First Crush Restaurant Wine Bar & Lounge
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 982-7874
Fax: (415) 982-7800
- Cross Street:
- Ellis Street
- Best of Citysearch:
- Romantic Date Spot 2008, Wine List 2007, Romantic Dining 2007
- Hours:
- Sun-Wed 5pm-11pm, Thu-Sat 5pm-12am
Message from First Crush Restaurant Wine Bar & Lounge
SF's favorite spot for dates, groups, meetings and celebrations.
- Award Winning Wine List
- Great for Group Dining
- Seasonal California Cuisine
Paid advertisement by First Crush Restaurant Wine Bar & Lounge.
Editorial Review for First Crush Restaurant Wine Bar & Lounge – by Joanna Currier
The Scene
The attractive street-level dining room is busy with tourists, shoppers, and yes, first dates. A low, tin ceiling and tinted windows deepen the room's wine-red walls and accents. Hand-thrown, eggshell-hued dishes in irregular shapes add touches of whimsy to crisp, white-topped tables. Service is smart, efficient, and patient with the exclusively California wine list. A small, back bar upstairs accommodates after-work oenophiles, while downstairs a larger, cavernous wine "grotto" lures private groups.
The Food
The menu of simple California favorites is divided into small and large plates. Appetizers are fresh, colorful and presented like gifts--"Crush" oysters served warm with bacon and chard, pan-seared scallops the size of a hockey puck and seared ahi tuna served on a bed of ripe tomatoes. Larger dishes include pan-roasted chicken breast, cherry-orange glazed duck and grilled rack of lamb with fava beans and asparagus, all with sweet, tangy sauces and reductions.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
What to DrinkWine flights--three glasses poured a third each ranging from $10-$15--are a good idea and a good deal.
What to EatNot too hungry? The $16 cheese plate offers a lovely international selection with plenty to share with a group.
The ExtrasBeer and cocktails are also available.
User Reviews for First Crush Restaurant Wine Bar & Lounge
02/15/2008 Posted by KaylynL
My boyfriend and I were looking for a resturant to go to on Valentines day, we stumbled across First Crush on City Search as it was voted "most romantic resturant". We couldnt have gone to a more perfect resturant. The ambiance was romantic yet chic, perfect! Because it was a holiday there was special menu, the food was absolutley delicious, I had the Filet Mignon which was cooked to perfection. We also chose to do the wine pairings which were spectacular. I would highley recomend this resturant for a special occasion dinner or for a "just for fun" night out.
Pros: Good Food, Cute Spot, FUN
Cons: It was a PACKED
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
01/20/2008 Posted by baines32
My wife and I tried the restaurant for the first time last night and were left with a horrible taste in our mouth. We were very excited to spend our anniversary dinner there after reading several great reviews and hearing from friends who liked the place. We went to a comedy show around 730 so we had a late dining time, a 1030 reservation. (They told me they seat and serve til midnight) We were sat promptly but immediately our service from our waiter was awful. He never introduced himself (by name or as our server) but he was a tall, fairly young (late twenties?) and found out his name is Jackson. He asked if we wanted drinks and after we ordered a $100 bottle of wine and the cheese plate, he asked if we were "having an entree or what?". We both thought this was a bit rude, especially since he had not spent more than ten seconds at our table up til this point. We wanted to enjoy our wine and the menu so we had a salad and soup as our next course, followed by the scallops to finish up. Around 1130, the scallops were dropped off and we asked him for share plates and never saw him again...until 5 minutes later when we saw him walk out the door in a different shirt. He had apparently transferred his table (and another sitting near us) and left...without telling us a word!?!? Our new server was nice enough but she dropped off our check as we were on our first bite of scallops and said "the kitchen closed at 1130 so here' s your check". WE WERE AND ARE APPALLED! First of all, we were never told that our server left, never given an option of seeing a dessert menu, and never told the kitchen was almost closed until after the fact. I usually get treated better than this at Chili's, much less a well reviewed fine dining establishment in San Francisco. Our new server half-heartily apologized and removed the cheese plate off our bill but we ultimately were left confused, rushed, unwanted and hugely disappointed. (the busboys were amazing...)
Pros: big portions, large wine list
Cons: horrible rushed service....no manager on duty late night
0 out of 2 people found this review helpful
