Anyone been to Winterland recently

[mcattaneo23]

I was just wondering if anyone had been to Winterland recently. I know Michael Bauer ripped it in his review in June, but with the chef's credentials I thought maybe this place would have a chance to be good if not great. Is he just trying to be too hard perhaps???

[Carolyn Tillie]

Funny you should ask... New boyfriend and his crew used to frequent this place a lot (two or three times a week). Management had a complete change over about three or four months ago and since then, it has been a complete wasteland. They are going to go under soon when you walk by at 8:00 on a Friday night and it is entirely empty. Nothing to say of what this says for the chef, but entirely of the management and how they have been treating people.

We wandered by just last evening and saw no one yet continued up Fillmore and many other standards were doing a lot of business despite the weather. I don't think Winterland will last based on what I've been hearing...

[subliminalkid]

I'm sorry to hear about the management problems at Winterland. I was

there for dinner with a friend in early November, and we both really

enjoyed our food. There were some clever and surprising dishes, and

most items we ordered were at least well-executed.

I didn't take notes, but remember an excellent braised rabbit with

various chestnut-based accompaniments. The carmelized brioche

French toast is simply luscious.

Here's another recent review:

http://www.arthurhungry.com/archives/2005/12/winterland.html

Hmm, I better plan a return visit in case they do close soon...

Bill

[Carolyn Tillie]

I stopped in for a cocktail and appetizer on Saturday; they offer an interesting blend of fresh ginger and Pims served with a little Cointreau and spritzer in a champagne glass. The appetizer was four oysters, served atop a parsley puree with a gelee of Buddha's Hand and a bit of caviar -- the Buddha's Hand gelee was a tad too astringent and fought with the parsley puree. Empty when I stopped in 'round 7:00-ish which is surprising for a Saturday night. Apparently the veal tripe on the appetizer menu is quite good but I was not in the mood to dine in an empty restaurant that evening.

[mcattaneo23]

Is this place gonna make it, I keep hearing so much of Chef Morales' talent and pedigree but also that it is consitently empty. Is the food good, or just too gimmicky for San Francisco? Will this chef be enough to pull the restaurant out of its hole??

[subliminalkid]

Is this place gonna make it, I keep hearing so much of Chef Morales' talent and pedigree but also that it is consitently empty. Is the food good, or just too gimmicky for San Francisco?  Will this chef be enough to pull the restaurant out of its hole??

←

Ahem, if you're so concerned about it (again), why don't you have dinner there and tell us what you think?

I've eaten at Winterland again since my earlier response. My friends and I were pretty pleased with our meal, "gimmicks" and all, though I thought my first meal was more memorable. It was a reasonable crowd for a weekend, not "consistently empty" at all.

By the way, I've read Michael Bauer's original review, and thought it was totally out of character. I've discussed that review with friends, who all agree that the food sounded interesting despite Bauer's over-the-top comments.

Bill

[mcattaneo23]

Sorry but I was under the impression that these forms were for an information source, if it is so much trouble to for u to share your insight with us, then don't. I would like to go there but I have not had the time nor the money lately, but thanks for your smart ass remark!!!

[melkor]

Sorry but I was under the impression that these forms were for an information source, if it is so much trouble to for u to share your insight with us, then don't.  I would like to go there but I have not had the time nor the money lately, but thanks for your smart ass remark!!!

←

I don't think subliminalkid was being a smart ass at all. If people aren't eating there, how can you expect to get a flood of replies when you ask about recent experiences there? It's really rare to hear anything good about Winterland. The restaurant has been empty each time I've gone past it but I've never felt compelled to give it a try based on everything I've heard. If the restaurant stays open, good for them. If it closes, a few weeks later most people won't remember it was ever there.

[mcattaneo23]

While I agree with your statemen, is this not the precise reason this website is here, for information on restaurants that maybe you or I would venture into. Someone else on here probably has and that is all I was asking. I am not looking for a flood of replies, just a few to see how the restaurant is doing. I love food and dont want to see any restaurant fail, especially one with a talented chef like Morales. In the future I gues I will have to eat and experiece every restaurant myself before I post here asking for some information...

[subliminalkid]

I thought it was rather odd that mcattaneo23 asked the same question twice within a relatively short time; I was wondering what he was trying to get at. "Will this chef be enough to pull the restaurant out of its hole??" doesn't really sound very encouraging to prospective customers, does it?

mcattaneo23, if you have personal experiences with Chef Morales, I'd love to hear about them, since I've really enjoyed my meals at Winterland.

By the way, for people with limited budgets, one can order any item from the regular menu to eat at the bar; good way to sample an appetizer or dessert without coughing up for the full meal. If I haven't talked about it enough already, I can easily eat the carmelized brioche French toast several nights a week...

Bill