Le Zinc

Very Disappointing. My wife and I can only report a very disappointing experience at Le Zinc -- our first and, surely, last visit there. The maitre d' hotel was friendly, which made a bright enough start to the evening, but things deteriorated rapidly from that point onwards.

The waiter -- an important component of any dining experience -- exhibited an unfriendly and robotic demeanor and was clearly impatient that we took some time to decide on our order even though the restaurant was virtually empty at the time. If that had been our only complaint, I think we'd have been fully able to overlook his lack of bonhomie. However, the food itself was a C- at best.

As starters, we ordered the ravioli and mussels -- a little doughy in the case of the former, and cooked in an uninteresting tomato-based sauce in the case of the latter. We were further ticked off by a tiny serving of bread, followed (on request) by an even more meager second serving.

By far the biggest disappointments were les plats -- the salmon au chou and boeuf bourguignon. The salmon was a nice consistency but tasted as if it had been soaked in salt water for at least three days prior to cooking. And I can say with certainty that the bourguinon was the worst I've ever had. It too was laden with salt and sat amid a pool of gravy that tasted of rehydrated gravy granules. Does that sound appetizing?

After three strikes on appetizers, entrees, and service, we opted instead to forego desert entirely so no comment on that front.

There are so many other winning French bistros in the city that we'd recommend over Le Zinc (Fringale, Le Charme, Chapeau, and Zazie's are among our favorites). Don't waste your money on Le Zinc -- really.…

Authentic Parisian Ambiance. I love the sidewalks bistros in Paris, and whenever I feel like its been too long since my last visit, I make the trek from Alameda to Le Zinc. This is the closest I can get to my favorite Parisian bistros on this side of the Atlantic. The food, service and ambiance are all excellent. This is not a snobby place, it is more like an upscale, high-quality neighborhood hang-out. The restaurant is long and narrow, with some sidewalk tables out front and a charming patio out back. A long, antique bar with a zinc top takes up half of the front room. Everytime I go, I always try at least one new dish, and have yet to find one I didn't enjoy. My favorites include the crispy camembert appetizer and the duck with a peach glaze. Before eating here, I didn't think I liked duck, but if you like steak you'll love duck they way it is prepared here. f we're here for dinner, we normally have either the 3-course or 4-course tasting plate. I also often have on the of the wine flights. I have always found the portion sizes adequate (although I usually have the crispy camembert with whatever else I order). This is a great place to come and have a leisurely meal, enjoy the ambiance and the company of your companion.…

Brunch was good but icy wait staff. The traditional eggs benedict was good, nothing spectacular and came with roasted fingerling potatoes. Two eggs covered in Hollandaise sauce over English muffins w/slices of ham for $9. The fresh squeeze orange juice (lots of pulp) in a wine glass was pricey for $4 but very sweet. The lamb sandwich was expensive for $12 and came with potatoes. The wait staff barely greet you when you come in the door. We decided to dine here on a whim, enroute next door to get tasty treats from Noe Valley Bakery. The tall blond, slender waitress walks up to you,r table, doesn't say a word, looks at you and places the menus on the table. Returning later, she jots down your orders and walks away. I detected some life in her eyes when we finished eating and asked for the check. Otherwise, I would have thought she was some cold terminator robot sent from the future to impersonate humans.…

Le Zinc Stinks. A year ago, we happened upon LE ZINC, in San Francisco?s trendy Noe Valley, for lunch. (4063 24th St.) Although pricy, we really wanted to come back. Yesterday, 1-14-07, we did. What a rip-off. I ordered a $24 dinner. There was about 3 oz of meat, two bites of potatoes and some garlic beans. All told, including two tiny bites of appetizer, there must have been 6 oz of food. I left hungry. This was a sla p in the face. Enough food to live on would have cost them another buck. The wife ordered soup because she was not feeling well. Less than a cup of soup was $7. Salad was probably the same or more. They never mentioned it was not included. Stay away from those cheapskates at LE STINKs.…