, I got one as well. Everything looked great but I figure for $ 14, I had better try something exotic that I would not find elsewhere. Enter Curry and Milk — Gin, lychee milk (this ultimately clinched it for me), lime, salted pistachio, basil, curry tincture. Not overpowered with curry, you just get a very light hint at the end of your sip. Dare I say, I would spend $ 14 for it again. My friend got the Pina and Nutmeg with rum, lemon, sherry, and pineapple gum which was my other choice that I was debating against. Also good but a bit strong for me.
Food: Now onto the food that I am still thinking about. First part of the menu up to the octopus are small share plates. Couscous to rib eye are individual entrée plates, and the La’acha is the family style dining for 2 and up. I would’ve loved to try the short rib if we had more people since it feeds 4, but since it was only two of us, we went for the snapper with red charmoula and crispy kale for $ 89 which was enough for 3 especially if you got an appetizer.
The chef started us off with some harissa almonds to go with the cocktails. We shared the basteeya for appetizer which is a must at any Moroccan restaurant. The lean shredded duck was a nice contrast in texture to the smooth crème fraiche and the crisp hearts of palm.
The snapper came out deboned but yet keeping its beautiful whole fish shape. With all La’acha options, it comes with all 4 sides (brown butter couscous, citrus kale, duck fat potato, and heirloom beans) and 3 sauces (chimichurri like sauce, charmoula, harissa). OMG, I do not usually like couscous but this one was fluffy and oh so delicious that I wish I had a bowl just for myself. The heirloom beans with crumble was also tasty and you can never go wrong with duck fat potatoes. The kale to me was a bit too salty and muddled with too many flavors so I have to say that was my least favorite. I would not mind trading that in for another couscous. The snapper was so flavorful with the charmoula without being spicy and the stomach was stuffed with mushrooms adding another layer of complexity to an already beautiful dish. Although the chicken our neighbors got look wonderful as well, I have a hard time dropping $ 75 for chicken but no problem getting that snapper again if I find myself here as a party of 2 (cough, Valentine’s Day). I do look forward to coming back with 4 so I can try that short rib though.
Although full, my friend insisted that we at least share a dessert so we went for the light exotic choice which was pineapple that day with a slight hint of cilantro and rum. It was a perfect choice after a heavy meal as it was super light and refreshing without being overly sweet. A mini pistachio cake bite with chocolate ganache compliments of the chef was just a perfect ending to an excellent meal.
Service: Attentive without being intrusive and food was nicely paced giving us time to digest and never feeling rushed. So five stars all around!

Don’t pass up on the La’Acha Moroccan family style dining! Especially if you’re dining out in a group, the La’Acha dishes are HUGE, delicious, and very satisfying.
Mourad is a beautiful restaurant. I had a wonderful experience here with my friend, and we had an amazing dinner. The service was a bit slow, but that was expected because it was a very busy Saturday night.
I wasn’t sure who our waiter or waitress was, but the service was faster nonetheless when we got seated.
To begin with, I ordered the Duck Liver to share with my friend, which was very buttery and delicious.
We shared the La’Acha Chicken next, and didn’t expect to see so many sides and sauces come with it! The couscous was sweet, the kale savory, the potato buttery, and the heirloom beans flavorful. The chicken came in HUGE portions. The two of us eat a lot– but we still weren’t able to finish the dish! We had the dish bagged to go, and I don’t regret taking the leftovers.
Finally, I had the Salted Rose, while my friend had the Black Currant dessert. The Salted Rose was a very interesting (see the photo of it!) and very delicious.
Overall, this place deserves every dollar and star that I give it. A very classy place, and the service is attentive and welcoming. Definitely five stars!

My team at work dressed up as the Sanderson sisters for Halloween. If you don’t know who they are, those are the witches from Hocus Pocus… and because you should know — I was the fat one. We won a fancy lunch as a reward, so what better place to have one of those than Mourad!
Online reservations through OpenTable are easy peasy. There’s not a lot of people who come in here during lunch, so service was fast and attentive.
Naturally we started off with drinks — wine and a «Milk & Curry» cocktail, which was delicious, but very complex. The deviled eggs and avocado toast were great starters. Everything is plated to utter perfection here. Tiny, thin shaved slices of radishes, tiny sprigs of watercress and dots of pastes adorn each plate. Everything looks and tastes like a masterpiece.
The Basteeya duck is inside a pastry like a beef wellington. Except there’s ground almond in there, which reminded me of an almond croissant. It paired so well with the hearts of palm, assorted dots of crème fraîche, and sliced blackberries on the dish.
Don’t forget dessert! The honey & almond dish was our favorite.
I left Mourad so happy and so full. This is a fantastic and beautifully executed restaurant.
Also, co-​ed bathrooms! Just like Ally McBeal! Did I just age myself?

Dinner review.
Duck liver appetizer — ⁵⁄₅
Octopus appetizer — ⁵⁄₅
Scallop entrée — ⁵⁄₅
Ribeye entrée — ⁴⁄₅
Chicken shared entrée — ³⁄₅
Sides — ⁴⁄₅ — Couscous, Kale, Potato, Beans
Black currant dessert — ⁴⁄₅
Overall, amazing appetizers, decent entrees. Definitely want to come back and try the lamb shoulder. «As good as it gets.»

Halloween night, me and the bf were dressed in costume (I had a ketchup dress on and he had a full on mustard costume) and decided to get drinks at the bar before we went out. I was worried we would feel super out of place, but the hostess and bartender assured us we were fine so we happily had a seat and ordered a few drinks. SO GOOD. We had 2 drinks each which were all skillfully crafted with bold flavors that worked really well together. After browsing the dinner menu, we made it a point to come back and try the food.
Fast forward to a month and a half later, bf made reservations here for my birthday dinner. I told him I wanted to sit upstairs overlooking the kitchen, but unfortunately the dining room was reserved for a whole party. Womp, so we ended up sitting in a booth which was fine. We started out with 2 cocktails (WHICH WERE DELISH, but that was expected) and ordered the chicken wings, duck liver, and the family style snapper.
We’ve had the chicken wings at Aziza and loved them, but I think Mourad’s is better! Loved the crunchiness on top and the berries went well with it. The duck liver looked so pretty! There’s a lot of complex flavors going on, and it reminded me of almost a cake (since it was sitting on a nice crust).
The snapper was GORGEOUS and I’m amazed how it’s deboned yet still have it’s shape?! It was cooked beautifully and there was tons of meat, even the fish head! (the best part!) The sauce itself was a little overpowering, I just wish I had plain white rice to eat it all up and soak up the sauce (lol so Asian.). But it went really well with all the sides! The kale, couscous, potatoes, and beans were all equally fantastic. We could only finish half the fish, so we took the rest to go.
Finally, for dessert we ordered the Chocolate. MUST GET. Incredibly light, so the perfect ending to our meal, even though we were stuffed. The chocolate and ginger combination was HEAVEN.
Service was super attentive and friendly, which is expected at a restaurant of this caliber.
Overall, it was a wonderful birthday dinner that exceeded my expectations. I’ll definitely be back!

God, I haven’t Unilocaled in ages! I’m sorry, but life has been a bit hectic okay?!
So I told myself, my comeback review will be a good one.
After intense research on where to go for a special dinner last month, I decided to pick the highly acclaimed/​reviewed Mourad.
Highlights!
–The basteeya is delish! I’m not a duck fan, but man, this one was really good. (Don’t tell my family, they’ll be sooooo judgmental that I ate duck outside our home cooked one)
–The chicken wings was another favorite. Great flavors, and love pomegranate.
–Our seating was awesome. We got a booth that looked at the entire restaurant.
–Our server was really good at giving recommendations. (man friend knew him as usual)
–The oysters were super delish! Cleaned well, and great mignonette.
–Each dish was presented beautifully, just like the restaurant
Low lights
–The drinks were okay. I think with Moroccan spices flavor, its hard to find something that will compliment your dish. Next time, I’ll be bit more adventurous.
–Sometimes, service was a bit slow…
–The kanpachi appetizer was yummy, but not something I would get again.
–I did not get to see chef Mourad. Hmph.
Next time, I hope we get to sit where we can look at the kitchen!
Reservations are a little tough, since this is new and popular.
Kudos to our server bringing out an extra appetizer, since I couldn’t decide which one to get!
I want to eat here forever!

It is so great to be in a city that is full of amazing restaurants and Mourad is right up there with the best. The décor is funky, the service is excellent, but the food is what makes this place work. The space and overall atmosphere were warm and inviting. Greeting from the staff seemed genuine. Small things, such as lighting and tableware were near perfection: simple, polished, sophisticated.
Notables:
~ Kanpachi –avocado, Asian pear, wild rice, ginger beer, finger lime
~ duck liver with walnut, chicory & apple… mmmm
~ Octopus– always interesting for me to try didn’t disappoint
~ Basteeya –duck with blackberry & almonds
To share:
~Lamb shoulder– serves 4 to 6
~short rib
~duck with dates & mandarin, interesting
~chicken in lemon
Each plate was an artist’s delight. the food felt painted on to the canvas of the plate to excite the eyes. But then one bite later and the taste buds were even more excited. Great flavors, not spicy flavors. Thoughtful preparations of complex ingredients. The lamb and the 72 hour ribs were outrageous. And much to my surprise the hit of the evening was the roasted chicken. Also order couscous, scallops, branzino, ribeye… really there is nothing you can order that will disappoint you. Everything is remarkable… from the food to the service.
Everything from the appetizers to the main courses to the desserts were beautifully prepared… and I love eating pretty looking food!
I recommend you spend time on all of the sharing sized plates so that you get as many taste sensations as possible. In a city full of fantastic restaurants Mourad stands out. I love the interesting urban chic space and the energetic energetic vibe of the restaurant and staff. The food, based around Moroccan flavors, is excellent. The combinations of tastes, textures and scents are exciting and unusual. Everything is beautifully presented with great attention to detail. The waiting staff is really knowledgeable about the dishes and can guide people around the menu. Great cocktails, since I am more of a cocktails gal. I was pretty pleased with the choices. Altogether a great dining experience. Perfect place for a big group of friends to gather over good food and drinks. 5 stars!

Wowowowowow! Mourad is definitely my favorite restaurant in San Francisco at the moment.
I have to admit when I first saw the $ 145 price tag on the beef short ribs my reaction was that of disgust. Not another horribly overpriced bougie restaurant!!! I was already committed to going there with a group of girlfriends for a reunion that had been in the making for a month so I decided to just go with it and not complain. This turned out to be an excellent decision!
Let’s start off with the terrific dishes:
1. The $ 145 Beef Short Ribs for Four is a MUST-​ORDER. Don’t be fooled by the photos. Despite looking like a meal for one, the short ribs came with four side dishes and was more than filling. The beef came in generous chunks and was so tender, marbled, and buttery that it reminded me of the amazing A5 Wagyu meal I had in Tokyo earlier this year. I never thought I would be able to taste beef THAT good in the U.S., but Mourad made it happen! The four side dishes were delicious and filling as well, I especially enjoyed the couscous and the potatoes with yogurt sauce.
2. The Basteeya was crisp and stuffed with flavorful duck, blackberry, and hearts of palm with dollops of crème fraîche on the side. I called it my Moroccan puff pastry burrito. This one is also a must-​order in my books.
3. I’m a huge fan of any kind of liver and pâté, and the ducks liver here was excellent. When the waiter set it down on the table, we thought it looked like a slice of glossy mouse cake. Smooth, rich, creamy and enhanced with walnuts, chicory, apples, berberes, and quinces on the side.
4. The curry and milk cocktail blew our minds! A must-​try if you’ve never had a cocktail with curry tincture in it.
5. We loved the chocolate dessert. The honey and almond dessert was a bit more divisive. Half of us enjoyed it, but the other half didn’t.
The only disappointment we had here was the kanpachi. It honestly looked like a little pile of soapsuds on a giant dish, and the fish did not taste all that fresh. I think they best leave sashimi to the real pros at a Japanese joint.

Celebrated a good friend’s big accomplishment here the other night, and absolutely loved it.
Understated exterior accompanied by an unexpected, beautiful, modern interior. The service, as so many others have highlighted, is impeccable. «Attentive and unobtrusive» is a great way to describe it.
The food is adventurous, beautifully plated, and very reasonably priced for the quality and ambiance.
I love that they do family style share plates. I’ll be back with a bigger group for that 72-​hour short rib!

1. Eat with your eyes from the moment you enter. Whoever designed this space is awesome. From the wood ‘wall’, to the high ceilings, the metalwork and the lighting, I felt invited into a comfortable, clean and beautiful space.
2) Eat with your eyes when you see the menu. So many choices with choice ingredients. Start with a cocktail or really any drink. The Umami+Mint was tasty and familiar (tequila, agave, mint) yet newish with the backdrop of sesame.
3) Just eat. Your bartenders are great, likewise, so is the service overall and the menu. The presentation of the shareable plate (boneless wings) and dessert (salted rose) was photo-​worthy and the texture /​flavor combinations are memorable.
Such an overall pleasant foodventure that was worth the expense. Looking forward to stopping by again with a friend or small group in the future!

Wow.
I would have never made it here had it not been for a friend visiting from out-​of-​town — such a special place.
After two bottles of wine and a cocktail between the four us, an incredible meal of literally the best lamb (shoulder) I’ve ever had in my life, lots of delicious sides including kale, potato with buttermilk and onion, and cous cous. It was AMAZING.
The family style lamb dinner is $ 165. But it’ll melt in your mouth and you’ll go to heaven and back for just those few moments. It’s TOTALLY worth it.

Big fan of Aziza and finally got a chance to check out it’s newer, grander, more polished brother, Mourad. Moroccan California fusion.
Reservations are needed since I walked in with my group of 4 during happy hour and they weren’t any available tables for the rest of the night. Luckily, one of their two larger seated areas by the bar was open. Great looking bar!
FANTASTIC COCKTAILS — $ 13
BIRDS & the BEES — green tea vodka, thyme, honey, persecco and lemon. Clean! I could drink pitchers.
BLUE SUEDE SHOES — bourbon, grapefruit, blueberry shrub, and elderflower. Sweet, smokey, potpourri, in a tasty way.
They also had this gin and I’m so not a gin person but it’s from this artisanal distillery in Alameda, St George. So effin DELICIOUS! Will shift your paradigm of the spirit. Best drink of the night.
BITES
BASTEEYA — Loved this dish at Aziza, here’s it’s prepared differently and I wasn’t as much a fan. Smaller overall portion and came out looking like a chimichanga and it was missing the texture from the layers of phyllo dough. The pickled green strawberries seemed a little disjointed.
OCTOPUS — Tender and it was an interesting play since the chickpea was served in a disk similar to size and texture to the octopus. Fresh and easy to like flavors.
Dozen KUMAMOTO. Fresh and plump, exactly what you’d expect.
Had a great time for happy hour and I want to come back to explore more of their menu.

4.5 STARS
In December 2014, my friends and I were celebrating my gf’s birthday at Cockscomb. We had a table near the open kitchen and I spotted Mourad chatting with Chris. I squealed and gushed to my friend that I couldn’t wait until his new restaurant opened.
Friend: «Excuse me, Mourad right? When are you opening your new restaurant?»
Mourad *confuzzled look*: «In January.»
Friend: «Ok cool – thanks…my friend is a H-​U-​G-​E fan of yours.»
*POINTS AT ME*
Mourad *confuzzled look*
Me: *Digs a hole in the corner and crawls into it*
Chef groupie here. *Hangs head in shame*
January rolls around and Mourad opens. I peruse the online menu to find $ 35-​$ 40+ entrees (this is a $$$$ place not $$$). I hear my mom’s voice in my head: «Aiya too expensifey» while waving a feather duster in my face. Ok, Mourad is just going to have to wait until a special occasion.
Pass forward 8 months, I finally had an excuse to dine at Mourad: my birthday.
First things first. If you’re looking to impress someone or get laid, Mourad is THE place to bring them. The space is sexy, the exotically creative cocktails are deliciously stiff, and the food leaves you wanting more. You’ll burn a hole in your wallet though.
~ * ~ D R I N K S ~ * ~
The cocktails are a must at Mourad. They’re creative, exotic, and well-​balanced.
*Umami & Mint: plata tequila, lemon, sesame oil, agave, cucumber, mint ($ 13):
*Herbs & Chili: saffron vodka, lemon, yellow chartreuse, birds eye chili ($ 13):
Loved both my cocktails as they were both stiff, and the ingredients and flavor profiles worked.
~ * ~ F O O D ~ * ~
Between the tasting menu (9 courses — $ 120) and the a la carte menu, we went with the latter since the tasting menu didn’t have the short ribs.
*Kanpachi w/​hearts of palm, okra, cilantro, harissa ($ 19): 4 STARS
Fantastically fresh and refreshing app to start dinner. Not a fan of the foam as it hid the beautiful slices of sashimi.
*Foie Gras w/​cocoa, apricot, pistachio, chili, blossoms ($ 19): 4 STARS
Exquisitely presented, the foie gras tasted as good as it looks. Luxuriously decadent and silky smooth, the cocoa’s bitterness nicely offset the richness.
*Softshell Crab w/​tomatillo, avocado, shimeji, plum, zhug ($ 18): 3 STARS
Perfectly fried so the batter was light and airy but it wasn’t memorable since you can get the same thing at a Japanese resto for half the price.
*Short Ribs w/​beef vinaigrette ($ 145): 5+++ STARS
Yes, one hundred forty five dollars for a plate of short ribs is ridiculous but holy phuck, it was amazing! Like a semi broke-​ass man’s A5 wagyu, the intensely marbled short ribs were sous-​vide for 72 hours, and then lightly seared (?). Like beef butter, it was melt-​in-​your-​mouth tender with a subtle smoky nuance. I didn’t bother using the trio of sauces since I wanted to enjoy this luscious cut of beef in all its natural glory. This was by far the best short ribs I’ve ever had; better than Thomas Keller’s!
**Accompanying Sides — Kale, Potatoes, Couscous, Heirloom Beans: 4 STARS
All were solid except for the kale which was too bitter. My fav was the fluffy, buttery couscous.
*Honey & Almond w/​beeswax, granita, orange blossom ($ 12): 5 STARS
I loved pastry chef, Melissa Chou’s desserts when she was at Aziza and I love them now. If you’re a texture whore like me, you will enjoy the crunchiness of the meringue with the granita and toasty almonds. Light and really refreshing.
*Sugar Puffs w/​burnt honey, strawberry ($ 10): 4.5 STARS
Light, crisp, and airy, the warm sugar puffs are just like Chinese donuts but even better with the deliciously creamy burnt honey and fragrant strawberry sauces.
~ * ~ S E R V I C E ~ * ~
Service was off to a bumpy start when we grabbed drinks at the bar while waiting for our table. The bartender was rude, smug, and better apt to work at Zeitgeist. A couple had a young child with them and he snarkily told them, «Unless your child has an ID that shows he’s 21, he can’t be here.» Rude much? Then, the hostess didn’t offer to bring our drinks on tray for our drinks so we had to hold 2 glasses and 2 bottles to our table. However, other guests had their drinks brought to their table on a tray. WTF.
Our server was wonderful and made up for the «shortcomings» of the bartender and hostess. She was amiable, attentive, and super down to earth. Food runners and bus boys were just as great. Food service was timely and we were in/​out in less than 90 minutes.
~ * ~ A M B I A N C E ~ * ~
Spacious and sexy but some customers were in t-​shirts, shorts, and birkenstocks?!
~ * ~ P A R K I N G * ~ *
$ 20 valet
*After Dinner*
Me: «Man, I can’t wait to return again for those short ribs.»
Mr. NSS: «Uhh, the ‘$ 145′ plate of short ribs.»
Me: «My treat.»
Mr. NSS: «Perfect, I’ll put out».
Done and done.