Breezy's in Civic Center of San Fran?
Any reports.. I'm taking a friend for pre-theater dinner.. and got nice reviews of Paul K and wondering how Breezy's measures up? Thanks so much! Baycyd
baycyd
Oct 31, 2007 02:58PM
Still no reports?
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Actually, I have eaten there. Breezy's, being the fancier version of nearby Hayes & Kebab (they share the kitchen, same owners), is somewhat of a peculiarity. I don't want to say a disappointment because things may have improved since I went there last.
We ordered a crapload of food at around 9 p.m. on a Saturday night. Diningroom was nearly empty (both of them). Bar was convivial, but I suspect populated mostly by the owner and friends. We had a lobster bisque that was extremely salty and dark in color, as if perhaps not enough cream/milk was used. It was, like most everything we ate, topped by a tuft of microgreens. An attempt at being au courant? One can not be sure. Overall, the soup was not bad, just not ... right, similar to the decor. Something is off, though they have things like "green" tables (made of recycled paperboard or something?) and wall sconces that lend a semi-romantic air.
We also ordered a number of small plates, which seemingly is what they specialize in. The best thing was a plate of mac and cheese. It was really good (despite the microgreens). However, because of the open presentation, it cooled rapidly. Would recommend serving it in a mini-crock, ala The Alembic on Haight.
I honestly cannot remember what else we ate, but I remember the menu seemed to offer a mix of American standards (steak/filet mignon, salmon, mac and cheese) and a few Cal-med items.
Not a successful marriage of concept and flavor, if you ask me.
The one big plus at this place: the cocktails. It seemed they knew what they are doing. And in a pinch (ie, you are tired of beer and overly warm wine at Place Pigalle, or Absinthe is too packed), I would not hesitate to go to the bar and sip a few. And if the bar food is anything like the diningroom food, I would say order mac and cheese to be safe. Or you could just go to the Hayes and Kebab. It's cheaper and pretty good.
Lastly, they have this huge back diningroom with a skylight and enclosed courtyard (tree, fountain?) that I think you can rent out for special events. Of course I'd want it catered with lamb gyros or something else that comes out of Hayes & Kebab!
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Thanks. We're going there tonight (best pre-opera reservation I could get). It doesn't sound too promising, but I will keep an open mind and report on our findings.
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Well, I have a sort of a report, but unfortunately it's not very complete because I hit awful traffic and was 35 minutes late to meet my mom for dinner; we couldn’t linger because we had opera tickets, so I was only in the restaurant for about 30 minutes. Luckily my mom ordered some food before I got there, so I did get to taste a few things.
I was pleased with the service – they were unfazed by and pleasant about my lateness and our resulting rush. They got all of our food out quickly and were helpful with recommendations.
The restaurant gets points for being nicely lit and having good acoustics – when I got there, the dining room was full, but I had no trouble conversing with my mother (whose hearing is not what it was 40 or 50 years ago) in a normal tone of voice. Definitely one of the more pleasant dining environments I’ve seen in Civic Center.
My mom ordered from the tapas menu before I got there: a cheese plate, the macaroni and cheese, and a roulade of braised short rib with scallion cream and cognac reduction. The one thing I ordered was a special, a spin on a caprese salad. The presentation was amusing -- a large, hollowed out orange tomato filled with…oh dear…stuff. I can’t remember what the waiter said was in it, but there were certainly halved cherry tomatoes and cubes of something whitish and chewy that I don’t think was mozzarella – tofu, maybe? It didn’t matter all that much, since the overwhelming flavor was Balsamic vinegar. I like Balsamic, but this was excessive. My mom liked the salad better than I did, though.
My favorite thing was the macaroni and cheese, which was rich and creamy, with the contrasting crunchy element of the chorizo (which functioned kind of like super duper bacon bits). The short rib roulade was wrapped in crisp phyllo, but there was something about the filling that I didn't like. The cheese plate was mostly gone by the time I got there, but what I saw of it looked fine; the cheese was nice and ripe.
Ditto about the microgreens. They were on everything, whether or not it was appropriate.
I’m sorry we didn’t get to taste more, or have a more leisurely dinner. I will probably go back, just because I’m frustrated by having missed most of what I wanted to try.
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I think the chewy thing inside the tomato that looked like tofu is their cubed feta. They serve it a lot at Hayes & Kebab in the Greek salad, which sounds like it turned into your caprese...!
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