Escargot: B
Grape Salad: B
Filet Mignon: B
Skate Wing: A
French Toast: B+
Lemon Tart: B
Gory Details
Having just recently re-enter into the San Francisco food scene, I have been anticipating the chance to measure this oft-raved gem against some of my best meals in the past. So when my gf came into town, I swiftly made the reservation for 6pm dinner on Tuesday night. The decision to have an early dinner eventually paid off, literally. When we got to the restaurant at 5:55pm, it was already beaming with energy of a full house. Odd, I thought to myself, are they serving a early bird senior special? or are they just that popular? It turns out it was the former. From 5pm - 6pm on weekdays, the restaurant has a 3 course $32 pre-fixe menu. Considering that most entrees are in the $20 - $30 range, that would this explains the early crowd.
We quickly glanced thru the menu and call the waiter over at 6pm exactly. The waiter happily took our pre-fixe orders. The warm bread and soft butter came quickly following our orders. This is a good start. We also received an amuse-bouche of pate over bread, which I have to say was only lukewarm in execution. I was expecting an amuse-bouche to pack a punch given its punitive size, but this one felt like a sample I would've gotten in Costco instead.Our appetizers were served promptly after a few bites of bread. The escargot was professionally prepared and served in a clay pot drown in garlicky olive oil. Though the dish won't win a Top Chef challenges, one can hardly pick any bone in the seasoning and preparation. Similarly, the salad was fresh and safe, with everything where it should be.
After the appetizer, there was a considerable lag time until we were served the entree. As we waited, the chef came around in his airy french accent to greet every table in the house, which led us to think maybe he should be expediting the food instead! But alas, everyone loves attention, and the chef's attention is welcome addition to any meal. Also, as a indication to the caliber of the restaurant, the waiter came by to tell us that our food was a little late, but they are coming out soon. Such small thing can make an otherwise distracting wait time much more palatable.
When our entree came, I was rewarded with the best seasoned fish I have had. The skate wing was perfectly seasoned with salt and acidic jus with a hint of lime. Perhaps there was more to the recipe, but the flavor calls out to me a sense of homey preparation as well as star worthy complexity all at once. It made me felt comfortably at home yet satisfied to be a paying customer instead of thinking I can make this on my own stove. The baby greens on the side was fresh and light, setting the stage for the skate wing to shine on a stage all to itself. In between salivating over every bite of the skate, I also tasted my gf's well done filet mignon. Yes, she likes her steak well done, and the chef accommodated her perfectly with a thinner slice of meat, cook to the perfect temperature. It in fact retain much of the tenderness and juice, which can only be attributed to the chef since I have seen many ruined steaks in my life dining with the gf.
The meal closed with two more memorable dishes. I ordered the caramel ice cream topping a deceptively fluffy french toast, which was addictive in its lightness. It is the comfort food I want to come home to everyday of my life. But whatever trance I was in after eating the french toast, it did not last long with a tasting of the lemon tart. The flavor was so intense that it evoke memories of sour patches from the yonder years. I have to wonder how many lime was sacrificed in the making of this slice of pie.
The final bill, which came out to be less than $100, solidify my meal at Clementine as one of the most memorable in numerous aspects, not the least is the exceptional skate wing, which to me was worth the price of admission and then some. Considering my expectation before the meal, the chef has given me hope for not only Clementine, but the SF food scene to be explored. I will certainly be eager to be blown away again at the not so distant future, with or without the early bird special.
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