Fringale: Fat, Pink Nuggets of Awesome
Written: Sep 17 '00 (Updated Oct 01 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: The food, the food the food and the price
Cons: It's a little small
The Bottom Line: It's Basquerific!
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| Mr.Eyore's Full Review: Fringale |
This may be my favorite restaurant in the city, which, come to think of it, I shouldn't be telling you. The place is small and it's sometimes hard to get reservations. But in San Francisco, "hard to get reservations" is a relative term. It's not Gary Danko or French Laundry, but it is a good idea to call a day or so in advance.
Fringale is one of the few SF restaurants headed by a "celebrity chef" that actually lives up to expectations (cf. Postrio). Nearly every aspect of this place is top notch and any other restaurant I review will have to live up to its standards. Any French restaurant in the city is likely to pale in comparison. Each of their dishes is consistently pleasing, the room is a little tight but attractive, the wait staff is polite and knowledgeable, the bar is well appointed and the price is always a pleasant surprise. Not to put too fine a point on it, but I have not had this quality of food at any other San Francisco restaurant and paid as little as $30-35.00 per person, with wine. It really is a bargain.
Pookie loves to start her meals with strange and foreign cocktails like Lillet, of which Fringale must have 4 different varieties. I was pleased with the fact that they have several high end bourbon's and a respectable selection of scotch. I don't actually drink the scotch, but I like to know that they have brands I've familiar with if I ever change my mind. Fringale also has a carefully selected wine menu that should satisfy any palette, from nice crisp pinot noirs for those warm early evenings to rich merlots to cabs hearty enough to stand up to their richest dishes.
I feel compelled to focus on two spectacular dishes: the prosciutto and cheese terrine and the lamb chops. I'm ashamed to say that I have considered ordering the terrine as an appetizer and then again as an entree (perhaps a third helping for desert). I can't recall what kind of cheese they use, but it is apparently layered in a loaf pan with thin slices of the cured ham then sliced into 5 x 5 inch patties of striped burgundy and white. The patty is then either broiled or pan fried and served atop a lightly dressed bed of greens. How the concoction is held together once the cheese begins to melt is beyond me, but it is a real delight to peel away a few stripes at a time, stab a piece of green and stuff the melty, salty, sweet, lightly vinegary goodness down my gullet.
The other dish, for which the waiters claim Fringale is famous, is the lamb chops. I know when I say "three lamb chops" people are going to start thinking, "oh 3, that's it, typical french restaurant ... small servings, big price." But stop thinking that. First of all, I'm fairly certain that these chops come from some kind of freakish Goliath Madagascar sheeps. The ribs must be 4 inches apart because each bone comes with about 4 ounces of meat on it. And I mean MEAT. Fringale trims off all the fat and gristle and waste of space and serves you nothing but a fat pink nugget of awesome with the eating utensil attached. I've had the dish served with delicate and perfect creamy scalloped potatoes and fantastic crisp green beans (yes fantastic green beans).
I've tasted their duck confit, their salads, their pork loin and their osso bucco. All have been excellent.
Parking has never been a problem. There is ample street parking and a small lot across the street that never seems to fill. It's not the most popular area of town, so don't feel like you have to take a cab even on a Friday night. You'll find a spot nearby.
This is a great place to go for a romantic evening or to take out-of-town guests. If you're coming with tourists, take them up the street to the top-of-the Marriot bar for a drink afterwards. It's a great view from comfortable surroundings and a perfect capper after any meal at Fringale.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Mr.Eyore
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Reviews written: 129
Trusted by: 299 members
About Me:
I come for the pervasive sense of elitist self-importance and semi-witty expressions of faux camaraderie
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