04/26/09

the finest food in San Francisco

by misslove

memorable fine dining experience,with rich and complex food.experienced staff.beautiful views.the menu changes from time to time ,always offering fresh innovative ideas to the menu.rissottos are my particular favorite.extensive wine list.

• Pros: the desserts are superb
• Cons: sometimes you can' t get in

07/03/08

IF THIS IS ONE OF SAN FRAN'S BEST...

by estevao

WHILE VACATIONING FROM MASSACHUSETTS, MY WIFE AND I DINED HERE AFTER READING GREAT REVIEWS AND HEARING THE SAME FROM HOTEL STAFF. MENU SELECTION WAS LIMITED AT BEST, AND THE ALA CARTE SECTION WAS DOWNRIGHT LAUGHABLE. MY WIFE ORDERED PORK SHORTRIBS, WHATEVER THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE (I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF IT, AND NEITHER HAVE ANY CHEF FRIENDS I HAVE ) WHICH CONSISTED OF THREE RIB BONES WITH LOTS OF FAT AND A DISGUSTING SAUCE. I ORDERED GUINEA FOWL WHICH CONSISTED OF ONE (SIC) LEG AND THREE SLICES OF BREAST MEAT, ACCOMPANIED BY THREE EXOTIC MUSHROOMS EMBEDDED IN CORN PUREE, WITH FOIE GRAS REDUCTION SAUCE (RIGHT). NEITHER OF OUR ENTREES WOULD HAVE FED A SIX YEAR OLD. WE PASSED ON THE ALA CARTE SIDE WHICH WERE EIGHT DOLLARS EACH; THEY INCLUDED GRILLED POTATO, ONE GLAZED CARROT, AND ANOTHER VEG THAT I CAN'T RECALL. SERVICE WAS FINE, EVERYONE POLITE AND COMPETENT. THE OVERALL ATMOSPHERE WAS OK BUT THE NOISE LEVEL WAS EXTREMELY DISTURBING. WE ALSO WERE SERVED ONE PIECE OF BREAD BY A SPECIFIC BREAD SERVER; HE NEVER CAME BACK. NEEDLESS TO SAY THIS WAS A MOST UNSATISFACTORY EXPERIENCE. THE FOOD WAS TOO SKIMPY, FAIR AT BEST, AND WAY TO EXPENSIVE FOR WHAT WE RECEIVED.

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: PRICE, QUANTITY

06/24/08

Worst fish we've ever had

by benrod007

The restaurant atmosphere is nice - nothing too great, but a cool view of the Ferry Building, and that's where the only "good" part of this restaurant stops. The soup my wife had was awful - she said it tasted like chicken broth with bits of chicken from KFC in it. My crab salad was OK, but there was WAY too much dressing on it, like a thick yellow mayonnaise/hollandaise sauce on it - completely ruining the great crab taste it was supposed to have.

We split a main dish (after our horrible appetizer experience) - the halibut. It honestly tasted like soap: if it weren't for the mashed potatoes, we would have honestly only taken one bite. We had to eat them at the same time, dipping the fish in the potatoes.

The dessert was average, but I would've rather had an ice cream cone.

Ok - there you have it. Our experience sucked. One of my good friends lives in San Fran and said "why did you go there? It's only for business lunches!" Well, after the fact, the only reason I would take anyone there for business is if I wanted to LOSE the business!

11/27/07

Non Red-Meat, Sausage/Pork Eaters Beware

by ellereview

We booked reservations at One Market for Thanksgiving this year. The three course menu sounded delightful with pumpkin ravioli, turkey with cornbread stuffing and several amazing dessert selections. After we were seated at a table with a beautiful view and ordered, I said to my husband how thankful I was to live in California where I don't have to worry about food being made with beef broth, bacon, pork... (I cannot digest it). Halfway through the meal we asked our waiter what one of the vegetable side dishes was and he happened to mention that the cornbread stuffing was made "traditionally" with sausage and then asked if we liked it. I laughed at the irony and then spent the next day crying, nautious, bloated and throwing up my ~$65 three course meal. I wish the waiter had mentioned the stuffing was made with sausage when we ordered our entrees and/or that the chef or manager had included that information on the menu. (Maybe they don't know that some people can eat chicken or turkey or fish but not red meat or pork?) On "black Friday" I managed to crawl from my bathroom floor to the phone to let the restaurant know that I did get sick and if they could ask the chef to add specific information on their menus in the future. Hopefully they will be more forthcoming. Since they did not apologize it's hard to say. For all you meat eaters, ignore this review and rating and enjoy the rich&heavy food at One Market. But if you can't eat meat and you go, I thought you should know that you need to ask what ingredients are used to make your meal.

• Pros: Ambience
• Cons: Heavy food

10/13/07

So so. . . .

by jcanoza

The food was excellent and the view of the cross-streets was pleasant, but the service left something to be desired.

• Pros: Excellent food, extensive wine selection
• Cons: Slow service, not many glass wines available

02/17/07

Fabulous!

by erikasf

I was impressed by the food at One Market. I definitely recommend the duck breast and the scallops wrapped in pancetta. We took advantage of crab specials and ate excellent crab cakes as a starter. I appreciated the "mini desserts" for just $5. My husband got the prix fixe menu, duck breast included, and we thought it was a great deal. I am happy to say that the food at One Market provided the wow factor that I had been missing at other similarly priced downtown restaurants. The service was also great - efficient and knowledgeable. The wine list has an extensive by-the-glass selection. We can't wait to go back.

• Pros: food, wine, service, location
• Cons: ceasar salad was not as memorable as other dishes

Upscale California cuisine, elegant decor and superb waterfront views make this restaurant an Embarcadero favorite.

by Contributor

The floor-to-ceiling windows at this corner restaurant offer a wonderful view of the Ferry Building and Bay Bridge. Inside, the look is corporate--buffed and polished, with well-spaced tables, high ceilings and a gently tinkling piano in the background. The crowd is mostly Financial District businesspeople. Subtle details lend a refined touch to the California cuisine at this swank eatery.

11/16/06

um, all right, i guess...

by misslaurat

my family tried to have a nice birthday dinnner here, but had mixed results. we started in the bar and enjoyed the long and creative drink menu, and when we moved to the table things started off well with tasty bread and good service. my dad described the atmosphere as "early bank" - true enough - and i think the description of "superb" bay views is a bit trumped up (great view of the embarcadero and the ferry building, sure). our appetizers were good - i personally tried the beet "carpaccio" with shrimp and the roasted fig salad, which were decent and at least mildly interesting. we had the sommelier recommend a wine, and this may just be because my parents have boring taste in wine but he recommended a bottle that is decent but one you can find in most grocery stores - for me, when you ask a sommelier for a recommendation off a book-thick wine list, you want them to give you something you haven't come across before, so that was a bit disappointing. the worst part of the meal was our entrees - my parents split the beef for two and it was really beef for one - my mom's looked great, while my dad's looked like the dregs. my sister had a duck dish that came highly recommended but was in her estimation overcooked. i got a dish from the wood fired grill, a rare ahi tuna, which itself was good but came in a grapeseed sauce that was practically inedible, and wouldn't have coordinated with the fish even if it had tasted like what they had hoped it would. dessert, however, was great, we finished everything we ordered.

so i guess my summary experience was that this is probably a great spot for lunch or a quick bite at happy hour, where you focus on salads/appetizers rather than the full nice dinner out experience.

• Pros: good drinks, salads and desserts
• Cons: not worth the money. bad main dishes

09/11/06

Never a bad meal

by audreyjl

This is my favorite lunch spot with clients or co-workers. Great Atmosphere and very yummy menu. They have a nice wine list and their staff is very friendly and knowledgable. My favorite are their tuna dishes, but I've been happy with everything I've tried. Will always be returning and brining friends to share this nice place.

• Pros: Food, Atmosphere

05/30/06

Always a good choice

by sf415

I have eaten here many times and the restaurant never fails to please. The roasted meats are terrific and the sides are fun for sharing, particularly the chickpea fries. The wine list highlights many, many small producers--great choices. The mini desserts are delicious, particularly the Mint Ice Cream Sandwich. This is one of the most underrated restaurants in San Francisco by far!

• Pros: Great desserts, Good wine list, Fun Crowd
• Cons: Big restaurant