Foreign Cinema: Two Thumbs Up
It wasn’t a holiday. It wasn’t a special occasion. It was just a Friday and my friend and I were going to have dinner at Foreign Cinema in the Mission District of San Francisco. We didn’t have reservations so we had planned to eat at the bar. I arrived first and ordered a Manhattan with Bourbon on “a” rock, after all it was a Friday night.
I was restaurant gazing as I waited for my friend to arrive. It was my first time at Foreign Cinema. I never really had the desire to go there before because the restaurant is known for showing Foreign Films. I always thought that was a bit cheesy. If you are going out for a nice dinner, the last thing I would want to do is focus on a movie, especially a foreign one.
When my friend arrived, she checked with the host and got us a table in the balcony. So that is my first tip. You can always try to walk-in without a reservation.
My Manhattan was starting to hit me, so I was ready to eat. With the help of our waiter, we agree to start with half a dozen oysters and two appetizers.
We got a selection of oysters from Canada, Seattle, and the Bay Area. That’s how I ate them, going from North to South. I like small delicate oysters and all three were great with a splash of lemon and mignonette sauce.
The first appetizer was a duck liver mousse on grilled lavain with a green salad, balsamic vinegar and peaches. The combination of flavors and textures were perfect.
Our second appetizer was the grilled calamari with chick peas, potatoes, and a tomato-habanero sauce. This was cooked in a iron skillet and served with tortilla chips. I loved the spiciness in this dish.
We decided on sharing entrees as well. We went with a surf and turf combination. We ordered the sautéed Petrale sole cooked with tiny clams, radishes, yellow romano beans, and fingerling potatoes. I really enjoyed all the accoutrements that came with the dish more than the fish itself.
The “turf” part of our meal was the mixed lamb grill which came with a chop, sirloin, and a sausage. The meats were served with fava beans, baby carrots, quinoa, and a romesco sauce. This was outstanding and if I were to have only one item at Foreign Cinema, I would go straight to this dish especially having such a great variety.
The food was so amazing that we didn’t want to end our experience. We ordered the plum granita and boysenberry sorbet. This was a little bit sweet as well as tart. I enjoyed the fruit flavors and it was a nice palette cleanser.
We also got the butterscotch crème brûlée which came with a pepita macaroon. I could pass on the overly sweet macaroon, but leave my spoon so I could indulge in the amazing crème brûlée.
We are barely halfway done with the year, but this is definitely the best meal so far.
we have similar tastes; you can check out my review of their smaller next door establishment le comptoir or the counter. Also worth checking out is his old bistro, la regalade. Enjoy Paris, it’s foggy in Berkeley. http://yellowflat.wordpress.com/2013/01/
Hello! This post could not be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my good old room mate!
He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this write-up to
him. Pretty sure he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!
That’s a very nice comment. Thank you!