Scott Howard

Big Brother Dan and I came here for a one on one. I don’t remember it being that good.

Heh, the third in a series of restaurants that have closed and I’ve been taking forever to review. Now if you’ve been keeping track:
I ate at Zinnia (which just closed), which reminded me that I hadn’t reviewed Myth yet, and that Zinnia occupied the space that was Scott Howard, who’s now opened Five over in Berkeley. Got that?
I guess the sad thing was I never got to make it back to SH, especially when there was an Elite event here a while back, and I never got to try the famous ginger carrot soup. I remember the tartare, sweetbreads, scallops and and duck being quite tasty and the good thing is Five has carried the torch for Scott Howard’s cooking. So make thee to Berkeley!

And just when I had discovered my favorite restaurant in SF! (except for maybe Frascati, which is a new new fave)
So sad to hear this place is closed. It was so cute and had lots of little plates — but not «little plates» in the sense of being apps, they were actually «little plate» entrees. So if you were in the mood to sample lamb, sea bass, venison, ahi tartare etc you could. As someone who is always pissing off my boyfriend and friends for having «just a bite» of whatever it is they are eating (blame it on my food A.D.D.), this place was perfect for me. Any restaurant that can get me to eat venison and actually enjoy it deserves five stars.
They had a good wine list and our server (though somewhat uptight) recommended some interesting wines by the glass that I never would have tried otherwise. Cool interior, woodsy and dark but not overly romantic. Too bad I missed out on the Mac n Cheese Orzo!
I may even be venturing out of the city and trekking to Larkspur (does anyone even know where that is?) to check out Scott Howard’s new digs, even if it is the generic «French» Left Bank.

Sadly it was closed by the time I got here — however it seems Scott Howard has been picked up as Executive Chef at the Left Bank in Larkspur … which was never my favorite place but maybe he can turn it around???

Carrots are orange. I am blue. :o (
[Please refer to my «Last Meal on Earth» choices] – That carrot broth has been up there since last year.
Is it really gone for good?
I got the recipe at the Elite event… but when I make it, mine tastes like crappolla.

Since the awesome Elite event here last year, I have been wanting to try the food at Scott Howard. I mean — I had a nibble or two at the event, but I wanted the food to get to me without having to go through 100 ravenous Unilocalers. Did anyone see Finding Nemo?
«Mine!Mine!Mine!Mine!»
Man, Unilocalers like free sh*t.
Well, I finally made it back. This time with only one very small Unilocaler who I knew I could take if he tried to grab my shrimp.
The food was good, but not great. The parade of dishes that we ordered (most of which I have forgotten) all fell into this category for me. The notable exception being the carrot broth — a signature dish for obvious reasons.
The atmosphere is nice. The room has beautiful lighting and a well-​conceived floor plan. The service was efficient and I love it when I don’t have to wait 30 minutes after my reservation time for my table to be ready.
For the experience, I found it a little overpriced. I’ll go back again if I don’t have to pay. :)

My DAT dinner at Scott Howard was a bit of a roller coaster experience:
1) Siesta cocktail that tasted like an average margarita. Boo.
2) Reservation at 7:30 but didn’t get seated until 8:15. Double Boo.
3) Smoked Trout over crostini and truffle salad on the house for being patient. Deliciously hell yes.
4) Really annoying club music at high volume in the background.
5) Cauliflower Curry soup. Amazing, I liked the slightly sour taste. I wanted to lick my bowl clean.
6) Hamachi with pickled cucumbers, shimeji shrooms and ponzu sauce. Yum yum yum. Love the shimeji!
7) Poussin with orzo «mac and cheese and bacon spinach. This dish makes me sad, I really hate anything that’s too salty. The chicken was just chicken, not much to it.
8) Butterscotch pudding. Tasted just like cookie dough and too thick, in my book = not cool.
9) Waiter charged the whole bill on my card even though I told him to charge $ 50 only, and took everyone else’s cash. =(
A few snafus, but the staff was nice. A few fantastic plates and a few made with meh. I’d like to give this place another try in the future.

Really, really great food. Scott Howard is a superstar.
The service, however, can only be described as stunning. As in, «I am still stunned that a place with such a rock star in the kitchen has such bizarre, disjointed, and disinterested staff.» Seriously, there are consultants who specialize in this sort of thing. Why bother explaining the flaws in detail, as I certainly wouldn’t be the first but, really, just wow. Wow.
And wow about the sommelier, who saved the night. He was charming,* listened to us complain (as another reviewer said, «we’d had a bit to drink and had a lot to say») and was rightfully concerned when we told him we were exhausted and would be finishing our meal at Kokkari. Kudos to him but, damn, he has a tough job.
The food might, actually, spur a return visit. But I may call ahead to see if I can serve myself.
*Hot.

4 of us came here to DAT if the menu looked good, or to otherwise veer from the DAT menu to get what we wanted. Lucky for us, we all ended up getting DAT because it was delicious.
For $ 31 we had:
Curry Cauliflower Soup (mmm especially for rainy rainy day)
Haricort Verts… mmmm veggies OR Ahi with a really yummy sauce
Chicken (aka Poussin) with yummy «mac and cheese orzo» and spinach OR Hailbut which was fishier than I would have liked so I am glad I picked the chicken!
Wine list for bottles was on the expensive side, the cheapest pinot being about $ 50ish. Glasses were suprisingly well-​priced at $ ⁵⁄₇ per.
For dessert we had a few dessert wines, my muscato being my fav, and the butterscotch pudding was amazing. No lie. I wanted to like dive in it and eat my way out of it it was so good. Sharon M marvelled over the french toast dessert, a must for people who aren’t keen on sweets for breakfast thus missing out on such things in the mornings.
Waitstaff was all quite friendly and service was fast. I arrived last and found my friends at the bar and while I let the hostess know our party was complete, she let us order a drink before she sat all of us (clever!) but it was worth it because my mojito was quite good… not too sweet and not too minty.
We were there for a 6:30 reservation and there were a few open tables when we arrived but it was PACKED when we left.
Also a plus, you don’t have to straight stare into the urinal when your a girl using the dual bathroom, one of my biggest pet peeves. Urinal placement should be a lot more important than it is.

I would have loved to give Scott Howard a big whopping 5 shooting stars and wish upon them, but the service moved as quick as a herd of heifers.
We went to Scott Howard for the Dine about Town menu and ended up ordering a few extras. Ok, so the olive bread served was I will say probably the most amazing bread I have ever consumed. Breathtaking. We ordered a half dozen oysters and I could have had 10 dozen more… they were perfect and sweet. The booze accompanying our meal was a wonderful bottle of Kung Fu Girl Riesling which had an almost banana flavor to it.
The prix fixe menu offered a Cauliflower Curry soup as the first course, which was scooped up in seconds by all. It was scrumptious. The second course was a choice between haricot vert and japanese hamachi. The third course was a choice between halibut cooked with chorizo and cannelloni beans and the crispy pussy, oh I mean poussin served with spinach, bacon and orzo mac n’ cheese. My date and I decided to share everything.
Sidenote: I think it’s funny that we all suck at fancy dining and could not pronounce anything off the menu… not french speakers. The waiter must have thought we were dipshits.
Anyways, back to the food. The haricot vert consisted of green beans, roasted peppers, almonds, olives, blue cheese and a tangy blue cheese dressing… sweet jeebus the blue cheese dressing was tongue tantalizing. The japanese hamachi was in a citrus dressing and was delectable. Our halibut was cooked to perfection but we craved some more chorizo and not quite so many beans. The chorizo would have given the fish a little more kick, but all in all the flavors meshed well. The crispy poussin had a nice salted crispy skin and played nicely with the spinach and mac n’ cheese. Only complaint is where’s the bacon? I love lil piggy piggy and piggy piggy only dropped off two nibbles on my plate. Scott, stop being stingy with the pig, k? Thanks!
Overall, it was a lovely experience and I would love to go back and try this pork belly I hear is the cat’s pajamas.

Great Butterscotch Pudding!!!
Prix Fixe = $ 32.
Every course was great, but the Butterscoth Pudding!!! OMG! OMMFG!!!
Each bite of that pudding felt like my 4 other senses went numb and all that existed in the world was that flavor in my mouth. Gotta get more!
Other notes:
Venison good.
Scallops good.
Quail good.
Poussin, not as good as the 3 above, but good.

Scott Howard, you are so fine.
The first thing I noticed when walking in, among other things, was the soft low lighting and general mellow ambiance, perfect for any date night. The second thing that caught my attention was the subtle hip music playing faintly overhead. Sigur Ros? Air? Imogen Heap? «Scott, do you have access to my ‘über-​chill’ iTunes play list?»
Now, Scott… What solidified my crush on you was your decadent Ahi Tuna Tartare. Our waitress presented us with the artfully plated dish and politely asked if she could «prepare it» for us. Smiling, she then mixed the tartare with chorizo, piperade, avocado and espelette, rolling the ingredients over and over again with care and expertise. [She had clearly done this before.] I was entranced, the experience was hypnotic, I didn’t want her to stop. [Okay, I take that back. I DID want her to stop eventually because after a few moments of watching her mixing, I was now visibly salivating.]
Other dishes that were amazing: the Carrot Broth Soup [ummm. hello? Two words: truffle oil!]; the Black Tiger Shrimp [Hi saffron!, I love you!]; the Seared Diver Scallops and the Poussin.
I’d definitely recommend this place as a great spot to try a handful of dishes to share. The prix fixe at $ 32/​person is reasonably priced and the experience here is oh-​so-​worth it.

Dear Scott,
Is it ok that I call you Scott? After my meal last night I feel like we know each other, I feel as though you get me. Unti Syrah by the glass? You remembered! 3 course, prix fixe menu for $ 32? That’s very generous of you!
And speaking of food… the carrot soup, lamb chops and scallops were all great. But what blew me away was the tuna tartare. Oh Scott, others may mock the tartare, say that it’s so 2003 but they clearly haven’t had your version. We licked the plate clean and I honestly considered ordering another. Since we’re close I feel as though it’s my duty to let you know that the poussin was just ok. Tell me the truth, is poussin French for «small chicken with little meat?»
All things considered, I can’t wait to return to your restaurant to try some of the dishes I missed, especially the short ribs and monkfish.
And don’t forget, we’ll always have the tartare.
Sincerely,
Phil H.

It was my wife’s birthday weekend and as usual, she didn’t want presents. She wanted food.
The $ 32 prix fixe menu, available between 5:30 — 6:30pm and after 9:30pm, might be the best dining deal in San Francisco. You can choose any three items on the menu, so if you want three main courses, go for it. Portion sizes are smaller, more tasting-​menu style, which makes eating here more manageable than if Claim Jumper offered a tasting menu. (FWIW, I almost ate an entire Ore Cart by myself at Claim Jumper, but that’s another story)
Overall, our dishes were really good, but some were better than others. One of the standouts was the Chantarelle Mushroom Risotto, which was creamy and perfect. The orzo «mac and cheese» that was served with the Crispy Poussin, was also perfect. Basically, if you like cheese, Scott Howard knows how to work it.
This evening also marked the first time either of us had eaten sweetbreads and foie gras**, and both were really good. The sweetbreads were pan roasted and served with a delicious yukon potato purée. The foie was pan seared and served atop a small piece of brioche french toast. It was lighter and more delicate than I expected and had a nice fatty flavor. If you’re interested in trying foie gras, Scott Howard’s prix fixe menu structure is an affordable way to give it a shot.
The dishes that were good but not great were the monkfish and the lamb chops. I’d say the lamb chops were better than monkfish because it had a nice spicy rub on it, but it wasn’t even close to being one of my favorite dishes of the night.
Dessert was hit and miss also. The Orange Poached Pears sounded good on paper, but the best parts of it were the shortbread cookies and whipped cream. The Brioche French Toast, on the other hand, was incredible. Dessert is not included in the prix fixe price.
The service is really friendly and attentive, the meal was well paced, and the quality of the food far exceeded the price of the meal. I’d definitely go back to Scott Howard.
**If you have an «ethical» opposition to foie gras but eat other meat products, you should really think about whether or not that beef, chicken or pork you enjoy so much is humanely processed, as well.

Wow. What a fantastic restaurant! Entering through the heavy red drapes in the front was a terrific touch.
Our meal was very romantic. I feel much more attractive in dim-​lighting, but since my dinner companion was a female, I doubt she cared.
Scott Howard serves small plates, which allowed us to sample a variety of things. Afterall, we’re trying to watch our girlish figures:
Ahi Tuna Tartare– Great. The tuna was a little too diced for my preference, but it paired so nicely with the avocado. Also, the chorizo and vanilla bean oil were surprisingly effective touches.
Crispy Poussin– The chicken was great, but the Orzo macaroni and cheese was INCREDIBLE. French AND comfort food? Ooh-​la-​la.
Green Beans– These actually had a fancy name that my friend ordered on my behalf. It was a sizeable portion, served with all sorts of goodies. Unfortunately, these were lightly tossed in ranch (ie: family member of my arch-​nemesis Mayonnaise). Like male models: very pretty to look at, but I probably won’t ever touch them.
Cookies & Cream– Finally! Someone who agrees with putting ice cream in a seperate bowl NEXT to the cookies so they don’t necessarily have to mingle. GENIUS. The chocolate lavendar ice cream was very intense.
Chocolate Cake w/​Raspberry Coulis– Uh oh. ooey, gooey chocolate. Remember who likes chocolate?! Considering that raspberries are out of season, I was impressed this was still on the menu. I do wonder why there was a sprig of mint on a non-​mint dessert? Tricky pastry chef, keeping us on our toes.
Also, the waitstaff was awesome. Emma, our server, was nice and made us feel very comfortable. And when my friend dropped her fork on the ground, and waiter literally came out of the woodwork to bring her another one.
We got out of there for $ 60. because we’re light eaters. Since we were too late for the Prix Fixe menu, we basically created our own.
5 Stars! Ring the bell!
Hmm. how does this sound? «Mrs. Jannette. Howard.» I like the sound of that. I may need to keep stopping by.

This place is not bad and the prices are reasonable, but I think I was just expecting a little more after I read the rad reviews on it on Unilocal.
The location is pretty cool and hip looking, and the hosts are very kind and inviting. We were accomodated immediately, even though we were 45 minutes late to our reservation (everything was blocked up due to the rain!) .
Food’s pretty good but it didn’t make me go «WOW!» The restaurant has a nice set up and I also got the feel that it suits any occasion– romantic, business, casual, friendly etc.
I started out with the carrot broth, it was good, on the sweet side. Went with the seared scallops for the main dish.
We also had a tall blonde bitch as our waitress and because she was lagging so much, the management was extremely kind in changing our waiters. I get the feel that a lot of them are a bit slow though (or maybe the rush was happening when we went because everyone was late due to the rain).
So 4 stars because this place is really pretty good but nothing spectacular and it didn’t put me in awe, but I would go again to try the 3-​course prix fixe next time definitely.

Service: B–
Food: B+
Décor: B
Dessert: C–
We made reservation at 8 pm and were seated at 9 pm. Not a very good experience when you were hungry after 1 hr drive from San Jose. On the other hand, the receptionist was attentive enough to bring us hor d oeuvres during the wait.
The food was giving me a mixed feeling. At first glance, $ 32 for three dishes sounded like a good deal but the quantity was minuscule. For non anorexic guy like me, you will need at least 2 combos (=6 dishes).
— Scallop sashimi served with uni was an interesting dish. Unlike the ahi tuna tartare which will show up in the menu of any fusion restaurant, the combo of scallop and uni was brilliant. The uni was probably the highlight of the dish since it was extremely fresh.
— Miyagi Oyster with onion and ginger: not fresh and forgettable
— Pork belly with toasted tomatoes: very fattening and delicious!
— Foie gras with huckleberry: the foie gras is nicely seared but the huckleberry’s presence is useless.
— Crispy pussin: boring, unspiring, might as well spend $ 12 to KFC for two bucket of crispy chicken
— Short ribs with shiitake au jus: very tender and memorable
Skip the dessert:
— Lemon sherbet with berries: sour sherbet combined with super sour berries. I don’t understand who would enjoy this?
— Chocolate ice cream sandwich: the sandwich is too sweet and the vanilla ice cream tastes like dreyer’s ice cream that’s been in the fridge for months.
In a nutshell, Scott Howard has the potential to earn four star if it has better dessert offering.

Just based on the food, I’d give them a 3. Went to Scott Howard a couple of weeks ago. The food wasn’t horrible, it just wasn’t memorable, meaning I don’t have any cravings for any of their dishes to go back again. Also, the price was slightly higher than it was worth.
But, I remember the good service, which always bumps up the rating for me. Also, I came across one of the best bartenders ever! He made this fabulous rasberry lemony thing with my fav liquor (Hangar One Rasberry). Yum! That bumps the overall rating for me to 4.

Found this gem upon January’s Dine About Town.
The atmosphere of this place is very chic with modern touches like high sky beams and wooden furniture everywhere. The floral arrangements are subtle, modern and blends well with the entire feel of the restaurant. The overall ambiance is nice and trendy.
The food is what really resonated with me. (Ask for hidden dishes not covered on the menu)
My favorite dishes are:
1. Foie Gras with boysenberry jam and mushrooms
2. Lobster Risotto
3. Cheese Square Biscuits
4. Duck with Brussels Sprouts
5. Chocolate Soufflé
Nice spot for a romantic dinner or an after work drink.

4.5
I had a very good first DATe with Scott Howard Friday night. (The most interesting date I’ve had lately was with a restaurant? Go figure!)
SH was ATTRACTIVE: The room was modern, spacious and with a good sized bar area. They also had these cool blown glass candle holder thingys lined up against the back wall that I was digging.
SH was SMART yet UNPRETENTIOUS: Sommelier Corey Harrison was personable, down to earth and gave us a great wine recommendation. It was a hit, even with the non-​red drinkers. He helpfully wrote the name of the wine down and even told us where we could purchase it.
(Note: Do NOT order the caipirinha here. Blech. Go to Espetus for that instead.)
SH was ATTENTIVE: Our server, Michael Oliver was a PRO. He was friendly, made some excellent dessert suggestions and also told us about SH’s happy hour. He even folded my napkin into a purdy flower when I went to the restroom. I’d ask to be seated in his section if I were you!
SH can COOK: My friend declared the square cheese biscuits in the bread basket to be better than sex! I wouldn’t go that far but they were pretty damn good.
Most of us didn’t bother with the DAT menu as the regular menu items were more enticing. We are rebels!
I had the polenta with cheese and broccoli rabe to start. Good stuff. My friend ordered the mache & frisee salad which she liked. Everyone gave the carrot soup 2 thumbs down as it was far too sweet.
My entrée was the duck breast with brussel sprouts, pancetta and apple and I enjoyed it. The duck was juicy and flavorful. My friends liked the venison and pork dishes but found the rib-​eye to be dry. Everyone liked the goat cheese and potato au gratin that accompanied the rib-​eye.
SH gave me some SUGAR: All of us LOVED the desserts we ordered. The panna cotta was silky smooth and well paired with citrus fruit. The vanilla soufflé with white chocolate sauce was so good that we seriously considered ordering a second one. The Humboldt Fog cheese that we selected was tasty as well.
There will definitely be a second DATe with Scott Howard!