Serpentine
Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Potrero Hill, Dogpatch2495 3rd St
(between 20th St & 22nd St)
San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 252-2000
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Tue-Sat 6:00 p.m.-10:00 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: Dinner
- Alcohol: Full Bar
927 reviews
Neighborhood: Mission
"My new favorite place. Service was fine food was amazing. I had the fried eggs with balsamic glaze and garlic hash. I was SO…" read more »
107 Reviews for Serpentine
Another great lunch spot! Wanted to try since I picked up my Mystery Box of produce from Mariquita Farms here - Serpentine is their client so you know the veggies are outrageously fresh and organic from a family farm.
Had a wonderful Chantenay Carrot soup and a delicious grilled squid salad. Great prices and portions - I could have eaten more but I was really good and even resisted the tempting plate of LARGE chocolate chip cookies that were placed way too close when I walked by the bar....next time!
This place was fantastic. We arrived and were seated right away in a cozy yet comfortable part of the dining room. The menu is mostly small plates, with the exception of a few larger items, but my girlfriend and I decided to just spilt a bunch of small plates which worked out perfectly. We ended up getting 6 small plates which was just enough food (I eat way too much) so normal sized people can probably get away with ordering slightly less. Everything was fresh and tasted great. The drink list was unique and I thought the whiskey mash was outstanding. Our waiter didn't try to upsell anything and was knowledgeable and prompt.
Great dinner, great value. With a few drinks and all that food our bill was well under $80 which isn't bad at all. Check this place out.
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Went on a date here last night and I really liked it. I am a fan of the Slow Club, but honestly enjoyed the scene and food way better here. I had black cod with celery root puree and beets. It was bomb. Loved the decor and the waitress was super nice. I will absolutley be back
We were charmed by this great restaurant nestled out in the dogpatch. Where can you show up at 7:45 pm on a Thursday and find parking it the City? That alone garners four stars.
We were promptly seated in a back booth with great views of this industrial space. This is the kind of space that appeals to me, not too much decoration to cover up the natural aesthetic of the building.
They have a very reasonably priced wine list, not over the top in terms of selection but our $40 bottle of pinot was quite good. We began with two salads, one with mustard greens and the other with beet greens, both were excellent. I was really thrilled by the freshness of both, they were clearly right outta the ground and used seasonally fresh ingredients. We also split the lamb riblets on the advice of our waiter. TASTY! Seriously sooo good.
We then moved on to pork chops and sea bass. Even though there were four of us we still did that dorky couple business where each couple orders the exact same thing, so much for variety. I thought the chops were tasty, but not to the level of Nopa, my date had the same opinion. For me the chop was a little too, um, savory? The sea bass looked good, with both parties cleaning their plates so I think that's a safe bet.
We finished the meal with the goat cheese dessert with strawberries, fresh cream and cracked pepper. WOW. It was seriously amazing. The hit of the meal outside of the lamb riblets!
I didn't notice any problems with the service, although I will say that it took quite a while for our entrees to come after the appetizers were served. Not a problem for our group as we were chatting, but could be a problem if you were on a tight time schedule.
All in all a great meal, I'm trying Slow Club next...but this place is great alternative, especially if you want to park, eat and ride. Reasonably priced as well.
I really wanted to like this place since I enjoy their sister restaurant Slow Club. Here's the down low:
Space: Very nice. I loved the setup. Sitting at the bar is not recommended until after 7pm since you will get FRIED by the sun coming in. Its just blinding!
Service: Good. Nothing to write home about but nothing to complain about either.
Food: Sorry, its just not up to par. I had the beet leaf salad and it looked MUCH better than it tasted. I then had the pork chop which was WAY too fatty and WAY too "citrusy". Almost kind of bitter. My friends had burgers and all were way overcooked; medium rare was well done... how weak is that?
Location: Sucks. You're stranded after dinner. Much like Slow Club.
Sorry Serpentine. I wanted to like you.
Solid food and most dishes were good but nothing was a Wow except for the bread pudding and the Earl Grey pot de creme. We had the pate, mushroom toast, bone marrow, pasta with duck? meat, flat iron steak and bread pudding. That was more than enough food for 3 people. Oh, and the earl grey pot de creme.
Would not recommend mushroom toast as it tasted more like a spinach toast. Service was alright but the busboy kept rolling his eyes and rushed us out. Hence the 3 instead of 4 stars. Not good for groups as just for the 3 of us, we had to keep screaming at each other to get heard.
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Waited about 50 minutes at the bar for a table - that's with a reservation. Drank so much while waiting that I don't remember my meal. Bartender probably said 2 words to me in the time I was sitting there. But +1 star because the mojitos were damn near perfect.
Space: Industrial chic reminiscent of Slow Club/Nopa/Zuni.
Food: Amazing fried hama-hama oysters with smoked poblano aioli; beet top salad with strawberries, farro and chive blossoms; red wine and blue cheese dressing brought it all together. Delicious hand-made papardelle noodles with braised shortribs, breadcrumbs and reggiano parmigiano. 2 cocktails, 2 beers and all of the above = $70. Hard to beat, PLUS.......there's tons of parking. Can't wait till next time.
3.5 stars.
I stopped by Serpentine on Sat. around 9 PM. We didn't have a res, but found two seats at the bar easily, where they serve a full dinner menu.
The place definitely has a warehouse feel but the light, warmth, and chatter makes it feel cozy juxtaposed to 3rd St outside. It looks like the restaurant was also going for cozy by nestling a table between the two bathroom entrances, but I don't think this juxtaposition of consumption and excretion works as well.
As mentioned by previous reviewers, the space gets kind of loud, which lends a misleading air of privacy. The only person not chatting away throughout the night however, was the bartender, who barely said a word to us the whole night in a really awkward kind of way. I occasionally got the feeling he was eavesdropping, while not refilling my water glass. WEIRD. Maybe he didn't want to explain why we waited 45 minutes between our appetizer and entrees.
The food was good. Not as good as Slow Club, but better priced. I thought the menu was confusing, since it was difficult to tell what was an entree and what was an appetizer. I had the burger, which is fantastic considering it is $13 (with cheese). My friend had the flank steak with red wine reduction, which appeared to come with tater tots and asparagus. I thought the proportions looked a bit off: lots and lots of meat, to three tots, and 4 pieces of asparagus, but a guy might feel differently. We shared the asparagus soup, which we agreed was a good deal better than any other green soup we had tasted. I tried to remember which way was the proper way to tip the bowl when scraping the bottom.
Bottomline: Eh, I'd rather go to Slow Club.
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3.5 Stars.
We had a reservation, but still had to wait nearly 30 minutes for our table. That was a bummer. But the bar area is nice, and they have a great cocktail list, and wines by the glass.
The food is good, solid, but not spectacular. I expected a little something more "wow" from the descriptions on the menu. Also, the portions were too large (and how often do you get to say that?). I felt that the plating / presentation needed some refinement - smaller slices of bread, smaller slices of meat, etc. But for people who like a lot of food they'll be happy. 2 people could share a starter/small plate and an entree and be quite satisfied.
Pluses were a very nice waiter, attentive but not overly so (can't say the same about the bus boy who wanted to grab plates up before we were done); wine pairing recommendations (the cote du rhone with the steak was a perfect match); and having bone marrow on the menu. Bonus for using local, sustainable, etc.
Minuses - waiting for a table even with a reservation (and one of our party was 8 mos preggers), LOUD making it v. difficult to talk, feeling rushed by the busboy.
If the place were closer, I might go there again, but it's not worth the hour + MUNI ride I had to take to get there.
A new restaurant in lonely Dogpatch is always great news and I was pleasantly surprised that this offshoot of Slo Club could put together a really good and creative meal. Prices are reasonable and just about every dish was pretty well executed (although the steak was very average and I suggest bypassing it). The restaurant design was also very average. I was expecting very hip industrial design but it appeared Serpentine budgeted lower.
All the same, the food and price gets me to 4 stars and is a place I would go again.
I don't really go to the "Dogpatch" area of San Francisco.
The only time I went, to my recollection, is when I went to Hard Knox Cafe. Review here: http://www.yelp.com/us...
On Thursday night of last week - my friend and I decided to check out "Serpentine". Now, I have never been to "Slow Club", which is on my list of PLACES TO TRY- but since Serpentine is owned by the same people of the allegedly fabulous SC - I was excited to try it out.
Well - WOW.
I'm impressed.
On a tall. white building, which appeared newly renovated, you see S-E-R-P-E-N-T-I-N-E spelled downwards on a building. Compared to my lunch hour visit to Hard Knox when parking was impossible, dinner-time parking was simple. Walking in - it's a hip location, very crowded with people eating, but also standing around just mingling at the bar area. Many of the people hanging out at the bar were probably local to this area, and I had to agree that this was a good "after work" hangout. The hostess was friendly and pleasant - and we were seated immediately in a corner table for two.
Our server was also quite pleasant, and while she was busy and not exactly attentive - - she did come around often enough to keep us content. The food, however, took longer than I would have liked.
The wine list is nice - - with wines from all regions and many different varietals, most available by the glass.
The menu is exactly how I like it. When I read a menu, I want to see the offerings and descriptions, and WANT to try that dish. I want to end up having a hard choice because I am not sure which, of the many, I'd like to have, since I have to narrow it down to a few. Serpentine's menu reads delicious.
Alas, since it was only two girls eating dinner, and because I simply wasn't that hungry (unheard of, I know, but it happens once in a blue moon), we shared on appetizer and each ordered an entree. The appetizer of the evening was: BEEF MARROW BONES. Served with toasted bread and coarse salt, you peer down a big ol' bone, dig your knife in and scoop out the goodies inside, spread it on your bread with salt, and wolf down. It's a very heavy dish both in texture AND taste, but the kumquat salad that they served with it was a PERFECT blend with the kumquats sweet rind, sour middle and rather bitter flavor. The citrus juices just really brightened up the taste of the marrow, and actually enhanced the dish.
For our entrees, my friend had the half-chicken - and the taste I had of it was tender and juicy. It wasn't deep-fried, and very fresh. It was good, but nothing about it stole the show, so to speak. I, strangely enough, ordered the Hamburger, and added the option of Gruyere cheese, cooked medium rare - and it was very, very good. It wasn't quite "medium-rare" but still, it was great meat frrom Prather Ranch, and the condiments just worked. Extra points, too, for bringing out my ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise - ON THE SIDE. The only one I use is mayo - so this was cool, or else I'd have to spend 2 minutes scraping off ketchup. Blech!#@!@
For dessert, we shared a warm Apple Crisp with a vanilla cream type of sauce atop it. It was pretty much a mashed up Apple Pie a la mode - - and who can go wrong with that? I couldn't stop picking at it.
Now, more than ever, I am excited to check out SLOW CLUB. If Yelpers still believe SC to be better than Serpentine, then it must be quite memorable.
For Serpentine, I'd go again to try their different dishes. It was a good dinner with outstanding company, great wine, and even finished with a bang with that dessert. It broke down to $45 per person or so including tip, which was alright, given that we only had two glasses of wine, one appetizer, 2 entrees, one of which was a mere hamburger, and a dessert, but it was tasty enough to not make me feel like it was money wasted.
Serpentine - GOOD FOOD!
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Anything coming from the folks at Slow Club, one of my all time favorite spots for both brunch and dinner - has to have something going for it. And luckily, their sister spot Serpentine makes good on the reputation.
Sadly, right now they don't serve brunch on weekends but they do lunch Mon-Fri and then dinner Tue-Sat. I hope that changes one of these days, as well as perhaps an addition of Sunday dinner.
Anyhow, I've now been for dinner, which is excellent. Think variations on American classics: burger, short ribs, pork chops (from Anderson and Prather Ranch no less).
But if you have the chance, try going for lunch, when it's less busy and you can really spend a relaxing hour or two. Here you can still get their hamburger, but there's also some fantastic sandwich options that change often (my roast beef was as good as meat gets).
Serpentine isn't showy; like Slow Club, there's a real sense of localness to the place. Don't worry though - what they lack in pretense, they do manage to make up for in taste and style.
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two words: monesa's shrine. i don't know what fantastic concoction of booze it contains but sweet baby jesus is it delicious. and it goes down like lemonade on a hot summer day so beware.
oh and because i'm an alcoholic, i'll go ahead and admit that i've only ever been to serpentine for lunch. i actually think it's pretty solid, certainly a big step up from the crap-e-teria in my building, and certainly worth a visit. i think the burger is pretty great though not quite up to it's big sis at slow club. i've had the special sandwiches and they've always been good, too.
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After my friend made several call and never got an answer we thought, hey why not just head over early and take our chances. It was a Thursday night, at 5:30 and the hostess was very surly about us getting a table without reservations. But she finally concluded that she would have a table for us in 20-30 minutes. The bar didn't have 4 seats together, so we asked if we could go across the street and come back in 20 minutes. The hostess told us she would take our cell number and call when our table was ready. After an hour we went to Hard Knocks, where the food is amazing, the menu is more extensive, the prices are fabulous, and there is no pretentious bleach blond stringing us along for a table. PS she never did call...
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Yum, Yum! Serpentine was a delicious treat in this up-and-coming Dogpatch neighborhood. I thoroughly enjoyed my deliciously light goat cheese souffle--almost licked the plate clean. The ambiance here is cool and airy-almost loft-like. The food tasted fresh and our waitress was very friendly. Lastly, the prices were pretty reasonable for lunch. What more could you want? I'll be back again.
When the restaurant Serpentine comes to mind, my eyes close and lips purse while I hum sweet, "mmmmmm's," to anyone who will listen.
While this restaurant was inconvenient to get to (I live in the Marina), it was well worth the trip. The bread pudding was to die for - a bready, cheesy, herby, square of absolute lip smacking goodness. The spinach bacon salad was fabulous as well. I got the pork shoulder as my main course - the meat was so tender it fell from the bone with even the tiniest poke.
Throughout the meal, service was great - our server was very pleasant. However, I had a major problem with the way they handled our departure. Like I mentioned earlier, my friends and I came from the Marina. We had arrived via cab. As our meal came to a close, I asked a server if somebody wouldn't mind calling us a cab. She came back 1 minute later to tell us that she tried but couldn't get through - so we'd better start calling ourselves. Okaaaaayyy.....my friends and I got through to a couple of places but after we'd been waiting around for a good 30 minutes with no cab in sight, we went back in to ask for help again.
By this time we were the last customers hanging around the restaurant. I asked yet again that they help us get a cab where they proceeded to tell us that the cab company that they call had turned off their phones already. When we asked them if they had a phone book, they responded with a, "probably not," and walked away.
We finally flagged one down ourselves by sheer luck and made it home but I couldn't help but feel slightly miffed at the way the restaurant handled our situation. If you're going to have a restaurant in a location like the Dog Patch, you're more than likely going to have many patrons coming from neighborhoods that aren't near by and who will be requesting cabs. It would have been really helpful and less stressful for us had somebody been more hospitable in this area.
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We had a late reservation at 8:30. 3 out of the 4 of us made it there by that time and the last was 2min away. Literally parking and walking over. The hostess asked us to wait until everyone was here...ummmm...okay.
That was the first awkward moment. The service was ok, but the big building acoustics made it hard to chat and talk.
Food was ok. They ran out of what we had all wanted to order (duck) and we all had to settle for something else. What we did have was good, but nothing outstanding. I feel like the place is still trying to make that jump to find a signature taste.
Three stars for the ease of parking, the courage to open in an evolving semi-sketch area, and the comfort food.
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Well, I offered to take my friend anywhere he wanted for his birthday and this was his choice. I have to admit it's pretty far out there, so I wouldn't go without someone driving. We were running about 10 minutes late for our reservation; but they seated us without any hassle, which of course makes me happy. Our waitress was adorable, but really seemed to be having an off day. She literally told us this up front at least.
For appetizers, we ordered the baked salt cod w/blood orange and NY rye and a savory bread pudding to share. The bake salt cod itself was tasty, but I guess I was expecting something different than just a wedge of blood orange on the side. As for the savory bread pudding... it was the star of the night if you ask me, plus it was HUGE. I really don't think I want to pay $5 to add a side of roasted carrots and greens to be honest, but maybe I'm just being a cheapskate.
We ordered the roasted half chicken and the poached halibut for our main course, but the flow of food was choppy and we were waiting for a bit. Just when we thought we had been forgotten, our waitress appeared and assured us it would only be a few more minutes.
Hmmm...verdict... I loved the halibut...perfectly poached and the pureed fennel was to die for. Also the gold and chiogga beets were tasty and I don't really like beets that much. Of course my friend had to accidentally ruin it by offering me a piece of his chicken along with some breadcrumbs and roasted butternut squash. The breadcrumbs unfortunately killed my fish... poor lil fishy never had a chance!! The breadcrumbs were great according to him, but it was quite tart and overpowered my fish, until my taste buds recovered at any rate. I guess some things definitely shouldn't be shared.
Then came dessert. He wanted to share, but I'm not always keen on that idea. Especially since he wanted the lemon tart, which seemed boring to me. I chose instead to go with earl grey pot de creme and a glass of port. He decided to go with lemon tart and I overheard the waitress say "That's sweet." My port came and his tart came... but wait... where's my pot de creme? His tart by the way...well the topping (whether marshmallow or meringue I have no idea) was kind of hard. He tried to get a bite with his fork and smashed the tart. So then he took the topping off and he swears the lemon was nice and the tart buttery, but he didn't finish half of it. Then the check comes... but wait... where's my pot de creme? So we mentioned this and that's why she commented earlier. She thought I was giving up mine to share his... hay naku, but she fixed it. My pot de creme came...and it was scrumptious and a perfect compliment to my port. Hints of lavender and lots of earl grey flavor.
Just as I was pondering the tip, she came and apologized/informed us that she had paid for my dessert. That's what I like... a waitress who knows when she's about to get a minimal tip instead of 20+ and does something to remedy it. Overall, the food was decent... some things were well executed and divine... others just so so. The service was a bit all over the map, though; but at least our waitress forewarned us and made me happier about things in the end. Atmosphere is quaint and seating somewhat tight. I would try it again at a later time, after they've been open longer...maybe things will flow more effortlessly by then.
Eh... not bad. Not great.
3.5 Stars
Seems to me that this place may be a study in a chef trying to open his own place and trying a bit too hard. The cheap rent in what amounts to a storage warehouse (with a couple of bathrooms and a kitchen thrown in) plus the spartan furnishings and the overemphasis on funky combos with the food, screams that this chef just wants to have his creations tasted. I dunno... it was good, but seemed a bit amature-ish.
Bread pudding = good. But anything slathered in butter is going to be good.
Sirloin Salad = good. Hearty and substantial, and like the idea of a salad with meat in it. Seems very manly.
Marrow = eh. A bit fatty. Pretty good taste and the sea salt is a neat spin, but the salad / garnish was a pile parsley... maybe it was just a garnish.
The chicken looked good and much of it was eaten by the individuals who ordered it. The short ribs looked tasty and tender and there was a pretty good pile of it. I had the duck and it was ok. Maybe I just don't like duck, but it seemed a bit gamey. I ate it all, though.
Great ice cream, but why drive all the way to Hunter's Point for Bi-Rite 'scream when I can walk to 18th Street? The lemon tart was tarty and lemony.
Average space, slightly above average food, and way the fuck out there spells a quick death to this place. But then again, I though that Google was going to tank too.
BTW -- Serpentine = group of common rock-forming hydrous magnesium iron phyllosilicate ((Mg, Fe)3Si2O5(OH)4) minerals.
Take that!
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We loved it here! Went with a friend of mine over the weekend. The ambiance is very cool, has a New York restaurant vibe / feel. The food was incredible (and not outrageously priced either). Our waitress very nice as well. It was lively and fun. My only complaint is the restaurant is very far away from everything, so hard to get a cab. We asked our waitress to call us one though, and it was no biggie they arrived 20 minutes later.
Drove all the way across town for lunch...worth every mile.
Make sure to get the sparkling Rose...wonderful.
The server waited until presenting my date's sandwich, before announcing that they were out of the savory bread pudding (the dish I drove all the way over here for)...she handled the mistake with such courtesy and easy charm (even comped our dessert - God, that goat cheese cake), that I had no problem with substituting (duck sandwich is equally fabulous).
Kristin, you're the best!
We went to this place because we saw a good review in a magazine. But first, we had to rush to make the only reservation available at 6:30, which is fine. Second, the waitress kept pushing us to order fast when we weren't ready yet. The appetizers were good but once the main courses came I was not happy at all. I didn't eat any of it and she never asked if there was anything wrong with it, which obviously there was. Third, we felt really uncomfortable to realize the hostess kept coming to check on us, she must of come like 3 times, what made me get upset. When you are spending a good deal of money in a place, you do NOT rush people to finish their meal! The desert was good. I'm giving this place one star for the salad dressing and the other one for the dessert but that's it, never coming back for sure.
Despite yesterdays sunny warmth, last night was bloody cold!
With that said, I met a friend for dinner at Piccino... darling place, nice wine selection, yummy-looking flat bread pizza things, but freezing! And loud. Since all the warm tables near the oven were taken, we decided to walk over to Serpentine. (sorry, Piccino!! next time, I swear!!)
Once inside Serpentine, we were hit by loud layers of conversation. Quiet it wasn't. But it was warm and cozy, and there were 2 seats at the bar inviting us in for dinner. So we stayed.
So many things tempted me on their menu. There was roasted buffalo bone marrow, duck rillettes and savory bread pudding for starters, and stuffed quail, beef cheeks, and a burger for main courses.
Since I'd cooked quail the night before, am laying off beef for a few days, and felt like comforty food, I decided on the roasted chicken. My friend got the quail. For starters, we opted for the arugula salad with avocado, bacon, frommage blanc & a red wine vinaigrette.
The salad was perfect. Light & peppery greens mixed with creamy cheese and avocado, tossed with salty, smoky bacon!
The chicken was lovely. A 1/2 chicken perfectly roasted and served on a bed of sauteed crispy french fingerling potatoes, spinach, frisee, fennel, and castroville artichokes, finished with a roasted shallot vinaigrette. I must admit, though, that the potatoes, while tasty, were not crispy. But I cleaned my plate.
The star of the meal was the quail. Cornbread Stuffed Wolfe Ranch quail on a creamy puree of butternut squash, grilled broccoli di cicco, and black trumpet mushrooms. It was the perfect combination of flavors and textures, and while I really enjoyed my dish, I admit I had a touch of food envy.
We opted to finish the meal with the apple thingy that was topped with airy lightly sweetened whipped cream.
In addition to the fine meal, I'll add that the service was great. The bartender described menu items in a lively and informed fashion. Courses were not rushed and our water glasses were never empty.
Another point is the wine list. Lots of old and new world varietals represented... I had the Rhone they offered by the glass, and it was perfect with my meal. (my friend had a 1/2 a glass with her entree... nice that they let her)
I will deduct a star for the noise levels... not really their fault, just from where we were sitting, sort of obtrusive and hard to talk over.
From this one visit I'll agree with Serpentine's tag line: Honest Food, Classic Cocktails. At least the food part. I'll have to go back and test out their side car. (and that quail!!)
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4.5 Stars
When we left the restaurant, the staff were eating dinner. We were among the last diners left - we didn't want to leave. it was THAT good.
First of all, the restaurant was buzzing like crazy on an otherwise quiet Tuesday night, so if you are going to go, I highly suggest that you make reservations. (You are going to go). Call or email the restaurant. They are closed on Mondays.
It's a medium-sized industrial-style restaurant with high, high ceilings - almost like you are standing in a rectangle turned on its side. Think lots of exposed brick and cement beams, but warm and inviting. I love this type of restaurant - it plays up the structure of the space rather than trying to manipulate it too much. The bar is long full of people, but they keep it well under control. I had heard that it used to be cold inside, but they have fixed that problem and the temperature is warm and comfortable. The overall feeling to me was slightly more dressed-up than Slow Club, which I liked. It's also not nearly as loud.
Drinks are not listed on the website, but if you are inclined, the Whiskey Smash is an outstanding cocktail. Minty, sweet, and just damned tasty - my friend ordered it, and I had such drink envy! Also, the wine list is totally reasonable - many bottles in the $30 range. We had a very nice Pinot from Sonoma with our meal, which they let us taste before they brought it. Reasonable, affordable wines make me very happy.
And the food...wow. The first thing that came out was the Crispy Hama Hama Oysters. Divine! Perfectly cooked, perfectly breaded morsels of juicy oysters served with tiny hush puppies and a delicious pimenton sauce for dipping. MUST HAVE dish.
Heirloom Chicory Salad - it's nice to have a creamy dressing for a change after so many vinaigrettes. Toasted almonds and citrus make for a great flavor combo.
Savory Bread Pudding - unique,excellent, another MUST HAVE dish. It has nettles in it, which makes the color of the pudding an interesting green with crispy brown edges. The portion size is huge, plenty for 3-4 people to share.
Warm White Shrimp and Potato Salad - this dish was different than what we expected - think potatas bravas with some shrimp thrown in. Not my favorite, but mostly because everything else was so outstanding.
Roasted Mary's Half Chicken - who is Mary and why is she roasted? This is not a typo, this is how this dish is listed on the menu. A simple, well-cooked half chicken - juicy and tender. Mmmm.
Earl Grey Pot de Creme - wonderful! so creamy (but somehow not too rich), balance of sweet and tea flavors, with shaved ice on top for a delightful little shock of cold and texture. MUST HAVE.
Our server, Demitrius, took great care of us - he made great recommendations and the flow of our meal was orchestrated perfectly. We all laughed a lot, like old friends. They were slammed with more business than usual (in light of the review that came out over the weekend), yet they kept their cool and we were very well attended to by all of the staff. It was amazing to think that they have only been open for 3 months - they operate like they have been doing this forever.
The Ciffs Notes recap is:
- make a reservation
- drink the Whiskey Smash
- MUST HAVE the Oysters, Bread Pudding, and Earl Grey Pot de Creme
I will be back -the sooner the better.
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I was seriously impressed with Serpentine. I absolutely loved the savory bread pudding, and could imagine ordering it every night for takeout to bring home and bliss out on its comfort-food perfection. Except I would probably gain 10 pounds in a week because that stuff was rich. The other stuff we ate was also fantastic, but it's obscured by the memory of that savory bread pudding...mmmm....
Cool semi-industrial decor. Adorable waitress. No wait to be seated on a Wednesday night around 7:30. Go now!
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It's amazing how much this area has developed in the past few years. The space is very urban industrial cool. The exposed brick and soft lighting provides a warm glow but is a little loud.
There was not a single dish that didn't impress my very discerning party's sophisticated palates.
There were three of us and we decided to get a bunch of appetizers and 2 entrees. Perfect choice! Since we couldn't decide between the lamb riblettes or the duck rilletes we got both. The rilletes were awesome- creamy and salty, paired perfectly with some stone ground mustard and pickled onions. The riblettes were smothered in a sticky sweet sauce that was delightful to lick off of my fingers, since the riblettes disappeared so fast! The sauce was all I had left to savor, but it was great. We also ordered a mache salad that came with bacon and avocado. You can't go wrong when there's bacon and avocado on a plate together.
What really impressed was the savory bread pudding. It was buttery and moist and was sinfully delicious. We all took a few bites but had to stop for fear of ruining our appetites for the main courses. I was the lucky one to take the rest of that bad boy home. I ate it in the car.
For our entrees we had the stuffed quail with butternut squash puree. I asked the waitress if I could get a glass of the puree with a straw in it because it was so damn good I would've slurped it up. Luckily I was with good friends who talked me out of it- I would've been disgusted with myself in the morning. We also got a flank steak with grits and dandelion greens. This was also good, but I was drunk at this point and couldn't stop raving about the butternut squash puree.
For dessert, we split the Earl Grey pot de creme. It was one of the most original desserts I have ever tasted. You must get this if you come to Serpentine!
Our server was super duper nice and hooked us up with no corkage on our bill- we offered her a taste of the wine we brought in. I recommend you do the same. It's a great way to hook up your server who will then hook you up in return.
All in all a great experience. I will most definitely be back!
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If you've been looking for a place to have one of those "talks"...
(You know the ones. They usually start with something like "we need to talk" or "I've been meaning to discuss something with you" or "I was hoping you could help me with this problem I have" or "my parents are coming into town"... Yeah, thooooose.)
... then you need to know about Serpentine.
I will vouch for the puree of carrot soup with crispy leeks. I will vouch for the roasted chicken with smashed potatoes. And I will vouch for the lemonade. My friend vouches for the pork sammich they serve at lunch. But mostly, I vouch for the cozy seating, the high ceilings, the neutral decor and the quiet, efficient service surrounding the good food that allows one to have the "I've been doing a lot of thinking and" talk. Serpentine is the martini mixer where food, booze and difficult conversations get shaken.
Oh, totally P.S. -- the bathroom is unisex. FYI, in case any of you laydeez have issues with having to drop the seat manually before doing your bidness.
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-Easy Parking
-No Wait
-AMAZING SERVICE
-Fancy gin cocktail off their menu was DELICIOUS
-Kick Ass Bread Pudding (Savory kind)
-Fish Stew To Die For
-Half Roast Chicken good but no Zuni
-Ambiance was just right although lots of two tops on top of one another
Worth the trip, great neighborhood spot, I would recommend sitting at the bar and enjoying the appetizers with a great drink or bottle of wine.
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I was really excited to venture to Serpentine - I've heard so much about the place! Unfortunately, my taste buds weren't stimulated
The service was fantastic..the atmosphere is friendly, but the food and beverages were a miss. I guess with all the hoopla and the $$$ for the area - my expectations were high.
My martini was on the luke warm side, bummer!
We ordered the savory bread pudding - and for an extra 5 bucks they threw on a few greens and a small strand of carrots ..we actually laughed at the portion of carrots - musta been some greedy rabbits in the kitchen???
For the main we had the roasted chicken..it was a good roasted chicken - but no wow factor. It was suppose to be served with spinach, fennel, and artichokes...there werea couple of little potatoes and the shallot vinaigrette...but the other vegetables must have been hanging back with the carrots??
..then we dared for dessert. Banana Creme Pie...well there was banana, there was a big puddle of cream (more like soup), and there was a soggy crust. We tasted it and left it to finish dying on the plate. Poor Poor Banana!
Well, I will try them out again cause I had fun with my date and the staff was really friendly - wish me luck!
We
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Fantastic evening at Serpentine! The bread pudding was incredible. The baked pasta was delicious and extremely unique; I've never had anything like it before. Great selection of dinner salads, their buttermilk dressing was fantastic. Lemon tart and apple streudel desserts were perfection. I had no issues with anything food related so cheers to the kitchen. 5 stars. Service, also 5 stars. Our server was excellent; he was super helpful with everything on the menu and very friendly.
Minus one star... and a big star at that: we were a table of 8, nice bill (food, desserts, wine, wine, wine)... we asked a staff member (hostess?) to kindly please call us a cab. She came back about 1 minute later and said "You should start calling, I called twice and can't get through."
Um. Yikes. Not the kind of service you'd expect from a hopping new joint way out in the boondocks when you know a majority of your patrons are NOT from the area. Plus, on a Saturday night, you know that it usually takes a couple times to ring through. From there, we had to do our own work and it took about 40 minutes.
I will come back, absolutely, but will hope for a more friendly ending to the evening if I need some assistance.
GREAT!!! That's all I need is another friggin' thing to keep me up at night. I was hoping after dining here I could figure out why it's called Seprentine. There wasn't a snake picture on the wall. No snakes served in the menu. Not even eggs cooked in snake oil! The spot doesn't haven't a snaking layout... nothing! Could it be a shedding of the old skin and like a phoenix reborn from the ashes a new restaurant is born in the Dogpatch?? I DON"T KNOW!!! What I do know is that this block is blowin' up! Within feet of each other you have Yield Wine Bar, Hard Knox Cafe, Just For You, & Serpentine (and hopefully my future film school)!!
I would love to tell you to hit up Yield before dinner for a drink but Serpentine may just make my current favorite cocktail in the city. The Whiskey Smash. And it is made with Pappy Van Winkles whiskey which is my Death Row whiskey. I would stop in and probably will just to sit at the bar and knock of few these badboys back.
We had called on a Saturday to make some last minute reservations and the only opening was 9:15. We take the slot and head over an hour early knowing that they keep the occasional table open for walk-ins and worse comes to worse we drink at Yield. After being lulled into to bliss by the Whiskey Smash we are chatting with the awesome bartenders and someone taps me on the shoulder. The hostess had a table for us! I was actually a little disappointed with the expediency. I wanted a good reason to keep drinking and it had just been taken away from me!!!
My unhappiness disappeared quickly when our food arrived. First up, crispy fried oysters and hush puppies served with a dipping sauce. Spiced perfectly, the oysters were phenomenal and I'm not a big fan raw or otherwise. My main was hand cut egg noodles served with crispy pork belly. Clean, simple, and delicious. I've checked out the changing menu a few times since we've dined here and I was disappointed to see that this wasn't a staple on the menu as I envisioned myself becoming a regular at the bar and drinking Whiskey Smashes with crispy pork belly egg noodles.
The non-Serpentine (damn you!!) building was beautifully restored with an untouched exposed ceiling. It's a very open and welcoming spot. Which is only accentuated by the incredibly cool staff. We just had a damn good experience here and I hope to eat many meals here in the future.
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Serpentine.
Named for the ROCK that comprises most of Potrero Hill - and I suppose that the restaurant stands on - NOT a snake reference. Thankfully.
The place has major potential. Just needs a little seasoning. As in it stills has that new restaurant feel. Once it gets some weathering, it should be smokin.
The food was/is excellent, although I think they have some fine tuning to do. We had the bread pudding which is fantastic. Not sure it will work in the summer months as it conjures up Thanksgiving. The cod was good, but the chowderish sauce a little odd. Little small portion too, but over all nothing bad here folks. Solid 4 stars, and the staff rocks. If you love Slow Club, you'll like this place too.
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Went to Serpentine because we heard that it had the same chef as Slow Club - which my husband and I both love. We had a lovely time, but overall I like the Slow Club better.
I love the feel of Serpentine - high ceilings, very urban feeling, beautiful bar, nice lighting (very Slow Club-esque vibe). The menu had a lot of original offerings - duck rillettes, fried oysters with hush puppies. We got a heirloom chicory salad with mint and mandarins which was ok - not amazing.
We shared a burger and fries, and a braised buffalo and butternut squash lasagna. I thought the lasagna was very tasty and delicious, but didn't think the burger was very good (my husband thought the opposite - wish we would have traded). I ordered my burger with blue cheese and they were a little skimpy with it, and it was a little over cooked and not that juicy.
The desserts were great - affogado with bi-rite creamery ice cream and decaf esspresso was the best. We also got an earl grey pot de creme topped with granita which was very subtle tasting and delicious too.
We went early - 6:30 on a Friday night - because we had our sleeping 2 month old with us. In general I think this place isn't kid friendly - it is a pretty tight space, but they were nice about accomodating us at least at that hour.
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As everyone has gushed about the bread pudding....it is pretty darned good. i got it with the veggies (less impressive addition that kicks your bill up by $5--quite a lot for what you get....i thought they would be baked in, but instead it was a leaf salad with vinaigrette dressing and steamed buttered mini carrots.
I will gush about the flank steak that comes with pureed celery root. As one person in our party put "it's like someone left a butter flavored cloud on my plate." And that it was. The flank steak was really well cooked, minimal fat, great flavor that made use of the amazing meat.
The duck was allegedly heavenly, as well. That member ate it right up! without even offering anyone else a try, which should tell you a bit about how good it was.
But some of the other suggestions, well, less impressive. The whiskey smash was so much a girlie drink, it should have come with a paper umbrella and a maraschino cherry it was so damned sweet. Not very many guts either. The drink was also so watered down, i think i actually hydrated myself. The wine list is pretty impressive though, with a good smattering of choices in each category of wine. Some reasonable, some a special treat (but not too special).
We didn't try the most recommended treat (the earl grey creme brulee), but the lemon tart with marshmallows felt like a cheap combo. At least it made the lemon tart part feel cheap. Not that it was badly prepared, it's just that marshmallows have a distinct flavor that took from the experience for some reason.
Our waiter swooshed his rump and pivoted like the best runway model. And everyone was attentive. Wine was quickly refilled, he was super fast with pretty much everything, and knew when to make his presence known and also was nice enough to ask us if we were going to hang out and talk or we'd like to pay (we were there later in the evening).
In all, it's a nice place that has a really nice ambience, without being too loud or too poorly lit. Most of the menu is what you'll see on every SanFran menu: prather ranch burgers, steaks, a pasta dish, though not much in the way of vegetarian fare. But their diversions from the norm are top drawer.