Canteen
Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Nob Hill817 Sutter St
(between Jones St & Leavenworth St)
San Francisco, CA 94109 (415) 928-8870
- Hours:
Tue-Wed, Fri 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Wed-Fri 11:30 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Sat 8:00 a.m.-2:00 a.m.
Sat 6:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: Yes
- Delivers: No
- Take-out: No
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Breakfast, Dinner
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
661 reviews
Neighborhood: SOMA
"Went to Oola with a party of six for a birthday dinner. Was worried s birthday dinner was going to suck because often times this happens…" read more »
342 Reviews for Canteen
I've only been here for breakfast, but it's always good. Canteen is tiny, so get there early unless you like hanging around on the sidewalk waiting to eat your first meal of the day. The menu is also small and it changes quite a bit, but I've always enjoyed whatever I pick.
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Grand KUDOS to Mr. Leary for giving us beautiful and nourishing meal experiences. I am glad for his continued committment to creativity, developing afficionados de cuisine, and not being greedy aka franchise, larger Rubiconesque approach. C U again. FYI, this is where I bring all food snob friends from NYC, just to knock em off their pedestal.
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tres words to best describe..."boutique fine dining"....genuine specialty restaurant.....dwarfish 'n' scarce seating...reservation mandatory....judging from layout....sizing fit for counter burger joint and stools...possible in past life?...breath of new life into charming cozy bistro?....back to review....cordial and hospitable...warmhearted service....passing limited selection menu....selection slim picking....skate, veal and chicken main course option.....pondering over choices....and more guests being seated...noticing faster pace and quicker step of staff....busier by the minute from six pm weekend opening....
target poussin..i like poussin....self "expensive idiot" unknowing of such poussin word....what the poussin!...que es poussin?....poussin like a glass of pinot grigio!.....surrender and question....what is a poussin?....chicken!....why gotta be all fancy and call a chicken a poussin?....
side tracked....back to review...ordering of poussin chicken....pair select appetizers....."perfection" the one....perfection in cooking art....crisp of pork belly outer....sweet soft juicy center...mixture sweet to sour in harmony perfection....second, prawns execution....snap and chew....cooking perfection...compliments of lentil to bring starch...noticing various forms of shrimp and bean combination in various places....main of poussin....crisp outer skin delicious....although white...soft tender sweet juicy poultry...all perfect cooked individual masterpieces.....
$forty-three per person dining....sip of wine at most....come if enjoy cooking perfection sampling at best....small portion coursing...from dinner had.....three poussin nugget-sized chicken piece meal for self......two prawns 'n' two pork belly cubes to share amongst four......three pieces equals entree 'n' two pieces equals appetizer?
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WEEK 152
__________________________________________________ _________________________
Sweet Corn Soup with curry 7.25
*Prawns with lentils, romesco and breadcrumbs 11.50
*Pork Belly with endive, sweet and sour plums 12.50
Summer Lettuces with goat cheese vinaigrette and walnuts 8.75
__________________________________________________ _________________________
Asparagus Crepe with porcini mushroom sauce and parmesan 20.25
*Skate with wax beans, basil, and caper-anchovy butter 23.50
*Poussin roasted, with a ragout of cannellini beans, escarole and bacon 24.25
Veal Scallopini with savoy spinach, poached egg, sweet onion, paprika jus 25.25
__________________________________________________ _________________________
Lemon-Raspberry Shortcake 7.00
Fennelseed Tourte with bitter almond Bavarian cream 7.00
Chocolate Pots de Crème with espresso sauce 7.00
Vanilla Souffle since 2004 8.00
Canteen has been around since Yelp was but a pup yet I make my first visitation one month shy of its 3rd birthday? Where are my manners? And more importantly, what have I been missing out on?
Fifties diner. No restroom, just one dorm toilet. Make-shift library. Stools and purse hooks. Sardine can booths. Cramped quarters. Dennis Leary flies solo. You've heard it all before, as have I. All these frames of reference concerning the environment I had read about, but only finally resonated when I came face-to-face with the rather awkward reality that half my royal rear end was hanging off the booth seat. I'm making a mental note at this point to (a) up my cardio, and (b) downsize to a clutch and free myself from the prison that is the woman's bottomless grande "so big it requires its own chair" handbag (cough, overnighter) we often carry our world in. And for the almost-perfection that is Canteen, I would absolutely make these sacrifices.
I eat a lot of good food and I come across even more bad food (a LOT of obscenely, criminally awful food actually), Monday through Friday via cafeteria eat and run then cry lunches. So flavor and presentation are the sort of no-brainer receptors. It either is or it isn't. But here, Chef Leary executes with such extraordinary naked skill that I know it's not just about flavor and less presentation for him than it is about a "symphony" of sound and texture and painstaking culinary technique. He just gets it. His cooking doesn't necessarily require a heightened awareness or high-brow food knowledge; there's none of that puffery of thinking and chewing or wondering that typically goes on at places like Cyrus and French Laundry or the Iron Chef/Top Chef judges table because all the magic happens the moment you take your first forkful. The prawns taste like they had each been gently rocked with a lullaby before being seared, so fleshy like amaebi but armored with a lovely brown.
From the apricot mousse with paper-thin summer squash amuse bouche to warm brioche loaves, to the pre and main courses, the execution is almost masterful, flawed only in the sense that the extensions of the Chef himself need a slight tune-up. For example, admittedly, I should have known that the plate which the poussin arrived on was hot, no, scalding, by the mere fact that our server brought it out with a cloth napkin, but for people with the brains dulled down to the IQ of a pigeon from years and years of brain numbing client abuse, some of us need a little extra help, know what I'm saying? A simple caution like, "Hot plate you might burn yourself." would have been appreciated. But hey, it's not like the FBI needed my fingerprints, anyway. Who needs 'em.
Outside of that minor emergency, the staff is rather nice - they're just busy, understandably. It's not easy working for a perfectionist.
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**Review of brunch only**
Given the reviews I've read and also the hype surrounding this restaurant, I was really looking forward to dining here for brunch with my friend who is in town for the weekend.
We woke early to be one of the first people at the restaurant because I wanted a more leisurely dining experience and to beat the crowds.
As the staff prepped the kitchen and we perused the menu, I picked the lamb neck with black olive and artichoke vinaigrette, and my friend ordered the Chupacabra, which is a spicy shredded pork with black beans and green tomato salsa and scrambled eggs.
Even though they open at 8am on Sundays for brunch, as we sat there after ordering, the ambient music was turned on about 10 minutes later, and the kitchen staff and server were still heavily prepping before the morning brunch rush came in. These things are all forgivable as I've worked at a popular Sunday brunch establishment before and it takes a lot of prep for such a small staff to stay on top of the rush.
What is not forgivable is food being plated and served when it is not cooked properly for presentation. My lamb neck was so tough, I had to ask the server for a steak knife to cut through both the skin and meat. In addition, they didn't serve the dish as advertised on the menu, with the server setting the plate in front of me, saying, "The chef substituted red peppers for black olives is that ok?"
What was I supposed to say at this point? Both dishes were served, without notice of the substitution prior to firing, and I didn't want my friend to wait another 10 minutes for a refire.
So I said fine, giving the substitution the benefit of a doubt. Well, it didn't work. The red peppers in the vinaigrette added to the acidity and didn't balance the meat out (which was also, quite frankly, poorly seasoned on top of being T.O.U.G.H.). The meat sat like a lifeless lump on the sliced artichokes, dry on the outside, and extremely chewy on the inside.
My friend didn't care for her Chupacabra either. The scrambled eggs were fine, but the spicy pork wasn't spicy at all, and the entire dish was swimming in black bean water. It looked like a stew/soup. The green tomato salsa just didn't gel with the rest of the dish. Another table ordered this dish and it also sat half eaten, pushed to the side.
It was all so disappointing. I gave the meat a few more bites, ate a little of the relish/artichokes, but I really couldn't stomach any more of it after a while, and my friend ate about 1/4 of her dish and was also ready to go.
At the end of our meal, I felt compelled to inform the server of the meat. She sent it back to chef, they spoke for a few minutes. Now, this is the critical moment that resulted in me giving the restaurant a one-star review.
They could have comped the dish. They could have offered something else. At the very least, the chef could have come to the counter, where we were sitting, and apologized and asked us to come back again to try other dishes another day.
None of that happened.
What actually happened: The server came back after having a private conversation with the chef, and said they decided to take $5 off the bill because the meat was too tough. It was written on the receipt, "$5 off because lamb meat was too tough."
REALLY? Wow. OK. My friend and I looked at each other quizzically, paid the bill, and left.
Now, the question is, am I to feel appreciation that they did this because I brought it up very nicely, without asking for any kind of discount or am I supposed to feel like I've been given a little pat on the head for speaking up? Was that discount patronizing?
I'll leave that up to you to decide.
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I would not have been so disappointed if the place does not have a 4.5-star average with 300+ reviews. Unless I ordered the wrong food item, the chupacabra (literal translation of which is "goat sucker") looked so much better on paper (spicy braised pork with egg scramble and black beans) than in real life (despite copious quantity of extra ground pepper sprinkled on top, the spiciness was nowhere near to be found).
That being said, the chic and modern decor, the price and the service made this place one level or two higher than your usual neighborhood diner (don't shoot me - any places that sell scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and toasts by default fall into the 'diner' definition). I would not be totally opposed to coming back to sample the famous egg benedict that everyone raves about.
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Since I've only been for brunch, I feel like I must go back to better gauge the yumminess that is Canteen.
First off I will begin by saying that it was about 80 degrees outside (steaming for SF) and I was severely hung over. With that being said, any restaurant that I can go to in those conditions and still enjoy is kick ass in my book.
Since it was hot, the restaurant was very hot as well but we still enjoyed brunch. We had the benedict (freakin amazing) and the salmon omelette (I dont really like salmon.. but it was still DELISH). I'm sad that I didn't get to try more.. or that my stomach wouldn't allow me to try more.
Minus one star for the bathroom situation (its next door in the dorm).
Can't wait to go back for dinner/brunch again!
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Great! Eat there every day if I could afford it.
OK so i had the cold split pea soup, the lamb loin, and the chocolate pot de chocolat...and it was all excellent. They gave me a free shrimp and toasty roll in addition to my selections. The service was good. Very quick delivery of dishes and great timing. The place is small so make sure you book in advance. And there are about 4 selections per course but having tasted a few others (like the lemon croquettes) I can guarantee all will be to please.
We went here for brunch on Father's Day and it was so good! We didn't have to wait too long for a seat and we ended up sitting at the counter, which I wasn't too keen on, but it turned out ok. The smoked salmon omelette was very tasty. My husband ordered the benedict and said it was the best he has ever had. We live right next to the place and I am sorry it took us so long to get over there. We definitely won't wait so long for our next meal at Canteen. I can't wait to try dinner!
Goodness gracious... I just had brunch and I can't believe how good it was. The chupacabra and the blueberry french toast--Amazing. Loved the Led Zeppelin playing. Decor is very cute. My new favorite casual restaurant.
Today was my second time to Canteen, both for brunch. First time, I'd say 5 stars, but today, 4 stars.
The eggs benedict is amazing. 5 stars, no doubt.
Today I had the Chupacabra, which I loved for its name, and it was goood, but not amazing. I may have been mistaken, but I thought the menu claimed it was spicy and it really wasn't anything that even resembles spicy. The tangy green tomato avocado salsa with the black beans and amazingly soft scrambled egg were all great... pork just needed heat!
I do really like the atmosphere here though. It's tiny with minimal decor but nicely done, and today we were 5th in line for a table but still only had to wait 15-20 minutes.
It will definitely stay on my brunch rotation.
Great drinks,
Laughing Buddha is one of them, try it.
Great place to lounge and talk with friends as the music isn't too loud. Lots of earth tones and dark lighting, great for dates. Seats at the bar that goes half the length of the place. There are couches and table in the back. I know there is seating down stairs, but I have never seen it.
Ok. Chicken hash this morning was not of note and expensive. Did not include any bread, toast or roll. I saw another table with a roll, so I asked for one - ended up receiving 3 brioche rolls. They were the best part of the meal. Didn't realize that the bread would add $3 to the cost of the meal. All in was about $20, which is pretty pricey for brunch, especially if it isn't a killer brunch.
I much prefer the Boulange chain or Stacks or for a fancier brunch Murray Circle.
I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and try dinner as I have heard that Leary's a great cook. He was not there when I had my brunch. I was disappointed that they didn't have corned beef hash.
This hash was chunks of chicken, some potatoes and some bell peppers in a curry sauce with a packet of a poached egg on top.
No wait at 9 am, btw. Easy parking then too. Only drawback to eating then is the noise from them vaccuuming the lobby of the hotel that the restaurant is attached to.
soft, light, melt in your mouth, buttery goodness. i can't get enough! one of these days, i'm going to inhale the entire tray of brioche myself!
out of pure strength in will power, i save some room for amazing apps, entrees and a heavenly souffle dessert.
every dinner here has been good. make your reservations and come on time.
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Damn. Canteen has the BEST -- lemme repeat -- the BEST french toast in the history of the world. I got the blueberry french toast and it was seriously the most tasty, deliciously-textured, gastronomic euphoria I've experienced in a very long time.
Also got the eggs benedict, big pancake, and corn soup. All of which were pretty good, but the highlight of my brunch was definitely their french toast.
One bad note is that the place is so damn small. It can only seat like 20 people in the whole place. C'mon... seriously?
But yeah... FRENCH TOAST. De-freaking-licious.
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Despite the uncomfortable seating at the counter (no backs to the stools - which looks cool but gets old real quick when you actually have to sit there) - I liked Canteen for the most part. Menu is limited so depending on your tastes you may be SOL. The dinner rolls are little warm bits of heaven. The vanilla souffle - simply lovely - and the onion soup was original and luscious. And I even enjoyed my pork entree. Wine list is "eh" but the meal makes up for it. They definitely have service pretty down - although there was a bit of a lag between the apps and the entree - which I was fine with as I don't like being rushed between courses. Dessert, however, practically arrived before they cleared the entrees. Hoping that will not be the case when and if I return.
YUM-freakin-E
Canteen is a tiny restaurant on Sutter, they have seatings at 5:30pm, 7:30pm, and 9:15pm to accomodate customers because they seriously have like 3 tables and some bar seating. It's casual too, so theres definitely no valet. I parked across the street for $3/30 min, but if you venture a bit farther south you can get $8 flat rate parking.
Don't be fooled by the diner like setting, the employee's uniforms, and the single oven kitchen because the food was magical. I'm still baffled that the food I got came out of that "kitchen."
To start, they brought out a parmesian apricot... thingie... Yeah, I'm not that fancy so it tasted like a slice of parmesian over apricot jam. I'm pretty sure that was not the message they were trying to get across, but it was cool that there was a complimentary starter. Also, the dinner rolls are insanely soft. I ordered the squid appetizer with chili oil, not bad...it seemed really fresh but too chewy for me.
Next, I shared the Saffron Tuna which was perfectly cooked, and interestingly prepared (seared and fried in a light wrapper). And don't hate me for saying this, because I'm totally against animal cruely too, but GOOD GOD, the veal was amazing. I have never had veal stew before, and I was skeptical when the waitress mentioned it was cooked with cream, but it was balanced, so flavorful, and not fatty or chewy like veal at Bacar. For dessert, I shared a strawberry shortcake - 2 shortbread cookies with whipped cream and strawberries in the middle - good, but nothing mind boggling.
It was $72 before tip for two people: 1 appetizer, 2 entrees, and a dessert. Kinda pricey, and portions are small, but I was completely satisfied and not too full. Love the food, love the atmosphere, loved how the waitress didn't yell at me when I called her 3x for directions. Definitely will be back to try out their brunch!
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2.5 stars
When my mind and my tongue disagree.
Went on Saturday with two other friends. Between the three of us we almost got everything on the menu. You really should bring three people to have a party of four and try everything.
Atmosphere:
The restaurant was very quaint but I didn't feel like my neighbor at the bar was listening in on our conversation, nor could I hear his.
Service:
The waitress was nice but she was barely there. We waited around a lot to get our orders taken, but I guess this is more of a consequence of the set reservation times (6. 7:30 and 9:15?). Once we ordered our food came out very quickly.
Food:
Corn Soup: Going on the suggestions on yelp, I ordered the cream corn soup. It was nice. It was like your mother warmed up some milk for you before bed and added some corn flavoring to it. It wasn't what i expected though, thinking it would be more like a corn chowder. It was nice, but nothing crazy good.
Friends' appetizers: My friends got the watercress salad which had really good salty deep fried crisps on them and a toast with melted cheese. Very good. And my other friend had the duck which was different. If I were blindly tasting the meat, I wouldn't have thought duck. It had a small piece of fat on the top but the texture seemed different. It was good though.
Lamb: My lamb came with garbonzo beans. I gave them a try thinking that a well raved restaurant might have some magical way of making these taste good (besides deep frying them like cassis) but they were still just garbonzo beans. My friends loved it though. The lamb was OK. There was very little flavor to the meat, in fact I added salt to it. But it came with an orange sauce all around which I guess was supposed to make up the flavor. It was forgettable.
Friends' entrees: My friend had what was called pork schnitzel. Who would order something called this? It was so good. Deep fried, almost tonkatsu style, pork that was so tender and juicy, I would not have thought it was pork. And it came with beets. One of my favorite foods. And, the killer, a poached egg on top. I fell in love with her dish (and was extremely jealous). It was SO good. The other friend had the tuna dish which was also forgettable (but perhaps it was more forgettable after eating the pork schnitzel thing).
Strawberry shortcake: Good! The bottom layer of the cake was special. Not sure what they did to make the bottom taste better than the top, especially since it looked like they just slice open the cake and put the delicious strawberry goo in there, but it was extra tasty and extra sugary. The strawberries were nice and sweet but not too sweet, and the top layer of the cake was a bit denser than I'd like.
Friends' desserts: Friend had the almond torte which was OK, what killed it was the cherries which were still sour. And other friend had the vanilla souffle, very good. It was like a vanilla soup with a perfect complementary bread bowl around it. Yum.
So my mind ordered what it thought my tongue would like and my tongue sat jealously watching my friend eat everything it wanted. What can I say? If only 1 out of 3 items were spectacular, can I really give this place a raving review? Even if that 1 thing was super super good? I can't.
I think this place is also a breakfast/brunch place as well. It seems like most of the rave rave reviews are for the brunch, so I'll have to go back for that meal and update this after I do.
Atmosphere: 2.5
Food: 3
Price: 2 (180 after tax and tip for three courses and one drink each).
Total: 2.5 stars...for now.
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Pre-dinner entertainment if you have to wait a bit is stellar in the *once a hotel now yet another if daddy can write the check I'm an art student Academy of Art College* dorm lobby. An interesting parade of over privileged children marched through in their Friday finery, including some with store bought boobs and super tans, boys with unusually shaped eyebrows, a young man who actually looked like an art student working on a Hopper-esque canvas RIGHT BEFORE OUR EYES. See? I told you, amusing. Worth the price of admission there alone.
Suzy B. said I had to take her to Canteen for her birthday dinner and I gladly complied. Unlike most restaurants with a super limited menu-4 starters, 4 entrees, 4 desserts, everything was appealing. We both started with a lobster soup with a pea puree and a little mint-outstanding, for an entree I had a spring vegetable clafoutis-the panqueque was delicious, the vegetables were ok, maybe priced a bit high at $20, the desserts were delicious especially the vanilla souffle. The birthday girl had skate for her main course and it was very nice.
With 3 glasses of wine this came to $99. Not too bad and the atmosphere is very cozy and comfortable. One good thing about such a small restaurant is that your food comes to you right away and it is hot-none of this lingering about until the server makes their way to the distant kitchen. One of our servers seemed a bit unhappy and was slamming silverware around and rolling her eyes a bit, not so good.
I would go back. I want to go back. Please, someone, take me back to the Canteen!
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Best weekend breakfast. Ever. Love this little place... starts to get busy on Sat/Sun after 10AM so be prepared to wait... It's definitely worth it!
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Despite the giant sign out front, I must've walked by this place 2 times before I actually realized it's the place I was going to eat. When I entered the first thought that went through my head was, "where's the rest?" With only 4 tables and limited bar space, this place is cozy to say the least, and I wasn't sure how good the food could be from a kitchen the size of my bathroom.
First thing I liked: the water. I know it's weird, but I absolutely hate people filling up my glass and interrupting my conversation every 2 seconds. Here, they give you a glass bottle, and you can fill up your water as you please. Second: they actually served an amuse-bouche! It was apricot with shaved parmesan and almond. Nothing incredible, but I appreciate the effort. Third: The bread. It was a soft, warm roll, like a brioche. mmmm.
And of course the most important part, the food. The appetizers were delicious. I had the pork tenderloin with a mustard sauce and cabbage, and I had many bites of the squid with white beans and chili oil (I preferred the latter). The entrees were equally tasty. The braised veal in a cream sauce was a much lighter, greener, flavor than the one I'm used to with most braised dishes, but still rich and complex. And, as usual, I ordered the chicken (with mushroom jus, bacon, and swiss chard). And, as usual, I loved it. How can you go wrong with a chicken dish that sounds so good? Unfortunately, the dessert was not up to par. I ordered the vanilla souffle, and it was far to wet and eggy and not worth the extra $7. The total for 2 people with tax and tip was $100, but the food was definitely worth the cost.
In a previous review I was very excited by my chicken from Range (which has 1 michelin star). However, I was more impressed with the food from Canteen as I found it more innovative, with a more interesting selection, and the fact it comes from 2 people working in a kitchen the size of a birds nest is quite impressive. Canteen wins the battle of the chicken, and therefore, my heart.
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I finally had a Sunday off and I wanted to have brunch with my friend Mark. And so we had our brunch here. It is a very small cafe but the service and the food makes up for that.
I order the salmon benedick with a funnel salad and that was ever so good. Even the coffee was also good.
I heard that the dinner is even better. I will come back for dinner.
Yummster........
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Five-star dining without the pretentiousness you say? That's right, excellent food and great service. Friendly too.
My wife and I had the following:
Butter lettuce with creme parmesan
Curry crab soup
Crack habit inducing rolls that taste like squares of buttery goodness
Pork Schnitzel with bacon and a poached egg
Hazelnut encrusted skate with artichoke and big ass scallions
Vanilla Souffle
We'll be back for brunch on Sunday.
See you there.
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This is one of my most favorite restaurants ever. Go here with an open mind and a trusting palate. It is a joy to come and be fed by a rock star chef and a lovely, kind welcoming staff. They turned both my new year's eve and last birthday into really nice times (instead of the lonely times they were otherwise doomed to be). The food is always superb and it's great to go into a place knowing you will have something you have not tasted in quite the same way before. The prix fixe/special meals are such a treat- I always am excited to see what's coming next. Tiny little room- killer vintage touches in 40's office type /clerical furnishings. Smarty cute servers- ask Casey about some good wine- she'll talk to you about it in a language even I can understand.
I put that it was no good for kids, but one time I saw the awesomest dad on the planet at the counter with his son, and they had the prix fixe- the kid was maybe 10 or something- dad talked with him about all the food, and the wine which he brought in himself with his own glass- this guy didn't fuck around. The kid ate and liked everything- including sweetbreads- which he knew all about. Good kid. Good dad.
Yum. All of it. Go. Now.
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WAIT WAIT!! POOFY ROLLS!! HOW COULD I NOT MENTION POOFY ROLLS?! Ohhhhh...
Love them. Casey and Robin, too.
Oh. My. God.
I was taken here on my birthday recently when they had a special leap year pre-fixe menu. I definitely had some items I would have never ordered before (cold watercress soup? rhubarb, tapioca, coconut meringue for dessert?) and I enjoyed all of them. Then a couple of days ago, I returned for a belated birthday lunch (yeah, I'm really stretching out the birthday celebrations here) and it blew my socks off again. This time, the standouts were sweet corn soup with mint, watercress salad with grapefruit and fontina, tuna tartare with cucumber and coriander oil, and capellini with braised pork and spicy tomato sauce.
The space is small, so you really do need a reservation. I love how casual it is while still offering up really fabulous food. It is a nice compromise between casual dining with really special food. Not a lot of options on the menu, so be prepared for thoughtful but limited choices.
Next time? I really want to try their brunch. If only I can keep getting people to take me here so I never have to pay!
Awesome cozy place with tons of charm and personality.
My friend and I went before catching a show at ACT and the food is absolutely delightful.
We started with a glass of the sparkling vouvray, watercress salad and pork tenderloin ap. Impeccable.
Our entrees (Duck breast with cherries, my friend described it as "christmas on a plate!", lamb shoulder) were decadent and savory and hit all the right notes.
With all that, we managed to save room for dessert and ordered the vanilla souffle. Now I understand why this dessert has been on the menu since 2004!
The service is friendly, informative, and casual. Our server Casey (who compiled the really fantastic, compact wine list) was so great in helping us choose a delicious Cru Beaujolais to go with our meal.
Wonderful food for a small place. I've been here a couple of times and the food is quite consistent and well seasoned. I love the Oyster Thyme Soup. Servings are quite small and could be very expensive. I love the small menu that changes quite often, it means that they use fresh ingredients.
straight forward.
simple.
go early.
or go late.
cute chef.
BONUS!
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A+
This place was really good. Been a while since I've had such a well rounded meal that was all excellent. Pork Belly, squab and vanilla souffl were all excellent. Both meats were cooked perfectly. The squab better than I've ever had squab or quail before. Waitress described the dishes very well. Wine recommendations were good. Was a solid night here for 2. Wouldn't do it with a larger group.
My boyfriend's cousin recommended this for brunch yesterday, so I hopped onto mobile Yelp to check out reviews before going in. Since it was so high, I got excited. I'm not super picky about breakfast, give me eggs and potatoes, and I'm good. I just like good quality ingredients, and let me tell you, Canteen's are awesome! I ordered the oatmeal with nuts and fruit. Really good! My boyfriend got the eggs benedict, which was super tasty. Fresh eggs, great hollandaise and the potatoes were perfect. Someone in our party also ordered the chocolate pudding. Talk about heaven! I only had a little taste, but I can't imagine eating an entire bowl! It was so rich. The coffee was also really good. Service was fast and friendly. I definitely recommend for breakfast/brunch!
THE.BIG.PANCAKE. is.the.love.of.my.life.
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"Best brunch place ever."
That was the review I was given after we had waited for over an hour and tried a selection of three dishes that I had no idea what they were from the menu description. But she was right. The brunch was awesome and the definite highlight of the weekend.
As we walked up along Sutter and approached the Canteen sign, I was optimistic that at 12 noon on Sunday that perhaps there would be no wait. Unlike Swan Oyster Depot, there was no visible line outside and I remember reading some reviews that perhaps the hype had died down on Canteen. *Wrong*
Once inside the tiny, tiny space, I wrote my name down and quickly saw why it was deceptively line-free. Canteen is adjacent to a building with student housing and everyone waits there. When we arrived at noon, there were easily almost 20 people waiting. We grabbed a seat, pulled up a newspaper and waited for my name to be called.
* 1 hour and 5 minutes + one trip to the student housing bathroom later *
My name was called and we quickly and thankfully took a seat in the cozy booth seats. I quickly perused the menu; a simple one with only 10-12 items. The crab Benedict (in limited quantities) was the one item that jumped out at me, but unfortunately, it was sold out. Frankly, as I sat there, nothing else really stood out from the menu and I was worried I might be disappointed ordering a Big Pancake or a French Toast. Unsure of what to order, I decided to ask the waitress for some help. These were her excellent recommendations (few were items I would have ordered):
Chuscuprabra (sp?) - I don't even know how this dish is spelled but it essentially was black beans topped with braised pulled pork, avocado, green peppers, and scrambled eggs. It was perfection and everything tasted super fresh, organic and rich. The scrambled eggs were of particular note and not overdone in the least.
Petro (sp?) sole hash - essentially a fish mixed with potatoes in a creamy and brothy sauce. The potatoes were cooked just right with a slightly crisp exterior, but soft interior, perfect for soaking up the sauce. The fish was tasty and tender.
Blueberry French Toast - the one item I recognized from the menu and a star as well. I think it's the best French Toast I've ever had. Crisp and not soggy at all, despite sleeping in a rich, wet bed of blueberries and blueberry sauce. It was all topped with a large dop of cottage cheese.
Total wait time: 1 hour +
Total eating time: 5 minutes
Our eating time was both a testament to how hungry we were after a one hour wait but also to how absolutely delicious the food was. Even the waitress was impressed by our eating prowess. We left very happy. And in agreement: Best Brunch Place ever.
**P.S. Despite the small size and affordable prices, Canteen DOES take credit cards, including American Express!**
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Its refreshing and a treat to have a top chef making your meal. I loved Dennis Leary's work at Rubicon and followed him to his new spot Canteen.
SF has many acclaimed restaurants and star chefs but there is a good chance they are not in the kitchen making your meal. Many chefs create the menu and the have their staff prepare it. At Canteen its all Dennis.
I think his menu at Canteen is great, it no nonsense food prepared simply but the taste is complex and amazing. I started my lunch with a sublime first of the season spring pea soup then moved to a cream with fresh tomato and lardon capellini pasta.
The menu changes daily and its not a big place so its hard to get in. Dont go in a large group (they only have two tables that can fit 4 folk and its a tight squeeze). Call to make sure they are open.
The weekend brunch menu is beyond ...
A high-end restaurant masquerading as a diner. Cute if the cuisine is good enough to pull of the joke.
Well it does and with a vengeance. I was lucky enough to sit in on a 5 course, $60 prix fixe dinner tonight. An incredible bargain considering the quality of the food.
After a lovely amuse, the first course was halifbut gravlax with cucumbers, sorbet and dill. Pristine fish amplified by the dill and sorbet.
The second course was white corn soup wiith fresh prawns and bacon. The corn soup actually tasted like corn! The sweet prawns and bacon were a lovely contrast to the pure essence of the soup. How often have you had a fresh vegetable soup in which cream wasn't used to hide the absence of any real taste?
Guinea hen with caramelized shallots, swiss chard and thyme jus followed next. The jus was light so as not to overwhelm the hen which finished cooking through on the plate. The hen was juicy, just slightly gamey and was contrasted in particular by the shallots. Beautiful cooking. Local ingredients, perfectly prepared and not overwhelmed by bells or whistles. The chef has the courage to let his food sing for him.
Next, white bass with spring vegetables and homemade curry. The fish was flakey, served as a thick cut in which the curry on the plate flavored the bottom of the fish whereas the top revealed the pure essence of fish. Perfect.
Desset was a cherry cheesecake. Would this be Sara Lee? Hell no. Rather a decontructed cheesecake. A lovely lump of cake (not overly sweetened) served in a pool of light cherry sauce, surrounded by fresh, pitted cherries. The dish was topped with a fresh-fried crust. Thin, crisp, sweetened just slightly with powdered sugar.
Kasey and an efficient staff manage to work the small room as well as the chef manages his kitchen.
The jokes on you if you don't try this place out.
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This is a cute restaurant in the tendernob area, right by Fleur de Lys. The food is solid and the service is good. Nothing spectacular, nothing bad.
I cannot believe how many 4 and 5 star reviews this place has - - it actually HURTS me to write this review......... but no matter which way I turn the events and food of last night - - it just doesn't work for me. 1-star, it is.
Maybe I did the wrong meal here -- perhaps breakfast/brunch is better than dinner... but geez, this feels awful!
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No.
Step away, back off - - no. Just don't do it.
No, no. NO!?!
That would have been my full review but apparently, Jen S. had a lot of chocolate and decided to do a blow-by-blow, reenacting every painful moment from last night X 10.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Guess I'll add to it just by writing that it was a huge disappointment.
I'd heard Canteen was good - and this was my third time trying to plan a dinner there, first time we actually made it without changing plans. (Thank goodness, too, or my reputation as a "food enthusiast might have been blown!) Then, reading the reviews yesterday, I saw that James K. had reviewed the place and given it 5 stars, no less -- and I was officially excited to go.
Now, in his defense, and anyone else who might have rated them higher - - I'll preface this with the fact that they do change their menu very often or perhaps even nightly.
But I find that when the food is good, it's usually good no matter how they change their menu.
We must have looked at that menu for a good 15 minutes, partially because nothing (absolutely NOTHING) stood out to either of us, and partially because nobody came to take our order for that length of time. It was odd because the whiffs I got of their cooking was smelling fantastic - - but none of it was appealing off of the menu. Half of me wanted to get right up and declare we're not wasting time, money, or space - - we're leaving to somewhere that at least has an enticing menu -- but the other half of me kept on thinking about Yelp reviews and what my friends had said about Canteen.
So then, the normal person might order only one thing - but what is that? This restaurant can only seat perhaps 15 people - - Jen and I are in one of their booths, and obviously took up two of their spaces that could have been given to their other patrons. Then we only order one thing? How rude...... right? But the thought of ordering at least 2 appetizers and 2 entrees due to etiquette seemed outrageous, too.
So I did the only thing I could think to do.
When the waitress approached - I lied.
"We actually have another dinner at 8 pm....we'll just be ordering these two appetizers and this one entree. I've just been wanting to eat here forever, so we dropped by." Complim