Slanted Door Review

moosnsqrl · April 12, 2006

Since this was bumped I will chime in as well. Not bad food, just nothing to crow about. I will say, though, that they may have the best bloody mary I've ever had. We stopped in midday to thaw-out (poorly planned wardrobe and several hours in the wind, out of the sun) and had one at the bar; they must've made 20 of them while we sat there and watching it was almost as enjoyable as drinking mine. Truly world class.

Carolyn Tillie · April 12, 2006

The Slanted Door is a big favorite amongst the wine chat lists -- mostly because they have and showcase a decent selection of German wines. Because of that, all my experiences there (with one exception) have been with lots of other people as an "offline" wine tasting.

Still, the restaurant NEVER rocked my boat and I began to pull away from attending those tastings and the restaurant in general. Too kitchy and mediocre and the thread, while old, is still very timely.

molto e · April 12, 2006

Doc and I thought that the SD was average to good nothing great or memorable. That said if you are by the Ferry Street Plaza and that is the style of food that you are looking for then by all means try it. I do not think someone would say that anything is not prepared properly. We had a limited amount of meals while in SF and were looking for something on the WOW scale and on this particular night did not experience it.

rancho_gordo · April 12, 2006

I do not think someone would say that anything is not prepared properly.
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We had clay pot chicken that was out and out rubber and another dish where the shrimp were grainy.

I think it's an awful place with attitude and a view. It was really something when it was in the Mission.

molto e · April 12, 2006

I do not think someone would say that anything is not prepared properly.
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We had clay pot chicken that was out and out rubber and another dish where the shrimp were grainy.
I think it's an awful place with attitude and a view. It was really something when it was in the Mission.
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I stand corrected Rancho G, someone would say that somethings are not prepared properly :wink: . That was not an issue that we had with our meal there

Edited April 12, 2006 by molto e (log)

Hest88 · April 12, 2006

The food is fine for what it is, but the flavors are really "dumbed down." Type of safe place you take out of town business associates who want something ethnic.

ludja · April 12, 2006

The Slanted Door is a big favorite amongst the wine chat lists -- mostly because they have and showcase a decent selection of German wines. Because of that, all my experiences there (with one exception) have been with lots of other people as an "offline" wine tasting.
...
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I haven't eaten there since they moved to the Ferry Building. Although the flavors were never as intense as they could be (even when back in the Mission) we did like their wine list which was pretty unique at the time in carrying many German and Austrian Rieslings and also Austrian Gruner Veltliners.

Now there are many other places to buy and drink German and Austrian wines.

Looks like they still carry a hefty number of Austrian whites, at least 14 different ones. Here's a link to their wine list: click

docsconz · April 13, 2006

The wine list is very good for the food and a reasonable value as well. We had the riesling, müller-catoir, kabinett, gimmeldinger mandelgarten, pfalz, 2004 for $56. This is a good buy for a very good wine. I love this winery and that is a decent restaurant price. I imagine that there aren't too many Vietnamese restaurants outside of Paris that can match their wine list.

hapacooking · April 13, 2006

From a local who has eaten there numerous times, it is great for out-of-town guests who want to try something different and might be afraid to try vietnamese food. Ever since they moved from the Mission to the Ferry building, the food has become less intense (not that it was ever really intense) and the dining room reminds me of a cheap cafeteria with service that caters to the Fisherman's Wharf clientele. The charm and flavor of the Slanted Door when it was in the Mission was fantastic but since they moved it fails to deliver on the hype.

ingridsf · April 13, 2006

I've only gone once to the Ferry Plaza Building location so take this as you will. I really disliked my experience. We had a reservation for two on a weeknight and were kept waiting for two seats at a communal table. This can be fun but it wasn't. It's a loud, sterile space.

I love Vietnamese food. This was easily the most expensive and least flavorful I've had in SF. We had a glazed duck dish and a grilled beef one. Each came rather nakedly on a plate with an orange slice. But not memorable in the slightest.

We weren't drinking more than a cocktail apiece and drinking seems to be the draw there more than the food. Eh. I like my mom-and-pop place, Minh's Garden, in the Richmond so much better than this cacophonous bar scene.

docsconz · April 13, 2006

I don't think it is a bad restaurant. I have certainly been to worse. As for the alcohol component, it appears that at least they do something very well. It certainly isn't a great restaurant though and it does not appear to live up to the hype.

ingridsf · April 13, 2006

I don't think it is a bad restaurant. I have certainly been to worse. As for the alcohol component, it appears that at least they do something very well. It certainly isn't a great restaurant though and it does not appear to live up to the hype.
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I agree it's far from the worst. But the discrepancy between its reputation/cost and my actual experience upped the disappointment. But as I said, it was one visit. And it may also simply be a style that's not to my taste.

Carlsbad · April 13, 2006

This whole thread makes me shudder. I loved this place before, but I've been afraid to go since they moved. I think I'll just let it be a memory.

robyn · May 9, 2006

The thread may have been from 2003, but the gyst matched my perception of the place as well, which is one reason I resurrected it. Another is that this, surprisingly, appeared to be the closest thing to a thread strictly on The Slanted Door. Perhaps we might have ordered better things, but items like the Shaking Beef are supposed to be amongst their "signatures". None of the food was "bad", but none of it was particularly good or memorable, either.
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There were some mentions of the Slanted Door in other threads - like this one - where I put in my two cents.

I thought the place was nice for an early walk-in lunch while shopping at the Ferry Building (credible food/good service/relaxing atmosphere) - but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there - particularly at dinner time (I really hate places that are super crowded - especially if they can't seem to honor reservations). Robyn

P.S. I liked the clean design lines in the restaurant (but reading some of the other messages in this thread - I guess the design isn't to everyone's taste).

Edited May 9, 2006 by robyn (log)

docsconz · May 9, 2006

The thread may have been from 2003, but the gyst matched my perception of the place as well, which is one reason I resurrected it. Another is that this, surprisingly, appeared to be the closest thing to a thread strictly on The Slanted Door. Perhaps we might have ordered better things, but items like the Shaking Beef are supposed to be amongst their "signatures". None of the food was "bad", but none of it was particularly good or memorable, either.
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There were some mentions of the Slanted Door in other threads - like this one - where I put in my two cents.
I thought the place was nice for an early walk-in lunch while shopping at the Ferry Building (credible food/good service/relaxing atmosphere) - but I wouldn't go out of my way to go there - particularly at dinner time (I really hate places that are super crowded - especially if they can't seem to honor reservations). Robyn
P.S. I liked the clean design lines in the restaurant (but reading some of the other messages in this thread - I guess the design isn't to everyone's taste).
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I didn't mind the design, although I wasn't overly impressed by it either. I think the design and location probably works better in daylight when the view is a real asset. At night in the dark it is less extraordinary although some views elsewherre are more impressive at night.

MaxH · May 9, 2006

The Slanted Door is a big favorite amongst the wine chat lists ... decent selection of German wines ... all my experiences there (with one exception) have been with lots of other people as an "offline" wine tasting.

My experience resembles Carolyn's but more limited. I was there a few years (and at least one venue move) ago with eccentric individualistic wine enthusiasts including one well known wine writer (unknown to the restaurant I believe). One or more participants who were in the wine business had suggested the place for a tasting of new German or possibly Alsatian wines; there may have been some advance arrangement with the restaurant to accommodate a tasting. When we sat down, we asked the restaurant to bring a selection of dishes appropriate to the wines. This was done with good skill and insight, and the dishes were fresh and interesting.

But that was just one visit some time ago and I have given the experience for what it's worth and would not presume to guess what anyone might find today (let alone anything as conclusive as "good" or "bad" or "overrated"). (As with a Thai restaurant recently that asked me to appraise its cooking and compare it to a better-known competitor nearby. I answered I'd only dined a few times, random items, nowhere near enough to give an informed general opinion and as I didn't care personally for uninformed opinions I'd best shut up.)

SG- · May 10, 2006

I had to attend a business lunch today and did not have much expectations having read the somewhat negative feedback on this thread. Among the different items we had at the table were:

Spring rolls

crispy spring rolls

vietnamese crepe

rice noodles stir-fry with chicken, sprouts and eggs

shaking beef

caramelized tiger prawns

mesquite grilled ahi tuna

spicy japanese eggplant

asparagus

I have to say that for a restaurants that now appears to be geared towards a primarily non-asian clientele in a very touristy location, that overall the food was quite good. Sure it's not as good as some hardcore hole-in-the-wall vietnamese only clientele restaurants around the area. But compared to say a PF chang, light years better. I would go as far as saying that given a choice between this and thai restaurants (I still have yet to find one that's good) in the area, I would pick the slanted door. For non-asian folks that are not familiar with vietnamese cuisine I think it offers decent food in a non-intimidating environment.

Doesn't hurt that I didn't have to pay for lunch but just my 2 cents.

robyn · May 10, 2006

I had to attend a business lunch today... I have to say that for a restaurants that now appears to be geared towards a primarily non-asian clientele in a very touristy location, that overall the food was quite good. Sure it's not as good as some hardcore hole-in-the-wall vietnamese only clientele restaurants around the area. But compared to say a PF chang, light years better. I would go as far as saying that given a choice between this and thai restaurants (I still have yet to find one that's good) in the area, I would pick the slanted door. For non-asian folks that are not familiar with vietnamese cuisine I think it offers decent food in a non-intimidating environment.
Doesn't hurt that I didn't have to pay for lunch but just my 2 cents.
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When we ate lunch there - the people on both sides of us were local business people having lunch. So were most of the other people in the restaurant judging from the number of dark suits. Anyway - the people on both sides of us were quite friendly - and recommended various dishes to us. Since we were only 2 people - dining at what was basically our breakfast time - we only had 2 light dishes. Fit the bill in terms of what we were looking for - light and reasonably tasty (I am certainly not an expert on Vietnamese food - or Korean or Japanese food for that matter - I admit I had to work in Japan to appreciate the subtle differences between high end kaiseki meals - and *really* high end kaiseki meals - but anything that tastes good is ok by me).

Perhaps the problem with this restaurant is mostly a dinner/perceptions problem. It isn't cheap - people have unreasonably high expectations - and waiting an hour to be seated after your dinner reservation has come and gone doesn't put people in a good mood. Also - I guess there are people who think that if an Asian restaurant isn't cheap and doesn't look "authentic" - like a dump - it can't possibly be good (anyone who has notions like that should go to Japan - where it's possible to have extremely expensive authentic excellent food in very contemporary very minimalist surroundings). Robyn

Edited May 10, 2006 by robyn (log)

Carlsbad · May 10, 2006

I think I'll check it in an off-hour next time I'm in SF. I've been worried since they moved to the Ferry Building. I loved this place in it's old location- it wasn't what I get in Garden Grove, but the food was really interesting and the wine list even more so. I'm hoping success didn't ruin it all.

kiliki · August 18, 2006

If I'm looking for great Vietnamese in SF, what would you suggest other than the Slanted Door? I did find a thread about cheap Vietnamese but price isn't the issue-I just want great food. Any comments about the following: La Vie, Le Colonial, Ana Mandara, or PPQ Dungeness Island?

I come to the city fairly often for work but only sometimes have a car, which is why I ask only about SF. I do go to Oakland as well, and it sounds like Le Cheval is the place to go there.

LarsTheo · August 19, 2006

I went to Mai's Restaurant, 316 Clement Street, the last time I was in SF, and the food was much better IMO than Slanted Door, where I had lunch the next day. There are quite a few choices on Clement Street around 4th Avenue - I can't keep the names straight, but I've been to several in the neighborhood that I liked.

melkor · August 19, 2006

If I'm looking for great Vietnamese in SF, what would you suggest other than the Slanted Door? I did find a thread about cheap Vietnamese but price isn't the issue-I just want great food. Any comments about the following: La Vie, Le Colonial, Ana Mandara, or PPQ Dungeness Island?
I come to the city fairly often for work but only sometimes have a car, which is why I ask only about SF. I do go to Oakland as well, and it sounds like Le Cheval is the place to go there.
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Bodega Bistro and Pagolac are my two standbys for Vietnamese in SF. Pho Ha in San Jose or Pho 84 in Oakland are my favorites for Pho.