178 Townsend St,
San Francisco, CA
http://saisonsf.com
Reservations: Mandatory (max 90 days in advance)
Atmosphere (5/5):
Saison is quite a surprisingly small space, very
intimate, with quite limited seating as compared to other places we have been.
The best part- the tremendous views of the open kitchen. We were pretty much sitting right inside
with the chefs! This made for an especially "up close and personal"
experience
Service (5/5):
We really appreciated the very unpretentious
attitudes of the servers. They were all too happy to stay at or table and
chat, offer comments about dishes, tell stories about their own food
experiences and address all of or questions. Their very personable
approach was balanced by a very professional and flawless dinner service,
unrivaled by any other place we have been so far. The service gets an A+ all the way around,
from the front of house to servers to the sommelier.
Food (9/10):
As one can glean from their website and previous
reviews, there is an Asian flair to the whole meal. Or evening started and ended with tea, and
Asian flavors and techniques were the centerpiece of most courses. For the most part, dishes were very simple
and understated, but executed perfectly. So of our favourite dishes were prepared using their wood oven, which they used to prepare meat, veg and even bread. Saison is more about subtlety
and refinement than dramatic, “knock your socks off” flavors and presentations.
Here is a sneak peak at our meal:
Overall verdict?
If you are looking for a meal that hinges on
simplicity and subtlety, without all the smoke and mirrors, than Saison is your
place. While you may not experience the
same degree of “wow” factor that is found other 2 and 3 stars, there is
something to be said for the restraint and finesse that Saison delivers.
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