La Folie

[mikeczyz]

I've got reservations. anybody know anything about this place besides it's supposedly good for food? wine list? any recommended dishes?

thanks

mike

[VMBrasseur]

Google is a thing of beauty:

La Folie Webpage

Their page unfortunately doesn't include a wine list.

And here is the SF Chronicle Review. They appear to have greatly enjoyed their meal. Enough to give it three stars. However the service is apparently a little lacking.

According to CitySearch, they have a very good wine list.

When are your reservations? I hope you get the chance to report back after wards!

--V

[mikeczyz]

unfortunately, my reservations aren't until august! i'm eagerly counting down the days tho!

i will remember to report back! i plan on going to farallon and kokkari on the same trip so i'll have lots to write about....

mike

[VMBrasseur]

I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say. Even though it's just the other side of the Bay Bridge, I never seem to get over to San Francisco. Not even for the great food. This way I can live vicariously through your culinary experiences.

--V

[carpet bagger]

I am going to try to post my report on La Folie Restaurant in San Francisco once again. Four of us went there for dinner last Saturday night. Each one of us chose the five course tasting menu, though we for the most part had different selections.

We each were given an amuse of potato blini with salmon stuffed inside, asparagus and crème fraiche. We chose not to have the Osetra Caviar with it. It tasted refreshing and was a pleasant introduction for the palate. The flavors went very well together.

My first course was Duck and Oxtail Consommé with a Foie Gras Flan and seasonal vegetables. The consommé was pleasant in that I have had this same style of dish where it was way over powering. This was not at all like that. It was delicious. I got to taste the Chilled Pea Soup with pickled vegetables and spring onions. The very fresh vegetables, combined with the perfectly intense pea soup were delicious. It made my palate long for the next course.

My next course was Frog Legs “ Bernard Loiseau” (I’m not sure what that really means) with a puree of garlic and parsley coulis. The frog legs were cooked perfectly, but I found the puree to be a little too heavy. I tasted from another person’s appetizer the Ahi Tuna and apple salad. This was combined with Maine Lobster on an avocado, mango, tomato citrus salsa. I only tasted the Ahi, which was perfect Sushi quality tuna and was beautifully enhanced by the fennel. I also tasted the Day Boat Scallop, with parsnip celery root puree and truffle vinaigrette. The scallop was cooked perfectly, crispy outside and rare in the middle. Delicious!

I’m getting fatter by the minute, but my stomach is enjoying every minute of it.

My next course was Sautéed Skate wing and braised Oxtail on crispy Gateau, and Oxtail Thyme Reduction. The Skate wing was moist in the middle and melted in my mouth. Usually I have a problem with Oxtail because it is often very rich. Some how this was not and was really delicious. The crispy polentas was also mildly polenta flavor, and certainly not dry as some I have had were. I got to taste from someone else’s appetizer, the butter poached lobster. The vegetables served with this dish were incredibly fresh. They tasted like they were just picked in the back yard and brought in and served. The fava beans were delicious as were the sautéed pea shoots ( you could taste the butter which enhanced the vegetable flavors). The other vegetables were herb glazed corn, and lemongrass citrus sauce. This dish was served with a mini lobster Croque Monsieur. This was a little toasted sandwich filled with lobster and cheese. What a combination.

My last course was Roti of Quail and Squab stuffed with wild mushrooms, crispy potato strings with natural juice and truffles. The combination of flavors was wonderful. The mushrooms blended with the quail and squab, which were rich without being overdone. The truffle just tied all the flavors together.

The wines that we served with the above dishes started with 1998 Giaconda Chardonnay from Victoria Australia. Its fruit was balanced by the perfect acidity. The longer it was open and the warmer it became, the more complex the flavors showed through. It is a perfect food wine.

The next wine was 1999 Bannockburn By Farr Pinot Noir. This Gary Farr’s own reserve vineyard across the road from Bannockburn. It was very fruity like beautiful French Burgundy. It filled my mouth with long finishing soft tannins, which made the finish go on and on. It reminded me of a Dujac, which is where Gary Farr worked for a number of years in what was the off-season in Australia. There was a little sappiness, which was for the most part covered up by the abundance of fruit.

We finished with a 1994 Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz from South Australia. This won the coveted Jimmy Watson award for the best red wine of the year when it was released in 1995. It showed gorgeous black fruits, perfectly balanced by the soft and velvety tannins. The finish on this wine really did go on for what seemed like minutes and minutes. My mouth was coated with the lush fruits. It was absolutely voluptuous. If I never had a better wine in my life than this I would not feel shortchanged.

I did not have room for desert. My wife absolutely loved the Guanaja Valhrona chocolate caramel mousse, which was layered with coffee and served on a hazelnut caramel sauce.

I would recommend this, my favorite restaurant to everyone. I only wish that I lived in the San Francisco area so that I could go much more often. I remember a few years ago when Rolland Passot (chef) would make his dishes much richer and heavier than now. I happened to like it that way too. The present way is more appealing to the present desires of the populace.

This was a fabulous way to celebrate a 21st birthday and a 31st anniversary. http://www.egullet.com/?pg=forums

[mikeczyz]

do they still have the whimsical decor? was it busy? did you have an intermezzo? i had a really tasty basil and lime granita when i went. did passot walk to each table and speak to them?

mike

[carpet bagger]

Yes they do have the whimsical in both rooms. I don't know how long since you went, but they now have two rooms. We sat in the back green room which was completely filled. I did not pay attention to the other room except it seemed full both on the way in and on the way out. The intermezzo was fresh , fresh mint, perfect. Rolland did go from table to table and visit. He is a gracious man.

[hollywood]

Nice report. Bernard Loiseau, as you may know, is the Michelin 3 starred chef who recently committed suicide amid speculation that he might lose his third star (he didn't).

[hollywood]

About those frogs' legs.....

Loiseau knew that he needed a manifesto, like the Troisgros brothers’ and Bocuse’s nouvelle cuisine, to interest critics. He radicalized nouvelle, cutting out cream, egg yolks, and liquor, which is often used to deglaze pans. For example, in classic French cooking, frogs’ legs are deep-fried in butter and garlic and covered with parsley leaves. Loiseau fried the frogs’ legs lightly and served them with purées of garlic and parsley. “You have the garlic taste without the force, you have the natural juice of parsley without the butter,” he once explained to me.

[From an article in this weeks' New Yorker.]

[tooearly]

Has anyone been back since the restaurant re-opened? How was it?

[a geek]

Hmmm. If it would be helpful to the group, I think I could tolerate a meal there this weekend. I'll report back next week.

[Catherine Nash]

A friend of mine who makes her living reviewing restaurants just went -- and raved. I guess Passot has gotten his groove back - there are playful dishes like quail foie gras lollipops, for example.

Other dishes on the menu that are reputedly good include:

- foie gras soup with truffled day boat scallop ravioli

- Dungeness crab Napoleon with apple gelee and pineapple chips

- pan-roasted sturgeon with leeks, oxtail and polenta cake with red wine thyme reduction

- butter-poached Maine lobter with glazed blood oranges

- roti of quail and squab

- l'assiette de boeuf with Painted Hills beef tenderloin, braised short rib, and a burger Rossini with truffle Madeira sauce

Obviously all tres, tres French and many of the dishes sound rich as well, but with the updated decor and at least one SF food critic enamored, I'm hoping to give it a try someday soon. Look forwared to any forthcoming eGullet reviews...

[Carlsbad]

This has always been a favorite of mine and it sounds better than ever. I can't wait to get back there.

[a geek]

Oops, I completely forgot about adding a report here.

We enjoyed our La Folie meal trememdously - I believe the Foie Gras was the best that I have ever had. To amplify the effect, the sommelier offered a choice of many different glasses of sauternes. We splurged a bit on one which was $68/glass and well worth it.

The menu is expansive. In addition to the selections on the main menu you'll find that La Folie will offer many more specials.

Items we had included chilled pea soup (was a nice warm day- very intense pea flavor, hard to describe otherwise), hamachi sauteed in something I forget, a absolutely lovely duck preparation (I believe with some kind of balsamic reduction), and a great squab/quail combination in a lighter sauce.

For dessert, I finished with cheese (preselected by the house, decent but not mindblowing). I cannot remember the other dessert.

We also left with great small boxes of cookies, truffles, and candies.

Service and atmosphere were okayish. While the room was nice I did not find it particularly luxurious, but I believe that had more to do with the closeness of tables than the taste of the decorator. I found myself pouring my own wine and water more frequently than I should in a restaurant with a high staff/patron ratio. Additionally, the staff didn't team together well- the runners at times couldn't describe the entrees they delivered and at one point had to hastily grab another table's waiter as our was not in the area. The sommelier was truly excellent and offered solid advice at all price levels.

I'd absolutely return- the food easily surpassed that of my last Michael Mina meal and was on the same level as a recent Dining Room at the Ritz meal (or past Danko meals, for that matter). Perhaps service had an off night - any thoughts?

[ingridsf]

La Folie is my FAVORITE restaurant! I only get to go 3-4 times per year but me and a couple of my friends anticipate those dinners like you wouldn't believe. I wrote about the place in my one and only Daily Gullet piece, "HOCAS-NOCAS."

I'm going to hope the service thing was a fluke cause I thought it was great.

Edited because I missed a major point in an earlier post.

Edited June 14, 2005 by ingridsf (log)

[gmi3804]

It's the only place where I've ever been served an entire LOBE of foie gras. 'Nuff said?!?

Seriously, it's one of my favorites in SF. I don't, unfortunately, get to SF as often as I'd like, but I've been to La Folie several times over the past eight years or so and it's always been consistent, dependable, and extraordinary.

Edited June 20, 2005 by gmi3804 (log)

[ingridsf]

And here is the SF Chronicle Review.  They appear to have greatly enjoyed their meal.  Enough to give it three stars.  However the service is apparently a little lacking.

Bauer's most recent review in March 2005 gave it four stars. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...1.DTL&type=food (No, I don't handle their marketing!)

[a geek]

Went again to La Folie last night. Had (between the two of us):

Seared hudson valley foie gras: again at the level of the best I have ever had. Supremely large portion. Do not go to La Folie without trying this.

Beet and goat cheese salad: delicious lighter way to start the meal. While expertly prepared, I felt bad for not challenging the kitchen with a more complex starter.

Dungeness crab napoleon: Layers of crab and very thin pineapple slices, with some kind of gelee. Excellent, great use of the different tastes and

textures.

Black bass with Gnocchi: barely tried this one as I was munching on the next dish.

Trio of Beef: Tenderloin, short ribs, and a mini burger with a slice foie gras with a madiera truffle sauce. The truffle madiera sauce was rich and full of truffle flavor, while the meats were all cooked perfectly. This dish should be on the must-have list of anyone visiting.

Coconut Tapioca: Had a bit of basil, great coconut flavor, and of course tapioca. Simple but sublime in the way a simple rice pudding can be excellent.

Wines were excellent though I did not record our choices. We chose with the help of the sommelier off the half-bottle lists.

Our waiter was again somewhat below average this time, though the rest of the staff was markedly improved this visit. The main problem with our waiter this time was the relative infrequency of his visits prior to taking our orders, which led to at least a 30 minute delay after sitting before our order was taken.

We were seated in the back room this time which provided a MUCH quieter experience. The tables were spaced apart in a more reasonable fashion.

Would return again and again, and would advise others to do so. I hope at some point the service picks up to a level to compete with something like Gary Danko.

[ingridsf]

A friend just had a birthday and we arranged for a special dinner that focused on his favorite things. Below is the menu we had. We also had wine pairings but we didn't think to write down any names so all I can share is the most basic information.

It was really easy to plan this. You read so much about chefs and their burgeoning empires, blah blah, but then there are the ones who are in their restaurants and, I assume, still cooking on a regular basis. I'd been talking with their reservations person but she wasn't there at one point so they just handed the phone to Chef Passot who wanted to know about allergies, preferences, etc. He said he'd be making decisions based on that morning's market. We weren't some big party -- just 3 people on a Thursday night. Nice man, good staff overall.

We had a blast. Others have said this but it bears repeating -- the portions are huge. The seared foie gras was not some tasting-size piece. I ate perhaps half of several courses, making my friends who polished them off very happy indeed.

The service did seem a little different. Nothing was done incorrectly but the timing seemed off somehow. Usually I don't "notice" the service there but it felt as if there might be an unusually high number of new servers or something.

Amuse Bouche: Cauliflower Mousse and Scallops Lobster Sausage

Not much to say about this one -- it was cauliflowery and scallopy.

~~~~~~

Lollypops and Foie Gras Soup

(a dry, minerally Sauvignon Blanc)

This was the quail stuffed with foie gras, served with a wild mushroom reduction and a teeny leek "canneloni" filled with minced wild mushrooms. The soup was a buttery foie gras foam with a miniature ravioli filled with scallop. The wine pairing got a big thumb's up from my friends but it was a head-scratcher for me. Just didn't suit my palate at all.

~~~~~~

Dungeness Crab Napoleon Layered with Crispy Pineapple Chips on Apple Gelée

(a pleasantly acidic Chardonnay)

This was a big hit with the birthday boy, who loves crab and pineapple. It was refreshing, fairly sweet, and the wine served that sweetness well without adding to it. A crisp, crunchy contrasting dish to the one preceding it.

~~~~~~

Seared Hudson Valley Foie Gras with Poached Quince Star Anise Muscat Broth

(a fortified Grenache, the most interesting of the evening, not cloying in any way)

This was a stunning dish and not just because it was more foie gras, which it was, and perfectly cooked, too, with a sprinkle of coarse salt on top. No, what got you was that it ought to have been way too sweet and heavy but it wasn't. And also, we'd never had a poached quince. It's a lovely fruit, like a tart pear.

~~~~~~

Atlantic Cod on a Brussels Sprouts Bacon Ragout, Roasted Butterball Potato, Chanterelles Sauce

(a white Burgundy, my favorite of the evening)

Somehow, it's the fish at this place that gets me. I grew up thinking I didn't really like fish. Well, I do. When it's roasted and served with chanterelle sauce, I do. Just not a Long John Silver girl. I won't even discuss the fact that I enjoyed the Brussels sprouts. But I think we all like our baby carrots wrapped in bacon, right?

~~~~~~

Seared Liberty Farm Duck Breast with Root Vegetables, Spiced Red Wine Sauce

(a mellow Merlot)

Here's what happened: I originally asked for a 6-course meal but later realized the insanity of it and switched to the only-slightly-less-insane 5 courses. I failed to ask that we synchronize our menus and you see what happens. A duck breast is revealed under the domed lid where you thought dessert would be lurking. And duck desserts only exist on Iron Chef America. It was tasty, though. I don't see what the big hoo-ha is against merlot. Of course some of it sucks. Some cabernet -- actually a lot of cabernet -- sucks. We drank the damn merlot with the damn duck and it was damn good.

~~~~~~

Grand Marnier Soufflé

They SWORE they couldn't do souffles. Then they carry them out and Chef Passot comes out and I'm all, "You said you couldn't do it," and he's all, "I lied." I tell you, the things we put up with.

So, it's Chuck E. Cheese next year for the birthday boy, who's still whining he wants more foie gras. Yeah, and I want chanterelle sauce on my tater tots, kid. Good times!

PS I should also mention that the restaurant sent him a printed menu that he's going to frame and hang in his kitchen. Such a fine line between inspiration and torment....

[Rebel Rose]

We drank the damn merlot with the damn duck and it was damn good. 

Great review, ingridsf! Sounds like a really fun night. I'm impressed that the chef went to such lengths for a small party. Since I've decided to celebrate my -0 birthday all year, I will have to add La Folie to my birthday list.