Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Dinner at Myth, San Francisco, CA
Myth, a fairly new restaurant, is turning out to be one of the harder reservations to come by in town. We'd tried to go there many times and never quite called early enough to get a reservation. For this reason, we thought that the restaurant would be stellar. It was not. It did have it's good points (the super-fresh scallops) but it also had too many bad points (mediocre entrees, hit or miss soup). Now that we've eaten there we are thinking the reservation thing has much more to do with the atmosphere and decor than the food itself. Here are a couple of things that they did have going for them, other than the food:
-They had a great list of wines for under $25, rare at any restaurant. It was cheekily followed by a list of wines over $200.
-They passed the "still v. sparkling water test". I like still or even tap water much better than sparkling. But somehow sparkling always gets ordered. When this happens waitrons have a tendancy to forget that I am the only one at the table drinking tap/still and either fill my glass with sparkling, or don't fill it at all if the bottle is left on the table. Myth passed this test with flying colors, keeping our glasses filled with our respective drinks of choice.
-The decor was a strikingly modern spin on the 70s. Lots of wood and green/yellow stained glass. But it worked. There were also lots of cozy corner banquets where you can sit next to your date as opposed to across from and there were great booth/alcoves.
Warm Sweetbread Salad with Bacon, Sherry Vinegar, Shiitakes and Grain Mustard $12
Surprisingly good. Alexis generally does not like sweetbreads, but these were scrumptuous.
Wild Burgundy Escargots with Braised Octopus, Garlic, Pernod and Fennel Salad $12
Also delicious. The escargot were tender and juicy and the octopus was firm. All the flavors melded perfectly.
Seared Scallops with Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Potato Puree $15
The scallops were so fresh that any preparation would have been good. This preparation was nice, but I could have dealt without the glorified mashed potatos.
Scallop Bisque with Black Trumpets, Rock Shrimp and Brandy $12
The slices of the same super-fresh scallops and the rock shrimp made this dish stand out. Also, it was much thinner than a traditional bisque, which was pleasantly surprising. Without the flour filler the bisque tasted more purely of the seafood. Yum.
Cauliflower Soup with Lemongrass, Curry, Ginger and Bacon $10
Horrendous. This soup was almost unpalatable. It tasted of nothing even with the addition of a bit of salt. They should take it off the menu immediately.
Braised Beef Cheeks with Basmati Rice, Baby Beets, Carrots and Horseradish Gremolata $25
Again, fairly flavorless.
Cocoa Nib Creme Brulee with Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti $8
This was a strange rendition of a creme brulee with a very pasty consistency. The cocoa nibs were nowhere to be found, but the pomegranite kernals were a nice touch.
Spiced Apple Souffle with a Calvados Creme Anglaise $8
The souflee was actually quite tasty, but the waiter poured way too much cream in the middle.
Ratings:
Food: 1
Service: 2
Decor: 2
Website
Health Code Violations
-They had a great list of wines for under $25, rare at any restaurant. It was cheekily followed by a list of wines over $200.
-They passed the "still v. sparkling water test". I like still or even tap water much better than sparkling. But somehow sparkling always gets ordered. When this happens waitrons have a tendancy to forget that I am the only one at the table drinking tap/still and either fill my glass with sparkling, or don't fill it at all if the bottle is left on the table. Myth passed this test with flying colors, keeping our glasses filled with our respective drinks of choice.
-The decor was a strikingly modern spin on the 70s. Lots of wood and green/yellow stained glass. But it worked. There were also lots of cozy corner banquets where you can sit next to your date as opposed to across from and there were great booth/alcoves.
Warm Sweetbread Salad with Bacon, Sherry Vinegar, Shiitakes and Grain Mustard $12Surprisingly good. Alexis generally does not like sweetbreads, but these were scrumptuous.
Wild Burgundy Escargots with Braised Octopus, Garlic, Pernod and Fennel Salad $12
Also delicious. The escargot were tender and juicy and the octopus was firm. All the flavors melded perfectly.
Seared Scallops with Black Trumpet Mushrooms and Potato Puree $15
The scallops were so fresh that any preparation would have been good. This preparation was nice, but I could have dealt without the glorified mashed potatos.
Scallop Bisque with Black Trumpets, Rock Shrimp and Brandy $12
The slices of the same super-fresh scallops and the rock shrimp made this dish stand out. Also, it was much thinner than a traditional bisque, which was pleasantly surprising. Without the flour filler the bisque tasted more purely of the seafood. Yum.
Cauliflower Soup with Lemongrass, Curry, Ginger and Bacon $10
Horrendous. This soup was almost unpalatable. It tasted of nothing even with the addition of a bit of salt. They should take it off the menu immediately.
Grilled Hawaiian Walu Butterfish with Salsa Verde, Pea Sprouts and Porcini Broth 20
Both of the entrees were mediocre, but this was the better of the two. The pea sprouts were cooked nicely and the fish was cooked well, but both lacked strong flavor of any kind.
Both of the entrees were mediocre, but this was the better of the two. The pea sprouts were cooked nicely and the fish was cooked well, but both lacked strong flavor of any kind.
Braised Beef Cheeks with Basmati Rice, Baby Beets, Carrots and Horseradish Gremolata $25
Again, fairly flavorless.
Cocoa Nib Creme Brulee with Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti $8
This was a strange rendition of a creme brulee with a very pasty consistency. The cocoa nibs were nowhere to be found, but the pomegranite kernals were a nice touch.
Spiced Apple Souffle with a Calvados Creme Anglaise $8
The souflee was actually quite tasty, but the waiter poured way too much cream in the middle.
Food: 1
Service: 2
Decor: 2
Website
Health Code Violations
# posted by Giao and Alexis @ 5:43 PM 
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