Quince
1701 Octavia Street, San Francisco415-775-8500
First Impressions:
The restaurant is in a quiet residential area. They offer valet parking but all 3 couples dining on a Sunday night found a close parking spot without trouble. We enjoyed what I think is the best seat in the house - their only table for six in the bay window to the left of the front door. It has 2 chairs and the other 4 seats are banquet.
The Menu & Wine list
The menu had a tremendous number of choices for a restaurant this size. 11 First Course ($7-$14), 13 Second Course/Pastas ($14-$19), 8 Third Course/Entrees ($19-$29), and 6 desserts ($8.5-9) to choose from. They also offer a cheese course with seven cheeses (3 - $14, 5 -$21, 7 - $28.) The wine list, in comparison to the menu, was smaller but still very large for a relatively small restaurant. (Strong wine list, esp. Italy - Jack)
It was really hard to decipher the menu – many of the dishes had Italian components or names which we were unfamiliar with (like Polpettone, Sformato and Bigoli). We asked lots of questions and our waitress was well-trained, giving quick answers.
There was no bread served during dinner – instead breadsticks and tiny rolls fried in olive oil were placed on the table before dinner. There was no amuse served before dinner - but the check came with tiny chocolate chip and tiny pistachio round cookies. There were only 3 of each for 6 people so we had to fight for them!
What we had:
Mortadella della casa con gnocchi fritto $12 Consisted of sliced Mortadella, pieces of Mortadella battered and fried in olive oil with a hint of savory and cinnamon (cloves and nutmeg?) and little pieces of fried bread (gnocchi?). Good but not quite what I expected. The Mortadella was dense, fine, flavorful and fresh – but I prefer it lighter and more moussy – albeit more rustic.
Roasted sea scallops with cauliflower and chanterelle mushrooms $14 – Very good!
One of our dining companions had the Wild Nettle Sformato Fonduta of Fontina Val d’Aosta $9 and gave us a taste. It’s a cross between a soufflé and custard. Delicious and delicate flavor.
Triangoli of acorn squash with brown butter $17 – Sweet perfectly spiced puree. Perfect pasta. Great sauce.
Celery root filled tortellini with yellow chanterelle mushrooms & aceto Balsamico $17 – Wow! A hint of vinegar in the puree gave it a perky contrast to the sauce and made it shine. Jack’s dish but Joanne loved it.
Roast stuffed Liberty duck with Cinderella pumpkin puree & quince mostarda $26
A complete surprise. De-boned duck reformed into a round with the mostarda on top like icing. Sweet – no gaminess - but hard to tell it was duck. Incredibly tender and flavorful – hints of fennel. Delicious. Pumpkin was slightly stringy and tasted just like pumpkin. This is not “crispy duck”.
Roast veal loin with Tuscan black cabbage, creamed onions & wild mushrooms $29 – Sliced thinly – not as tender as flavorful. Joanne liked the cabbage, Jack did not.
