Sauce
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 252-1369
01/15/2007 Posted by jane_smly
This place was named best new restaurant ranking after Michael Minna in a recent year - that rating is completely unjustified. It is a very lowkey, friendly, neighborhood restaurant with satisfying, edible but unexciting food. I agree with the reviewers who say the food is bland - I tasted 2 appetizers, 3 entrees, and all the desserts in the sample platter - the predominant flavors are creamy (without being excitingly rich) and squishy/soggy. Nothing was charred, flavored, spiced, or had a memorable strong flavor. This would please people who are used to dormitory fare and want something more grownup, but real gourmands would have trouble. Don't expect dazzling, artistic presentations - the dessert, for example, was served with rough dollops of whipped cream (more than required). The staff are unbelievably friendly and personal, which is the only reason I would return. The only real complaints I have are (a) the portions are just too big (b) the "nontraditional" spin is misleading (for example the "roasted chicken mac and cheese" is really tender chicken pieces swimming in pasta in white sauce - nothing like what the name suggests) and (c) the overall price is a bit high for this type of average, rough-hewn fare. If your date is very sophisticated, you should downsell this place a bit so that s/he is not disappointed. Michael Minna this is not.
Pros: Quick seating, friendly staff, edible big portions
Cons: Overly big portion, expensive, rough hewn rather than sophisticated
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