Zazie

Reviews 4

PE

Penn Appétit

This past Spring Break, I ventured to San Francisco, a city of plentiful sunshine, picturesque bayviews, hilly neighborhoods, and of course, exquisite cuisine. Of the different places I dined at, Zazie, a French bistro tucked in the residential Cole Valley, was definitely the most outstanding. Zazies unique moniker is derived from its namesake movie from the 1960s Zazie dans le metro - a film about an intrepid young girl from provincial France visiting her uncle in Paris. In an oddly contrary spirit, stepping into Zazie from the streets of San Francisco feels like being transported from a bustling metropolitan city into a small-town, local bistro. The cozy bistro is along a nondescript row of shops on a mixed-use street that boasts a laundromat, car mechanic workshop, and a liquor store nearby. How much more residential can you get? Its perfectly camouflaged among these neighborhood shops. The interior is not fancy at all - exposed wall with posters, narrow tables for elbow-to-elbow dining, and a charming garden patio with more seating past the kitchen area. It feels almost like dining at a close friends home rather than a restaurant. Our party started with a sampler of three appetizers (beet and avocado salad with gorgonzola vinaigrette, chicken liver and brandy pate on grilled garlic bread, and spinach and walnut salad with balsamic vinaigrette) as well as a separate order of mussels, steamed with white wine and garlic. Each of these was a delightful play on the palate - the smooth creamy texture of the pate, paired off with the crunchy spinach and walnut salad, followed by the aromatic succulence of steamed mussels, and not forgetting the sweetness of the beet salad. The plating was simple, nothing was overdone, and we could be very well have been somewhere on the Mediterranean coast. For the entrees, we had the Cassoulet Pialat, a hearty peasant meal originating from southern France near the Toulouse region. This was similar to a duck confit casserole, slowly stewed with beans, vegetables, and sausages. It was deliciously tender and juicy, with the duck meat literally falling off the bone. We also tried the Black Truffle Ravioli, cooked al dente with wild mushroom, white wine, garlic and parmesan cheese. It was exquisitely creamy and paired really well with the shavings of black truffle. The desserts at Zazie definitely stole the show. We had the Baked Chocolat Chaud - a soup mug worth of baked molten chocolate topped with a crown of golden-brown toasted marshmallows. We could even smell the caramel from the marshmallows. If this doesnt give you a sugar rush, nothing else will! We also ordered the combination of Pot de Creme du Chocolat (chilled chocolate cream) and Creme Brulee which could be veritable dessert sizes individually. What better way to end the dining experience with a shot of decaf espresso. So when you next travel west to San Francisco for a culinary vacation, Zazie should be at least one of your stops . . . as long as you keep this our little secret. --drandytan

EL

Elisa Lou

Ive tried to eat here a few times during the weekends with other groups, but usually the wait time is ridiculous (as a result we would walk over to Bambinos or Crepes on Cole as there arent many other choices in Cole Valley). Going in on a weekday for brunch is the best idea. We wrote our name down around 1130 and got a table for 2 within 15m, so there wasnt much of a wait! We split the French Toast Tahiti and Smoked Salmon poached eggs. Both were delicious and filling. The prices are moderate and the service is great. As others have pointed out, it is tip free as they do pay their employees a living wage and offer them health insurance, so that balances out the higher than normal prices, I suppose. I dont think the weekend brunch waits are worth it (especially with so many other brunch options in the city), but I recommend going to Zazie on a weekday. I also went to Zazie recently for dinner, group of 6. Yes they take reservations for dinner! Though the menu is completely different. We had the benefit of sitting in their outdoor area, which I did not even know existed. It was beautifully lit and very warm with the heat lamps despite the cold temperatures that evening, though it did rain pretty heavily that night and we started to feel tiny droplets fall on us at some point. There are some great cocktail options on the menu, I had the Greyhound which was delicious. I had the beef bourguignon which was alright, Ive had one home cooked that tasted much more fresh and aromatic than the one at Zazie. Dessert: the portions are large for dessert so definitely consider sharing. The baked hot chocolate Id interesting though it just tastes like chocolate sauce. The creme brulee was great. The dinner menu items are really pricey for the not so high end experience, but again, no tip was necessary. Overall we had a great time here, and we are glad they let us stay slightly past closing as we socialized for several hours.

JO

Johnny Wang

One of the few times Ive knowingly agreed to visit a brunch place known to have over hour long waits, because I figured, hey, I was in good company. Now, while the latter was true, the wait still sucked, and, with waits like this, the expectations are raised exponentially. We ended up getting a smattering of dishes (to compensate for the long wait, in a way), including: * Brunch Flight (Challah French Toast, Lemon Ricotta Pancake, Gingerbread Pancake) - A little something our waiter helped put together for us to help us save a few bucks, since we were ordering one of each of these anyway. The Challah French toast had good texture, but was on the bland side (especially compared to the Tahiti), while the pancakes were both enjoyable, but slightly denser and sweeter than I would have preferred. * French Toast Tahiti - On first bite and impression, the Tahiti is a pretty tasty dish. By the second bite though, you start to find that its a bit too sweet (even without the additional syrup), and a bit too mushy, with very little to offset the softness of both the toast and the bananas. * Albert Eggs Benedict - Maybe I just like my savory foods more, but this was definitely the best of the bunch. Even then though, I found it a bit lacking. Also, I think this is the first time Ive ever had shredded, unmelted cheese on a benedict. So, in the end, nothing really wowed me. If not for the wait, Zazie is easily 3 stars, but, for an an hour and a half, the food better be outstanding. In the case of Zazie, I cant in good conscience bring myself here again when there are tastier, shorter options elsewhere. ***Accessibility Info*** Venue - The venue is a bit on the tighter side, with tables arranged in such a way that theyre not all accessible. That said, theres enough accessible seating that you shouldnt face any issues. Bathroom - Didnt try them.

AD

Adam Lasnik

Delicious food, decent service, but long wait for brunch and tight inside quarters. THUMBS UP: - Brunch was super-tasty! Eggs benedicts were very flavorful, with generous amounts of crab and shrimp in the benedicts my friend and I had. House-made habanero sauce was great! And the potatoes were cooked and seasoned perfectly! - Service (once seated) was prompt and efficient. And I liked that it wasnt the sort of buddy-buddy fawning that so annoys me when Im just trying to enjoy my friend(s) and food. Waitstaff should be professional and helpful and then get out of the way, and at Zazie, thats what you get. - No tipping, and waitstaff is paid a consistent, living wage with full benefits. I LOVE THIS! It results in a more comfortable, genuine relationship between customer and waitstaff and, more importantly, its awesome knowing that the waitstaff is treated with respect and not dependent on the capriciousness of which customers they get or what they order. THUMBS DOWN: - One tiny bathroom and a long wait for it :( - No fresh-squeezed juice? Bummer. - Seating insides a bit tight. And the table my friend and I got wasnt heavy enough or set with enough friction against the floor, which meant that even light brushes with our feet would swivel the table :(. - And, as everyones noted, long, long waits (easily an hour+ for brunch). --- So why 5 stars, given the downsides? Well, the positives very much outweigh the negatives in my opinion. Great food, staff treated well, and no tipping... those are powerful pluses in my book. And Ill definitely plan on going back to Zazie. Cant wait to try some of the pancakes or french toast or scrambles. And, as another reviewer noted, I hear that the dinners are apparently great, too!