Verbena

10/13/2014

Brunch review only!
Came with three friends for a brunch reservation at 11a on a Saturday. They opened right at 11a so we were the first ones sitting. But the place definitely filled up fast.

FOOD: Everything the brunch menu is amazing. Sprouted bread - this is their specialty; made in house; you have to get it. It is surprisingly delicious. For the dishes we got grilled country bread with pork belly, poached eggs over braised beef, duck confit with rice grits, and french toast.Everything was outstanding - jam packed flavor, beautiful presentation, nice balance of meat and veggies. And a side of their potatoes, which were crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside.

ENVIRONMENT: Not terribly large, but doesn't feel cramped. They get a lot of natural light, which I like. There's a private dining room upstairs. There's a handful of tables outside if that's your thing. But it definitely seems like reservations are the way to go.

SERVICE: Way friendly and energetic. Answered all our questions. Gave great recommendations. So attentive with the coffee and water refills :)

10/13/2014

This is a beautiful quaint by energetic restaurant with terrific service and some of the most unbelievable eclectic food I have had in a long time.  

We arrived ahead of our party and there was none of that "we have to wait until everyone is here crap," we were seated immediately. Our server, Rebecca, was absolutely amazing. Rebecca has one of those warm smiles that will melt cold butter on pumpernickel bread yet she has a great sense of humor and was very knowledgeable about the food.  

Speaking of food, oh my God; I fancy myself to be quite a cook and often after eating "Baby" looks at me and says "I liked it but I bet you can cook that." After eating at Verbena we both agreed, I had a better chance of staying upright while leaning on a slender reed than making any dish that we had a Verbena. I would highly suggest sharing plates and you just have to have the: (1) eggplant; (2) duck wings; (3) air dried beef; (4) grilled chicken; and the fish stew. Notwithstanding the the horrific parking experience I absolutely loved this experience.

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  Sign

  Sign
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  Inside

  Inside
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  Fish Stew

  Fish Stew
• See all photos from Chocoolate I.

10/10/2014

My fave new restaurant I went to recently.
I loooove the seed bread with goat cheese and caramelized onions.
Whatever they do with that is magic

Anyone who knows me knows I'm not  a huge fan of salads but surprisingly, their vegetable centric dishes are my fave here, including the summer tomato salad.
The guinea hen sausage platter, grilled squid, and peaches  and blackberries pop corn icecream were crowd pleaders too.

I came back for brunch and was totally sold on the pork belly fried egg sandwich. Them poached eggs with grits were ok, but the French toast was a pass for me- completely tasteless and left a weird aftertaste.

Overall, a great space to check out, esp for dinner.

9/11/2014 Updated review

Swipe right.

I want to meet you.

I want to date you.

I want to commit to you.

Red corn pancakes topped with strawberries are that good. Such a rich, indelible flavor that was arguable one of the best pancakes ever enjoyed.

But there is competition.

Just as incredible was the scrambled eggs, chicken skin, tomatoes, cheddar puree and avocado on grilled bread. All at the once. In each bite. Absolutely incredible.

Yet even more.

We started with bread and lemon marmalade. We scooped. We spread. We marveled at how good something could taste.

If Tinder were for dining out you'd be swiping this five star brunch right all day long.

9/21/2014

Pricey, and the menu is limited.
BUT if quality is what you're after, this place has it in spades.

9/21/2014

I've been following Chef Sean Baker since he worked at Millennium  and later when he opened Gather at Berkeley. He is perhaps my favorite chef in the Bay Area. I like the way he cooks high quality, creative and flavorful food for both omnivores and vegans. I tried Verbena for brunch and didn't disappoint at all. It was in fact delicious. The frittata and the red corn pancakes were particularly outstanding. The Rose I had with my meal was also quite good.

I've browsed the menu for dinner and it looks tempting and seems to cater well to omnivores and vegans. I will definitely try it in my next trip to the Bay Area. However, a new concept dish, like the Vegan Charcuterie,  seems to be missing in Verbena. Chef Baker should seriously consider reviving it in Verbena now that it has been removed from Gather's menu. I think it would give the WOW factor that seems to be missing in Verbena and that was definitely present in Gather until chef Baker left. The day that the vegan charcuterie or something similarly creative appears in Verbena's menu, I will definitely give this restaurant the 5 stars it deserves.

8/29/2014

I've been on a new restaurant binge lately, from Urchin to Aveline to Alta and I think Verbena so far has been my favorite because the food is really unique and executed perfectly.

Verbena is a beautiful, modern restaurant perfect for a date - upon opening the heavy doors I was shocked at how empty the restaurant was on a week night. Opentable reservations were easy, and similar spots like 1760 are always packed. Verbena serves various dishes which are meant to be shared, they recommend two plates per person although some items are bigger than others.

* FIREBRAND BREAD ($3) - 4 STARS:
Served with Verbena butter. Firebrand is a bakery in Oakland, Verbena serves 4 pieces with their own Verbena butter. I wouldn't say the bread is especially unique, but I love carbs in most forms, and I loved how fresh these thick cut slices were, and how it was slightly sour and served with a very soft whipped butter topped with large flecks of salt. I would encourage you to get it if you're looking to fill your stomach because the recommended two plates per person was not enough for me.

* TOMATO AND FENNEL ($17) - 4 STARS:
Seaweed-cashew tonnato, lobster mushroom & saffron vinaigrette, rice cracker.
I'm not sure what I was expecting, but I typically hate anything with saffron (tastes like betadine to me), but this had a really light and unusual tasting dressing, heavy on the seaweed flavor. I didn't taste the lobster and I almost broke a tooth eating the rice cracker, but it was a very interesting take on a tomato salad. If you like seaweed and tomato I would recommend it, the tomatoes were incredibly fresh, but $17 seemed hefty for a glorified tomato salad.

* SHISHITO AND PADRON PEPPERS WITH OKRA ($16) - 4.5 STARS:
fresh cow peas, fermented lime mayonnaise, curry leaf.
This kind of reminded me of Spanish tapas, it was creamy but very flavorful. Like every other dish it was a combination of ingredients I've hever had before and I wanted to lick the plate clean. I wish the portion size was bigger...

* SHELLING BEANS ($20) - 3.5 STARS:
sunchoke peel dashi, duck egg, chanterelle.
Beautiful dish of a large, slow poached duck egg topped with flower petals, and served on a bed of large beans. It wasn't salty enough for me, and it would have been infinitely better with meat, but the duck egg was cooked to perfection.

* GRILLED SQUID ($?) - 3.5 STARS:
Served with squid ink compressed watermelon (didn't really taste the squid ink). This was nice and refreshing but kind of pricey for the portion size. The squid was on the fishier side and I think needed to be grilled longer to get the edges burnt.

* FIG AND CHOCOLATE ($9) - 4 STARS:
Peanut butter cookie-milk jam, fig leaf-chocolate ice cream.
Milk jam apparently is a caramelized milk, then mixed with crumbled cookies. It is served with their homemade fig leaf chocolate ice cream, which is made by infusing the flavor of the fig leaves during the ice cream making process, then straining them before freezing. The chocolate ice cream was really smooth, rich and decadent and paired well with the thin buttery PB cookie, and milk jam is just a genius idea that topped it all off. Really good but I wanted more!

Overall great date night place, really unusual but interesting dishes. Their menu is seasonal and changes often - would definitely return to try other things!

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  Chocolate and peanut butter

  Chocolate and peanut butter
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  Tomatoes and fennel

  Tomatoes and fennel
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  Squid

  Squid
• See all photos from Jess C.

9/18/2014

Great date spot but a bit pricey for what you get. My date ordered a bottle of wine and they didn't have it so they gave us a discount on another bottle which was nice! We ordered the josey baker bread, one veggie inspired item (apples and cucumbers), two meat inspired ones(pork and chicken), and a desert. We shared all of our plates. It was just about perfect dinner with maybe one more plate for the hungry eaters. Cost was around $177 with tip.

fyi: the table was really small and the plates come out in big fancy serving dishes so it was a bit hard to get situated with food and drinks on one tiny table. I would suggest immediately dividing up all the serving into your individual plates so there is room before the next plate comes out.

8/29/2014

I dunno if others have found the customer service here to be as terrible as I have, but both times I've tried to give this place a shot they've done something to completely make me not want to ever go there.

Latest example: I went there today with my girlfriend's parents who are in town. We get there at 5:24 and the front door is closed/locked, but there are clearly people in there. One guy comes to the door, opens it a peak, and I ask if they're open. He says, "sorry but we open at 5:30." At this point it's 5 minutes to 5:30 and there are clearly people in there. I sit there dumbfounded and say, "isn't that like five minutes from now?" He says "yes" and then closes the door in our faces.

We proceeded to cross the street and go to La Folie Lounge, which was delicious.

Screw you Verbena. Bring back Rex Cafe.

9/26/2014

had a fabulous birthday dinner in Verbena. All the dishes are amazing and beautifully done. Will definitely come back.

9/20/2014

I'll say first of all: beautiful space and design, excellent service, nice wine and drink selection. Other than that, our food was consistently disappointing. Our main entree was the corn cream in carrot juice that could have come of out a truck stop. No creativity with the cheapest ingredients one could possibly ask form (sweet corn and beans!) with zero flavor (except for the cheap sweetness of the corn).

We also ordered the shelling bean plate which neither of us could finish. That duck egg was not a good decision and the flavor of the sauce was essentially vinegar.

We also ordered the tofu pasta dish, which was very good actually, but for $18, we should have gotten three times more than what was on the plate. (Really?)

For what what it costs coupled with the Gather reputation, I would expect more creativity, quality and even quantity. They are clearing cutting corners on the food to save on costs. Not just in quantity, but in quality and content.

I should note that we said something to them about our experience and they we were very nice, understanding and accommodating and took off one of our meals from the bill (which was not our intention).

Verbena if you are reading this, know that our  intention was  to make you better and to  help you create something with more quality and creativity in your menu. I know your space is expensive, but it's obvious you are cutting corners on your food costs to save money.Hope to check back in a few months and see some changes and return!!!

8/25/2014 Updated review

Another solid meal at Verbena.

Must-haves:
sprouted bread
Shishito pepper and padron pepper with chickpea

Avoid:
Watermelon and squid with senise pepper, tomato vinegar, garum, mint -- the squid was a bit fishy and the grapes and watermelon a bit too sweet and too strong,  overpowering the squid

OK:
Air dried beef with eggplant tartare smoked zinfandel grapes, cress, grilled bread - nothing to brag about. so so. the grapes are too sweet

I feel like that the chef should bring back more vegetables from the garden, which are the best on the menu.

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  Shishito pepper and padron pepper with chick pea - highly recommend it

  Shishito pepper and padron pepper with chick pea - highly recommend it

9/7/2014

4 stars for the food, drinks, and atmosphere (big, high-ceilings) but the service was what knocked it down for us.

First, the food - we went with 6 people and everything is meant to be shared, so we got to try a lot of dishes.  Standouts were the: shishito and padron peppers with okra, chicken thighs marinated in koji buttermilk, and for dessert, strawberry with tomato cake and fig & chocolate.  The only thing I would say we did not like was the huckleberry sundae, it was just too tart.  Everything else was good.  We did not try the salmon much (weirdly) to the server's dismay (see below).

Drinks were good too, the only one we did not like was the aviatrix.  It kind of sums up what we did not like about the restaurant in general, it just seemed like they were trying really hard.  The food and drinks tasted good, and if they just stuck to that instead of making it really crazy/stand out as far as presentation, it would all probably taste even better.  The bar is nice as well, if you just want a place to have a drink.

Our main issue was with the service.  It was to the point of annoyance.  For example, as mentioned above, the waiter tried REALLY hard to sell us the salmon...as in, he offered it at least three times, all the way through our meal.  He also kept coming back to ask if anyone needed anything - while we appreciated the attention, it was to the point where he was interrupting conversations.  I know service is a balance, and lack of attention isn't good either, but it would be helpful to read the patrons body language a bit better.

7/28/2014

Excellent cooking here, with emphasis on vegetables. Beautiful space. Great cocktails. Wonderful service.

We had the sardines, the beans, meatballs, and the salmon. Everything was great but the meatballs were my favorite. It comes with clams on a bed of fermented green tomato sauce. Delicious. I'd love to come back and just have that dish at the bar.

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  Salmon. Meatballs were my favorite dish. Didnt get a pic tho

  Salmon. Meatballs were my favorite dish. Didnt get a pic tho
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  Sardines and beans

  Sardines and beans

10/10/2014

A friend recommended we eat at Verbena a few days ago and I was skeptical after checking out the menu. The ingredients in many of the dishes seemed a little like the worst of "Chopped": make a desert that includes kale and mustard or an entrée with durian and Brussel sprouts. Fortunately Verbena's dishes weren't quite that out there but needless to say I arrived pretty skeptical.  But oddly enough, everything worked, to the point where you wouldn't even notice the components that made up the dishes if you weren't paying attention--everything was that good! Even the deserts, which are often most vulnerable to odd ingredients, were delicious.  We will go back, and soon!

8/19/2014

I'm not quite sure how this place only has 4-stars.

We had 4 dishes, and I was shocked at how flavorful every single one of them was. Especially the salmon. Stop reading this and order the salmon already.

The service was impeccable. I had told our waiter that I had a food allergy, and even the food runner was aware of this, confirming that each dish did not contain the allergen.

This might be my new favorite spot in SF. I'll be back soon.

8/5/2014

I really enjoyed Verbena for a friend's birthday brunch. I was a bit dresses but didn't feel overdressed with it's classy, upscale ambiance.

I ordered a mimosa and it was so tasty. I think the minty leaf makes such a difference in making the drink so refreshing.

All three brunch dishes were fabulous- ordered the French toast which tasted very different from most French toasts I've had in the past- it's actually the best I've had (I may change my mind after my brunch at Nopa next week).

The egg dishes were a great compliment to the savory French toast.

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  My favorite

  My favorite
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  Mimosa & bread to start

  Mimosa & bread to start

8/13/2014

Loved this place.  The service was outstanding and the food was even better.

5 Stars for Service - I had made a mistake with my opentable rsvp and booked for the wrong night.  These guys are true professionals.  In a booked restaurant on a busy Friday evening, they managed to find a place for my party of 4.  Bravo fellas....bravo!

Food - flavors were interesting and unique in a lovely way.  I have found that with so many new places popping up all over SF, sometimes, the creative food can be too out there for me.  That was not the case at Verbena.

3.5 stars - Chilled frog skin melon and eggplant soup - a nice start to the meal.  It was a bit sweeter than ideal for me but I still enjoyed it

4 stars - Pink pearl & gravenstein apple with cucumber - nice and refeshing. A charming balance of sweet, tart, and nutty.

5 stars - Smoked duck wings - now this one was my absolute favorite.  Top notch and wonderfully unique flavors

3.5 stars - Meatballs and clams in fermented green tomato broth - this was nice but I did feel the price was a bit steep for how much food was presented.

3 stars - Fort Bragg king salmon - this one, though likable, in my opinion it paled against the other items.

Overall, really enjoyed it.  So happy they took over the space and can't wait to return.

8/4/2014

Can't get enough of Verbena! I've never been there for dinner, but it is one of my favorite places for brunch in San Francisco. All the dishes are well executed and have incredible flavor. We shared the French toast, with figs, hazelnut crème fraiche and mint; and the guinea hen boudin blanc, accompanied by perfectly fried eggs and potatoes.  

Their menu changes often, so there is always something new to try. The red corn pancakes have been on the menu the last couple times we've been and they are pretty fantastic as well. Aching to try their dinner menu, will be back!

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  Guinea Hen Boudin Blan with crispy potatoes, fried eggs and tomoatos; French toast with hazelnut creme fraiche and fig syrup.

  Guinea Hen Boudin Blan with crispy potatoes, fried eggs and tomoatos; French toast with hazelnut creme fraiche and fig syrup.

8/6/2014

The menu changes and isn't very extensive.

The four of us went ahead and ordered the entire menu minus 1-2 dishes that didnt sound appealing to the majority.

Everything we had was pretty good, as we progressed into the night the dishes definitely got more impressive.

I enjoyed the fried chicken, they warn you that it might seem a little undercooked/red (considerate since once of the girls was preggers) the way they prepare it but it was DELISH and seemed fine!

Typical dark/romantic vibe that you often see in SF (1760 for example).. overall no complaints.  Only 1 star missing for the fact that you had to order bread.. and I think it was pretty basic for $7.  Also some of the starters were good, but not 5 star quality... 4 is still solid/repeatable though! :)

9/21/2014

I've now been here twice. The last time I came was with my parents on their latest visit to San Francisco.

All I'll say about the food is that it is flawless. We ordered five or so dishes and were pleased by the fresh vegetables and unique sauce and texture combinations.

What Verbena excels at is the service. Our waitress overheard that we were from D.C., and passed along the message to their service manager, who also hailed from our nation's capitol. The service manager then brought us his favorite dish and chatted with us about home. My parents were delighted!

9/15/2014

expensive, but really delicious food and drinks with a bright, lovely environment perfect for a lazy sunday meal (brunch, to be exact).

i went for the Tymes Cure cocktail, 2X.  it tasted so refreshing and yummy i almost forgot that there was vodka in it.  i love how verbena legitimizes a stiff cocktail on a sunday morning outside the usual concept of bloody marys and mimosas.  

for entree i ordered the french toasts.  i was pretty much sold once i saw "hazelnut creme fraiche," since i love hazelnut anything.  and the toasts did not disappoint.  the fellow diner ordered the one of the last two orders of duck confit with shishito peppers and a fried egg.  and man, was that delicious.  may be the best savory brunch food item i have ever tasted.  

the bill was a bit high, but the quality of food and service lived up to it.

7/20/2014

this highly anticipated new dining place was a bust.. sorry to say. Verbena looks great yet simply does not deliver great tasting cuisine.

The salmon and chicken dishes were undercooked. Sure, the place is beautiful and well appointed with mod wood and a slick bar.

Yet again, the food is not indicative of Verbena's appearance.

Too many other places in SF that seriously rival Verbena.

Cheers,
Sam

8/6/2014

I live around the block and was very excited to try out this restaurant.  I was blown away by the service and expressed as much -- our server, Rachel, was by far the most attentive and knowledgeable waitress I've encountered in a very long time and it made the experience that much more delightful.  I joked early on that my gf is a super-taster (which is true) and Rachel immediately understood and pointed out specific dishes that wouldn't overwhelm her taste buds.  Which was precious.  The great service extended to the rest of the staff as well, refills were prompt and everyone wore a smile.

As far as the food goes, the menu is ever-changing and loaded with fresh combinations of ingredients.  I thought the duck wings and meatballs were particularly tasty.

The atmosphere is another plus -- it's refined yet unpretentious with a lot of wood and exposed brick behind the bar.

6/10/2014

The worst service I've ever encountered in a restaurant a this price point.

Check-in host didn't know how to use computer. Told me I had no reservation. Turns out, he didn't know how to set the computer to "today" and was really saying I didn't reserve another day.

Server was strange, fidgety, not knowledgeable, distracted. Felt like he was on crack. When he poured my wine, it splashed all over the place, on the table, dribbled down the outside of the glass, he didn't even seem to notice, or if he did, made no effort to wipe it up.

Wine list was horrible. Not a single decent option on the menu.

Food was mixed. A few dishes were good, others were boring. Food was the high point of the experience but all the other stuff distracted from it.

I'd say, overall, the people running this restaurant don't know how to run a restaurant.

7/10/2014

I really liked the ambiance at Verbena. It's Rustic meets Contemporary. There's a long beautiful bar where you can just grab cocktails, if you should so desire (to the right as you immediately enter).

They have an open and airy dining room, as well as a second floor/level dedicated just for special events/celebrations.

The food is delicious and is in line with the new American fare that's come across many other San Francisco restaurants these days.

I'd love to come back here again with my boyfriend or a small group of friends. I came here with my family and it was a welcoming environment even for that.

The menu is approachable and everything was delicious! Prices are competitive with other spots ($12-$17 for small plates and $23-$30 for entrees/large plates). The service was also optimal. Can't wait to return!

6/29/2014

Awesome, innovative food.  It kind of reminds me of a less-rich and heavy version of TBD.

The design is kind of subdued and minimalist.  It can have different vibes depending on who's in there... Sometimes  really quiet and feel like a fancy upscale place, and then sometimes more bustling and lively and more casual feeling.

Either way, always some delicious, interesting dishes you can't find elsewhere.

6/8/2014

Went there for brunch.

So
We came with a quiet baby that slept the whole time.
The head guy gave us the evil eye. Fine, not everyone likes babies.

The wines, $13-$16 for a wine glass. I know the winery and the guy who makes it
and he charges $30 for a bottle and $20 wholesale. So drinks are overpriced.

The food, my wife had pastrami and porcini fried eggs.
Which was a piece of meat, with eggs and fried potatoes.
I had, fried egg and pork belly sandwich which came with fried potatoes
and our friend had a frittata.
The food was ok but nothing much above you making some meat, egg and a potato at home.

So 3 people $130 and the drinks were too expensive so we left quickly.
So ok, but wouldn't go back. I'd simply buy crab and make crab Benedict at home
along with 3 bottles of expensive wine.

So three stars
If you can't cook and have just sold your first startup.
Well then this place is for you and  bottoms up!

6/6/2014

Can I extoll the ways that my dining experience was stellar last night? Okay, here are a few:

-Impeccable, attentive, and patient service. This is *rare* in SF. Rare. Usually, my feeling is that servers here have are disinterested in the customer's dining experience.

My experience at Verbena was the opposite of this, i.e., attentive, impeccable, and patient.

I could have frustrated a person with ordinary patience by repeating 2-3 times that my fiancee and I were gluten sensitive.  He handled it with kindness and skill. Also, he checked on us throughout the meal and ensured that our dining needs were being met.

Also, the hostess helped me right away. This is rare in SF restaurants, and something for which I am grateful. Usually, I wait 2-6 minutes for a hostess to come to the front of the house and talk to me about my reservation. As a former New Yorker, I find this to be annoying.

-The food! Delicious! We all relished every bite. The chef changed his creations to be GF so that we could enjoy them. Thank you!

-Decor - A great mixture of grounded dark, heavy furniture and spacious verticality. Teal green tiles in the bathroom are a rich touch.

-Letting us sit. We closed down the restaurant. The staff didn't interrupt our long sobremesa. This is much appreciated, because one of our party was in town from Spain.

9/1/2014

I love small plates when they're tasty and appropriately priced.  At Verbana, most of their entrees are small plates that sell at entree prices.  Nothing we had was better than average.  I live in the neighborhood and was hoping for better, but we won't be back.

8/16/2014

Hue L., our NYF, and I had our "monthly" dinner here last night.  8PM reservations on a Friday night.

We were a little late because parking is a b*tch in this neighborhood.  Although, technically, we were late mostly because we left late.  We actually found parking a couple blocks away within 5-10 minutes.  Just lucky, I guess.

The place was packed when we walked in, but we were seated after a couple of minutes.  There were two vents under the seat where our NYF was sitting.  She was wearing a dress, so the hostess offered to turn down the air, so the vents wouldn't blow up her dress.  That was very considerate.  Our NYF mentioned later that one vent was blowing cold air and the other vent was blowing hot air, so it was an odd feeling on her legs during the meal.

Our waitress recommended we have about 2-3 plates per person, so 6-9 dishes.  It seemed excessive, but she should know best, right?

DRINKS:  Our NYF and I both ordered the Via del Rio - watermelon mezcal, cilantro, citrus, pineapple.  The watermelon drew me in.  It was tasty, but I couldn't really taste the watermelon.  It definitely had more of the citrus / pineapple taste going for it.  Hue L. ordered the Ruby Sour - bourbon, lemon, bitters, port - which he didn't say much about, so I can't give you much of an input on that.

FOOD:  We decided to go with 6 dishes to share.
- Tomato and fennel (seaweed-cashew tonnato, lobster mushroom & saffron
vinaigrette, rice cracker).  Basically a tomato salad.  I'm not the biggest fan of tomatoes, so it wasn't my favorite, but it was very flavorful and I liked the lobster mushroom.
- This year's shelling beans cooked in last year's shelling bean miso (sunchoke peel dashi, sunflower hearts, soft cooked duck egg, chanterelle, summer savory).  We pretty much ordered this just because we liked what it was called.  This year's beans and last year's beans?  That's a lot of years worth of beans!  I liked the duck egg.  Oh!  And it came with sunflower petals on top.  You can eat sunflower petals!  I'm going to eat my flowers from now on when I'm hungry! ;)
- Smoked duck wings (strawberry-early girl tomato hot sauce, last year's cucumbers, rau ram).  I loved the duck wings.  Saucy and flavorful.  Not too difficult to eat, although it's definitely finger food.  They bring moist towels to wipe your hands with when you're done eating.  Also, last year's cucumbers!  I wonder if they taste better than this year's cucumbers?
- Meatballs and clams in fermented green tomato broth (overgrown mareko fana peppers, new oil).  Only one meatball and clam per person, so it's definitely a small plate.  Good, but not my favorite.  
- Air dried beef and eggplant tartare on grilled bread (bone marrow vinaigrette, arugula). I liked this one!  I liked the toast that was covered in bone marrow vinaigrette.  I did not taste the eggplant at all, but I liked the beef.  
- Chicken thighs marinated in koji buttermilk (rice grits, pickled eggplant, shishito pepper, thai basil, sea spinach).  This was one of the bigger servings.  Two pieces of chicken which we cut into six pieces, so we each had two pieces.  It was very moist and flavorful.  The grits were pretty tasty as well, and I'm not a fan of grits.

DESSERT:  We were totally and completely full.  We probably could've done with 5 plates, versus 6.  But we HAD to have dessert!
- Poached gravenstein apples, ginger custard, huckleberry, almond.  I actually liked the poached apples.  And the custard was good, even though I don't like ginger.  I liked the crunch of the almond and the sourness of the berries.  Yum!

PRICE: $70pp including tax/tip/drinks

8/30/2014

wow. the food here is just amazing. we tried a few items originally but after a few bites, we went ahead and tried everything on the menu - the food was just that good. i have absolutely no complains on the food. amazing and delicious.

classy, clean decorum, good atomsphere.

be warned though, even with a reservation we had to wait an extra 30 minutes.. not sure if it was just the day we went that had this issue..? but the place is small so it really depends on other patrons leaving in order for you to get seated.

but notice that even with the wait, im giving this place 5stars because the food is really just that good.

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• See all photos from Sophia T.

7/23/2014

Came here last night and was pleasantly surprised as the previous place at this location was a flop.  Ordered the Seed Bread, Tomato and fennel, Squash and corolla potato with pumpkin seed milk, Meatballs, and Fort Bragg king salmon -- more than enough food for 2 people.  The food was good -- simple flavors, and nothing too over the top.  All in all, very filling --- our eyes were bigger than our stomachs.  

The waitstaff were VERY accommodating and served us even after the kitchen was technically closed (10:15pm).  Our server also let us try a couple different wines before we settled on one.  

The decor inside is great -- slightly more upscale but (like the food) still simple and not over the top.  

All in -- 4 stars for great service and ambiance.  The food is very good, though slightly underwhelming for the price given the abundance of great dining choices in SF.  I would 100% come here again --- good date spot or place to grab a drink a few food plates.

9/2/2014

We were very excited to try out this restaurant and came for dinner. The place looks nice and intimate. And the service was very lovely. The only thing negative was the food. My husband had the chicken, it was undercooked. I had the air dried beef; i found many pips. Then we ordered the fig & chocolate dessert (with peanut butter). It was way too salty! It's unlikely we would come back

9/1/2014

After walking 10 miles around the city, and desperate for a delicious cocktail and some appetizers, we stumbled upon Verbena in Russian Hill. Nestled amongst many other restaurants and cute shops, this was a great find. The cocktail list was of the savory nature, so my husband thoroughly enjoyed a old fashion. The bar tenders take the care and precision of making cocktails like a high-end speakeasy. The bar is complete with hard to find liquors and a thoughtful wine menu. The JK Carriere Rose was the best Rose I have had, highly recommended. Since, we only had appetizers, we don't have a ton to go on, but the breads were delicious, and the shishito and padron peppers in an Indian curry with cow peas were scrumptious. Just watch out for those hot peppers every once in awhile!

5/11/2014

Lovely place for brunch/lunch:

-Warm staff with good recommendations
-Nice relaxing interior space
-Generous portions
-Excellent fluffy frittata
-Not too sweet carrot pancakes, nice nasturtium butter

Definitely would be back.  Relaxed, top notch ingredients, simple, but with an elegant finish.

• 

  Frittata

  Frittata
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  Carrot pancakes, as big as the pan

  Carrot pancakes, as big as the pan

5/14/2014

A group of three enjoyed a refreshing brunch here this past weekend. The indoor atmosphere was calm and soothing, with several trees in the sunlit room. I ordered the Fried Egg and Beef Sandwich, with jalapeño aioli. Not too spicy, but was still immensely flavorful, just right.

My friends ordered the Poached Eggs with Braised Duck Legs, and Grilled Boar Ham and Fried Egg, respectively. Seems eggs are part of everybody's orders. We also all shared a side of bacon, which was crispy and delicious. Even thick!

Must say, they put great effort into their tasty cocktails to make them unique. Tried both their Bloody Mary and their Mimosa, and each were inventively above par. Looks like they even serve a bev called "The Gilded Lily" -- too perfect!

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  Red Corn Pancakes

  Red Corn Pancakes
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  Fried Egg and Beef Sandwich

  Fried Egg and Beef Sandwich

6/11/2014 Updated review

Impeccable service, great vibe (somewhere between laid back and nice date spot), fantastic food. I generally don't like to repeat restaurants, but I came here twice in one month, once for brunch and another for dinner, and loved both meals.

THE COST: About $140 for 2 drinks, 1 starter, 4 share dishes, & 1 dessert. A very filling meal for two.

MUST-HAVES: Green beans & cherries, Meatballs in Mole, Chicken thighs!

COCKTAILS: yelp.com/biz_photos/verb…
* Emerald Remedy #2 (gin, pimm's chartreuse, celery, lemon. $11) - 4 stars
I told my server I like something well-balanced with tart flavors. He went straight to this one, which hadn't jumped out at me when I looked at the menu at all, but I trusted his recommendation and this was perfect for me.

* Octavia BLVD (bourbon, gran classico, amaro, orange. $11) - 4 stars
Normally I find these old-fashioned-type drinks too strong, but we were both surprised that this had a fairly strong citrus presents that balanced the boozy taste really well.

DINNER: yelp.com/biz_photos/verb…
* Firebrand artisan bread (verbena butter. $3) - 3.5 stars
pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/verb…
This would be great as free bread, a soft sourdough that serves to soak up the sauces really well, but since were were paying I expect something much more amazing.

* Seared squash (penelope peas, vadouvan squash flower sauce, last year's Manzano peppers. $15) - 3.5 stars
pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/verb…
A rather visually stunning dish, but I found the squash to be undercooked and too hard. The peas were really fresh and the sweetness and slight crunch went well. My friend didn't think the squash was undercooked and enjoyed this.

* Green Beans & cherries (charmoula, black walnut yogurt, black olive honey. $15) - 4.5 stars
pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/verb…
Doesn't look very impressive, but this was really, really good. All the different types of peas had slightly different tastes, and all were fresh and crunchy. The olive honey was surprisingly amazing - a denser texture than regular honey, with a hint of savory. That mixed with the black walnut yogurt and the crunchy green beans was great.

* Meatballs braised in black mole (hominy cooked in whey, kale. $16) - 5 stars
pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/verb…
cross-section: yelp.com/biz_photos/verb…
I've never liked mole but I ordered this (somewhat hesitantly) because everyone raves about it - and they're right! I honestly had no ideas that meatballs, just as a concept, could be this amazing. The texture was soft, and the flavor was crazy intense and delicious. I loved the hominy (they use this well - it also came in a brunch dish with duck) and the texture of the soft chewy bits mixing with the cheese and thick mole sauce. I can't truly describe what made this so good since I don't completely understand it myself - just try it!

* Chicken thighs marinated in koji buttermilk (sonoma grains cooked dirty, red corn & red padron sauce. $25) - 5 stars
pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/verb…
cross-section: yelp.com/biz_photos/verb…
Another amazing dish! Plus this was huge, very filling for two. The thighs were perfectly juicy and tender, and WOW the crisp on the skin and its slightly charred flavor was like heaven. The texture of the soft grains was really nice and all the flavors fitted together seamlessly.

DESSERT: yelp.com/biz_photos/verb…
* Squash Cake (chocolate ice cream, squash blossom anglaise. $9) - 4 stars
pic: yelp.com/biz_photos/verb…
A very intense chocolate flavor in the ice cream (which melted WAY too fast - should've been kept colder and maybe put together and brought out more quickly). The squash cake was definitely unique, its texture a little dry though I like that these were edge pieces that had a little bit of that hardness on one edge. The little drops of anglaise were a nice flavor complement as well.

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  Squash Cake (chocolate ice cream, squash blossom anglaise. $9) - 4 stars (Monday dinner 2014-06-02)

  Squash Cake (chocolate ice cream, squash blossom anglaise. $9) - 4 stars (Monday dinner 2014-06-02)
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  Desserts (Monday dinner 2014-06-02)

  Desserts (Monday dinner 2014-06-02)
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  Cross-section of Chicken thighs, koji buttermilk (sonoma grains, red corn, red padron sauce. $25) - 5 stars (Mon. dinner 6/2/14)

  Cross-section of Chicken thighs, koji buttermilk (sonoma grains, red corn, red padron sauce. $25) - 5 stars (Mon. dinner 6/2/14)
• See all photos from Ziyan C.

7/30/2014

This could easily be the best farm to table restaurant in the city. It's a must try.

7/31/2014

Came here for weekend brunch.  The space is cute and service is attentive.  I thought brunch was fine, but nothing spectacular.  There are some interesting combinations of ingredients on the menu.  I had the biscuits and sausage, which I found fairly underwhelming.  It was salty, a bit too heavy, and the gravy was not that flavorful.  The mimosas were good.  Overall, I might try it again, but I think there was just a bit too much of a "look and see what I can combine together to make a dish!" going on as opposed to thoughtfulness of what makes a dish really work.