just wanted to stick in my two pence about a restaurant named quince. my favourite, EVER. hands down. i wanted fine dining last time i was in san francisco, and after a little legwork it seemed quince was the best option. i was NOT dissappointed. we had an impeccable sparkling red wine at a very reasonable price of 29 dollars and i had three things i wont ever forget; an order of angel soft little pillows of homemade tortellini, stuffed with shredded zucchini and cooked simply in butter, with purple basil. the flavours were delicate, clean. the ingredients were surely grown in heaven and the purple basil really was a genius move, offering just a hint of something different without being overly fussy with an already perfected dish. also, a steamed (i think?? cant quite recall) fiddlehead fern in butter. i would love to be able to find more specialty produce like this. it was like asparagus but more hearty. im not sure what else was done to it, but i remember it being fantastic. and then finally, a simple dish of limas and shitaake mushrooms. nothin fancy, incredibly indulgent on the palate.
sadly, the dessert i had wasnt anything special (nectarine upside down cake) i've heard a couple people (pim, included) say the cake is on the dry side there. this was definately my experience. good flavour, but compared to the rest of the meal, it definately paled. adam loved his chocolate mousse cake whatever but i think he was just swooning over the rest of the meal and the great company he had we asked to speak to the sommelier for pairings with our desserts and they said she was on vacation. however, the rumours on bay area chowhound told me that they don't have one at all. im opposed to restaurant white lies of that nature. however, we were directed to the wine-knowledgable manager and she picked very good dessert wines that did, indeed, do quite a sufficient job of complimenting each of our sweets.
our waiter was amazing. a very polite and friendly guy. came across as very genuine, always there when we needed him, never there when we didnt. a server with ESP. i love it. he was also very good at bantering back and forth with my witty, smart ass (but sweet and wellmeaning) dining partner.
i loved this meal so much that i actually wrote them and asked them for a copy of the menu we had that evening. they happily obliged me.
people wonder why i am passionate about the simple, california style cuisine that was started by good old organic fairy godmummy alice waters, and quince is it. theyve taken it above and beyond. thus far, quince is actually my favourite restaurant in the states, in the world. viva quince!