Hyde Street Bistro - San Francisco - 3 stars

Visited on:Sep. 22, 2006

Comments: A little bit less than recommended because of uneveness in quality, but not without its own merits, especially the margret de canard. That is one outstanding dish.

Ordered items:
Terrine de lapin

Chevre chaud

Escargot

Bouillabasse

Margret de canard


General description:
Small and crowded, just like a bistro in Paris, serving similar foods as well, so I was really excited upon seeing its menu. However, the uneven execution put a damper on my enthusiasm. I like the terrine, but I think it was done too greasy, so instead of a solid mouthful that you get to chew on and mull over the strong dark flavors, you get too much greasiness that you just want to wash away soon. Escargots is lacking in flavor, and a slight bitterness of sloppy cleaning of the snail entrails. Sauce is very good, though. Chevre chaud is too stingy, really unable to appreciate the chevre with such thing slices, and since it is wrapped in filo, makes it even harder as your tongue is not in direct contact with the cheese. How I miss the Parisien cafes where they served up a complete piece of chevre, wonderfully cooked…

On the other hand, the restaurant really shone in its main dishes, a very pleasant surprise. The bouillabaisse has many ingredients in it, shell fish well cooked, fish slightly overdone. The taste is there, but texture wise, it is actually more like a ciopino. I’d want it to be even thicker and creamier, like La Provence’s version. The margret de canard, on the other hand, is a poster child of margret de canard. Succulent, thick pieces of dark meat, drizzled in fruity sauce, every chew brings out more juice from the meat, and the texture is like burnt velvet, lingering, tenacious, and bold, yet tender to swallow.

The servers, however, are a fun bunch. Celebrate a birthday there. I won’t give away the surprise, but it is definitely a lot more than just bringing a cake to your table. The familiar “bah ouai…” brings back many nostalgic memories to be savored along with my duck.

Basic information:
1521 Hyde Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 292-4415
$19 - $26 for main dishes, $8-$11 for appetizers