recent fleur de lys experiences?
So I'm considering Fleur de Lys for a special dinner (on a Monday night, which complicates everything), and I keep reading online that only "old" people still go to FDL. Never mind that part, how's the FOOD these days? I like traditional stuff, I like old-fashioned places, but I also like delicious food, not just faded glory. Your opinions, please...
Hungry Celeste
Dec 19, 2007 06:43AM
i went a few months ago and had the exact same experience as senor bauer.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article...
food was good, ambiance nice (a little overdone for my taste), and quite, but the service was TERRIBLE!! we waited 45 minutes to place our orders and from then on could never get the waitresses attention during our meal. the sommelier seemed to be the only person employed there with any sense of reasonable service, in fact he fetched our waitress for us more than once.
i'm generally tolerant of service issues, but come on, if you're going to charge those prices get it together! i wasn't even paying the bill and left feeling ripped off since i wasted a perfectly good graduation celebration dinner there!
i will never return nor send anyone their way.
Permalink | Reply
During the 45 minutes were there amuse-bouches, bread, and butter available or was it 45 minutes with nothing what-so-ever?
Permalink | Reply
nothing what-so-ever!
Permalink | Reply
We went a couple of weeks ago and I would not waste the money. Horrible service, so so food and definitely not worth the $100 plus per person. For a special dinner I would go to Gary Danko or the Ritz Carlton. Have gone to both numerous times and every time the food, service and overall experience was great.
Permalink | Reply
These replies confuse me. I've always had the best service at Fleur de Lys. I've heard people say it before and I don't get it. I'm 35 and in tech so it's not like I look like businessman money and I definitely don't fit Nob Hill/PacHeights money profiles.
Last time I was there they asked if we wanted to see the menus or let the chef prepare a series of courses for us. We were surprised but went with the later and It was fantastic.
I dunno, we always dress nicely, not to the nines, except the one time before the opera, but a shirt and tie and nice pants. I have seen other 30 something or younger in there with a polo shirt or worse. Which for a dinner like this seems to be a bad judgment call. I've always wondered if waiters in higher end dining lavish attention on those they judge the most likely to tip well. And when you come in casual I'm thinking they're assuming it's not gonna be you.
It does remind me of the first time I went to Jardiniere they were definitely starting to ignore us until I asked about appertifs and the like that showed I had some experience with fine dining, and then from there on it was significantly better service.
Permalink | Reply
When did you last dine there? We had a fantastic meal at Fleur de Lys something like two years ago, and were planning to go back this Friday but the double whammy of Bauer's two bad experiences and then these chowhound reports scared us off. After a hugely disappointing visit to La Folie, we're wondering if our home town chefs are getting over-extended with their burger bars, brasseries, and duplicate restaurants around the bay area and Vegas.
Permalink | Reply
Beginning of September, and then June before that. We usually go 2 or 3 times a year.
Though with Chapeau! taking over Clementine I don't know if we'll make it more than once a year now.
An acquaintance of mine went to FdL last Feb. and complained later of bad service. But this person even when dressed up still looks like he just decamped from Golden Gate Park yet expects potentate like subservience from attendants. Which I've seen many waiters instantly turn on the obnoxious guest blinders after two visits to the table.
I've found Keller's venison and buffalo/bison to be the best so far.
Permalink | Reply
Chapeau! is going to take over the location of Clementine on Clement street in addition to it's original location? Or are they moving? I was not aware.
Permalink | Reply
Not too recently (May of '06), but the food did not do it for me. Overall too fussy, too many ingredients... That said, the trio of soups starter was outstanding.
Permalink | Reply
I went in September and was underwhelmed. Each dish had some flavors the were remarkable, but all in still weren't great. Foie gras appetizer, specifically was missing the taste of foie. You couldn't taste it through the brioche of the mini burger and you couldn't taste it at all in the terrine. Service was only okay.
I had a much better meal at Rubicon this week. It doesn't get a lot of coverage on here, but it was excellent. Gnocchi with rabbit meat balls, perfectly cooked squab, and a Clementine dessert finished with fennel, pecorino and olive oil. The sweet, salty and rich flavor combination was outrageous.
Permalink | Reply
We had dinner there on December 12th and it was wonderful-- every course was delicious and the service was great. No complaints. We also had dinner at Boulevard, Gary Danko, Terra, Bouchon, and Canteen during the same week, so we had other dining experiences we could compare with it, and we came away happy and impressed.
Permalink | Reply
That's quite a week! My liver would be screaming for mercy after all that....thanks for the feedback. Sounds like the place is still capable of greatness, but getting rather inconsistent.
Permalink | Reply
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/437445
Permalink | Reply
Thanks. In recent weeks, I've had lots of difficulty with CH; search function doesn't always work, etc. 'Preciate your digging up this one for me.
Permalink | Reply