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Category: American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Financial DistrictTue-Thu. 5:30 p.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 5:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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my "new" favorite restaurant. soup, salad and wine. unbelievably good.
love the smooth table under my elbows, I'm not sure of the wood but i love it. bathrooms are always clean.
I came here with high expectations since I loved myth but it totally bombed.
I dont know if it was the company, the wrong server, or we just ordered the wrong things but I was disappointed to say the least.
The waitor took forever to bring us a bottle of water, and only brought one glass of wine when we ordered 2. They just seemed so disoriented and disorganized when there was only like 4 tables on said night.
The food didnt come close to myth. My short ribs were salty and dry. the lamb wasnt good either. the appetizers were so-so (although we did forget to order the foie gras rigatoni, that might have made it a lil better), and the service was slow and non attentive.
Everybody at our table was pretty disappointed with the experience.
The space has changed hands a couple of times since way back when. If you were a fan in the Cypress Club days, the food and decor now, may seem a bit flat in comparison.
The food was good. The scallops especially were nice and so was the waiter. However, nothing else jumps to mind that was extraordinary.
I did feel a lack of hospitality on the part of the hostess. Not just the absence of a smile or anything welcoming, and we did have the law laid down to us about waiting for all the members of our party to arrive to be seated, when the place was nearly empty.
Was walking by here on our way to another restaurant in North Beach, but on a whim my date and I decided to eat here instead. We decided to sit in the bar area, even though they did have a lot of tables open. I would like to give this a better review, but I just can't get over the shisito peppers. I honestly cannot believe they remain on the menu. It's a huge bowl of fried peppers, no dipping sauce, no other flavors. I like spicy, but this was just spicy nothing else.
Otherwise all the food was good. I love small plates so that I can try more and it's nice that they offer half or full portions. The poached jidori egg dish was AMAZING, so tasty and unique. The gnocchi were also very good, as were the scallops.
2007 Food & Wine Best New Chef Sean O'Brien offers a nice array of pasta and seafood dishes in small and large portions. I began with the seared sweetbread. The sweetbread was light with a nice texture. Clearly the chef knows how to make amazing dishes with simple elegance. I also had some of my friend's appetizer. She had the Asian pear salad which was incredibly crunchy and ideal for the fall/winter season. For the main course, I had the California roasted lamb. Sliced tenderly and dipped in tumeric yogurt , the lamb was succulent and flavorful in all its yumminess. My friend had the scallops and she remarked that it was quite tasty. For dessert, I had the chocolate mousse. The mousse was simply decadent and delicious. It was light and creamy, not dense and had the perfect creamy feel and texture to it..
I did get a chance to look at their wine list. It is extensive, had a few not too common winerys and even had a couple of my favorites: Ladera and Chimney Rock. However, we did bring our own wine, 2003 Spottswoode Cabernet Savignon which paired really well with the lamb. The server broke the cork while opening the wine. However, he was gracious enough to decant the wine twice through a cheese cloth.
The Zinnia staff were very nice and accommodating. Zinnia had a warm feel to it. It is spacious and nicely lit for a relaxed atmosphere. It is modern upscale, but not at all stuffy. The bar is very cozy, warm and lively. I ordered a glass of sparkling Alvinyo Brut as a prelude to dinner.
Dinner here was an accident. We walked by it en route to R&G lounge, discovering the latter had an hour wait, we trundled back to Zinnia. I remember this venue from the last decade as the Cypress Club. but now less over stuffed and more energetic. We all came away duly impressed with our dining experience.
The amuse bouche was a wonderful tomato soup with tiny grilled cheese sandwich, that sold me that it was going to be a wonderful meal.
My first course was the Jidori egg with Beech mushrooms. It was a fantastic course, Yum! From there the table shared an order of the sweet potato gnocchi. they were beautiful soft pillows perfectly truffled. My main course was the seared scallops and they were so fresh and so big and plump and full of wonderful flavor.
We all had a California Pinot Noir with the dinner it paired well with everyone's meal.
It was a great dining experience and we were all glad for this accidental discovery.
I need to offset all of these terrible reviews.
Honestly, this was the best cod I had everrrrr had. It was delightful.My boyfriend and I were fully aware of what we were setting ourselves up for (because thanks to our good friend the Internet, you know, with portionized pictures and menus and such), and we were open to the experience.
Ya... its pricey. Ya... its tiny portions. But damn... we received two complimentary plates from the chef, and left fully satisfied with bellys that hadn't been that happy in a lonnnng time. They didn't rush us in or out (we sat there for two hours) and enjoyed an appetizer (tuna-YUM), main portions, wine and dessert.
Before going, you just have to know you'll pay a pretty penny for a relatively small meal. If this is your thing, then try it. The Black Cod was AMAZING.
Oh... and probably not great for larger groups. Small appetizers = unfair sharing and unhappy tummys when in a larger group. Try going with one other person, and split the tab. Possibly might throw you back a bit, but don't go unless your open to it.
You wonder how a chef can do anything new, how they can create something you haven't had a hundred times before somewhere else.
The chef at Zinnia did just that.
This warm, comforting space in the Jackson Square district is in space that was formerly two different restaurants that were not as good as this one.
Let's start where any good dinner should begin: with a cocktail. I had a tequila/ginger concoction that was so delicious, I had to have another. From there, it was time to peek at the wine list. The list was unusual in that it was different than most others and offered some unique choices uncommon for a restaurant such as this. But, again, this is a unique place and Sean O'Brien is doing something unique, something special...
We ordered an Italian and a Spanish wine and enjoyed both. Our third bottle (it was a large group!) we stuck with the Spanish wine.
Our table ordered the better part of the menu and as we're all family, we got to try each other's dish. From the gnocchi, sweatbreads, chicken hash, salad, rigatoni, scallops, cod, lamb, and short ribs, not a single dish disappointed; they were all delicious!
But let me tell you why this place is special, why after going once it will become one of your favorites: they have a burger that is to-die for. It is incredible! It is the best burger of my entire life and I have had a burger or two! The burger comes with twice-fried fries that are delicious and I could not have asked for a better combo. Wow!
Dessert, coffee, dessert wines all followed and they were good but the memory of the most amazing piece of meat I've ever eaten lingers.
So much so, that even though I don't write many reviews on Yelp, I could not help myself.
Incredible! I hope you get the chance to try this place soon. And I wish they were open for lunch.
I'm usually not ambivalent about restaurants (one of my alter egos is named Snarky McSnark). But I am torn about Zinnia. I want them to succeed, but I also can't see myself going back.
The three of us shared some Myth-era classics (sweetbreads and gnocchi) for appetizers. They are good as I remember, but I don't remember if the portions were this tiny at Myth.
I also ordered the chuck-and-chorizo burger, which I expected to be stellar. It wasn't. And neither were the Kennebec fries, which were soft and barely warm. Snarky McSnark loves fried potato products and doesn't remember the last time she left 1/3 of the burger and 3/4 of the fries on the plate for the server to take away.
The markups on the wine list are a bit high, particularly for the domestic bottles. We had a bottle of Neyers Syrah Cuvee d'Honneur, which is about $45 retail and $98 at Zinnia.
Not being much of a dessert person, I ordered the cheese plate and nearly busted out laughing at the precious accompaniments. The San Andreas came with 2 almonds that had been smashed into a dozen pieces. The Pleasant Ridge sat next to 3 raisins (dried on the stem...how artisanal). And I suppose the Valdeon was meant to be eaten with a smidge of compote.
With tip my share of the bill was just shy of $100. For those of you keeping score at home, that's $100 for sweetbreads, a burger, cheese, and wine. Which means Snarky and I will be brown bagging PBJs for the rest of the month.
We came here back in August but memorable enough to write a review 3 months later. To start we had the corn and arugula salad, a small order of gnocchi, and a small order of halibut. I love when restaurants offer two sizes of their dishes - entree or appetizer! The salad was good but I thought the gnochhi and halibut were really excellent! The fish just melts in your mouth and is seasoned perfectly. For our main course, we shared the hangar steak which they split for us making it easy to eat and each of us got a pile of yummy fries with it. For dessert, we tried their frozen thai basil souffle which is really unique. We were there fairly early on a Tuesday night and it was pretty quiet. Service was excellent and I liked the decor. I'd give a 4.25 if I could.
The place looked nice, exactly as Scott Howard used to look.
The food was very, very overpriced!!! I got five little tiny pieces of meat.
The meal started with an espresso cup and saucer with pumpkin soup inside. That was a treat from the restaurant. I thought it was good but it was so cold. I would have loved it had it been warmed up.
The French croissant bread was very yummy.
It is in a very nice part of town, it is overpriced, the food is good but you do not get much of it.
Hearing that the owner/chef from Myth opened this place up we wanted to give it a try...loved Myth.
The cocktail menu was really creative but I opted for a GG tini. For an appetizer we tried the poki...while it tasted fresh and flavorful each time I took a sip of my tini after a bite the after taste turned fishy in my mouth. For entrees we had the pork chop and the short rib. I liked the taste of the rib (marinated with wine or brandy I think) but it was a bit dry. The pork chop was tender but it tasted like it was marinated with vinegar and ginger. I can't tell you how much I hate ginger in my food so it was a deal breaker on my taste buds. Overall a bit pricey given the portions served.
The service was good and the hostess/owner was friendly. The place was never more than half full (sucks for a Friday). Nice atmosphere nonetheless, and I'd give it a shot for happy hour.
$.02
Food was good. But I wasn't the only one feasting. After our meal I left with 7 flea bites on my face. We told the owner and she did nothing but comment "sorry about that, we get this place sprayed all the time". Yuck! The food was not good enough to return for the bad service and fleas. Eat at your own risk, just make sure you have on a good bug spray.
We had dinner at Zinnia on Sat 5/23/09. Nice, romantic dining room, good for couples on a date & special occasions.
We didn't have reservations, but there were plenty of tables at 6pm.
We got:
FREE Acme bread w/ olive oil. Nice warm bread & the olive oil was tasty. They have a guy that brings the bread to you one at a time.
*Seared sweetbreads/bacon/toast/sherry vinegar/haricot verts (green beans) $12 - tasty, good sauce. On the bill it was $13. *Sweetbreads are the thymus glands and pancreas glands of lamb, beef, or pork. - sounds gross, but it looks like meat & is very tender & creamy.
Fresh rigatoni pasta w/ foie gras cream/maitake mushrooms/marsala $13/19 - we got the appetizer size. It was just ok, I wish it was chunks of foie gras instead of the cream.
Grilled Hanger steak/caramelized onions/green peppercorn sauce/Kennebec fries $24 - we shared this and they split the entree so we each had our own plate - nice. I liked the steak fine served medium rare, though u can get it any way u like it. Fries I didn't try, hubby liked them.
Cookies/candies/tea cakes $9 - many cookies & tea cakes & 2 mini macaron. They were all fine, nothing special. If it's your birthday & u let them know u might get this FREE - I saw another table get this w/ a candle on the side.
4 WC (water closets aka bathrooms). One had NO tp in it so had to use another one.
2 appetizers, 1 main, 1 glass of wine ($12) = subtotal $71 + $6.75 tax = $77.75 before tip. Credit cards taken.
Short walk up from Ferry Building. Jackson @ Montgomery.
This is the first time I really felt a need to complain about service on Yelp. I was absolutely appalled by my waitress here. First of all, she spilled a drink on my friend (with backsplash on two others), didn't seem all that embarrassed or sorry for it, refused to give us their complementary bread (because we ordered appetizers instead of entrees AND after she had just dumped a cocktail down my friend's dress), THEN tacked on an automatic 20% gratuity on our bill for 3 people. DAMN, GIRL - no wonder you gave us such shitty service and didn't try to make amends. You were going to get yourself your 20% tip whether or not you deserved it, huh? HUH?!!
OK, so in all fairness, the food was decent (scallops VERY good, oysters - eh, potato cakes with smoked salmon - double eh) and drinks were exceptionally good (maybe I'll come back for HH - drinks are so worth it at half off), and the owner was extremely nice and very damage controlling when we approached her about our situation. This is why they won back a star. I was just not happy with the server (she was new I guess - shortish redhead with anal-retentive braid and a smirk on her face). It would have been nice if she would at least ATTEMPT to make amends... comp the drink perhaps? Go ahead and GIVE US THE DAMN, FREE BREAD? But noooo... and on top of that, you still want to add your 20%??
How absolutely unprofessional and absurd. In the end, the manager got us our drink comped and the automatic 20% taken off (the server had tried to argue that it was because we had a party or more than 6, when we just sat at a communal table next to other Asian people). So everything is good with Zinnia. The server just left a bad taste in my mouth.
If I had come here by myself, I wouldn't have anything positive to say, but we came for an early Mother's Day dinner and Mother went home happy. Mission accomplished. That alone is worth an extra two stars in my mind. Their cocktails are creative, tasty, and pack a decent punch. I recommend the "Secret Garden" and the "Aviator."
I ordered the Chorizo burger, which wasn't worth half what they charged me. Don't waste your time on it. The fries were better than the burger and that's always a bad sign. I would've much rather had 1 In N Out burger, and at $14 I could've actually had 5x In N Out.
Mommy's risotto was much better. It had small mint leaves on it, which was new one to me. I've never had mint with risotto, and though it wasn't my favorite, it WAS interesting and creative. So Zinnia gets one more star for being innovative and experimenting.
Still sad Scott Howard closed, but this is an okay substitute. Cocktails were very good, couldnt stop drinking the bitter blossom...
As for the food, the gnocchi are awesome! So soft and pillowy. The seasoned nuts are good, too, but Scott Howard used to give them out for free during happy hour, and you have to pay for them at Zinnia.
Anyway, a good happy hour place. I'll be back
Myth's former chef is in the kitchen hard at work....need I say more? excellent staff, wonderful service and I love the space.
Its a miracle you can still get in this place without a reservation!
I went to Zinnia last week for a concierge luncheon...I did not order off the menu so I will revisit shortly!!
I mourn the old Scott Howard. That was one of the best restaurants in San Francisco and the prices were very reasonable. (They also had the most amazing carrot soup.) I'd eaten at Scott Howard many times and always wondered why that particular location has always had difficulties.
This was top of mind when we visited Zinnia last night. The St. Patrick's Day festivities were going full speed at Kells next door and a handful of cops were bemusedly watching the patrons pouring onto the street. Gingerly stepping through the throng we made it to the front door, entered and were surprised to see the old Scott Howard in tact...or almost. Not much has changed. The biggest change, I suppose, it the new set of chandeliers hanging in the center of the room...fabric drum shaped lamps in harlequin-colored fabrics. My personal taste calls them a bit out of place, but hey...it ain't my business. The place was pretty empty though, not a good sign although as the evening progressed it got busier.
Shown to our table, we were met by Kelly, our server for the evening. Cocktails came, perfect, and we perused menus. Having read Marcia's latest Tablehopper column, where she briefly made mention of a chorizo burger, I knew what I wanted. For starters I ordered the Seared Potato Gnocchi (Mascarpone / Parmesan Butter Sauce / Armaretti Crumbs) and my guest ordered the Simple Green Salad (Endive / Croutons / Pickled Beets / Moscatel Vinaigrette). The gnocchi were awesome...even better than the menu made them sound. The salad was similarly great with an outstanding vinaigrette. Great start.
We each ordered a glass of wine...she a burgundy and I a tempranillo. Both excellent. For entrees, I went with the aforementioned Grilled Ground Chuck and Chorizo Burger (Dutch Crunch Roll / Kennebec Fries). My guest went with the Veal wrapped in pancetta. My burger was off the charts good. Served with cheddar cheese, it was eyes-pinned back-in-my-head good. Fries were perfect. The veal was awesome as well but the burger really knocked me out.
The food, top to bottom, was terrific. Kelly, our server, was about as perfect as service can get. Great attitude, there when needed, never had to ask for anything as she anticipated our needs.
I hate giving five stars on a first visit. I hate giving five stars when some five star restaurants are far fancier and more expensive. On a relative basis, this place shouldn't get five but on an absolute basis it does. They did everything right and nothing wrong.
Highly recommended.
Food - 4+ stars
Service - 5 stars
Feng shui - 1 star
Don't they know this space has been cursed? I say spend the money on a feng shui expert and get the chi back in order....
Or, go under.... not to be a downer.
Chef Sean O'Brien, who developed a loyal following at Myth, opened Zinnia with his wife Patricia last October. They offer delicious New American cuisine, including some Myth favorites like potato gnocchi, rigatoni with foie gras cream, roasted black cod, oysters in the half shell and his signature dish, seared sweetbreads. Located where Cypress Club, 500 Jackson and Scott Howard used to be, Zinnia is an upscale but unstuffy spot to grab cocktails and dinner.
The interior is spacious, simply adorned and warmly lit, with a relaxed, loungey feel.
They have fun specialty cocktails like the Jalisco Sour ($10) with tequila, lemon and orange juice, egg white and bitters; and The Secret Garden ($12) with Square One organic cucumber vodka, St. Germain elderflower liqueur and Prosecco. They make a pretty good Pimm's Cup ($10) with Pimm's No. 1, lemon-lime soda, ginger, mint and cucumber. My husband and his buddy are always happy whenever they see Trumer Pils ($5) and Chimay Red Label ($9) on the menu.
We love (exclamation point) the Hood Canal Oysters ($13), half a dozen Washington oysters presented with slurpalicously good lemongrass and lime juice topped with Yuzu tobiko. The poached Jidori egg ($11) is a winner, too, especially because I enjoy breakfast/brunch items any time of day, and this one is tasty. The egg sits atop chicken hash surrounded by beech mushrooms with chicken jus and tiny bits of diced potatoes. The large crackling lends the perfect amount of salt and decadence to finish the dish. Another star on the menu is signature seared sweetbreads ($12), which are plated with bacon, sherry vinegar and haricot verts. They are addicting, and I could devour them by the bowlful.
The pastas and dishes from the sea come in two sizes. Rigatoni ($13/19) with foie gras cream, Maitake mushrooms, and Marsala is nice although the foie gras is very subtle and the dish itself is surprisingly less memorable than the rigatoni they made for my daughter which had a rich and creamy, cheesy, buttery sauce reminiscent of mac and cheese. Seared Tasmanian trout ($15/26) in saffron sauce has a nice crispy skin with tender meat that is a pretty pink color similar to salmon. It comes with heirloom carrots and turnips. Scallops ($17/28) are seared to perfection and served with pioppini mushrooms, fennel, crispy potatoes and lobster sauce. You get two scallops with the smaller portion and three with the large.
The item that is just so-so is proscuitto wrapped escargot ($12) with crispy fennel, mache and rouille. They are salty little nuggets that could be anything, really, because you can't tell there is escargot in it.
The staff is Zinnia are impressively accommodating to the toddler set. We think their cozy booths by the window along Jackson Street provide a perfect, kid-friendly corner. When we ate dinner there recently, the hostess doted over our daughter and gave her a big box of crayons with a notepad to keep her occupied. Our server promptly sent out warm bread and butter for our hungry youngster to nibble on while the kitchen prepared her half order of rigatoni. And, they brought my daughter's food out along with the adult appetizers, so everyone was happy.
Zinnia may not be affordable everyday, but it is certainly a nice place to go on occasion. If you want to sample their fare at smaller prices, check them out during Halfsy Hour in the lounge and bar. From 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. on weeknights, they offer half price specialty cocktails, wines by the glass and premium beer, along with signature half portions of dinner menu items.
Came by for a quick drink and appetizers. Whoa.... almost didn't leave.
We shared the scallops, oysters, and risotto for appetizers. OK, maybe the price is a bit much for just 2 scallops but it was very yummy. And I DID very much want to slurp up all the juices on the oysters....
I am now planning to dine there for dinner... appetizers were a big tease!
We went here for dinner and ordered some appetizer and main course
K: Hey try this, it's good
me: Yea it's good, what is it?
K: It's sweet bread
me: Oh nice, it IS GOOD
K: I think it's some kind of animal
me: Ewww
FYI Sweetbread = "thymus glands and pancreas glands of lamb, beef, or pork...thymus gland, both set in the neck" .....
The NY Steak was excellent, I find it super yummy and will definitely be back for it. Service was great. It wasn't busy on a friday night (due to the economy ?). Next time I won't order the sweetbread.... even if it was good.
Given the fact that I've never been to the old Scott Howard or Myth, so this is all new to me. I would like to give it 3.5 stars if I can; but oh well, I think it is cool.
Drinks - at first, they all sound kind of yucky, but they turn out ok. Not like Wow great, but something different. Tried the Sweet Genever, in which the Orange Blossom honey has a special fragrance and is enticing. While for the Secret Garden, the cucumber taste is subtle and yet, refreshing.
Foods - a party of 6 doing family style, so we tried a lot of different dishes. It will be a lingering review if I have to list everything we ate, so I will just point out some of the wonderful dishes.
Seared Sweetbread - Yay \:D/ I'm a big fan since it fascinates me when in your head you bubble talk to yourself "What am I eating, isn't it disgusting to eat the glands of some animal??" but you keep eating since it is so tasty and soft and rich.
Fresh Rigatoni Pasta with Foie Gras Cream - simply delicious. Velvety sauce, depth of flavor from the foie gras and yet not too overpowering.
Roasted Monterey Black Cod - the miso broth that added at the last min is more like a show piece. But the fish is so smooth and sweet. Not to mention that you can order appetizer portion on the pasta and seafood dishes, great way to sample different items.
While for the meat dishes, we tried both the Grilled NY steak and pork chop. Pork chop was excellent, it is about an inch thick, but it is moist and tender - Must try if you love pork...
Dessert is ok, service is attentive. Parking is good especially right after 6pm, free street parking downtown. What more can you ask for and the price is reasonable!
While the food quality is good, the service really needs some work.
This restaurant, in the former Scott Howard space, has nice decor. Although a couple of people in our party of 6 was running late, the rest of us were seated without any problems. The bread and olive oil that is served was very good. The bread was fresh and the olive oil fragant. However, no one came to take our order for what felt like about 30 minutes. Like Sean O'Brien's previous restaurant, Myth, which I loved, many of the dishes can be ordered as small plates or larger plates. I do appreciate the options.
Three people in our group went with the three course tasting menu, the rest of us ordered a la carte. I tried my husband's gnocchi appetizer, which was fantastic. The gnocchi were not soaking in a sauce but toasted on the outside. So good! Everyone else seemed to enjoy their dishes. One person had the prosciutto appetizer with frisee and really enjoyed it. I shared a salad with asian pear, pecans, greens and blue cheese. This salad was good but nothing special.
I ordered the cheeseburger and fries for my meal. The burger was a mix of ground beef and chorizo and it was juicy and delicious. The fries were good but I have definitely had much better. My husband's scallops were perfectly prepared but a little over salted for my taste. One person ordered the short ribs and loved them. I did not try it but it looked delicious and was a very hearty portion size. My husband tried it and said it was excellent, which is saying a lot since he does not usually like short ribs.
The desserts were okay. I tried one person's sorbet, which was very tangy and refreshing, and had some of the hazelnut torte dessert. The torte was pretty good.
My main complaint about my experience here was the slow service. The server was very nice but after the second course or so she didn't really check on us and our waters were not refilled. The period of time between each course was extraordinarily long. I understand letting people enjoy a leisurely dinner but this was ridiculous. Dinner alone probably lasted about four hours thanks to how long it took for each course to come out.
Food was excellent. Service top notch. Wine recommendations were spot on.
We had:
hood oysters with tobiko and lemon grass: perfect starter with a zing
prosciutto wrapped escargot: yummmy!
gnocchi: to die for.
rigatoni with foie gras cream sauce: ahhh memories of myth
pork chop: delish
cheese plate: really unique cheeses
chocolate something
we also had the sommelier pair the food with half bottles of their choosing.
Definitely worth coming back.
Overall: 5
Same menu, same chef, and same price point as Myth... Same yumminess.
Food: 5
I loved the scallops and normally I don't like scallops. In particular the asparagus was quite memorable. I can't remember the dessert that I had but I do remember that it was really good.
Service: 5
Friendly and warm. Food came out fast but I never felt rushed to eat. The timing just seemed to be perfect.
Decor: 4
Very modern which made it look like many other SF restaurants; nice but certainly not unique.
Value: 5
The price point is the best thing about this restaurant. An exceptional experience without costing an arm and a leg.
3.5 stars.
'poke? what's poke?' my friend says, pronouncing 'pohk-ay' as 'pohk.' '...someday, i'll go to a restaurant where i'll know what everything is on the menu.'
at first, our waitress was a little confused as to the sincerity of his inquiry. she politely provided an explanation without judgment and w/a pleasant demeanor, joining me in several laughs throughout the evening w/my friend serving as witty and boisterous entertainment.
dark, wooden tables and oversized, shaded lighting adorned the space, w/a sunken central dining area that immediately draws your eye. we were seated in the raised area that enclosed the center (dedicated to larger groups), separated by an iron partition.
...french bread and olive oil to start, a potent cucumber vodka cocktail and red wine to follow. we decided on the poke, which was very appetizing, and the seared pork tenderloin and the parmesan/black trumpet mushroom risotto as entrees. the risotto was good, however, it seemed as if the pork was saturated w/soy sauce, unfortunately.
...i must comment on the favorable acoustics of the space. although it seems pretty intimate, i didn't feel as if i was inadvertantly eavesdropping on nearby tables' conversations. i also didn't feel that we were intrusive in other parties' dining experiences as my friend went into a detailed and entertaining summation of one drunk don johnson at this location, when it was once the cypress club.
as the last ones to leave, we noticed that it had begun to rain. one of the hostesses graciously went outside to hail a cab for us.
the food could've been a bit better. however, the service (and the company) is what made the evening an enjoyable one at zinnia.
Still thinking about our dinner last night...
Great company aside...it's time to talk about what we ordered and what makes the restaurant a stand-out in my eyes (or maybe I should say 'in my mouth').
First course: We had prosciutto wrapped escargot which was really good but the stand-out was the seared octopus with brandade and chorizo. Incredible.
Second course: Scallops and gnocchi. I have no idea how chefs come up with the flavor combinations they do but these dishes were a great reason to go the 'fine dining' route every now and then. We had never tasted gnocchi like this. Never. It can't even be put in the same category as the typical gnocchi you find at Italian restaurants. An awesome crust on the outside; pure fluffiness inside. The scallops with lobster sauce and mushrooms? Heaven.
Third course: Beef tenderloin. Sounds really basic but they cooked it to perfection (based on our medium-rare). The sauce was delicious with the beef but just as good when it seaped into the yucca fries on the plate.
Dessert: Sweet potato bread pudding. What a way to end a meal. Served with a bit of whipped cream on top and a small pool of vanilla sauce with another layer of dark berries (I'm not positive as to what exactly accompanied it - but even if I'm a bit wrong, I'm still close). Yum.
Service: She was great. She had absolutely no problem that we brought a couple bottles of wine (there's a $20 corkage) and she was very helpful when we were asking her advice on what we should order.
Would I come here again if I had a friend that wanted to check it out? In a second...
Met up with a college friend here for dinner on a Thursday night. Word of advice- don't come here starving. The portions are really small, but I guess that's what you'd expect with top restaurants in general. The quality makes up for the quantity. The standouts were the french fries, seasoned, thin, and not too crispy and not too soft and the ahi tuna poke was pretty flavorful and sadly, a short-lived party in my mouth.
Upon arriving at this restaurant, we walked in through a curtain which was interesting. The bar area was on the left and the main dining area was on the right.
I was there with my husband and another couple. We were actually pretty early for our reservation so we were planning on just sitting at the bar for a while but they were able to seat us right away. When we sat down the hostess took our coats to hang in a closet and she gave us a number ticket for later. That was a plus.
We all started with drinks. My girlfriend and I ordered from their featured drink menu while the guys ordered regular cocktails from the bar.
1st round: Orange Blossom? & this drink with absinthe...both yum.
2nd: Secret Garden...very refreshing & a tequila martini...very light and a little sweet.
Appetizers:
1. sweetbreads-excellent!
2. mushroom soup-friend's said it was excellent
3.asian pear salad-friend's said yum
Main:
1. risotto (full portion)-very tasty. well seasoned.
2. potato gnocci (full portion)-excellent! just melts in your mouth.
3. quail-excellent! very tender and juicy.
The portions look small but are pretty filling.
Dessert:
1. creme caramel-looked like a parfait. it had flavored shaved ice on top with the poached mango that looked like tater tots. very good!
2. champagne mousse-looked like a boob with a silver leaf nipple. no kidding. i have to post that pic. it was also very good.
3. 3 cheese plate-each cheese was paired with a lil something. very interesting and fun to try.
Our waiter was also very friendly and polite but as the restaurant began to fill up it took him quite a bit longer to get back to us. I think he is also the type of person that didn't want to seem pushy and rush us out of there. however, it took a very long time to get the check and even longer to get our coats. we just decided to go back up to the hostess to get our coats but she was nice enough to help us put them on.
All and all, I would go back again to try out the rest on the menu.
3.5
Having been a Myth fan I had high expectations. Zinnia fell just a little bit short.
I don't have any complaints about the service or the decor. I brought a party of four, one of whom is a low-calorie, low-carb vegetarian (seriously). Both waitress and chef were extremely accommodating. They produced a custom steamed dish with both common and unique veggies. The other two in my party had pasta: the risotto and the gnocchi, respectively, and they gave their thumbs up.
Ok now me.
After starting with a half-bottle of Schramsberg, I went with two appetizers: the famous Jidori egg, and the sweetbreads.
The first was literally fragrant. Once you break the yolk, it mixes with the shrooms and hash and produces mouthfuls of joy. The sweetbreads, however, were okay. I think the sherry vinegar and the bacon flavors were competing, and the result was more of an indistinguishable salty-sour taste. The sweetbreads themselves were well-cooked--crispy on the outside and tender inside.
For dinner, I went for a half-serving of the scallops... or the scallop. You get one. Scallops are so touch and go. While it was flavored well and was a good size, the scallop itself left a bitter after-taste. The fennel was literally required to cover that up. I am not a fan of masked foods.
I finished with three desserts. Hell yes.
-The mandarin souffle was hellsuv yum. Light, tangy, delish.
-Tried the ice cream trio of cardamom, saffron, and rum & coke which weren't bad, but maybe a little heavy on the cream.
-Lastly, they gave us a plate of cookies and sweets because we were celebrating a birthday. Again, not bad, but not exactly noteworthy
My favorite thing of the night was actually a recommended glass of red. It was a 2005 Roland Thevenin, Santenay, Burgundy. First off, I can taste day-old wine, and trust me, a lot of even very high-classed restaurants will try to pass it off. This particular glass was freshly opened, and perfectly aired by the time it arrived. It was awesome. Had the hit of a Cabernet with tons of oak flavor, but a much easier finish. I want to bathe in the stuff!
All in all, good, but not fantastic. I'd go again to try some of the meat dishes, but I'm in no hurry.
For the record, I never made it to Myth, so I consider my experience to be relatively unbiased.
Zinnia was a terrific experience. The menu varied nicely between classic and creative, and there were many outstanding results. It's definitely a date or special occasion restaurant and the prices are fair (for San Francisco). There's been a lot of hype about the place and I wasn't disappointed at all. Here's my blow-by-blow synopsis:
Cocktails ($10):
Orange Blossom Special: Floral, fragrant, and refreshing. Not fruity like a tropical drink at all. I even liked how it paired with food.
Secret Garden: Elderflower, prosecco, cucumber vodka. Fantastic. Clean flavors, very nice. A good palate-cleansing cocktail.
Apps:
Seared Sweetbreads / Bacon / Toast / Sherry Vinegar / Haricot Verts $13: Really crunchy. Amazing sauce. I wish these came in a paper cone with a beer. The sweetbreads themselves were surprisingly soft for being fried. Didn't pair as well with wine as the Jidori Egg though, probably on account of the acid in the sauce.
Poached Jidori Egg / Mushrooms / Chicken Hash / Cracklings / Chicken Jus $11: Very comfort-food-tasting. Saucy, smoky, great chicken hash. Paired terrifically with wine.
Pasta:
Fresh Rigatoni Pasta / Foie Gras Cream / Maitake Mushrooms / Marsala $12: It was rich with a nice flavor, but just a little heavy on the cheese... although the powerful cheese flavor meant a good wine pairing. The texture of the pasta was outstanding.
Seared Mascarpone / Potato Gnocchi / basil oil / Parmesan $9: One of the big stars. Not overly sweet, but great flavor and texture. I believe the word I used while still consuming the first bite was "revelation". Do not miss!!!
Mains:
Brined / Grilled Pork Rib Chop / Braised Cabbage / Spaetzle $21: Nopa's pork chop has some competition! Smoky with some nice sweetness. Cooked to medium rare. The spaetzle were very crunchy and not the soft kind I'm used to.
Stuffed Quail / Quinoa / Mushrooms / Oranges/ King trumpets $ 17: Nice, but not great. The stuffing was good... the meat texture was a little lacking. Don't think I'd order again.
Dessert:
Banana Clouftis / Rum and Coke ice cream $9: The husband normally hates banana desserts but loved this. Wonderfully textured streusel topping and just all around great.
Cookie Plate: On a rec from a friend, this didn't disappoint. Like a "best of" plate of post-tasting-menu treats at a 4-star resto. Recommend consuming in order of light to dark. The little cherry gooey cake was truly orgiastic.
Service: Attentive, a little wordy on descriptions, but passed all tests (clearing plates, getting drinks, etc).
Value: The apps were a little small, but the mains were huge, especially the pork chop. The desserts were pretty substantial as well. The wine list is pretty fairly priced (~2x retail) at least for the wines I knew.
Decor: It was a little like Le Cirque in Vegas, but not nearly as over the top. Some Asian influences. Whatever, it was nice.
I'll get right to it, the cocktails... Spectacular selection of clever floral themed drinks. Sweet, mild, bitter, light... you name it they will make it.
I encountered friendly service, a warm inviting atmosphere and an all around comfortable visit.
I had to come here a number of times before I could put in a good review.
Food - 5 stars - minus the parmesan risotto that didn't taste enough of Parmesan, and was a bit overcooked. I lover risotto, and for whatever reason few can cook it well in restaurants (although this Chef did an amazing job of it at Myth - go figure)
Service - 5 stars - the female servers have been very helpful, knowledgeable, and pleasant (no male servers yet)
Ambiance - 4 stars - it needs a an improvement on the romance/coziness factor - but perhaps it's meant to target professionals (in which case it is great)
Great restaurant. First thing we noticed is that we had been here before but was under a different name (one that I cannot remember).
We went for Valentines dinner. They seated us right away which was nice. Although they said over the phone that the regular menu was available, it was not. So, we had the 5 course Valentine dinner which was yummy but a bit overpriced at $105/pp! My favorite of the dinner was the rigatoni with foie gras cream sauce. For dessert I had bavarian cream raspberry with rose ice cream-yummy! The drinks were nice and strong.
Our waiter was fabulous. I cannot remember his name, but he was wearing a great pair of white framed glasses!
Our manager took us out for a showroom holiday dinner. Weeeee! I am always down for good food in the city.
Very attentive service from the staff. :)
They offered two types of bread (olive and french) and it arrived warm, fresh, and tasty.
For appetizers we shared the oysters, poke, and asian pear salad. Delicious it makes my mouth water. There a few too many pears in the salad, but nice combination of ingredients.
For the entree, I had the scallops. MMMMMMM not fishy at all regardless of what anyone else says. It was mixed with these mushrooms and lobster sauce, then topped with thinly sliced potatoes. OMG to die for.
And of course for dessert, I had the most chocolate thing I could find (sorry I don't remember the name). Yum yum.
They were so cute and even gave us these chocolate-black licor truffles to finish our feast! I recommend you give it a go.
Some people just want an FTR, and don't provide any helpful information. This place is NOT open yet.
It'll open on October 22, 2008.
New American cuisine with a full bar.
Average cost per person is planned to be $50.
Hours will be:
Tue-Wed 5:30-9:30pm
Thus-Sat 5:30-10:30pm
Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Valet parking will be $10-12.
To be revised later after dining here.
Wow was this place good. The ahi tuna appetizer was perfect - well cooked and exquisitely prepared. And my short ribs were as promised - perfectly cooked and fall off the bone goodness. Everyone else enjoyed thoroughly enjoyed as well.
As much as the excellent food was the service. We arrived an hour later than the rest of our party of 10. The restaurant seated us seamlessly, took our order when we were ready and fit it into the flow of the meal without a hitch. The hostess and part-owner even stopped by to check in on whether things were working out alright.
This place must have a great owner group behind it. I'll certainly be back.
Location is great and the ambiance is beautiful. Whoever does the flower arrangements gets a gold star. But really, I go to restaurants to enjoy the food, which could use a little work. For the most part it was a decent meal, but for the exorbitant prices, it should have been better than "meh". Also, wine list could use some retooling. I'll never get why restaurants in California choose to overload on French wines and not go to their own backyard (Sonoma/Napa/Central Coast). Prices were crazy marked up - even more so than other restaurants. WHY?
Here's what I ordered:
- Asian pear salad - good salad, not overdressed, plenty of fresh toppings, could have gotten it anywhere though
- Rigatoni with Foie Gras sauce - definitely a standout (I love me some overstuffed duck liver)
- Steak with Yuca fries - interesting take on French Fries. Good, but they start to get gross as they cool down. Steak was tender but the gravy really overpowered the meat flavor. The flavor balance was off...
- Dessert: Rice Pudding thing - not good at all.
Service was fine for me. The staff was very attentive to our group. Only thing was that our waiter didn't know the menu at all. We asked his opinion on a few things and he had no clue. Maybe he's new?
Complimentary Bottle of House…
Neighborhood: SOMA
$15 Dinner Special
Neighborhood: Castro
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: American (Traditional)
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Financial District
Category: American (New)
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