11/26/08

Excellent food!

by yarivs

I went to Citizen Cake last night with my girlfriend following a friend's recommendation and we weren't disappointed. Everything we ordered was excellent (except for one of the appetizers -- a lettuce salad -- which was good but not remarkable). We got a beats + goat cheese appetizer, I ordered a steak (which came with a scoop of horseradish ice cream -- very interesting flavor) and my girlfriend ordered a vegetarian dish. For desert, we shared a "deconstructed" pumpkin cake. It was delicious. Highly recommended!

• Pros: great food, pleasant atmosphere

08/27/08

over-rated & over-priced desserts

by tl83

The first time I visited Citizen Cake was about a year ago after seeing it featured on Food Network. Plus I'm a cupcake fanatic and always make my friends and family cupcakes for special occasions. I even stuff the centers like a hostess cupcake! Anyways, I was so excited to try their famous cupcakes - one more chocolatey and the other a vanilla and fruit mix. They were dry, not very flavorful, and lacked the fun and fancy allure everyone had raved about. Not one to judge a restaurant based on just one visit, I returned last month. Again, not impressed by the dessert selection. Very limited, tiny, expensive items that just weren't appealing. We decided to try the cupcakes again. Not any better this time around. They weren't moist and didn't have enough frosting - the best part of any cupcake! Plus the service was horrible. We were ignored for about 4 minutes in the store before someone asked if we were ready to order. Then they didn't have any insight to offer when we asked for a recommendation of what to purchase and take home. Totally useless service and desserts that aren't yummy enough for their price tag. Overall, not impressed and I won't be giving Citizen Cake a third opportunity to wow me...at least not any time soon.

07/18/08

Incredible Lunch Spot

by nyfoodie21

My mom and I are vacationing in San Fran, and went to salon Oxenrose (another CitySearch find) for hair styling, and were delighted to see that we were on the same street as Citizen Cake. We saw on CitySearch that it's #1 for desserts, but decided to try it for lunch and dessert. The atmosphere is very minimalist/trendy. The menus are very clever. To start, they brought us some incredible biscuits, they were scallion biscuits, moist, flavorful. My mother wanted to buy them in the bakery afterwards, but they were not available. We each wanted soup and a salad, but didn't want a bowl of soup - they reduced the portion that was on the menu, so don't be afraid to ask. The soup of the day was a carrot puree - full of flavor - fennel and cumin...topped with yogurt, very delicious. My mother ordered the tomato salad, it was 3 types of local tomatoes (a feast for the eyes and the tastebuds), chives and fabulous feta cheese....with a lovely vinagrette. I ordered the spinach salad. The most creative spinach salad I have ever had. The only thing traditional was the warm dressing. The salad had a warm dressing, a finely diced bacon (I'm guessing it was salt pork?) - small cubed potatoes, and (are you ready for this?) a poached egg on top. TO DIE FOR! The dessert menu was pricey and very eclectic. We chose a dessert called 'The Sting'. WOW, WOW, WOW!!! The sting comes with a shot glass of the most fragrant, unusual, amazing spiced pineapple liquid - the dessert itself is a molton chocolate concoction, with a vanilla cream, and a pile of toasted hazelnuts and crunchies. You take a sip of the spicy liquid, and while it's in your mouth, you scoop some molten chocolate, some vanilla sauce and WOW. The most creative dessert we'd ever had.

Really recommend this place., try it for lunch!!

06/19/08

I don't know if Orson meant to EAT the Rosebuds...

by sesquialtera

My husband and I dined at Citizen Cake last night. It was not a pleasant experience.

The chefs of the restaurant seem to be unaware that the fad of judging a menu by the outlandishness of its pairings has, thankfully, gone to Colma. Resurrection, one hopes, is not an option.

Not a few of the great food writers (MFK Fisher, Brillat-Savarin, and Elizabeth David come to mind) were strong advocates of the right of a diner to negotiate a decent meal in a restaurant when presented with a less-than-intelligent menu. Try it here. See what happens.

Am I missing the point when I am confused by a restaurant loading its entrees with sweet junk (beef/cherries, pork/rhubarb, etc.) when it is, presumably, showcasing its desserts? In all honesty, we did not get to dessert as there was no time after a lengthy wait for our meals to be served. However, a glance at the menu showed that, again, items seem to make the cut by virtue of their "shock" value...sort of like those people who keep piranhas as pets.

There is a healthy and responsible trend toward making portion sizes reasonable, but Citizen Cake has gone too far. I doubt that my partner's risotto could have weighed in at more than six ounces. We awoke in the middle of the night with grumbling stomachs...and lighter wallets. The meal set us back just pennies short of a hundred bucks, before tip, with one glass of house wine between the two of us.

This description of our meal sounds like Chapter of Faults in a Cistercian monastery. So, in charity, I would suggest that CC attempt to strike a balance between the bizarre ("for them that likes it," as Julia Child used to say) and the undeniable appeal of one or two simpler, but sensibly prepared, menu offerings...the latter being a rare bird indeed in this neck of the woods.

06/02/08

AMAZING!!!!!

by nme128

we arrived, luckily early, for sunday brunch. we hadnt made a reservation and upon seeing the people line up to get in i hoped we would get a table. we did! from the start everyone was very pleasant and our server was GREAT. the food was amazing. you must try the Donut Holes (a signature dish). we inhaled them! the fresh made biscuits of the day were just as amazing. we had Bellinis made with fresh peaches from the farmers market. i cant say one bad thing as everything we had (we all got something different) was absolutely amazing. OH! the french fries with aioli, outstanding! and to top it all off, it is very reasonably priced for the great food, and amount, you get. we were bummed that we were heading back home and that we wouldnt be able to try dinner, or lunch, or another breakfast. it is a definite spot to try for any meal and i look forward to trying lunch and dinner because if its anything like brunch, it will be AMAZING, did i say amazing enough?!

07/13/07

Wonderful pre-opera/ballet/symphony dinner

by lmtullis

Before an opera performance this is our preferred place for dinner. Most recently we enjoyed a dinner with no reservation. The staff was very professional and accomodated our limited time to dine. We found the Banana Split dessert inventive and delicious and will have it again.

The dinner menu is very good too but save room for dessert.

06/27/07

Best Dessert in San Francisco

by iloveny1223

I have had the pleasure of visiting Citizen Cake on two separate occasions. One lazy Friday night, my boyfriend and I decided to to go Citizen for a late night dinner. We ordered light: little gem lettuces in creme fraiche vinagrette along with soup du jour. Can't go wrong with soup and salad. We then ordered what Citizen is famous for: decadent desserts to be shared!! We ordered the adorably named "LoveLova" which is a concoction of organic strawberry rose salad, cardamom cream, saffron meringue, and pisachio oil. Needless to say, C.Cake is a very romantic place for late night dinners!! A few weeks later, I ordered a birthday cake for that sweet boy of mine for a surprise birthday gathering planned with his friends. I ordered two specialty cakes: the Retro Tropical Shag & the After Midnight Chocolate cake. I opted to have them combined and then arranged into a deluxe cake (an option where the cake is cut into geometric shapes and then rearranged in a more architectual fashion). This distinction comes with an add'l fee, but let me tell you- it is WORTH IT!! The cake turned out marvelous, and the look was distinct from the usual mundane rectangular semblance. I was very happy with the custom presentation, timely service, and of course the delicious cake. Here's a tip: if you are going to order a specialty cake, be sure to place your order 48 hours+ in advance, as they require time to complete your order. Another tidbit I was able to pick up along the way: you can request extra garnishes such as berries or flower petals to add a little extra burst of detail (not mentioned on their menu or website). This charming patisserie is a must try for all SF dwellers and visitors alike!! *I hear that Citizen Cake has recently added cookies + cupcakes to their already awesome menu- so go and try 'em out!!*

• Pros: Romantic Ambience, Delightful Desserts, Cozy Place for Late-Night Dinners
• Cons: Parking only available on street.

01/30/07

Didn?t live up to Rachael?s recommendation

by siliconvalleygal

after having a wonderful dinner at Tommaso's Restaurant, I took my friends there because someone told me Rachael Ray recommended it on her ?$40 a day? show.

the desserts did look nice in the bakery case. so 5 of us ordered and shared 4 desserts and 2 sorbets. all i can is that we were all very disappointed that this store didn?t live up to Rachael?s recommendation. THE CREME BRULE WAS ONE OF THE WORST. however, for a non-sorbet fan i have to say that the lemon sorbet was not bad.

one thing bothered us was when we walked in the store, there were 4-5 tables unoccupied, but the host said they were all booked. 30 min later when we were leaving they were still empty. go figure????

12/16/06

good date place

by al04

The desserts in the bakery case looked amazing when we walked in and we ended up getting a cake from there and one dessert off the menu. The items on the menu are too complicated with too many ingredients that may or may not go together. They also aren't very satisfying, however, some of the ports and muscats are quite good. If I were to go again, I think I would just order from the bakery section. The service was courteous and knowledgable about the wine list. All in all, it was a fun place to go to for dessert and wine and would be a great place for a date.

• Pros: large selection of drinks

12/13/06

Donut believe the hype.

by wendolyne

Rude, listless servers + average cakes = might as well go to the Safeway bakery. I had such high hopes and they were dashed--DASHED!--by not only poor but abrupt customer service and mediocre treats. I know my cakes and this place didn't pass muster. Bummer because it's nice and close to the opera.

Citizen Kane would roll over in his grave!

) :

• Pros: close to the opera
• Cons: the place seems to hold no cheer and even at half the price I wouldn't return