Frisson in San Francisco---long review

[Absonot]

>>>>>>>>>The space

Step through an unassuming door, walk down a dimly hallway and the room opens up to a Kubrick-inspired circular space that is warmly (i.e. flatteringly) lit. The ceiling has circular recessed lighting that makes you feel a bit as if you’re inside a spaceship. To your right is the bar area, to your left is the semi-open kitchen.

This was 8:15ish on a Wednesday night and the bar was packed. I was surprised by how “un hip” everyone looked, considering the design of the place. Many seemed like after work groups that had lingered. The bar, which is about as big as the dining room, is dim, although behind the bar is a huge backlit photo of champagne bubbles and its harsh light shines unflatteringly on anyone sitting at the bar.

The dining room is two and a half concentric circles, done in shades of dark brown and rust. Tables are dark wood, with no tablecloths and modern, angular silverware. High quality napkins. Servers are dressed in dark shirts and pants, with red velvet (?) accents on the cuffs.

Downstairs, there is a room with cozy seating and another bar, although it didn’t appear to be staffed when I was there. The bathroom is unisex and dimly lit, which makes it a bit confusing. But there is an attendant on hand whose job it is to help people figure it all out. The sink isn’t concave, so be wary of splashing. Each stall is its own room wall to ceiling and has a mirror on the back of the door for private primping.

>>>>>>>>>The wine list

Excellent list. Tons of variety (TWO Sylvaners!) and fairly priced for the most part. I was delighted to find Sinskey Chardonnay ($50) as well as a nice selection of small domain Burgundies, Germans, and boutique Californian.

>>>>>>>>>The menu

Sigh….another small plates restaurant. And by small, I mean *small*. The menu is broken down from lightest to heaviest, plus a cheese and dessert—five courses in all. Excellent variety of veggie, non veggie. A lot of Asian influences with kaffir lime leaves, coconut milk. Also some middle eastern influences with preserved lemon, chickpeas.

We ordered a nice assortment, including the cornmeal crusted foie gras, the warm yellow corn-brioche pudding, beet-endive soup, Venison loin, and lamb chops.

All were excellent with some minor wrinkles. The corn-brioche pudding was served with meringue wafers dotted with cream or butter (not quite clear, it didn’t really have any flavor) that caused the meringue to dissolve before I could eat them. Didn’t quite work. The rest of the dish was wonderful. The venison loin was quite spartan; four thin slices, each about 3 by 1 inches. Hidden underneath was a tiny piece of Chinese broccoli and smeared alongside was some clear pear puree. The venison itself was wonderful, but there didn’t seem to be a bigger idea behind the dish and its appearance could best be described as sterile. The lamb was very very rare…very.

For dessert, we ordered a selction of cheeses (hock ybring, melange, and st. blase), gravenstein apple streudel, and a skewer of roasted and fresh figs. I only tasted the apple streudel (surprisingly savory and really interesting) and the cheeses, which were wonderful.

All in all, the menu is creative and there is clearly some innovation and skill going on in that kitchen. Some dishes have larger portions (foie gras, sweetbread ravioli, halibut) while others are disappointingly small (venison). All are unique.

>>>>>>>>>The service

Everyone is friendly without being saccharine and they’re very hip looking without any attitude. There were flatware changes at every course, meticulous attention to water refills and napkin re-foldings. Only complaint is the pace of the meal. I’m a leisurely eater and it was a bit slow for me. Wine-wise, the service was also good, although there was no ice bucket provided for our white. I personally like less chill on my white, but this might not be acceptable for others. Also, their wine cellar is quite cold and it took a while to take the chill off our red, fyi.

>>>>>>>>>The overall vibe

It’s definitely a younger place, but too expensive to be totally trendy. The food quality is very high and this place has substance to match the style. Noise level is a bit high and there is a DJ always playing a variety of music. During our meal, I heard everything from generic electronica to Tom Petty! The bar scene is vibrant and I will definitely go back to check out the downstairs. It has a late night menu, so is definitely something to keep in mind for a post-theatre nosh. Our waiter told us that Sunset, Harper’s Bazaar, and Town and Country had recently been in, so the word is getting out about this place. If you want to try it, best get in there now.

www.frissonsf.com

[Hest88]

Thanks for the review! Do you mind commenting on the value? Did your bill seem too expensive or just right for the amount of food?

[tanabutler]

Frisson web site

Warning: unrequested music starts blaring as soon as you land on the site. Yes, you can shut it off, but that should never be the default.

That is absolutely one of the most annoying things to inflict on visitors to your web sites. A horrible practice, no matter how cool you think you are.

[Absonot]

Value was a bit tricky-- I wasn't paying. But I can tell you that the bill for 3 people was around $350 and included:

3 cocktails

1 $50 bottle of wine

1 $95 bottle of wine

4 courses each (12 dishes)

The wine was a bit of a splurge--there are plenty of options for less than $50, so that made a big impact. But this is not a cheap place. And I wasn't stuffed when I left, although everything I ate was wonderful.

[pim]

I've been there twice already, both times on a Friday night. It was quite a scene, a fun scene, but a scene nonetheless. One has to be in the mood for that kind of place.

The food had some potential, but I could hardly focus on it. I spent both nights feeling sorry for the chef, that no one was paying attention to his food! Perhaps I should try them during the week, perhaps the buzz would be different.

They also have the cutest little smoking patio. Hard to resist even for someone who smokes like 6 ciggies a year like me.

But forgot to add one thing...that unisex bathroom was just so severely misguided, not to mention icky.

Edited September 3, 2004 by pim (log)

[marie-louise]

But forgot to add one thing...that unisex bathroom was just so severely misguided, not to mention icky.

Do tell more.

[Carlsbad]

Interesting. That's all I can say.

(Edited to add that I didn't mean the unisex bathrooms- I've seen alot of them in Europe, and have had no problem with them.)

Edited September 3, 2004 by Carlsbad (log)

[Absonot]

Regarding the bathroom, it's essentially a series of small private toilets (with floor to ceiling walls and doors) and a communal sink. No urinals.

The room is reeeaaaly dim- the walls are dark red and I seem to recall it being only lit by candles. In that regard, it could be a bit disconcerting for some. But privacy is not an issue.

[tanabutler]

Daniel Patterson has left Frisson. 31-year-old chef de cuisine Sarah Schafer has been named as his replacement.

Edited March 18, 2005 by tanabutler (log)

[crosparantoux]

In the brief mention of Patterson’s leaving (in SF Chron?), Frisson’s owner talked about how P wanted Frisson to be like an El Bulli with aromas, plating tricks, etc. Curiously, he implied that El Bulli only succeeds because it has volunteer labor and is on the Costa Brava.

But what’s the real undercurrent of Patterson’s leaving? What does it say about SF tastes?

Wasn’t Patterson doing a book on aromas, infusions, etc. in cuisine? Why can’t SF’s diners support someone like him? Note that Antidote, another constructivist experiment, failed in Sausalito recently. Yet in NY, WD-50 does well, in Chicago there’s Moto and the Trio/Alinea morph—they don’t have volunteer brigades or sexy coastal locations. SF has a rep as a cuisine capital, but FL’s out in Yountville, Manresa’s down in Los Gatos; here in the city...? Look at all the fuss about A16—you can cook that stuff at home (except for that perfect crust!). At the other end Mina pieces out courses of familiar tastes into a dozen cute little plates. Those places are popular, but really, what’s innovative there?

Of course, Patterson may just have been a bad cook and he got fired. But I don’t think so…his old Elisabeth-Daniel was pretty good. Sadly, I think there’s something about SF tastes. What do you think?

[canucklehead]

I think that SF has generally good food taste - but it it definitely dominated by the Chez Pannisse school of thought which seems like it is at the opposite end of the spectrum vs the whole El Bulli thing.

Frankly though - some of the construvist cooking seems like it has moved into processed food. I mean powdered cuisine!? Why? A sprinkle of garlic powder, some dried basil, ground pine nuts and grated cheese and look - I've deconstructed pesto!

By its nature - there needs to be a strong intellectual grounding for the whole constructivist thing to work. I saw some of the things being served at Trio on Food Network - and frankly - it looked stupid. They were trying to find away to incorporate the sent of pine needles in their food - and why? Just because the Chefs thought it would be cool. There was no reference to seasonality (in the kanseki school of thought ) or any other thought process really. I respected the craftsmanship - but it came across as pretty food but kind of illiterate cooking (ala 'fusion').

So - should SF get down on itself because it rejects a BS school of cooking - no way. Just because people buy it does'nt mean it is a good thing.

Just wanted to add - this was not a dis on Scott Petersen - I had a friend who went to Frisson and really enjoyed it also. And she does not have a high BS tolerance. My rant was against the general school of El Bulli copycats .

Edited March 19, 2005 by canucklehead (log)

[eje]

But what’s the real undercurrent of Patterson’s leaving? What does it say about SF tastes?...Why can’t SF’s diners support someone like him? Note that Antidote, another constructivist experiment, failed in Sausalito recently.

←

Here's a link to the column:

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file...FDGFTBOSDG1.DTL

I don't know Patterson or the owners of Frisson, so I can only guess; but, to me the article doesn't really imply that San Francisco can't support Patterson, it says the owner of Frisson wants to turn the restaurant into a hip party scene for the wealthy youngsters of our city. Have DJs, fancy cocktails and expensive small plates. [sarcasm] Lord knows we need another restaurant like that. [/sarcasm] Patterson wants to do serious food. It seems like it wasn't the appropriate venue for his talents. If so, kudos to him for a) saving enough money to be able to do it. b) having the courage to stick to his convictions. Personally, I was intrigued by the Chronicle review of Frisson, and am dissappointed I won't get a chance to sample Patterson's cuisine there.

As far as Antidote goes, c'mon! Soup in test tubes? In Sausalito? No disrespect to Sausalito, Marin or Torralba; but, talk about the wrong place to open a so called constructivist experiment!

Erik

[crosparantoux]

I totally agree that there’s a lot of unnecessary silliness and bad cooking on the edges of new cuisine, but I stand by my basic point--SF cuisine seems to be stalled. Laugh at Antidote’s test tubes but travel to other cities and wonder, How far is Antidote’s silly delivery system from the precious shot glass amuses that appear in multistar, established restaurants? Here in SF, at a recent Campton Place dinner, I received shot glass amuses at the front and end of the meal. In the first tiny glass there were three complex cooking techniques going on, with three different kinds of shell fish. Intense! In the second, pre-dessert glass, two techniques, with a flower infusion and a froth. Absolutely fabulous. But look up from the food: CP’s dining room, as always, was only half empty. (I, however, appreciate the serenity.) Yet SFers stand in line outside other places that serve food that most people can cook at home. I’m just trying to figure out why.

We are now way off thread so I’ll shut up.

Good luck to Patterson and others who are trying to nudge SF forward.