Boulevard Restaurant

Reviews 4

JO

Joel Rogers

First, the two appetizers we had: AHI TUNA ITO-ZUKURI Hand Line Caught, "Ribbon-Cut" Ahi Tuna Padron Pepper Tempura, White Sesame Aioli, Togarashi-Shoyu Vinaigrette Rossa Bianca Eggplant with Wasabi Shinku Pear Dressing & Shiso It was a whole lot of ribbon cut Ahi tuna with a single tempura pepper and a suggestion there were other elements on the plate. Overall, it was bland, bland, and bland. I would never order it again. RAVIOLI ,PORCINI BUTTER CONFIT RABBIT & A PAIR OF WILD GREENS with RICOTTA Bellwether Basket Ricotta with Borage, Nettles & Lamb’s Quarters, De Bruin Rabbit Hon Shemeji Mushrooms. Three raviolis arrived the two outside one were filled wild greens, shoes bitterness masked the Ricotta cheese. The center ravioli was the rabbit filled one. It was a decent couple of bites. The mushrooms were excellent. Overall I’d rate the dish as fair to good. I would not order it again. The only saving grace of the early part of our meal was some excellent bread, and a great wine recommendation of a 2010 Hermitage. Second the mains: ALASKAN HALIBUT
ALA PLANCHA
Squash Blossom Stuffed with Rock Shrimp & Fennel
White Tomato Risotto Vialone Nano with Hearts of Palm
Olive Oil Slow Roasted Baia Nicchia Miniature Tomatoes
Tomato “Pate”, Laudemio Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Genovese Basil. This dish made the whole trip worthwhile. Everything about it was outstanding. It will the benchmark that every halibut dish I eat will be judged by. My wife loved it as well, labeling it the best halibut dish she had ever eaten. ANGUS FILET MIGNON
Wood Oven Roasted
Dwelley Farms Romano Beans & French Fingerling Potatoes
Confit of Roasted Tomatoes with Capers & Garlic
Caesar Fava Bean Relish, Basil & Roasted Beef Jus. The meat was perfectly cooked, but was not memorable. The roasted tomatoes were very good, as were the fingerling potatoes. It was a good, but not great dish. CHOCOLATE MARSHMALLOW PIE Chocolate Streusel Crust, Manjari Chocolate Ganache Milk Chocolate Mousse, Burnt Marshmallow Chocolate Chip Cookies, Chocolate Ice Cream. I loved the pie itself, and the presentation. I was not that wild about the cookie ice-cream sandwich. Our service was attentive. The wine, halibut dish, and pie made for a memorable evening. I disagree with the reviewers who thought the portions were small. Apparently, they have never had ‘really small ‘ portions. I would return to Boulevard and choose two different appetizers.

KR

Kristin C.

Main Impression: Boulevard seems overhyped and the dishes are pricey for what you receive. I felt that the entrees were mediocre entrees and not Michelin quality; however, the appetizers and desserts were tasty. My rating for now stands at a three given that any Michelin ranked restaurant should be able to deliver solid entrees. Service was great and the atmosphere is warm and elegant. ********** My boyfriend and I were so excited to dine here after hearing all of the rave reviews. Perhaps our expectations were too high but Boulevard did not live up to the hype. Our main entrees were mediocre; however, they were bookended by solid appetizers and desserts. For entrees, my boyfriend and I shared the roasted local swordfish and the kurobuta pork chop. I found the swordfish to be a bit bland in both flavor and presentation-- I felt like you could get the same dish somewhere else for much cheaper. If Im paying $33 for a small piece of swordfish, Id like each bite to be amazing. This may sound strange, but the pork was a bit "soggy". I believe that we did not finish the plate. Though the entrees did not live up to the Michelin star hype, the appetizers and desserts left us wishing we had skipped our entrees all together. Each bite of the california squab was bursting with flavor and I definitely fought for the last piece of the mouthwatering, crispy sweetbreads. If I could have supersized something on the menu, it would have been the sweetbread appetizer. For dessert, we shared red velvet cake and another chocolate dessert. I dont condone this at nicer restaurants but my boyfriend, the resident chocoholic, literally drank the chocolate sauce out of the mini gravy boat and licked the plate clean. Staff were very attentive and made sure to get us to the symphony on time, despite us running late, ordering 3 courses, and adding an extra appetizer at the last minute. Though the main entrees were underwhelming, I would probably come back to enjoy the atmosphere. Many restaurants are unable to achieve the balance of charm and understated elegance while still feeling warm and welcoming. Whether you dress up or dress down youll feel right at home--though I dont think a hoodie would necessarily be welcome here. . We were among the formal crowd since we were attending the Symphony but I saw people wearing an assortment of cocktail dresses, dark jeans, sports jackets, and polos.

NA

Nalani N

We have a goal: visiting 1-2 Michelin rated restaurants a year. Sometimes we meet our goal and sometimes we dont. Hubs had a birthday, it was the perfect excuse to go grab dinner at a special restaurant. Often with these restaurants you are having an experience, sometimes its one that you treasure but dont necessarily need to repeat, sometimes its one that you treasure, and would gladly repeat. Boulevard offered us an experience we will happily repeat. We thought (eeeeek... sorry Boulevard) that it might be stuffy and over-rated. We were wrong, so wrong. Boulevard delivered. The interior is beautiful, in a way its like a stage set, but a real-life working one. I like the open kitchen concept, its nice to see the kitchen working away. Another plus, the chef de cuisine and the chef/owner are women, and there were women in the kitchen. Our server was very professional, but without pretension. She was warm and friendly, and offered fantastic recommendations upon request (sorry I dont have her name, she was young blond, awesome, working near the kitchen on Friday 7/11/14). And then there was the food. The food was so very good. We had: Scallops: 5/5 stars Delicious, perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned. As the offerings in the restaurant are seasonal, the accompaniments will change, but the scallops I will still be perfect. Corn Ravioli with truffles: 4/5 The corn was wonderful, the ravioli dough was a little too much. Pork Chop: 5/5 This was the best pork chop I have ever eaten. Ever. Perfectly cooked, we ate every last bite. It was divine. Sea Bass 5/5 Poor sea bass. You were excellent, but you had to go up against the pork chop. Honestly, the sea bass was wonderful, that pork chop was just. so. good. Butterscotch Pudding 5/5 Delicious. If I ordered it again, Id hold the chocolate. Cheese Plate 5/5 Hubs ordered The Bomb and something else. They were both wonderful. Thank you Boulevard for such a spectacular meal. Dont get me wrong, there are plenty of amazing restaurants in the bay area that are not rated which are amazing and we love them too. Its fun to get out every now and then to see what all the fuss is about. So far weve been to six Michelin rated restaurants. Boulevard is one of two rated restaurants that we would go back to (Aziza is the other). The whole experience was wonderful.

SC

Scott Greenberg

I would give Boulevard SIX stars if I could! My wife and I were visiting San Francisco a couple of weeks ago and we met up with a bunch of friends for dinner at Boulevard. There were 12 of us in our party (we did make reservations four weeks in advance). Our table was ready for us when we all arrived and it was spectacular. It was up on a raised section of the restaurant with a beautiful view of the Bay Bridge and the Embarcadero. While the setting was perfect (the decor is classy and tasteful), you cant taste beauty, so on to the food: In a word, it was delicious. You would think that with a huge party and everyone ordering something different, there would be one or two stumbles, but there was not a single one. Everything from the service to the wine list to the food was flawless. My abalone appetizer was amazing. And the pan roasted "king" quail was not only rich and succulent, it was filling! Everyone was raving out there dish and at one point, there was a pretty comical scene where we were all swapping plates around the table so that everyone could try a bite of every dish. The Sommelier (Jon) did an amazing job of picking exceptional wines to please a wide range of palates and plates while staying well within our "budget." I have had the pleasure of dinning around San Francisco over the years and I love Gary Danko and Quince and Frances, but Boulevard is the road to gastronomic happiness!