Millennium

Reviews 3

AR

Ariana Markle

I came here under recommendation of a nearby hotel where I was staying at in downtown San Francisco. It was nearby to my hotel and came recommended, however if you are a young girl traveling from out of town, this may not be the venue for you, as I was treated extremely poorly. I was on the phone during the duration of my dining experience to my relatives in Toronto, Ontario. I was approached - or rather, I would say it was more like accosted - by the female manager there, who was extremely disrespectful to my space and exceedingly belligerent in demeanour. She asked me to not speak on my phone, and did so in a very confrontational manner. I had finished my meal by this point, and I was under the impression that she was trying to get me out of the restaurant swiftly because I was sitting alone, despite the fact that I had had a three course meal and spent $60+ on dining there by this point (I had mentioned to my server I didnt drink, so perhaps they realized I would not be spending more than this and wanted to make me so uncomfortable so as to feel compelled to leave as quickly as possible?). The way in which she confronted and accosted me, leaning in toward me and invading my personal space, then referring to me by saying, "Listen, Lady" - was beyond disrespectful and bordered on harassment. I was humiliated, embarrassed and uncomfortable by how I was treated by the manager. When I asked to speak to her manager to make a complaint about what I felt was unprofessional and hostile behaviour, the manager present at the time - I believe her name is Alicia/Alisha - refused to give me the owners information to complain. She proceeded to become increasingly hostile with me when I asked to speak to one of her managers about her unprofessional conduct. Alicia/Alisha was extremely disrespectful, rude, and I would say discriminatory in her conduct, especially considering I am a young female tourist. She did not make the complaint process transparent and refused to give me her supervisors information to bring up the issues presented. I would DEFINITELY not recommend this place, as their service is mediocre at best. If you do have a complaint about the service or an experience where you are harassed or inappropriately approached by the manager as I was, there is no clear or transparent way to speak to anyone to resolve the issue. If youre a woman traveling alone, forget it - it seems they are particularly discriminatory in that regard, as there was absolutely no reason for them to be so blatantly rude. It is definitely *NOT* a safe, respectful venue where you will be made to feel comfortable. The integrity of this establishment is very low and their conduct toward young woman dining alone is unsafe, disrespectful, and discriminatory. And again, they do not make their complaint process transparent. I particularly wasnt impressed by being referred to as "Hey, Lady". Very, very inappropriate and unprofessional.

JK

JKay GreenStarsProject

A must-visit for plant lovers! (5/5 green stars too) I’m giving Millennium 5/5 stars based on all of my visits – it’s one of the few restaurants (in the entire world!) that I’ll always remember for opening my eyes to new possibilities in food. This particular visit (the first to their new Rockridge location) was more of a 4-star experience however. Sometimes great restaurants suffer from unreasonably high expectations. It was brunch and I had the Grilled Rosa Bianca Eggplant Sandwich ($13.50) while my friend had the Mushrooms and Grits ($14) and then we shared a pastry plate (no longer on the menu). The eggplant sandwich was delicious – it made me think of an Ike’s sandwich because of the strong flavors and great crispy-creamy textures. But better than Ike’s! And the flavors and textures are delivered by more healthful ingredients, like the fried pickled okra, white bean-garlic spread and pepper & olive relish. The pastry plate looked pretty and tasted fine but considering the high expectations it was underwhelming. Probably a good choice to take it off the menu; the new brunch desserts sound better. I’d have the eggplant sandwich again, but would prefer if it had a better side – pole beans don’t strike me as much of a brunch treat ;-) For social and environmental impact I think Millennium deserves 5/5 “green stars.” For decades they have raised the bar on vegan cuisine and this has a lot of value, to show how unnecessary meat can be. The love of meat is a strong force in foodie culture, and Millennium can hold its own when it comes to producing satisfying and flavorful food from plants (and vegan desserts like their ice cream sundae and truffle torte). Ingredients are all plant-based, local and sustainably farmed. Chef Eric Tucker has sourced produce from Tierra farms in Santa Rosa for over 20 years – Tierra practice sustainable agriculture, weeding by hand, avoiding synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, and using rainwater for greenhouse irrigation. So the food at Millennium is a bit pricey but the choice to weed by hand, for example, rather than spray some Roundup on the land, does come at a cost. Their other suppliers, such as Happy Boy farms in Watsonville, also practice sustainable or certified organic agriculture. The previous tenant built the restaurant using sustainable materials, and Millennium maintained that interior, just adding a herb garden on the back patio to supply their herbal needs and add greenery. Community love for Millennium is reflected by the $120K raised through their Kickstarter campaign to fund the Rockridge location after their SF location was sold. I’m don’t know that much about what they do for the community in return – perhaps support for local sustainable agriculture and a commitment to plant-based food is enough. But they did also respond to the election result with a cocktail special where 50% is donated to Planned Parenthood.

A

A Private User

My spouse is (mostly) vegan, so for our anniversary, it was between Greens and Millennium. Over the years, many carnivore friends had spoken so highly of both that we were excited. I also heard that Millennium tended to be more creative so that folks missed the meat less. I would give it a 3.5 if Yelp would allow, but... 1. Food: we ordered two apps (Mirin Glazed Sesame Onigiri and Black Bean Torte), but our waiter brought a third (Seared Potato Gnocchi) over which we had been torn (complimentary - very cool of him). The torte is very good - the other reviews are accurate (good, not religious), the Onigiri was tasty (sauce was required - otherwise not special), and the Gnocchi was actually pretty bland (it was our waiters favorite - he described it as "subtle" (again, read: bland)). For entrees, we had the Brik Pastry Roulade and Red Quinoa & Fresh Corn Tamale - both were "OK". Dessert was pretty good, and impressive that there was no dairy (could have fooled me). Overall, the apps were the best, and unfortunately, the food didnt blow us away. Good, but not matching the reputation. 2. People: very polite. The woman who seated us seemed genuinely warm, and our waiter and bus guys were all very polite and helpful. The team is the main reason Id go above three stars. 3. Location/Ambiance: a big "meh" - probably the most significant disappointment. Not the greatest neighborhood, which is fine, but its attached to a B/C-grade hotel, which doesnt set the greatest tone when you first arrive. Our area of tables were in the "New York"-style section: two tops like sardine cans line the long wall. Not a favorite - you either make friends with the people flanking you, or you try and ignore their conversation, parts of which you inevitably hear. 4. Other: largest section of post scripts/notes on a menu that Ive seen (e.g., sustainability, etc.), plus opportunity to give to local charity - pretty cool. Overall: good food (not amazing), didnt miss the meat that evening, good staff/team, not much on ambiance - going to try Greens next.