Address: | 1101 Valencia St, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA |
Phone: | +1 415-401-8959 |
Site: | garconsf.com |
Rating: | 4.1 |
Working: | Closed 5:30–10PM 5:30–10PM 5:30–10PM 5:30–11PM 5:30–11PM Closed |
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Jessica Cu
I never thought much of Garcon because Ive been to many of the highly acclaimed French restaurants in San Francisco, and didnt think a little place on the corner in the Mission would ever be able to compete. Plus, reviews were mixed and many people complained about the price. I was pleasantly surprised that Garcon delivered great food and even better cocktails. It was pricier than I expected, but it was good and I would definitely return for cocktails and appetizers! * Complimentary Bread - Could not stop eating this. * Black and Basil - 5 STARS: Black Pepper, Basil, lime, Vodka, and Gin. Wow, amazing cocktails. The cocktails here are serious contenders to my other Mission favorites, including Locanda, Range, Hog and Rocks, and Lolinda. * Wine: Tuesdays = no corkage. Keep in mind you cant stack a 30% off Savored Discount on top of this deal. Thought the wines were pricey and overrated. * Duck Liver Pate - 3.5 STARS: Very tasty pate, but not mind blowing. * Mussels - 4 STARS: Fennel, shallot, lavender, lemon, pastis-chardonnay broth. I wanted to drink the broth. So light and tasty, and perfectly complemented with the bread. * Duck - 4 STARS: Duck confit, twice cooked potatoes, frisee, arugula, sunflower seed, vermouth vinaigrette. Amazing flavor, so delicious. * Steak Frites - 4 STARS: Would have been a solid 5 stars except it was a little chewy, and I wasnt a huge fan of the short overly oily fries. The execution and sauces were incredible though! * Creme Brulee - 4.5 STARS: Blood orange supremes, citrus vanilla syrup, lavender madeleine/ Everyone raves about this more than they should, but dont get me wrong, it was really good! Super creamy and rich but light at the same time. Not one of those super thick and chunky creme brulees. * Panna Cotta - 1 STAR: Topped with melons. Very gelatinous and bouncy panna cotta, and the topping tasted a bit medicinal. Not my favorite dish of the night.
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Mark Brogger
Last night my partner and I did Garcons special Valentines Day $85 prix fixe dinner. We had had a good meal there once before and we excited for a special occasion treat. For the whole restaurant to be put on a set menu, we thought they must be going to pull out all the stops. But no. Theres no other way to put it - it was really bad. In fact, it was a complete rip off. The first "course" for everyone was a croquette. It was a flavorless, dry, mealy ball sitting in some salad dressing. Next I chose gnocchi and my partner had the foie gras. Gnocci as overdone with some pieces burnt, whole cloves of mushy garlic and way too much salt. Partners foie wasnt bad but the brioche toast was hard and stale. Next was the halibut which arrived with asparagus in a greasy mess of a plate. It was also a salt overdose. I could only eat about half. Desserts - creme brulee and a pot de creme were actually good and saved the night from total disaster. The bill will two cocktails each was $230. There was no reason to have a prix fixe menu other than to jack up prices on a traditional dinner out holiday. All the food was probably cooked that morning and warmed up. There is so much better French food in San Francisco. For $72 per person, you can treat yourself to AQ and have an unforgettable meal. I guess Garcon used to be a dependable neighborhood bistro. But that was a long time ago. :(
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Bear Cub
Boy oh boy. Where do I start... Why cant I leave negative stars google? First off, THIS IS NOT A FRENCH CUISINE RESTAURANT. The bartender spoke with a fake accent and had to look at a bartenders app on his phone to make our drinks. Which took him about 10 minutes a drink to make. A grey goose straight up martini which I am 100% sure was not grey goose. I drink them often... On to the fabulous food, Started with a french onion soup. Had better french onion soup from the frozen isle of Safeway. It had zero flavor. Seriously, how can you mess up a french onion soup at a "French Restaurant" Next up was the Coq Au Vin entree. Yuck!!!! Picture a burned tiny little chicken quarter sitting in a bowl of red wine with a few chunks of potatoes and baby carrots. Dead serious... Then came the bill.... A party of 10 of us with a few bottles of wine was well over 1000 dollars. If this is French food then Mexico is the new France! One trip to the bathroom, which is in the kitchen will make you realize there is zero French chefs inside cooking your food.
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Sarah Deming
Ive always walked by Garcon but never gone in. Finally, I decided to try it on a Saturday evening and made a reservation on OpenTable about an hour before. I was glad that I made a reservation because it was packed! And I was absolutely blown away by our meal. From starter to dessert, everything was delicious. I had a fresh heirloom tomato salad, split the steak frittes and duck confit, and finished with this to die for chocolate fondant. The steak was cooked perfectly and the duck was excellent. The chocoate fondant cake was warm and chocolate sauce oozed out. What a treat! I will definitely be returning here. Also great lively but also romantic atmosphere---great place to take a date!
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A Private User
We sat in the cozy rear dining room and enjoyed course after course of sumptuous food. Pate, sweetbreads, duck in gravy and little peppered biscuits, sole, and duck breast and confit duck leg with "dirty rice", a blend of rices cooked with some of the organ meats of the duck. Against all odds, all of the food measured up to the expectations of these two seasoned diners. Exquisite food in a relaxed setting. Way worth the prices, because restaurants with comparable prices have food that lacks the savoriness, detail and finesse of this Mission jewel. French restaurant level service from start to finish. Dont miss it!
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Tina Shaheen
From the moment I came in garçons door I was captivated by the warm lighting, and the Parisian decor. Garçons staff was knowledgable, and friendly. I ordered the Roasted cauliflower soup with truffle creme it was superb! Next came garçons signature duck pâté it was creamy, and the fresh herbs in it made it so flavorful. The entree was garçons Swordfish...Wow it was perfect! Served on a bed of spinach with fresh olives, succulent white beans, and roasted red peppers, it was perfect! I finished the experience with creme brûlée, and garçon did it beautifully. I cant wait to try the whole menu!
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Timea Bara
I absolutely love this place, its my go to French restaurant - granted I live about 3 blocks from it ;-) I love their drinks - great cocktails, good wine and amazing cognac (get a glass of Prunier and ask them to heat up the glass a little) - and I really like their food (my favorites: the sweetbread, truffle cheese, coq au vin, bone marrow). I also just meet up with my friends here quite often, because its a relaxed place to get a drink and some appetizers at the bar before you continue your night elsewhere. Definitely try it if you are in the neighborhood!
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Max Heinritz
Went here for dinner on a Thursday. We walked in without a reservation at ~7:30 and got a cosy table for two in the back room within a few minutes. The server was gracious with the wine recommendations. We split the sea bass and arugula salad. The salads dressing was sweet and the toppings--pistachios, crumbled cheese, and pomegranate seeds--balanced each other perfectly both in flavor and texture. The sometimes bitter flavor of the arugula itself was pleasantly subdued by all that. The sea bass was perfectly golden, moist, and delicious.