09/16/08

Great atmosphere, food and service not worth it

by jvandersluis4city

They nailed it with the ambiance, and although our waitress was good the food was really sub par. I ordered a Hendrick's gine & tonic with extra lime and I think they either didn't use Hendrick's or they put Rose's lime juice in it instead of fresh limes. First time ever that I didn't finish a Hendrick's gin & tonic. I ordered the special shrimp appetizer that I was told had a sauce with a kick in it. The shrimp was a little tough and the sauce was bland. I also didn't finish that dish. I order the gnocchi with oxtail as an entree and although I ate the entire dish, I felt somewhat assaulted by the sodium content. The coffees we ordered were nice but my Americano was served in a small espresso cup that was 2/3 full and it got warm while I waited for someone to bring me cream. My friend ordered a glass of wine she seemed quite happy with, and her heirloom tomato salad was excellent. But her minestrone soup was disappointing. Given the bill was over $90 (without tip) we wished we looked a bit harder for a restaurant in the area and I doubt either of us will return.

02/17/08

A San Francisco Gem!

by jessicalovestom

Visiting from L.A. for a romantic Valentine's night dinner, I walked in to this lovely restaurant and felt like I was in heaven. While relaxing before our dinner reservation, we enjoyed a couple of glasses of bubbly in the big round red lounge. What an amazing ambience for this holiday! It was perfect. We arrived to our table which was a cozy corner banquette, quite romantic. This evening we selected from the Pres Fixe menu, I chose Venison tartar with quail egg and caviar, followed by Lobster risotto, and then crusted Duck with red wine reduction. I am trying to be accurate, as I did not acquire a menu to take home! Our experience with the waiter, Todd, left me feeling quite fond of him! He was engaging and also told us that the Chef, Richard Corbo, is a 2008 nominee for a James Beard Foundation Award. That leaves me with a great impression after a great meal and service. Expect me to dine here everytime I visit this city!

• Pros: lovely lounge, delicious food, a james beard award nominee!

This Venice-inspired SoMa eatery wins fans with classic Italian fare, a posh lounge and versatile outdoor patio and sculpture garden.

by Lorraine Sanders

In Short
A stately marble bar opposite a circular rotunda seating area greets patrons who step into this Westin Hotel restaurant. Dramatic silk-screened panels mark the entrance to the main dining room, punctuated by striking red, black and white glass chandeliers glinting overhead. Executive Chef Richard Corbo's Northern Italian cuisine goes from casual (think starters like crispy risotto fritters) to elegant, California-influenced house-made pasta dishes and entrees like potato gnocchetti in braised oxtail ragu and pan-seared wild king salmon with manila clams in a saffron broth. By night, the fire pit is not to be missed.

10/10/07

OK restaurant

by apollo7923

This restaurant appears to have mixed reviews, so I was not sure I wanted to go. But I met my bf at the bar there so I thought it would be nice to take him there for his birthday. It is a romantic restaurant, defnitely the right ambience for dating. The service was OK. It was a little slow, but the waiter was good. The food was presented very nicely. However, it was just average. I don't think I would order any of the dishes again or highly recommend any friends to go there.....

10/05/07

Great new downtown place for a Night Out

by semeyer

The redone Argent Hotel into the new Westin Hotel has created a fantastic new gathering place for a Night Out. The outside seating area is spacious, includes a firepit, is a very friendly outdoors place to sit, relax and talk w/friends. Very European feel. Inside, the restaurant is also spacious, with comfortably arranged tables, great service and wonderfully inspired new approaches to food. The small plate idea makes it possible to try many new creative dishes, each one seems to be a winner! The bar area has a 'parlor' for seating/eating/visiting w/friends. GREAT re-designed place for a San Francisco downtown experience, and GREAT food!!!!

• Pros: Atmosphere, food, location
• Cons: crowded bar area

08/25/07

This is IT

by josven

I went to Ducca last night for the first time to meet a friend for a drink. What a great place. The aumbience, the location, the food, the people. Really this is IT. It is exactly what San Francisco needed.

Its a perfect meeting spot for a a date, night out, group meeting almost anything. Also this is something out of towners must experience, it's location to MOMA, Union Square, Moscone Center makes it the perfect before or after place to meet or stop for a snack or drink. Can't think of another place like it anywhere, definately a San Francisco first!

08/08/07

Great addition SF scene

by sboedy

Not only is the outdoor seating and drink list wonderful, but the restaurant is also impressive. Our food was excellent (especially the desserts!) and the overall service was excellent. The wait staff were very professional and the overall decor was gorgeous. The decoration is a beautiful mix of Asian/Italian/Californian fusion but still light and airy at the same time. I went with a good friend and it was quiet enough that we could talk and hear easily. There was a business dinner on one side of us and a couple on the other. Just past the restaurant inside the Westin (still part of Ducca, I think), there's a great area to meet up with friends for drinks/happy hour before being seated for dinner. They had a good drink list. Great parking all around and BART nearby. It's not a cheap place to eat, but a great a meal.

• Pros: food, wine list, ambiance, service, outdoor seating
• Cons: expensive

08/06/07

YUCK ~ TERRIBLE

by annewaeden

Rip off restaurant (BIG TIME).

Nothing but a pretty place with a nice wine expert !

Terrible food, no valet, dirty bathrooms with no toilet paper nor hand towels.

Nothing was even edible, we had to force it down....

Sand covered everything we ate - We ended up walking out!!!!

In a hotel which ruins the ambiance - Never eaten in a decent hotel restaurant, does not exist

in this country.

A chief needs to take over the kitchen and teach these cooks how to prepare food for

this price tag. The menu is not friendly at all - very strange concoctions....

• Pros: pretty room
• Cons: really bad food.

07/11/07

Not worth the money

by pbakshi

After reading the previous review, my husband and I wanted to check this place out. I could not find a website or menu, but we went anyways on a Saturday night. The ambience is very nice, but the staff slow. We were greeted by a very nice hostess who promptly seated us, but that was the last prompt thing that happened. We sat for a long time in a fairly empty restaurant, just staring at the staff walking by us. Finally, we ordered two glasses of wine, one came correctly, the other was not what I had ordered. Then we ordered our food. The olive appetizer filled with gorgonzola cheese must have soaked up the cheese, because we could not find it. It was just big olives with a crust. The ravioli left something to be desired, and by default I received the big portion without the waiter asking. The gnocchi was tasty, but kind of fell apart in your mouth. The molten chocolate cake was divine (they got that one right). Then when we got our bill, they had charged us for three glasses of wine, the incorrect one and two correct ones! We may go back, but just for the lounge area.

• Pros: nice lounge area, nice ambience, nice staff
• Cons: slow service, food only average

06/26/07

Finally a great place for Happy Hour in SoMa!

by lasund

I work and live downtown and there are not a lot of good options for a great happy hour scene afterwork. Ducca just opened and has a beautiful lounge area that is really sensual a very large bar and a large patio (with firepit!) that make it a great place to bring a group for drinks and/or lunch/dinner! The dining room is sleek, yet warm with interesting art and an upbeat vibe. The cecceti (snack) menu is perfect for bar snacks and the food is fresh and flavorful. I will be there for happy hour at least once a week! Also, Ducca is open late, another rarity for SF!

• Pros: great location, great scene, patio and firepit