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Fri. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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Some friends and I celebrated our collective birthdays at Fleur de Lys and they made it a tiny bit easier to turn (ahem) 40.
Food: Delicate touch, yet flavors were concentrated and bold, but a restrained kind of bold, if that makes any sense. The foie gras was decadent...a really hefty (delicious) piece. The duo of lamb came in the form of the seared loin and a version stewed in a tangine. Both were delicious and the cinnamon tied them together well. Chocolate souffle for dessert with cherry and kirsch ice cream was fantastic. Add to all that an amuse bouche, a special birthday dessert and complementary petit fours and it was an incredibly filling meal.
Service: 5-star service. From the moment we came in from the cold, we were warmly greeted, taken to our seats and offered a drink. The wait staff were eager to explain the menu, answer questions and provide whatever we needed. They did a fantastic job to make us feel special and comfortable.
Ambiance: Warm, dark hues, "flattering" lighting (i.e., dim) and strategically placed mirrors make the restaurant seem large enough for privacy and space between tables, yet intimate.
Overall: The warmth and sincere hospitality of all the staff along with the careful attention to detail in the food makes this more than a special-event restaurant. If I lived in the City, I would definitely return any time I wanted a great meal. Better yet, Chef Keller should definitely open a restaurant in Hawaii!
We celebrated a friend's birthday here. I absolutely love the duo lamb dish. I am very particular with my lamb as I prefer only Australian/New Zealand...
Absolutely knocked my socks off!!!
=)
Service was amazing, had our coats checked almost immediately after walking in the door, and was seated right away (we even arrived 30 minutes prior to our reservation to have a cocktail at the bar) Our waiter was an ex-chef who apparently worked at El Bulli and was very knowledgeable about the the food (obviously). Each dish was explained, and every question we had about the food was answered completely. The server even went into an explanation about how the menu is written, and why certain words and components are used to describe a dish.
I read a review where someone said the sommelier was rude, but I found him to be extremely helpful and not pretentious at all. He did spend a bit of time at the table talking about wine, but it was completely acceptable because he was so passionate about all things wine. He even brought around a red for us to try, which was so good I opted to order a bottle for the meat course. Both of his recommendations were excellent and not very expensive either.
The food was delicious. For the money it was great, but some dishes were just too busy. The Maine scallops had waaaay too much going on, and didn't have as much of a sear as I would have liked. I found that only using a couple of the components at a time really made the difference though. I also thought the sweetbreads were also missing that nice crust, I chalked it up to just a difference in preparation....but if they had a little crunch to them it would have been insane.
Desserts were great, I got the chocolate soufflé, and my date got the Grand Marnier soufflé (which I preferred). Both were excellent though. The waiter even brought another small plate with several bites including a chocolate covered strawberry, a fruit tart, and a few other things that I don't remember due to the amount of wine we'd drank up to that point.
Each course was delivered on time, I didn't feel like I was ever waiting for my food. We ended up staying for about 2 1/2 hours total, and the last hour of that was just sitting at the table talking after everyone had left. The servers were so wonderful and didn't seem at all put out that we stayed as late as we did, and were definitely the last people out the door.
The only downside to the evening was that Hubert was at the Burger Bar that night, I was really hoping to meet him and tell him how wonderful the evening was.
Perhpas it's because I can still taste the alba truffles served at the French laundry, but this was a massive disappointment.
I loved Hubert on TC masters, and fluer ha such an amazing menu but sadly the execution just isn't there and at $200 per couple without any drinks, it needs to bring up it's game. Hubert needs to get back to fluer, away from newly opened burger bar and whip his staff back into shape!
The problems:
--we were asked if we wanted bread 5 times throughout the meal, even though we declined after the 2nd time-I'm not in the mood to commit carbicide tonight ok!?!
--overly salty and tart amuse lemongrass fava bean.
--the salisify on the asparagus reacted terribly with the foie GRAS torchon which made the torchon taste alcoholic!
--not memorable flavors, yes presentation was great but it lacked substance to follow.
I love this place!
The food is absolutely delicious. Everything is cooked the way you want and comes out perfect. It's also nice to have the chef send out tidbits of munchies for you to enjoy while you're waiting in between courses. The only thing the chef sent out that I didn't like is this spoonful of brown goo. Maybe it's the Asian in me that recognized it as having the same exact texture and consistency as the oil/msg that comes in the ramen packets, which made me cringe. But other than that, everything else was just scrumptious...every time. *thumbs up*
Me and my wife dropped in, set at the bar, last Saturday night. I had duck, my wife had salmon. With the tip dinner was $300.00. It was just not that good. We went to Lori's dinner for breakfast, and thought it was better.
We go to many fine restaurants, it is our hobby. The dinner was nothing to write home about, except to say stay away
This was the most amazing culinary experience we've had to date, which includes the numerous cities we've travelled to across the globe to-date.
My husband and I went for our wedding anniversary dinner and we were greeted at the door by Chantal Keller, which was a lovely surprise. Within minutes of that, Hubert Keller walks in and greets us and asks how everything is going. I pretty much died and went to heaven and that was before any food was involved!
It continued to get better (if that's possible). Our waiter was extremely informed and friendly, not overly so but enough that made us feel like they cared about their customers. We didn't come here for a quick 1 hour in-out dinner - we expected this was going to be a dining "experience" where we could spend a few hours over a few courses, while enjoying the atmosphere and each others' company. That's exactly what we got.
The waiter mentioned that people sometimes want to have their dinner and be out of there within an hour (WHY??!!!) but that we were one of two couples that night (the other one being French and sitting right next to us) who were understanding about taking your time over your meal (given that I'm British, we concluded it was a European understanding of not scarfing your food down as fast as possible).
The food was AMAZING. Beautiful presentation, everything tasted unbelievably brilliant - every ingredient was freshest of fresh and you could taste every last flavour in each dish.
We received free glasses of wine/port and when they didn't have the dessert I ordered, they put it on the house. Additionally, they gave us a third free dessert decorated for our wedding anniversary.
Throughout the meal, our waiter was attentive and very knowledgeable, Chantal Keller came over to us twice to chat and see how everything was. The icing on the cake was when Hubert Keller came around and greeted every single table! This was the mark of a true chef who loves what he does and loves to see the pleasure of the people he is serving. The experience was far beyond my expectations and they were pretty high to begin with.
Not a cheap place (understatement!) but worth every last cent. Will definitely be going back for another special occasion.
This place was absolutely amazing! Okay, I may be over-exaggerating but t'was quite the pleasant restaurant to dine at. I decided to take my bf out for his birthday dinner for some good French cuisine and decided to yelp a couple of spots in the city before choosing.
Eventually, I ended up picking Fleur De Lys based on many numerous positive reviews of the place.
The restaurant was quite a drive for us, since we live in san jose, and when we got there we had many options for parking either valet, street, or public parking. We ended up parking at a public lot right behind the restaurant. Now for all you ladies out there, since you have to doll yourself up for this place I recommend that you do not park down a hill or any place where you would have to walk uphill. I learned this the hard way. Had to walk up a small steep hill behind the restaurant in 5 inch stilletos and boy was it a killer to my poor feet!
When we finally arrived, the host was very kind and offered to take our coats and place it in the closet. If you do decide to do so, the host offers you a number so on your way out you can pick up your coat. We were seated within minutes and boy was the restaurant busy! And on a Wednesday night too, which I thought was kind of odd for people to be wining and dining during a economic bust at such a fancy restaurant on a weekday, but then again I realized we were in the city and people in the city are different.
When we were finally seated and ready to order, we ended up ordering the 4 course tasting menu. I ordered the symphony as an appetizer, the king salmon, the duck, and finally the grand marnier souffle.
The symphony was beyond extraordinary in both taste and presentation. The presentation of the food was very creative and cutesy, which I really liked. The food was very well prepared and the perfect combo fix in creating that "appetite" feeling for more food.
The king salmon was cooked medium rare and was very delish! I like all sorts of fish, but this salmon was poppin! The right amount of seasoning and flavor for such a normally dry fish. By the time I was done with the salmon, I was pretty much real full from eating, this is why I only ordered the 4 course meal.
The next dish was the duck and the duck wasn't too bad, but then again, I would say I've had way better duck meat before (El Paseo Restaurant in Mill Valley!). The meat was medium rare cooked, the seasoning of the duck was your ordinary flavor, nothing really too special. I was actually quite disappointed with this course tasting, but nevertheless the restaurant still did an awesome job in impressing me with every other course.
And finally the ultimate dessert, the grand marnier souffle was delicious! The bitter taste of the marnier plus the light delicate puff pastry with a side of some yummy sorbet was my highlight of the evening. I seriously wanted to order another souffle after that, but it was extremely scrumptious.
Overall, my first experience at Fleur De Lys was real good, meaning and permitting possibly and most likely a second future visit coming real soon to try more of their delectable courses. This restaurant is a must and I mean must to spoil your little tummies :)
Un. Im. Pressed. When you drop close to $200 per person on dinner, you shouldn't feel like you got ripped off. Unfortunately, that's exactly how we felt. From our server getting our cocktail order wrong right off the bat (both the order and the way it was served) and telling us this was the "french way" when we asked for it correctly, to our second course taking almost 30 minutes to arrive and then being overcooked and dried out from heatlamps, we were bummed out about the whole experience.
The food was good, but not as good as it should have been for the money. I'll have to say the sommelier stepped in and made up for some of the lameness of our server, but then we asked him to write down a couple of the wines we had during the meal and he said, "Gladly!" with enthusiasm and then never looked at us again, even when we walked right by him as we were leaving.
My husband and I have had a couple of very expensive meals in our past where we left feeling like we would have gladly paid even more, the whole experience was so great. This was the polar opposite.
Sigh. I really, really want to give Fleur de Lys 5 stars for the food (which was amazing), but the service and atmosphere knocked off the other two stars.
I'll start with the menu. The asparagus salad was delicious, rich, and truffle-licious. The sea bass, although slightly overcooked, was delicious with the mushroom crust. And the venison chop was perfectly cooked. So with all this great food, you must be asking yourself what went wrong, right? Let me tell you.
My reservation was at 9 pm. My amuse didn't arrive until 30 minutes later, and the first course was served a full hour after I was seated. There is no excuse for sloppy timing when I'm paying an exorbitant amount of money for a multi-course meal. Our server was pretentious (which can be expected but shouldn't be tolerated), and the sommelier was nice but oh so stuffy. He held his arm behind him with a towel draped over it, no joke. The decor looked like some bad wallpaper had thrown up everywhere. Overhaul that shizz, please.
FDL is my favorite french restaurant in SF. The service is excellent, and the food is amazing. I've been here about five or six times already, and it just gets better on every visit. They have a very good selection of wine, and the sommelier knows his stuff. My favorite part of the course is the dessert. You have to order the souffle. It's to die for.
I came here for my anniversary. I found a white hair in my food. I asked our waitress to box it up so I could take it home.
My boyfriend and I wanted to try out this restaurant as we are avid fans of Top Chef, and I was smitten by Hubert Keller on TC Master's. We were probably the only people in the restaurant who weren't celebrating a birthday. I made the reservation a few weeks in advance on Opentable and had no problem getting a Thurs evening time, although it was a bit late (830pm). We chose to walk from the Bart station (15-20 min from Powell), but there's also valet parking on-site for $13.
We arrived on time, and although we were in jeans no one even batted an eye. Comfortable (although a tad underdressed) and excited, we were seated at a private corner area that was perfect for quiet conversation. Immediately I was struck by the ornate, drapery-esque decor: a huge tented brocade above a gigantic red-yellow central floral arrangement, with lots of paintings of the same floral arrangement. Flowers-- got it. The only thing odd was the soft house music (you can hear it on their website), but whatever; I'm deaf anyway and didn't pay attention to it.
Immediately our waiter (who had awesome white-Harry-Potter-spectacles) greeted us, we were brought water with lemon slices, and explained the menu. We decided on 2 3-course menus (appetizer+main protein+dessert, $72 each), with 1 wine pairing ($50). If you want souffles (chocolate or Grand Marnier), you need to order those at the beginning; extra $6.
Fresh bread (fig & pistachio, olive, & French baguette) was abundant in 2-slice servings, with butter and sea salt. The amuse bouche was the same one I'd read in earlier reviews-- a lemongrass "chowder" and green-fava-bean dish. I thought it was odd; an amuse bouche is supposed to prepare your taste buds for the menu, but to use fava beans-- it just didn't go with the French cuisine, and it was actually a tad filling. Overall: forgettable. Cute presentation, though.
Appetizers: we shared the Colorful Vegetable Ragout, and the salmon souffle (with sea bass puff). We really enjoyed the ragout - it had a delightful assortment of vegetables with a variety of textures: squash, steamed leeks, truffles (a running theme) with truffle wine sauce (delectable), baby carrots, squash, potato balls, crisp radishes, under a large poached egg. The salmon souffle was less memorable; the salmon was light and tender, & the sea bass puff was well done, but overall very "normal". The spitzle served on the side with a lemongrass soup was very similar to the amuse bouche, and a tad too creamy.
The main courses we chose were the Waygu beef cheeks (served with sauerkraut), & the stuffed baby quail with sweetbread, pignolias, and a side of leeks under a slice of foie gras. Both were well done and very seasonal: the quail was deboned (except for 1 thigh??), and the sweetbread was tender. Altogether the taste was not very game-y. The beef cheeks were also delicately presented, with a very Oktoberfest feel. We felt these dishes were fair, but the appetizers were still better...
Dessert was the Fleurburger (banana shake, fennel ice cream "fries", and puff pastry burger with dark chocolate "patty"). It was really playful and cute-- with all the BurgerBar ads strewn in the restroom, you get this feeling that Keller is obsessed with burgers. We also ordered the pistachio dessert: poached pear (excellent), almond ice cream with caramel popcorn (odd), dark chocolate truffle (safe and yummy), and pistachio tart (spongy-creamy texture; kind of blah). Both desserts were perfectly sweet, and a nice complement to the menu- but not the best desserts we've ever had. We ended with a small tray of complimentary petit fours, which were actually better than the desserts themselves.
Overall, it was a lovely experience. The food was good, but not great, and certainly rich enough to fill us up without a large quantity of food. It was a nice interpretation of classic French food with a playful twist, and a tinge of Californian influence. The fresh seasonal ingredients really elevated the quality of the food. The wine pairings were spot on. And the service was fantastic: my water cup was never half-empty, there was always bread on my plate and someone to replace my silverware, my napkin was always placed for me, and the waiter was always within spotting distance. He even took the time to describe and explain every dish to us, without our prompting.
Loved it!
YUM YUM YUM in my TUM. Such an elegant restaurant, and by far, one of the restaurants that I'd like someone to propose to me at. =P Beautiful bouquets of flowers everywhere, and the inside kind of looked like a Moroccan tent for a King. I loved every meal, loved the setting and ambiance, and had great service. A meal and a night well enjoyed.
After a much anticipated review of Avedon's work at the SFMOMA- my date invited me out for a belated birthday dinner nearing what was almost the end to my birthday month celebration. Driving along Sutter I could only think of one place- but I felt it would have been too much to consider on such short notice due to scheduling changes on my behalf. But before I could run out of guesses we finally arrived at its door.
Fleur de Lys appeared like a picture from a travel book distant but yet close enough to just get a glimpse of it. I was still speechless wondering if Reality was playing a trick on me presenting me this wonderful Cartesian surprise. This same enigma played the night before in "Emma" who eloquently explained to Mr. Knightley that-- "... the reason that I have not spoken was because I am afraid I might awaken myself from this dream..." My date ensured me that I was not dreaming, and even if I was, he would guarantee that it least end with the wonderful dining experience that awaited us inside.
At the entrance was a gorgeous vestibule complete with a welcoming bar, elongated by a wall of mirror reflecting the regalia of fine liquor
and wine. I was too amused and bewildered at the same time still with my lingering surprise of this place and time-- where upon entering I caught pinching myself.
Our delightful hostess led us to the main dining area- a lavishly decorated room reminiscent of a Matisse interior: sumptuous, vibrant yards of this vermilion upholstery, draped from the center of the room, pinned neatly by a Venetian glass chandelier accenting the gargantuan floral bouquet beneath it.
The food was as sublime. A degustation menu comprised of a 3 courses which started with an amuse bouche of a refreshing cucumber mousse and squash soup with truffle oil. It was gingerly playing with texture : velvety with viscous, contrasting rich with light presenting a thoughtful organic taste of nature.
My dining companion decided to begin with slivers of Foie Gras- perfectly seared on a toasted brioche bun. Its port glaze was a perfect compliment to this famous delicacy. The Lobster Salad I had was filled with unctuous succulent lobster meat atop a bed of greens dressed in a delicate lemony vinaigrette.
I believe I ordered what I felt was Chef Keller's childhood comfort food favorites on a plate prepared with its rich Alsatian heritage. Comprised of slowly braised Beef cheeks so tender and flavorful- I wish I could have more accompanied by pretzel spatzel and choucroute marinated in champagne. The other main dish was the Duck confit- cooked in its classic preparation like a duck a l'orange except its main flavoring was in plum which echoed with each bite. Each dish was presented with an originality for presentation, a mosaic of cubed beets reminiscent of a Braque painting, or the vibrant dash of sauce like a Pollock and dots meticulously placed like a Miro. It was indeed edible art.
Our dinner was complimented by its accompanying wine, selected by the sommelier who engaged us with his enjoyable presentation-- a surreal pleasant experience on its own reminding me how accents and wine do go well together.
The dinner ended with a toast of two chocolate souffles. I thought Cafe Jacqueline's rendition was unsurpassable, but Fleur de Lys was as delightful to behold and even as delicious to partake. Happiness never so justly fitted in those white ramekin bowls marked with risen chocolate top hats-- celebrated with a bright , floral and late harvest California Muscat!
PS- Thank you to my wonderful date and to the our attentive hostess who made sure I came home with a selection of chocolate mignardise and to Chef Keller who personally gave me a signed copy of his new book (that my date had arranged as a gift). Quel bonheur cette reve inoubliable- merci profondement :-)
I have eaten here two more times since my last review......and it was still amazing!
Give it a try it is well worth it.
Although this review is a bit old, it really doesn't matter. When you have one of the best dining experiences of your life, you remember it intimately for a long time.
My boyfriend took me here for Valentine's Day in 2008. I was a little worried to go to a restaurant I'd never heard of (you mean there's SOMEWHERE other than Millennium??), but he's a good boy and I knew he did his research. Turns out they had an entire vegan prix fixe menu!! We arrived on time, only to hear that they were running WAY behind. We went down the street and grabbed a couple drinks. About an hour later we came back, waited in the doorway, only to be shoved out of the way for Venus Williams' grande exite (say it in a frenchy french voice).
We started getting a little pissy, because we were now about an hour and a half past our already super late reservation. Then, zip zam, Marcus the sommelier and dining room manager, shows up in front of us offering us each a glass of wine. He asks what we like, then brings back two EXQUISITE glasses of wine. We're happy clams again.
Finally, we're brought over to a cozy table against a wall in this little side room, so we could actually hear each other speak. Marcus was unbelievable the entire night. I could see my hubby's sweat forming as he looked at the wine list, with the cheapest bottle of red being $80. I think we picked the next one up from rock bottom, and Marcus brought out an even better bottle of wine! (We had just visited the winery in fact, so I KNOW how nice a bottle that was.)
The food was good - beautifully presented and all fabulous. I remember it being whole food based, with little to no fake or processed food - as any good cook should do. Now, the entire menu is basically foie gras with peas, foie gras with chicken, foie gras with strawberries, foie gras with everything. So, although I had a problem with the people ordering foie gras left and right, then complaining about it, you bite your lip because the bf is throwing down hundred dolla bills ya'll on this dinner.
We met a lovely couple next to us, who had clearly been there several times, because we ended up staying late talking to them - yes, last ones in the entire restaurant, and got treated with the same star quality as them. We were all brought out some wonderful port, extra little dessert bites (brought some special vegan ones for us), and Chef Keller came out himself to say hi!!! I was THRILLED to have an opportunity to tell a great chef how wonderful his food was and how much I appreciated that he had a vegan option. He was as sweet and humble as you'd ever dream, and his adorable accent just topped it all off! He even got all excited to tell me that he had a vegan burger on his menu at the Burger Bar in Las Vegas! (In fact, we were going to LV in a couple days, and I went a tried it feeling all special that Chef Keller had personally recommended it.)
Marcus walked us out, gave us his card, talked a bit about his music and drumming. He was just amazing. I've never had such wonderful service as I did that night. We were made to feel extremely special, even though we are just your average vegan Joe and Jill.
This was one of the best, if not THE best, dining experience I've had in my life.
This place beats Gary Danko and Michael Mina hands down. From the moment you step into the place they make you feel at home and everyone is so friendly and warm. I had the 3 course dinner and tried the husband's four other courses.
Amuse bouche was a tasty lemongrass soup shooter and flavorful fava bean puree.
My appetizer was the "symphony" of 6 small bites, which included the most delectable choucroute (sauerkraut) puree topped with caviar. It was surprisingly delicious and I could have licked the mini martini glass clean. The plate also had the tiniest "burger" of foie gras on brioche with a little tomato on top. It also came with something that resembled french fries but they were so much better. Perfectly fried, tender inside, and flavorful. Still not sure what they were made of but they went really well with the chili aioli dots on the plate. There were other items on the plate but those were the most memorable.
I also had seared foie gras that was on top of a pile of tomato puree and roasted corn. It was such a wonderful combination of flavors!!! It also had little dots of truffle oil and slices of awesomeness on top of the foie. It also came with truffle popcorn that was great for dipping in the truffle oil and tomato puree. Boy, my mouth is watering just thinking about this dish.
My entree was the seared scallops crusted with pine nuts and sat on a bed of sliced potato, olives, and wilted greens. Of course it was drizzled with truffle oil and it was sooooo yummy.
For dessert, we shared the apple tart that came with a really nice marzipan bite and dark chocolate mouse. MMm....Again, the portions were small but perfect after an evening of decadence.
At the end of the night, we were presented with a birthday chocolate mousse topped with a delicate butter cookie flower and a side of strawberries and blackberries. And if that wasn't enough, we had a plate of petit fours!
To complete my birthday dinner, Chef Hubert wished me a Happy Birthday and took a photo with me. He was so friendly, genuine, and kept asking if we enjoyed the food. It's great to see that such an established, well-known chef still works in the kitchen and spends time with his guests.
Everyone once in a while, you have a dining experience that is so horrendously below expectations you feel a need to go out of your way to dissuade your friends, family, and random passer-by from ever visiting that restaurant.
For $700, a dinner for three should meet the following requirements: excellent service, fantastic food, and elegant décor. I'm sorry to say that my expectations were only met on the last requirement.
Service was slow, and not in an "I'm going to have a 3 hour dinner and enjoy every minute of it" sort of way. It was slow in a "where the heck is my drink order?" kind of way. It shouldn't take 20 minutes to get 3 drinks, let alone the additional time to remake a drink (the first time I've EVER asked for a drink to be remade).
My very awesome cousin and her sister-in-law were visiting and invited me to dinner at Fleur de Lys. Being a foodie, I've always wanted to go but hadn't gotten the chance yet. Well, when they invited me I wasn't going to say no! Hubert Keller?? Um, YES PLEASE!
I arrived there before my cousins and was greeted, offered a seat in the lobby/bar area and offered a drink menu. They were very cordial to the point of almost doting.
My cousins arrived and we were seated. Our napkins were placed in our laps and we were given our menus by one waiter who was kind of inattentive and sort of rushing us to figure out what we were going to do. We were debating between cocktails and a bottle of wine and he kept asking us what we wanted and then disappeared for a long time. So, when he was replaced with another waiter who was awesome, we were totally pleased.
We ordered cocktails first and I got the Emerald something or other. It was great though! Pretty much like the best mojito I'd ever had. We settled on the 3 course meal with the wine pairings.
Amuse bouche: duo of avocado gazpacho and fava been puree with a fried fava bean and parmesan
First course: white and green asparagus salad dressed with cream of salsify and truffles paired with a Hugel 2007 Gewürztraminer
Second course: pan seared buffalo strip with roasted vegetables which was paired with a Hess 19 block Cuvee
Third course: I had the Fleur Burger. It was paired with the Heitz Cellar port.
Everything was above and beyond any expectation I might have had. Their Sommelier, Marcus, is just one of those gems you come across that truly loves his profession and it shows! He can tell you anything about wine that you want to know. I suggest you make sure you speak with him if you go.
I will be back but it's going to take a while for something that special to come up again! Hubert... I knew I loved you.... And now I'm sure.
Last month I got to try out Fleur De Lys at a bachelorette weekend getaway in the city. I don't watch that much tv so had no idea of Chef Hubert Keller's popularity. I was just stoked that I got to try a new French restaurant.
Initial impressions when we walked in:
Pretty hostesses
Sommelier was cute as well
The bar area was very small and cramped. My gf & I found a spot by the absinthe table while we imbibed our very expensive cocktails - @$32 before tip for 2 drinks.
The decor, hmm, well it had red and gold. I just kept thinking how the ceiling looked like the inside of a mushroom. I wanted to see if the Caterpillar was chilling on top like Alice in Wonderland.
Our party of 8 got sat near the entrance. The fun thing about eating with friendly people is that we all got a bite of each other's dishes. Sadly none of them stood out to me.
The amuse bouche was a lemongrass soup with a fava bean chip. It was forgettable.
I was looking forward to the seared gras but like all the other dishes I sampled, I just wasn't wowed. There was something missing or it was too salty or just not there.
I had the lamb with couscous. I sampled the buffalo steak, the venison, and the duck. Everything tasted the same like they were all prepared with the same salty sauce.
My dessert, pistachio gateau, was lackluster but the souffles were pretty good. The congratulatory dessert for the bachelorette was average; vanilla ice cream with chocolate ganache if I remember correctly.
The chef came out to take pictures with our group. He was very nice and jovial. It was fun to see the buzzed people walking past the restaurant who yelled out when they recognized Hubert Keller.
The experience was fun but I'll pass on the food next time.
About four years ago, I came here for my birthday. What wonderful food they served! Everything about this place was wonderful until... the middle aged waiter came up to my table.
Wherever I enjoy fine dinning experiences, I tend to eat slow.
The fish dish was so delicious that I was enjoying it really slowly even my companion finished having the dish.
The middle aged waiter came up to the table and he took my plate with half of the fish remained there WITHOUT ASKING ME if he could take the plate or not !!!
That was so shocking that friends and I have never been back there since then. We tried Gary Danko and Michael Mina but this place has only the painful memory.
Fleur De Lys can still be enjoyed as a vegetarian. I had the vegetarian feast tasting menu, and it was pretty awesome.
* 1st Course: Watermelon Soup, Grilled Watermelon, Madeline. Most interesting was the watermelon soup, which had the natural sweetness & taste of watermelon somehow combined with salt so it was overall savoury. The grilled watermelon tasted like spoiled watermelon to me, but the oil sauce it was grilled with was delicious. The corn Madeleine was sooo good - cornbread with pieces of black truffle laced with truffle oil. I would have like 10.
* 2nd Course: Chilled Asparagus Soup with Morrel Mushrooms. This was my least favorite course. Cold soup & cold vegetables are just a big turn off to me. The flavor was good, especially the green cilantro sauce dotted along the plate.
* 3rd Course: Roasted Fennel. This dish consisted of half a roasted fennel bulb in a pesto broth with small vegetables. It was delicious, but not unique.
* 4th Course: Poached Egg, Vegetables, Black Truffles, Black Truffle Sauce. AMAZING. My favorite dish by far. It was so visually appealing, and the flavor was complex & layered & foodgasmic. I first broke the poached egg yolk which oosed over & combined with the creamy black truffle sauce. There were actual shavings of black truffle mixed in with the vegetables, so there were different bites with varying amounts of truffle flavor. There were many small pieces of about 7 or 8 different vegetables, so it was a delicious experience to eat each different vegetable with the delicious sauce. I would love to eat this dish over & over & over.
* 5th Course: Dessert. I ordered the chocolate souffle, which was ok and was my least favorite out of the myriad of desserts I tried. The apply marzipan tart was only ok, because I couldn't taste any marzipan (which I was most excited for). However, on the apple marzipan plate was a piece of dark chocolate mousse which was amazing - rich & decadent. The petit fours, compliments of the kitchen, were really good.
Very rarely, VERY rarely, do I go to a restaurant and think every single thing about a restaurant is perfect. Each part of the meal, each part of the service, every single thing about my dining experience was wonderful!
I called at 9:30 am the day before my husband's birthday and was able to schedule a time the next day for dinner. When we arrived, all of the hosts at the front greeted us warmly, and wished my husband a Happy Birthday. We found out later the extremely friendly and warm French woman at the front was Hubert Keller's wife. We were seated straight away, and were immediately impressed that as soon as we sat, we had the napkin placed on our lap. We had cocktails as we perused the menu, and after an agonizing decision making period (which appetizer/fish/meat dish do I choose?????) we ordered. The waitress was wonderfully friendly, and was really knowledgeable about each item on the menu. The sommerlier was excellent, not pretentious at all (think anti-Marcel from Top Chef) and was very patient with my husband who couldn't settle on the right red wine to have with his filet mignon.
Wonderful place, very pricey but with the service and the excellent unexpected food, it was well worth it.
Highlights:
The Maine Lobster appetizer (there is a $12 surcharge though)
The FleurBurger dessert
Free Wifi (in case you're waiting for your companion to come back from the restroom)
Did you watch Top Chef Masters and absolutely adore Hubert Keller? He is as warm and kind in person as he was on the show, and so is his staff.
Very last minute, we decided to go to Fleur De Lys and were told over the phone that we could wait for dinner service at the bar as space became available (typically a reservation is in order). We arrived around 9:00pm on a Saturday evening. The folks sitting at the bar took an unusually long time finishing up their meal and we ended up sitting near the hostess for almost hours. During those two hours we met so many neat customers, and the staff was so wonderful and attentive keeping us occupied with drinks and truffle oil popcorn, that it was just a part of the experience for us. To our surprise, Hubert Keller emerged from the kitchen and took the time to chat with us and welcome us to the restaurant, as he did virtually customer. Eventually, a table in the main dining hall opened up and we were seated inside rather than at the bar, without reservations.
The food was exquisite. There is nothing more to say than that. I have paid the same and more at other restaurants and not received the level of service and quality of care in food preparation. I ordered the four course dinner and my friend the three course. Everything was delicious. The only small comment I have to make, especially because I am a great fan and therefore extremely particular about my seafood, is that the sea bass and scallop dishes were cooked too well. Not overcooked but I prefer them on the underdone side.
We love you Hubert!
Good, not great.
Maybe I've been watching too much Top Chef (Masters), but I was really expecting an OMGWTFBBQ meal here, and instead got a good/OMG meal.
Service was pleasant, DJ/Chef Keller came out before the service to talk with a few regulars, so that was really cool. I was trying to think of something witty to say about his Top Chef Masters stint, but just ended up with a friendly "hi".
The amuse bouche wasn't explained to us, but was some sort of puree (meh), plus a really delicious shot of something that tasted similar to a Thai coconut soup with lemongrass.
For an app, I had the asparagus salad with salsify, black truffles, and foie gras (with a cute little brioche bun). It was good, and I sopped up all the sauce with the brioche.
For a main, I had a seared fillet with lobster mac and cheese in a bread bowl/cup of sorts. The fillet was okay, the mac and cheese was pretty good, the bread bowl/cup with the mac and cheese was really good.
Fleurburger for dessert. The ganache was nice and chocolate-y (I'm not really much of a chocoholic), and as a whole, the presentation was exquisitely cute (with the fennel ice cream shaped as pommes frites, plus a banana milkshake), but personally the flavors didn't really do it for me.
As a whole, that sort of describes it. Technical execution of all the dishes was beautiful, and most of the flavors were good, but I guess I'm just not a huge fan of French flavor profiles.
I went to Fleur de Lys...nuff said.
No really, my darling hubby took my son and I to Fleur de Lys for our combined birthdays and we had the most marvelous meal and time. The staff greats you warmly at the door, take you to your table, make sure everything is comfortable. Service is excellent.
The Amuse was a lemongrass soup shooter with a wonderful summer fava bean puree. Delightful. We each got a 4 course dinner - a bargain at $82.00 (compare to many other places and the quality of the food here, it is a bargain)...As you look at the menu and read the descriptions, your mouth starts to water and you want to "taste" it all...and actually with the 3 of us, and us all ordering different things, we did get to taste a lot of it. Just know, that you will get surprises on your plate, things that are not listed in the menu descriptions and THAT is a wonderful surprise. We each also got desserts, then my son and I got a beautifully presented chocolate mousse with a butter cookie in the shape of a tree, lit with a candle and then we got petit fours...excellent.
Chef came out to wish us a happy birthday, we shared some of the wine we brought in with him, and my son got to talk "food" with him. Just some extra icing on an already very good cake.
LindySez: Fleur de Lys is a high end restaurant, beautifully decorated, with wonderful food...it is also reasonable in price for what you get and damn friendly. I HIGHLY recommend you go if you get a chance.
Ummm.....WOW. Five words: Best Meal Of My Life.
I am not exaggerating. Okay maybe I am a little bit. I don't think I have the words to describe the awesome-ness of this restaurant but here goes.
There were 6 of us, and we all ordered different items on the 3-course menu ($72). I had the maine lobster (an extra $12), buffalo steak (tender and lean), and the pistachio gateau for dessert. everyone was pleased with the presentation and the food, aside from the shrimp entree (my friend was not a fan). [correction] the amuse bouche was a nice shot of pistachio (i think) with some sort of green concoction. complimentary tarts and chocolates were provided in addition to our desserts. i was waaay too stuffed to eat any (i'm not sure how to use petit four in a sentence so that's that).
the service was excellent!! the pinot we wanted was not available, so the sommelier came out and recommended a wonderful pinot noir from el molino winery, and even knocked down the price without us asking. the wine pairings were spot on (an additional $48), with some generous pours. the sommelier even did a virgin cocktail pairing for the dd of the evening (although it was a bit on the pricey side). how thoughtful. needless to say, we all left full, tipsy, and happy.
the best part of dinner: when hubert keller himself came around and greeted the last few remaining tables of the evening. what an adorable, talented man. we love you hubert!
5 stars across the board
BEST FOOD/SERVICE
even a Hubert Keller sighting!
It was everything I hoped for and more from a 4star French restaurant.
however 1 star to the young girl and her 65 yr old lover sitting next to us!
i felt as if i was in a dream when i walked in. big flora arangements and drapes coming down from the ceiling. the dim lighting made it extrememly romantic.
i recommend the sea bass ,ahi tuna, and the chocolate souffle.
The food at Fleur De Lys is everything I expected it to be. Delicious food, great service and fantastic setting. I will definitely be going back.
5 stars for food
5 stars for service
5 stars for ambience
5 stars for food presentations
I watch Top Chef Masters. So, it only made sense that I should pay a visit to Fleur de Lys while I was visiting the city this past weekend. I had high expectations. When I watch Hubert Keller on TV, everything he makes looks so amazing. Needless to say, I was disappointed.
My husband and I both had the 4-course meal. We chose different appetizers, entrees & desserts so that we could sample a variety of food.
Here's what we had:
Appetizers:
-Symphony of smoked salmon tartar, foie gras & duck breast
-Roasted Maine Lobster
Seafood:
-Hawaiian Prawns
-Roasted Scallops
Meat:
-Filet Mignon w/Lobster Mac & Cheese
-Colorado Lamb Loin & Lamb cheek
Dessert:
-Chocolate Souffle
-Assortment of Artisanal French Cheeses
The food was good, but it didn't excite me. I prefer The Dining Room at the Ritz.
We had a fabulous dinner here Saturday night. The staff was very engaging and friendly. We saw chef Hubert Keller walking the dining room and lobby greeting and thanking everyone. We were at the tiny, but every elegantly appointed bar in the lobby and we saw the chef and he was gracious enough to spend a few minutes chatting and taking a picture with us. My friends made the reservation specifically because they love him on the Top Chef Masters show. Chef Keller was super nice and friendly....which made a very good impression.
The bartender made me the mulata and it was THE best tasting cocktail ever. When our table was ready, the hostess brought our drinks over and precariously put my friend's drink on the charger plate because the table was full of wine and water glasses. Of course she knocks the glass over but the waiter immediately apologized and said he would bring over another drink. That was a nice touch. Another brownie point.
We all got the 4 course menu. It was only $10 more than the $74 3-course menu. It started off with some french rolls and olive loaf - both very good. Then they brought out the amuse bouche, which was 2 different types of gazpacho, a green bean and a white one, not sure what the white one was, both also quite delicate and full of flavor. I started off with the crab salad appetizer, then had the sea bass, then the beef cheeks and ended with the espresso mousse cake. The presentation for each dish was beautiful and had small side accompaniments, such as beets with creme fraiche or foie gras mousse. The entire meal was rich and decadent.....everything a high-end French restaurant should be. After dessert, we were all stuff, but they brought out a dish of teeny, bite-sized post-dessert dessert.
I've had my share of high-end meals and this was definitely worth the money. I've had more expensive meals where you got less. The chef stopped by our table after dessert to ask how everything was. Another example of a fantastic restaurant experience. 5 stars all the way and I don't give out 5 stars frequently.
Fleur De Lys - what a huge disappointment. Let me start by saying the best seasoned dish of the day was the Amuse Bouche! Everything else lacked the special taste and saucing that should be attributed to a fine French restaurant. This however was not the only problem attributed to our dining experience. Martini glasses not chilled, service neglectful, staff talked over one another, time between courses much too long... Given the price of this restaurant I would highly suggest foodies look for fine dining elsewhere in San Francisco. Try Jardinière, Ritz Carlton Dining Room, or Boulevard.
My fellow diners (4 of us) have eaten in some very spectacular restaurants around the world and never left hungry, this was not the case for Fleur De Lys. Portion sizes for a 4 course meal were the size usually reserved for tasting menus. Fish courses: scallop dish had 1 scallop and prawn dish had 1 prawn both with very minimal accompaniment - the prawn came with a bean salad which consisted of two beans. First course, entrees and desserts were no better. Sweet bread appetizer overcooked and barely a bite, duck and beef cheek entrees under seasoned and could not have been more than 2 ounces of protein. Vegetable accompaniment was barely a tablespoon full.
I could go on but what's the point. Move on and go somewhere else!
Great food, but service fell FLAT.
As many of the prior reviewers have noted, we are also huge fans of Top Chef and felt like we had to try Hubert Keller's flagship restaurant.
We came with two outta town friends for a special night in the city. I'd made reservations two weeks in advance, and informed them that one of us was dairy intolerant. Got a call 2 days prior to our reservation confirming our reservation and that they knew we had one person who was dairy intolerant....
Here lies the problem.... for a place of this stature, you'd think that the dairy intolerant issue had been passed to our waiter... not the case. Dining at CPK or TGI Friday's is one thing, but dining at Fleur De Lys should be seemless and unstressful. We've been to Cyrus, Terra, and other high end places and it's always been seemless for dietary restrictions.
So our waiter first said he wasn't notified.... then he says it's fine we can make do with whatever... usually at this point, they would make suggestions on which dishes work without dairy... nope. He just says it shouldn't be an issue. Then we ask how this dish and that dish can be made without butter... he replies, "Oh you mean you can't have butter?" Ummm.... yeah. Again, no suggestions on what can be made dairy free.
Then the poor service continues:
1. ask for bread, no bread. 20 minutes later... oh you didn't get bread? At Cyrus, the bread man would've already made six passes by us.
2. mixes up my order with my buddy's order
3. serves the dairy intolerant person whipped cream. Um... is this dairy? "No... shouldn't be. Wait. Maybe it is. Let me check." Turns out it's not dairy free creme anglais but whipped cream.
4. serves our chocolate souffles that we ordered as "Grand Marnier" souffles which we didn't order.
5. Serves the dairy intolerant person cream on the appetizer... "oh. sorry. I'll send out the vegan appetizer for you." WTF? Are you serious, did you not get the memo we said 10 times tonight? Dude... McDonald's listens better than you -- hold the cheese and cream?
So when you pay 150 bucks per person you expect some insane, incredible service... that's what you get at Cyrus, French Laundry, Le Papillon, Terra... but don't expect that here. This waiter was a disaster that couldn't hold his own at CPK let alone Fleur de Lys. The manager came out at the end for disaster control after our very dairy intolerant member mowed down some whipped cream thinking it was dairy free creme anglais.
You know they wanted to know of any dietary restrictions at time of booking... I told them.... they confirmed it prior to dining night.... except they NEVER told the waitstaff or anyone else. And the waiter had the memory of a 2 year old.
On the plus side, my meal was great. The swordfish, salmon souffle, duo of lamb in a tagine, and chocolate souffle were superb. Complex, layered flavors with some of the most savory tastes in the swordfish and lamb I've had. Unfortunately, if you're going to charge me that much money, I don't want to be stressed out thinking one of our dairy intolerant dining members is about to get nailed with Whipped Cream.
I love your food Fleur de Lys, but take some time to train your wait staff properly. If you want to splurge, go elsewhere. Paying this kind of dough for only good food is a sin. Service is key in the high end market.
Hubert Keller.... you weren't there the night we dined. Perhaps its better. I admire your culinary work and creativity, but you gotta do something about your wait staff before things start crumbling down.
In the spirit of top Chef Masters...
4.5 stars for food
0.5-1 star for service... you FELL FLAT.
Overall: 2 stars because of the price correlation with the service.
Oh... one other thing. Our waiter was young and seemed new. The other tables had some other waiters which seemed much more friendly and on the ball.
The dining room was stuffy as others mentioned... as in humid, with low oxygen content. The fact that the seat felt like a rubber cushion and didn't breathe at all didn't make me feel any cooler. I know... I'm being picky, but for 150/pp I think I can be a little picky.
Took my husband for his birthday dinner here last night - excellent service, beautiful decor, and artistically prepared food.
We both had the 4 course meal and he had the wine pairing. The Froi Gras was to die for, seared beautifully. Also had the crab salad which was yummy. I was a little disappointed with the next course - the sea bass - seemed a bit dry and not seasoned enough, I'm used to sea bass being a bit more creamy and moist. We also had the scallops which was delicious. For our last main course we had the beef cheek which was ok- delicous but didn't not our socks off. And also the duck, which again was a little dissapointed - was expecting something greater - a little tough and lacked a bit of flavor.
We rounded off with the fleur burger which was beautifully prepared and quite yummy. And the cheese asst rounded off our dinner.
All in all, we had a really nice time for this very special occassion.
One point to make, I think our waiter forgot that it was my husbands birthday - was expecting that they would of written something on our last dishes given all the reviews and pictures I saw on the reviews. They certainly do this at the other high end restaurants in the city. They did remember to wish him happy birthday when we came in but that was it.
Great place for a special occasion. Although, Gary Denko is still top on our list as best restaurant in SF.
Fleur De Lys was the highlight of our trip to the City.
We were impressed with the service here, in fact it was the best service we had the entire trip, other SF eateries should take note. Even though it was fairly busy Wednesday night our server (a young woman whose name I forgot) was charming and attentive.
Great 4 course meal without wine, as I chose my own bottle for the meal. I picked a nice 2006 Cobb pinot noir that went great with all the dishes. The sommelier agreed that it was a "safe" choice and wouldn't over power the food.
What a great meal we had. I won't take time to break down the dishes as others have here, but it's safe to say that the kitchen knows what's going on and everything that we tried was pretty outstanding. Plating and presentations were delightful with my girl commenting that she just wants to look at it.
Such a nice time, it started to really get busy, yet the room seems to mute the noise pretty well.
Our waitress noticed that I was a dedicated foodie and asked if I wanted to meet the Chef, that was a very nice offer, but I declined as I know Mr. Keller was busy.
I hope that this experience hasn't tainted me too much for other French restaurants.
Magnifique!
I've been here three times.
The first two times were wonderful, with attentive staff, and wonderful food prepared with attention to detail and a flair. Also, Chef Keller was on the premises both times (this was before he started his regular TV appearances, or began building his empire).
I went back with my wife years later, and it was quite a different experience - we were kept waiting for quite a while without any but the most cursory apology, and then rushed through our meal by the waitstaff for the rest of the meal. The food, while still good, just couldn't make up for the utter lack of attention to our needs - I won't bother going over it, there are enough other examples here.
I won't be going back - restaurants this expensive are not allowed "off nights".
Neighborhood: Russian Hill
Category: French
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: French
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: French
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Hayes Valley
Category: French
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