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Category: American (New) [Edit]
California Academy of SciencesMon-Tue. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Wed-Sun. 11:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Wed-Sun. 5:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
"I love the variety of options at Crepevine... you got your savory crepes, sweet crepes, eggs benedict, omelets, and mimosas! From all the…" read more »
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Tyrannosaurus Rex would give this a claw up. Brontosaurus, a foot down.
Who knew you could combine eating a fancy lunch with learning about the stars, dinosaurs, and rain forests? If you're looking for serene dining and not cafeteria style food or the hustle and bustle of strollers/kiddies in tow AND you don't mind paying a bit more for a nice lunch...then The Moss Room is a good choice for a change in pace. Definitely not the most kid friendly of restaurants, this is the museum's answer to adult upscale dining. Its location is perfect: inside the California Academy of Science and across from the De Young. (You can also dine here without being a museum visitor.)
Entering from inside the Academy, your experience begins by being escorted down several levels to a small intimate setting. Going from the museum to their underground cave-like restaurant, it felt like a perfect transition from one activity to another. In that sense, they have been very successful with their interior decorating. The tall, graduated stone wall and glass staircase were the first things to catch my eye. I loved the airy glass light fixtures that seemed like little fireflies above the fiery orange bar. Lucky for me, I had the guilty pleasure of facing the beautiful rock wall and aquarium. However, if you're seated in the other direction, you look out into a sea of gray blandness.
I got the feeling that they've added a lot of new employees: our waitress, a waiter "shadowing" another server and one of the bartenders in training accounted for half the staff. Not sure if that's a positive or a negative, just an observation. (Maybe it's in response to reviews on poor service?) On the whole, the food was delicious, but had too many meat options and not everything scored highly with us. The feta and beet salad was a little under cooked, but still tasty. Glass of Burgundy ($14) average. But their authentic Lamb Kofta and Roasted Pumpkin Ricotta Ravioli were enough to warrant me coming back for a 2nd try. Their "signature dessert", Coffee Vacherine ($9) coffee ice cream and sliced candied almonds over a light meringue, was the perfect ending with an espresso. When the bill came (thematically placed in a river rock) I gotta admit I winced a little! Their prices for lunch are really more suited for dinner.
I'm bordering on 3.5 stars for this place. (As usual I always round up, yelp style) It's got a lot of potential to be super awesome, but they need to iron out some kinks in their decor and menu.
3.5 stars You know how it is when you receive a nice invitation to a restaurant you could care less about but have to go with vs. suggesting places you'd REALLY rather check out? That's what the Moss Room was for me.
To compound my lack of interest we went on a Sunday night after 5pm when everything in the area already closed for the day so it was eerily desserted and quiet in the area as we made our way to the obscure side door where you then pass through the darkened daytime Acadamy Cafe before reaching the stairs that take you down to the restaurant. And then to my surprise everything went up from there.
I realized as I descended the stairs with the lit stone & fern lined wall that I was probably dragging my feet for nothing. It wasn't hopping by any means but the room was warm and inviting and I happen to like romantic low lighting because come on, how can you not like how it makes you look? What make-up flaw? What hair out of place? What zit on the forehead?
For our party of 3 we shared the pork belly -- I'll admit it -- this was my first time with this at a restaurant b/c for me the fat was a put off but now I know -- I've been missing out. Also added the squid ink pasta -- another winner. Entrees were very good too -- black cod, whole roasted sea bass and salmon. Loved the flavors of the side order of sliced brussel sprouts.
Lesson learned -- trust my friends when I get an invitation to eat out gratis!
I came here for dinner with my boyfriend and another couple. We had to make reservations beforehand, since the Moss Room gets booked up quickly.
We arrived at 5:15pm, and we had to walk around the California Academy of Science to get to the entrance. We told the security guard that we wanted to go to the Moss Room, so he pointed us to the entrance. When we were inside, we had to walk down a flight of stairs before we were in the Moss Room.
We arrived 30 min before our reservation time, but the hostess was able to seat us immediately. I noticed the Moss Room is kind of small. The atmosphere was definitely very romantic with the dim lighting and a candle on each table.
After looking at the menu, I decided to order the 'Lucky Dog Ranch Beef Short Rib Ravioli'. My boyfriend ordered the 'Bullfeathers Farm Quail'. One of my friend ordered the 'Oven Roasted Whole Fish', too. We all decided to share the pork pate appetizer.
We were given complimentary sourdough bread with butter after we ordered. The bread tasted fresh and soft. The pork pate came out immediately, too. The waiter already warned us that the pate would be a bit chilled. I thought the pork pate was a bit salty, but it tasted great with the bread. =)
We had to wait about 20 minutes before our entrees came out. My beef short rib ravioli was super delicious!! The ravioli tasted very fresh, since the pasta layer was very soft. The short rib filling tasted very good with the roasted tomato sauce, too. I think this is the best ravioli ever! =) The portion size was kind of small though.
My boyfriend liked his quail dish. I was able to sample some of his quail, and it was juicy. The caramelized quinoa was good, too.
When my friend's entree came out, it was literally a whole fish on a plate! Our waiter was super nice by offering to fillet the fish for her. He did it pretty fast, too. =)
After I finished my Ravioli, I was looking forward to order dessert..lol. When I looked at the dessert menu, there was only 1 chocolate option. I decided to order the 'Chocolate cheesecake torta', which came with spiced chocolate zeppole, and cocoa creme dipping sauce'.
The chocolate cheesecake was so good! The chocolate zeppole tasted like a mini chocolate donut, and it was a bit warm. The zeppole was tasty with the dipping sauce.
Overall, the Moss Room has very delicious food. I was pleased with all the dishes I ordered. The service is really good here, since the waiters are very helpful and friendly. Even though the dishes are a bit pricey, I think it is worth it for great quality food!
Outstanding - one of the best of San Francisco. I have been here twice now and each time thought the food and wine list were incredible.
Last Saturday night (visit #2), I started with a cocktail from the cocktail specialty list - a margarita made with fresh lime juice, mezcal and black sea salt. Very tasty, not sweet, which is very good thing. I then ordered a glass of chateauneuf-du-pape blanc with dinner. At $16 a glass it is not a steal, but when am I ever going to go to the store and buy a $50+ bottle of c-d-p b? Probably never, so I splurged on the glass, and it was worth every dollar I drank.
My appetizer was homemade pita (oh so good) with hummus, peppers and olives. Main course was a delicious wild nettle tagliatelle with chanterelles and cheese. Superb.
Hubby had some meat dish that he raved about. Sorry - no details on that as I tend to forget what he eats when he wants to maximize his carbon footprint.
Dessert for me was a terrific pine nut and caramel tart with gelato. Hubby also raved about his carmelized apple napoleon. Every bite of everything was the best.
Tab for the two of us was $173 without tip. Not cheap, but you know, sometimes you have to say what the hey.
(+)
-the fritto misto was excellent and inspired me to make my own fried lemons at home
-waitstaff was very competent
(-)
-they ran out of the scallop entree literally 2 seconds before i wanted to order it (around 8:30 pm).
-the bartender was condescending when i asked if they had sprite or something similar (they only have frou frou natural soda. she coulda just said so.)
-my salad was bland bordering on unappetizing. the greens were bitter, and the dressing added nothing to the flavor.
-my entree (pasta) was so oversalted that i had to send it back.
-dessert was decent -- at our table, we ordered multiple desserts, but i've had better elsewhere.
i won't feel compelled to return unless it's on someone else's dime.
For "One of those restaurants" that's attached to some other business.. You know what I'm talking about...
The Moss room is surprisingly good. Where is the moss? Not quite sure. There were a lot of ferns. The decore is lovely and relaxing. The space is small and intimate. As long as I don't get seated next to the swimming fish, I am a happy camper! There were times I think they were watching us dine instead of us watching them swim.
Appetizer: Lon and Bailey Farms Pork Belly spiced pumpkin puree, sweet onions, pheasant egg, balsamic = Yummy !! Bacon is great any way you cook it ! I didn't understand the egg at first, but I do now.
Dinner:
Pozzi Farms Lamb Loin Chop roasted heirloom carrots, cipollini onions, fregola, mint yogurt = The fattiest lamb chops I ever had, but good none-the-less. Pretty good actually. My only complaint.. I couldn't get the bone clean! =P
Mishima Ranch ''Kobe'' Bavette Steak watercress, fennel, charmoula vinaigrette = Light steak. I know it sounds ironic, but this plate doesn't have that heavy feel that normaly comes with a steak dish. Very tasty.
Dinner service: WAS EXCELLENT. Our waiter was great: knowledgeable, friendly, attentive.
I can't wait to go back and try their other dishes.
The Moss Room is neither a room full of moss nor decorated with moss nor is it a moss green colored restaurant. However, the large, clean bathrooms do have green tiled walls. I especially like the large square Kohler sink and fixtures and the Mitsubishi hand dryers where you put your hands into a slot and get your hands dried high tech style.
What? This isn't a bathroom review?
What's nice is that the restaurant is located in a basement room in the CA Academy of Science. You enter thru a side gate and a security guard lets you into the building for dinner. Down a flight of stairs and right in front of you is a bar full of patrons. Our table was just about under the stairs, next to a wall-lined, knee leveled, open tank of fishes. It was entertaining to watch them swim by during the meal.
The wait staff was polite but not especially friendly, especially the busboy who didn't acknowlege our "Thank yous" when he'd fill the water glasses. I expected more since staff at other SF restaurants where you're charged the additional SF health tax usually go out of their way to be nice.
We tried the eggplant soup ($8) which was surprisingly creamy and good (yellowish colored) as I was expecting something stringy or sticky. My catch of the day was pan-roasted sanddabs (yes, yes, it was full of tiny, thin bones) which was cooked very nicely, over a bed of corn kernels and spinach and sprinkled with roasted mushrooms and very good ($26). BFF had the Wild Salmon ($23), also very good, cooked just right, a tad raw in the middle. Her side of Spinach ($6) was OK. But, their side of forest mushrooms, $6, was delicious. And the Louisiana White Prawns $13, appetitzer was OK (the prawns were tasty 'tho).
Hubby had the pork belly appetizer, $12. It was very good with a 3 in chunk of very lean pork belly cooked with a crispy top. I didn't care much for his pork chop entree, $26, which he really liked. BFF's hubby had the American Kobe beef steak, $28, a tender piece of meat but steak is steak and this was no different. The bottle of Cep (Sonoma) Syrah, $50 complimented the meal nicely.
Hub finished with coffee, $3.50 and a 4 inch round pine nut tart, $9, I didn't care for this but the 2 small spoons of ice cream (one was cardamon) were very good. Even better, was the chocolate souffle, $9, with a wonderful chocolate flavor, sauce on the side and a tiny circle of choc mousse. I'd highly recommend this dessert if you have a sweet tooth. BFF's "Jewel of Russia" aka Long Island iced tea was $12.
If you're a CAS member, show your membership card at the end of the meal and there's a 15% discount before taxes on your bill.
I made last minute reservations for a party of 8 and the hostess was really accommodating. Especially when I called back 2 more times to change my reservation to add 2 more people, then changed it to 5 people only and to a different time. I would have been annoyed at me! But they were all really great and made it completely hassle free.
food was excellent. i got the raviolis which i polished off completely. it was like i hadn't eaten for days. the moroccan minestrone was delicious. the ceviche was also good, although the fish wasn't the star of the show.
price tag wasn't bad either, came out to about $60 per person, when we all ordered a starter, entree and dessert. for the service and quality of food, i'd definitely come back.
wait, how did i get stuck with the bill? :(
If you find your way to the Academy of Sciences in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, a nice break from the lunch crowds is the Moss Room. One floor down, away from the hussle and bussle, you find yourself sitting in a quiet and peaceful ambience, with a moss filled wall decor combined with a fish tank lining one side, and modern lighting and decor on all other areas.
It's a small 20 table layout, with 1 nice glass enclosed 10 person banquet/private room. It's not a kid friendly atmosphere, and the service is very friendly but slow. I had a couple tables around me slightly frustrated with finding a waiter when they needed one.
The price ranges from $15 to $30 per entree. With appetizer, 2 entrees, beverages and desert, it came to $70 total for 2. Wine would have been nice, but I had a long drive back. That plus I didn't want the headline to read, "drunk guy falls in alligator pit", because remember this is still attached to the Academy of Sciences.
For starters, the Squid was a very delicious appetizer. My girlfriend had the chicken breast which was just ok, I had a taste and I wish it was a little more moist and tender - although the roasted corn and greens were delicious. The "Sustainable catch of the day" however was excellent. The tricky part is that the vegetables and sides changes with each season and the actual fish on the menu changes daily. I had the braised mackeral, ratatouille with eggplant. This dish melted in my mouth, delicious! Who knew being eco friendly and carb friendly would be so delicious!
Slightly pricey for a casual trip, but it was a very pleasant break, and recharges you for several more hours of wandering around the exhibits. Skip the long cafeteria lines, relax to soothing jazz filled background music, enjoy yourself while appreciating nature.
The food is excellent and by itself I would give it 5 stars. We came here for lunch during a visit to the museum. Everything was good, but the grilled squid salad stood out. The squid itself was fresh and lightly grilled so that it was tender inside and still retained the aroma of the sea (yum!). The greens were cold and crisp, perfectly complementing the warm and juicy squid. The other ingredients (e.g. marinated tomatoes) and the dressing were all in harmony as well. I personally think this is a very successful dish -- creative yet tasty.
The room is very dark and I found it rather depressing. That's why I only give it 4 stars. After all, the environment contributes to one's dining experience. I recommend that they redesign their lighting.
Loved it! Loved the big moss wall and the "river" with the huge fish.
Food was excellent, service was great, decor was really inviting.
+summer bean salad
+grilled flatbread with hummus and this delicate white cheese spread
+pan seared river trout w/ AMAZING roasted corn slaw and cherry toms
+creme brulee - huge portions :)
Not much options for a vegetarian/vegan on menu.
I give them brownie points for accommodating me with a rather well portioned vegan salad with fruit and nuts.
Other members of my party ordered the ravioli dish which equaled $21.00 for only three!
Imagine overcooked sand dabs on a bed of pureed cauliflower such that the eye or fork cannot tell where fish starts or ends with respect to vegetable bed. Imagine kobe flank steak encased in crispy shell of cumin powder to the extent that a glass of water was needed to wash the spice crust from the meat. Imagine a waiter and line chef who does not check on food quality or dining experience.
Imagine not eating at the Moss Room ...
My first 3 star review! Usually I'm a 2 star or a 5 star. 2 stars is one misstep away from calling the Better Business bureau or the cops, and 5 stars means I would probably wait in line for 1/2 hour and/or pay more than the current prices for whatever I'm ordering. Local favorites, please disregard that last comment.
Moss is a 3. The food is very good; not exceptional, not blow me away, but very good. The physical space is nice. The fish pond is really cool. But its a loud restaurant. That is excluding the family of four behind us in which the husband and wife started yelling at each other. Uncomfortable. The floor plan is very open and so it gets kinda loud. Our server was excellent.
For starters we ordered gravlox and fried green tomatoes. The tomatoes had a red tomato sauce poured on and around them, which sapped the green tomato flavor, defeating the purpose of the dish. The gravlox was a bit on the chewy side. For mains, we had trout and yellowfin, and both were good, smallish portions, and quite expensive ($23 and 26) for what we got. Dessert was cheesecake and a berry/peach parfait, very good.
And even the drink I ordered was a little off. I got an Old Cuban, (insert Fidel Castro joke here) but all I could taste was lemon juice. My wife and I are a little pinched financially, so this was the first fancy restaurant trip for us in a while and probably the only one for the month of August, and Moss was on the higher end price-wise and middle-lower end, quality-wise.
In short, it was good but it just wasn't worth it. Which I guess is a solid 3 stars. Skip it.
Well, I haven't eaten here, but I did investigate the Trinity bar last night with some friends. For practical Yelping purposes, of course.
This place is definitely not one of those bar/restaurants, but rather a legit restaurant where you only sit at the bar while you wait for a friend or a table. I know this because once you have 10 or so people at the bar, they start expanding onto nearby tables, whether empty or not. Sorry to anyone trying to enjoy their meal who had to hold my coat... or my friends.
The beverages, though expensive, were pretty tasty. I had a salty dog (greyhound with salt-lined rim, $12?) and a Hemmingway Daiquiri ($10, white rum, grapefruit, maraschino). What can I say, I love the grapefruit.
Anywho, the drinks were good and I got a 20% discount because I was there with a bunch of Academy employees! Otherwise, it would be way, way too expensive for me. :(
3 ravioli. $21.
C'mon.
I went today to the Academy of arts with my co-workers to an off site and had a great time!! we went to the Moss room the food was absolute delicious we had for appetizers, Grilled Monterey Squid heirloom tomatoes, olive vinaigrette, croutons, saffron.House Made Pita Bread hummus, roasted peppers, manouri cheese, lemon, sea salt.Grilled Monterey Squid heirloom tomatoes, olive vinaigrette, croutons, saffron
for the main course I had the Local Albacore Tuna Salad yukon gold potatoes, nicoise olive tapenade, farm egg, anchovy and it was just delicious...
for dessert the crumble and it was amazing the building has a lot to offer now that is been renovated with the cost of 500 million if you are in the city I totally recommended to go here. it really make my day!!
The moss room was good, especially after looking at the lines at the Academy Cafe. We were able to be seated at their private room it was seven of us and the experience was OK. Their salads are great especially when they mix it with peaches and nuts yummy! The portions were a little small for my taste of their main course.
Dessert was delicious everyone tried something different from their menu and everyone was very pleased even if the main course was small. The service was great and all of us were able to have conversation with one another; If you have more then six people their private room is the way to go!
Love the ambiance. Food is good but service is terrible. Our waitress was talking to this table for about 10 minutes over stupid s***.
I tried the clams with sausage. Really good, but that's probably because I love sausage.
The spaghetti with squid ink. Delicious.
Salad with some kind of fish... I just remembered that the fresh peas were extremely good.
Elegant, great ambience, but not somewhere I would ever go again. So not worth it.
I went here for dinner. Food was really expensive. $13 for a dish that had three shrimps. That's not that cool. I know it's supposed to be a nice restaurant, but still, it was a really small portion. We kept asking for more bread just to get full.
I got the squid ink spaghetti, squash blossom, and the prawns dish. These were good, definitely try these. You only get three pieces of whatever you're ordering so keep that in mind. When we got the food, it was nothing like we'd expected. Different, tasted good, but pricey. Service was great by the way.
Only come here if you're ballin' out of control.
Go to the nightlife afterwards!
I wanted to love this place.
I was there with a group of 6 for dinner time. Not crowded at all, but we were there for a total of 2 hours. It seemed as if we had 20-30 minute time gaps inbetween our appetizers, entrees, and dessert. We were so hungry by the time our entrees finally came that we devoured them in just minute before we had to play the waiting game again. I left still hungry because we waited so long for our food.
I've been to the Moss Room twice now for lunch. Once in March and again today. I thought the food was better today. I had the Albacore Tuna salad. The first time I went, we wanted to have a glass of wine. We tasted multiple samples of their organic wine selections and really didn't think any of them were outstanding especially for the price.
The restaurant is nice but overpriced especially for a place that is located at an educational museum. Both times I've been there, the wait staff seems disengaged. My expectations were very high due to all of the amazing reviews and writeups that I've read. I've walked out disappointed and underwhelmed.
I think that they need to lower their lunch prices by at least $3-4 per entree (now $14-up to $23 for fish special). There are plenty of other fabulous restaurants in the area with equally or better service, much more responsible prices and not such a closed in, small ambience.
If they serve lunch until 2:30, why wouldn't they let us in right before 2:30? It was around 2:20 when we inquired about lunch. We were directed to use the cafe instead and our lunch was subpar. Not cool.
A great place for dinner after seeing the King Tut exhibition on a weekend evening.
The moss on the wall blended well with the building. Just hope they keep thriving.
The friendly host impressed a lot and so was our waitress. We got the pita bread, squid ink spaghetti, ravioli, mushroom and spinach as sides. Portion was small but the quality was good. In the end, we had our favorite Vacherin again which was also on Coco500's menu. Not a surprise since they have the same owner.
I so wanted to like to place.
Given all the hype plus two great chefs collaborating how can you go wrong.
I don't know if my expectations were too high or the meal was not up to standards, but was not impressed, the food was ok at best (not for the price point), the lamb chops I had were tough and had way too much gristle the soup was fine but I think Blvd.'s soups are far superior.
My guests tout salad was very good, she also had the lamb and we were equally disappointed. We also ordered the squash blossoms to start and they were very greasy (don't think the deep fryer was at the optimal temperature).
The place is cool, service was fine, drinks excellent -- but the food for me was not there -- I am not sure what to think.
I'll be back -- it may have been an off night -- that happens, but I am in no hurry.
The Moss Room is brought to us through a collaboration between Charles Phan and Loretta Keller of Slanted Door and Coco500 fame, respectively. If you come here for lunch, you must also pay the admission fee for the museum.
Food: 4 stars. For starters, the Monterey squid spaghetti is a hit. It's the best squid ink pasta I've tasted in awhile due to the wonderful blend of oven dried tomatoes, chilis, and herbs. For entrees, the Liberty Farms duck breast is a winner. It's perfectly cooked and served with farro, pecans, cherries, and balsamic. I definitely enjoyed the duck more than the somewhat ordinary grilled American ''Kobe'' bavette steak, which is served with watercress and charmoula vinaigrette. For dessert, we had to try the vacherin, which is a mix of swiss meringue, coffee gelato, candied almonds, and chocolate sauce. It's got the right amount of texture and is not too rich.
Service: 4 stars. Our main server was very warm and her recommendations were spot on. Service was a little slow in the early goings, but was better paced as the night went on (as the restaurant emptied out, no surprise). There were other servers that brought out dishes to us, including one who seemed to be in a tired and uncaring mood. Fortunately, we were in a good mood and eventually charmed her into smiling and talking to us, but I would think the effort should be the other way around.
Atmosphere: 5 stars. The entry to the restaurant is around the corner from the main entrance to the California Academy of Sciences - this is good to know as I did not see any signs near the entrance to direct me to the restaurant (maybe I'm blind). It's also odd that you have to walk through a closed cafeteria to the stairs descending to the Moss Room. Perhaps this makes the downstairs decor that much more appealing. The sleek and modern decor blends well with the peaceful moss-covered wall accented with light reflecting off the aquarium at the bottom. The crowd is elegant and well-dressed as well.
Hits: Monterey squid spaghetti, Liberty Farms duck breast.
Misses: Lunch requires admission to the museum.
If You Like This Place, You'd Probably Like: Coco500, Cav, Cortez, Plumed Horse, Spruce.
We went to the Academy on Thursday night for "nightlife" and decided that we weren't interested in the overpriced taco counter and would prefer the overpriced restaurant downstairs. The food was definitely top notch and they seem to be focused on a sustainability-oriented dining model. Please remember that "sustainability" includes not gorging yourself on a ton of food, so they help you with that by keeping the portions small. If only they helped you by keeping the price small as well. We paid $28 for two lamb chops that were probably about 4 square inches each on top of some farva beans.
They also have a fantastic wine list and I was really pleased to see that they had a special section for Biodynamic wine by the glass. As you would expect from a nice restaurant in SF, the wine had a really big markup. We ended up ordering a bottle of the Peachy Canyon Snow Vineyard Zin ($60) which I have at home and bought for about $30 at the winery in Paso.
In total the four of us spent $200 plus tip, which really isn't terribly bad for a nice restaurant in the City. I deducted one star because when you leave a restaurant having spent this much, you shouldn't still be hungry.
If you get the sustainability thing and are interested in supporting it, and aren't' the typical American fat-ass like me, you'll enjoy this place.
I have read the other positive reviews and I am beginning to wonder whether I was actually at the same Moss Room or perhaps at one which exists in an alternate dimension of reality.
But I must have been at the same one because the guard watched me passed the gated entrance at least twice before he decided I was worthy to enter and escorted me in. And yes, they do have an awesome bathroom. Perhaps they should stick to designing bathrooms and forego the fine culinary arts.
I have given them two stars for the following reasons:
Ambiance: Dark. Not romantic dark. Dark I cannot see my food dark. What little there was of it. I know, I know, they were attempting to achieve a feeling of a moss-infested cave. Let it suffice to say that this is a good place to go if you want to be incognito or dine with a felon.
Service: There was a vain attempt to be superficially cordial. However, the facade immediately wore off when I made the observation that the menu was limited. My waitress apparently took the comment as a personal affront. I wonder if she has a financial interest in the restaurant or perhaps created the menu. Anyway, she turned a little frosty. However by the end of the meal, she had once again taken up the mantel of superficial cordiality.
Food: As I mentioned above, the menu was limited. The Moss Restaurant represents itself as a restaurant focused on using what is seasonally fresh and available. Let me first state that I am very familiar with seasonal menus. In order to successfully pull off a seasonal menu, one must be creative and interweave seasonal foods into exciting innovative creations. Regrettably, this was not the case. There were about three fish entrees, a fowl (quail) entree and a beef entree. There was one vegetable rendition. I had the salmon which was placed upon a bed of cooked spinach and my companion had a trout entrée with a sweet corn relish. The salmon was woefully lacking in seasoning. I am not big on the use of salt but found myself using the sea salt to provide some semblance of taste. The serving was small, chic yet small. And while this was not Big Al's All You Can Eat Buffet, let's be real. If you are going to be pricey provide quality and a respectable amount of food to justify the cost. My companion fared a little better. The corn was seasoned surprisingly well. He also indicated that the trout was well-prepared. When it comes to dessert, there was more of a selection and for the most part the selection of fruit sorbet and chocolate souffle was well prepared. Alas, man, nor woman for that matter, can exist on dessert alone.
Overall: If you enjoy dining in the dark, this is your place. Service was superficially cordial. Food was mediocre at best, overpriced for the quality and quantity. And aside from a visit to the bathroom, the only other exciting moment was when the check arrived nestled in a slit carved into a rock!
The Moss Room was all right. Crispy squash blossoms stuffed with salt cod were excellent and left me wanting more; my entree of rabbit ravioli was tasty but probably not worth ordering again. I believe we had a roasted peach tart for dessert, and it was right up my alley. Service was professional and pleasant.
Overall, however, I'm not sure I felt that the dining experience lived up to the price tag. Maybe it's that I sort of felt like I was sitting in a weird little upscale cafeteria courtyard in a 70's era building, what with the not-completely-grown-in-yet moss wall and fish tank underneath. Cool concept, but I think it reminded me of a building from my youth, one of those random snapshots of memory from when you're really young. Sounds like it might be a personal issue, since the general consensus seems to be that the Moss Room is extraordinarily beautiful.
Also (and this might be a rather bizarre thing to say), the chairs underwhelmed me. Having had to walk through the Academy Cafe to reach the Moss Room, perhaps I found them to be too reminiscent of the perfunctory chairs upstairs... and come to think of it, the stroll through the cafe probably contributed to my initial "upscale cafeteria courtyard" impression, too. I think I wanted more contrast and wow down to every last detail. If they were to replace the current chairs with more opulent, comfy, upholstered armchairs (think: Kokkari's front salon), I'd be digging it more.
For a birthday dinner for moi, the restaurant decided to seat the six of us in the only 'private' room they have. The ambiance was pretty intimate, as the 'room' was candle lit, and the walls were made of glass. The table could have held twice the number of people and we had a view of the rest of the restaurant as we dined. I felt really special. It's like they knew I was coming so they said, "THE KING IS ARRIVING, ALL SHALL HEED." Hah, I'm awesome.
Pork belly and the lamb loin were my experiments for the night, and they didn't get either of them wrong. Though, the King requests that the pork belly should be cooked a litter longer in order to get the fat dripping through the corners of his mouth; like how he usually likes it.
To my delight, this place has made me a convert to lamb. I've never liked lamb. They bleat, poop pellets and have weird irises. This time though, the loins were really tender and spiced to a perfect tee. They've managed to bypass all the gaminess of the meat and presented me with a vision of lamb that actually serves a purpose in life besides crap and eat grass.
The peasant server was fantastic, giving us suggestions for wine and an absolute game winning dessert. I shall knight him.
Oy, you have to walk through the side to get to the restaurant. The King wishes a grander entrance next time.
Food very close to awesome. Nice wait staff. Dim lighting for an intimate meal. Fairly quiet atmosphere. Nice ferns, fish and water decor all of which are real and make for a nice modern/natural setting. A little pricey for dinner if you order all courses, but well worth it. I would recommend going yourself. Not a place for children and the atmosphere is more suitable for those seeking a quiet, classy dinner night.
If you don't mind the occasional splurge, or if your cost-benefit analysis shows that meals in the alternative Museum Cafe will have to be negative $300 to offset the chaotic screaming kids, then the Moss Room is an excellent choice for lunch during one of your visits to the Academy of Science.
Perhaps due to the high price, we didn't have any problem getting a table for two around noon on a weekend, despite the fact that everywhere else had a long line: the Planetarium, the Rain forest Dome, the Cafes.
You feel extra special when you get to take a separate elevator down, descending into what seems to be the opposite of the rest of the Academy. Everything was chic, quiet, and no one appears to be under 40.
One wall was decorated with mossy plants under which a long fish tank showcased some pretty fish. The seats next to the them would have been the most ideal.
The bar area is really pretty. Dark wall, delicate tiny lights hanging from the ceiling. Everything looked very sophisticated, especially after a whole morning of kids and penguins and tide pools and basic astronomy knowledge you vaguely remember from elementary school.
What an oasis.
My husband and I ordered grilled yellowtail for him, and halibut for me. My halibut came with vinegary kale and mashed potatoes. Very juicy fish and very flavorful sides. His yellowtail came with asparagus which looked quite delicious as well.
The food is exactly what you'd expect from a nice upscale Californian restaurant.
After we rested and had my English breakfast tea, we sadly noticed how everyone around us is our parents' age. They have the right to be tired and demand a nice lunch place to rest , but we are still young! With a bit of guilt, we left the Moss Room and continued our exciting, eventful day at the Academy.
We ate here last Friday with a group of friends. I can't comment on the dinner entrees since we ordered just about all the appetizers on the menu and shared them.
The interior is beautiful. It's dark and romantically lit. The weird part is you have to go through the Academy Cafe upstairs, and we had to wait there for our table. So here we are, sitting in the closed cafe, wondering when we will be seated downstairs. Weird.
The corn chowder soup was actually pretty good although I've had better. They were out of the squid ink spaghetti, so didn't get to try that. The pita bread and hummus was just okay, the pork terrine was more like a hash. The heirloom tomatoes were quite good. The other items we ordered, I can't even remember. I wasn't that impressed with the food, it was just not that special.
Our waitress didn't seem very experienced either. She did her job, but that was it.
Too bad, I wanted to like this place. Won't be coming back here though. I much prefer the cafe upstairs.
After getting in on the FREE Wachovia 3rd Wed to the Calif Academy of Science we decided to splurge on the food.
You need reservations to eat at the Moss Room. For lunch you make reservations w/ the Host that's outside, next to the Cafe. We had ours for 1pm.
After watching Bugs 3D and hanging around at the Aquarium, we went back for our 1pm Reservation.
The guy took us to the elevator, then someone else greeted & seated us.
They have white napkins, silverware, water glasses, & wine glasses on the table. They have a private dining room too. There's also a bar. The Living Moss along the wall near the staircase is nice, also there's some fish swimming down below.
We had:
FREE bread w/ butter - if u don't get it, ASK.
Grilled Monterrey squid $11 - saffron rice, lemon, squid ink. Very nice! Squid ink made it creamy, squid was not too chewy and tasted fresh.
soup of the day $8 - some kind of cauliflower puree. Very nice w/ some hint of lemon.
Oven roasted Pitman Farms chicken $19 - spring vegetable panzanella, bacon, ramp vinaigrette. Chicken was moist and tasty, can't remember the rest.
Subtotal $38 + $3.61 tax = $41.61 before tip. Expensive for lunch, but worth it, especially if you got in for FREE 3rd Wed of the month.
The Moss Room is officially my top pick for where to take your parents, as well as hands-down the best place in town to feel like a mermaid. This restaurant's subterranean location in the dark underbelly of the Academy of Sciences - accented with beautiful lighting, a terraced slate wall overflowing with ferns and huge tanks full of beautiful fish all around the room - just charmed the pants right off me.
On my list of favorite things, the Moss Room has: a full bar, hooks at the bar(!), marble on the bar, uplighting under the bar, fabulous service, sustainable wines, letting you move your bar tab to the table (sans sneer). OK, I realize a lot of my favorite things have to do with the bar. But this place also has the granddaddy best feature any restaurant can have: plentiful, free PARKING. So wear your fiercest heels. Forget the overcoat. Tonight, we do not hike. Tonight, we park.
The service is as good as it gets, and the food is delicious. Between us, we tried just about the entire menu, and there were no bad reviews. The hamachi crudo was to die for in particular, as were the salt cod fritters. The portions are small, and it's pricey but... well, for all-you-can-eat popcorn shrimp, you will have to go elsewhere. The one let down was that the vegetarian options were very limited. There was one pasta entrée and one starter that was vegetarian, and nothing vegan. That struck me as odd. And although the menu is quite small, it does include rabbit and sweetbreads. So there's a frenchy running this kitchen, or I will eat my hat.
Try this place. It's charming and lovely, and I would go back in a heartbeat.
I have two words for my dining experience here. So-So.
A good friend raved about this place so I went based on his recommendation. The decor seemed very architect/design office and I think I was hoping for more museum cool in it. Maybe some moss? When we sat down our waitress came up right away to ask us what kind of water we would like and without asking us for our cocktail order she left. 10 minutes later and no water and no waitress I flagged down a busboy for the water. 10 more minutes later and our waitress finally came back.
I think it's really hard for a restaurant to recover from making guests wait 20 minutes for service without any kind of "I'm so sorry for the wait". Anyways, I ordered one of their gin cocktail and she said that they were out of the mixer for that drink. Of course, I assume any bartender worth his mettle knows how to mix something else up with gin, no luck. We tried to give them suggestions for what they could put with the gin and she took our order and left. Another 10 minutes went by and no drinks. I stopped another server to inquire and he just said they were really backed up. You know, we were seated at 8:05pm and by 8:30 we still had no drinks. As for being backed up, this restaurant is really small and there were only 2 other tables seated at the same time.
The gin drinks finally arrive and there's no sweetener in the drink, it's like drinking medicine. I wonder if the bartender tasted them?
The rest of the meal saw better service but none of our food was in any way remarkable.
Before you are even able to sit down, you have to request a table upstairs, outside the elevator in the Museum. You are then escorted past the cattle gate to an elevator, where you are buzzed down to the restaurant.
Upon arrival, we were told that no strollers were allowed in the dining room due to space issues. Bear in mind we were having lunch at 2pm on a Monday. It would have been so much easier if the guy uspatirs could have shared this, when he saw us waiting for a table with a stroller!
Without the stroller, we were forced to hold baby Noah on our laps the whole meal. He is very good about sitting in stroller while we eat, but on our laps he tends to get fussy and fidgety. As a result one of us had to eat while the other walked around with Noah, through the whole meal. I was annoyed further about this when I noticed a couple near the wall, sitting with their baby seat on the floor next to their table.
While eating my starter salad, I saw a red headed man behind the bar hock a phlegm ball into the sink behind the bar. Disgusting, to say the least.
While I was still eating my salad, the main entrees arrived. The server didn't care, and simply moved things around on the table to make room for the new dishes.
We were seated near the maître d's podium, and had to endure listening to the youngsters working there bitch and moan about various work-related concerns. Very unprofessional.
Near the end of our meal, when Noah started to cry, I finally leaned over to the guys standing at the podium to ask if we could bring the stroller in. There was a lot of room on the side of our table, and I didnt see why this wasnt possible. He asked me to wait, so that he could ask the manager. Nearly ten minutes later he came back, apologizing for having taken so long, to tell me it would be fine.
The only reason i give 2 stars to this review is because of the food. This was the saving grace of the whole experience. Unfortunately, it isn't enough to bring me back a second time.
Service: Excellent. Dylan, I believe, was the name of our server. He was possibly the most informed waitstaff I have encountered, anywhere. Spot on wine recommendation. Very knowledgeable about the entire menu (both food and wine). Exceptional.
Atmosphere: Low lighting, architectural, naturalistic. Noise level was medium on a full house night. Small room (seats ~80), but not claustrophobic. Loved the wall & ceiling light placement that hinted at fireflies in the evening.
Food: Entrees: Yellowtail amberjack (catch of the day), baked white prawns with okra. Sides: harissa spinach, summer squash. Desserts: fresh stonefruit tart with walnut gelato, vacherin (meringue, coffee gelato, candied almonds, chocolate sauce).
The amberjack was perfectly cooked, delicious, flavorful. My white prawns were a hint overdone, though good flavor. The okra was awesome. The harissa spinach was fabulous--I could have eaten an entire bowl of it. Desserts were both excellent and generously portioned (we probably should have only ordered 1). One glass of wine, 2 entrees, 2 sides, 2 desserts, and 1 coffee came to around $100.
Service was very professional--attentive without being overbearing. Water glasses were refilled promptly. Food arrived perfectly timed.
A very, very good overall experience. I will be back.
I was excited to read that The Moss Room at the Academy of Sciences uses organic and locally grown food, which is why we chose to eat there before attending the Nightlife event.
I found it very ironic that while we were waiting to be seated at The Moss Room we viewed the carbon footprint exhibit which is located right outside the entrance to the restaurant. We were amazed and fascinated to see the exhibit on food consumption and your carbon footprint. The statistic that stood out the most was that if you stop eating meat for one day a week, that your reduction in carbon emissions would be the same as buying a hybrid car. Wow, I had no idea! We walked around and viewed all the different meals, vegetarian, meat and fish and viewed the carbon footprints for each meal with meat consumption obviously leaving the highest carbon footprint and the vegetarian food leaving the least. There were also statistics about how methane gas from meat consumption is one of the highest pollutants to our planet.
So imagine our surprise when we are seated at The Moss Room, and there is only one vegetarian entree on the entire menu, a ravioli dish. My partner and I were both very disturbed by this and it seemed honestly a bit hypocritical. The menu was filled with steak, various fish, quail, and pork, the fried green tomatoes even had tripe in it (cow stomach) all the things we just read that were so bad for the environment and leaving such a heavy carbon footprint. Yes, perhaps some of the meat was locally raised, but it's still meat and still has a heavy carbon footprint.
The Academy of Sciences is about educating the public about the environment and our impact on it. They are a leader for us and the rest of the world in green technology. I was so inspired by the building itself and proud do live in a city where the environment is taken so seriously. I commend the Academy of Sciences, but I am deeply disappointed in the restaurant there. I feel that the restaurant should be a reflection of what they are teaching the public in the rest of the space. I understand that the public wants their meat, but what about having half meat items and half vegetarian items? What about serving well thought out vegetarian dishes, like a restaurant like Ubuntu in Napa does? Ubuntu serves inspired, creative, mouth watering vegetarian dishes (that many meat eaters I know love to eat there), rather than the so obvious ravioli dish you can get at any other regular restaurant anywhere.
I do want to acknowledge that the staff was very friendly, the service was excellent and they were very accommodating to our special dietary requests. The design of the space was beautiful and the atmosphere was lovely. The wine list was outstanding. It was the best wine list I have seen yet in terms of local, organic and biodynamic wines by the glass. They also had a number of organic beers which I really appreciated. The sommelier should be commended.
The Chef did make something up for us that was good, but it was not a well thought out meal for a discriminating vegetarian. For a $100 meal for two, it was very mediocre at best. I was hungry an hour later and then ate at the Cafe there, which was also not vegetarian friendly at all either. I would never consider returning to The Moss Room for a meal with the current menu, and I would tell all my friends who are not meat centric to not go to this restaurant.
I feel that the Academy should really walk it's talk and have the theme of caring for the environment flow through all aspects of the experience there including what they serve at the restaurant and the cafe and educating the public that vegetarian food can be good. Why not serve inspiring vegetarian food that makes people actually enjoy eating a dish without meat? If you served creative inspiring vegetarian dishes in the cafe, this is an education, it can be part of the exhibit of educating the public about how delicious vegetarian food can be and how much that can help the environment.
The service was very very slow during lunch. The place was not even full. Our server must had a bad week or something happened in her family; she never looked at us and talked to us in a dead monotone. It seriously took them 20 minutes to prepare the entree. It was not just our table, but all other tables had to wait for their entree.
I ordered:
1. Mix Green Salad: It was great! the salad was very refreshing and unique.
2. Squid appetizer: I have a mix feelings about this dish. The squid was very tender, but I am just not digging the flavoring of the dish.
3. Grill Yellowtail: Overcooked. The asparagus under the fish and the dressing was delish, but not the fish. The fish was dry and burned.
Why still 3 stars? I think their salad was extraordinary! so it balance out the horrible service!
Complimentary Bottle of House…
Neighborhood: SOMA
$15 Dinner Special
Neighborhood: Castro
San Francisco, CA
Category: Coffee & Tea
San Francisco, CA
Category: Museums
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Inner Richmond
Category: Wine Bars
Neighborhood: SOMA
Category: Sandwiches
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