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jpierson
(412) reviews
1/19/2008
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Cuisine:
French (New)
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Downtown |
| “ The his and hers (or however you'd like it pitched) nine course tasting menus made for 18 tastes all with wine pairings - with non-reds for the migraine prone birthday girl. The service was outstanding - friendly, personable and knowledgeable. The room was really nice - not entirely expected, but appropriate for the fare. The crowd was up and comers, people being treated like pro athletes despite looking a little too short and fat to be real pro athletes, and new money being belligerent and loud because they must think it's how old money acts in a place like this. No matter - The fish preparations were the best I've had anywhere, period. The Columbia River sturgeon and thai snapper were allowed to present their unique personalities and were not outshined by overly aggressive sauces or sides -wow. The poultry was quite good, as was the lamb and beef. As mentioned, the wine pairings were great - Challenging and imaginative. Masa's really is on par with the best in the city. Recommended! ”
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clubmonacopants
(69) reviews
11/10/2007
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Cuisine:
French (New)
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Downtown |
| “ Wonderfully prepared french menu marred w/ sub-par service in 11/2007. I really thought the food was on par w/ Gary Danko, french Laundry, & Aqua (& less californian). Most memorable courses included luscious butter-poached lobster, succulent medium-rare venison, & velvety chocolate souffle (of 9-course tasting-$150). The reservation policy has become lenient since Masa's culinary heyday. I took advantage of a 1,000 point bonus on opentable.com w/ a opening 5:30 PM reservation on a Tuesday. The door was locked at 5:35 pm. When Masa's opened a few minutes later & we were seated, it was clear they weren't ready to open. The 2 hosts were busily straightening the cutlery & flower vases, even spraying wrinkle releaser on some of the tables' tablecloths. The decorative underlayer on every table was wrinkled. It's easy to justify picking apart the service when you pay dearly for it. The dining experience & delicious food was overshadowed by a rough start & tainted ambiance. ”
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cyberdoggie
(49) reviews
8/31/2006
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Cuisine:
French (New)
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Downtown |
| “ It's a shame that Tenortom blemished Masa's perfect record with a negative without ever having eaten there. His loss.... It's amazing how you can drive by something literally almost daily and not know what it is you're missing. In an unassuming location, this long time 4 star SF restaurant has the look and feel of a restaurant that's comfortably entrenched in delighting diners. We ordered the 6 course meal (adding the foie gras from the 9 course to make 7), along with wine pairings. It was magnificent! Easily one of the top 5 meals of my life. Rather than discuss the food, however, the truly defining thing about Masa's in my mind was that it has the BEST service in San Francisco. Timing was naturally paced, weightstaff knew everything about the dish presented, the sommelier enlightened us about nature of the unusual pairings chosen for each course, and even those whisking away our plates did so with perfect timing. This is a team I'd love to have dinner with again. ”
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tenortom
(138) reviews
12/2/2005
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Cuisine:
French (New)
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Downtown |
| “ Recessionary times have Masa's now offering a $55 3-course early bird menu, 1,000 points on Open Table and no credit card required for reservation. Chef Gregory Short's $105 six-course menu will regale any three-star connoisseur. With stunning intense flavors and imaginative presentations, Masa's cuisine equals and often surpasses our best. Superb soups like fresh green pea broth or the spectacular puree of green onion, remarkable asparagus salad with tangy grapefruit mousse, superlative Hiramasa shabu-shabu, a tribute to the restaurant's eponymous origins. Seared foie gras, crispy & caramelized on the outside, shear divinity inside, true decadence. Tasty prime beef ribeye medallions with superb black barley and parmesan leeks, but the crowning glory, extraordinary Paine Farm Squab, a culinary masterpiece: exquisite breast of squab lined with squab mousseline topped with black truffle, a dish rivaling and surpassing that of the original Robuchon's Jamin in Paris. Simply astonishing. ”
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venguyen
(90) reviews
8/7/2005
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Cuisine:
French (New)
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Downtown |
| “ I had been looking forward to eating at Masa's for the last three years. Billed as one of the best restaurants in the city, I think it fell a little bit short of expectations. Don't get me wrong--the food was very good...but it wasn't spectacular. And for a restaurant that is supposed to be so great, the food should be spectacular. I'd rather save some more money and go back to the french Laundry...or try out Gary Danko.
The wait staff was exceptional. The ribeye wasn't exactly dry, but it should have been juicier. The lobster was the best part. The seared yellowfin was good, but not as tasty as I've had at my neighborhood sushi restaurant. Like I said -- good but not spectacular. I'd spend the money elsewhere. ”
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promotersf
(423) reviews
4/25/2005
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Cuisine:
French (New)
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Downtown |
| “ Billed as one of the best french restaurants, it doesnt' disappoint. This was one of my first fine dining experiences over 20 years ago when I was a kid, but I remember even back then that I enjoyed the tasting menu. Writing this review makes me want to put a Masas on my to do list right now. ”
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wjboring
(180) reviews
4/22/2005
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Cuisine:
French (New)
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Downtown |
| “ Fabulous. Fine french dining at it's best. The details are really what makes this one of the best inteh city, year after year. Pay close attention to these - as they will simply amaze you. The finly crafted vegetable terrine, so thinly sliced, yet maintaining a design - You almost don't want to break it apart. Go for a six or even nine course meal - but go easy - everything's rich and delicate. ”
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xscientist
(223) reviews
4/11/2005
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Cuisine:
French (New)
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Downtown |
| “ Mindblowingly impressive and expensive. Super fine dining, very austere and quiet dining room. There is (or was at least) a secret 13 (!) course chef's tasting menu that you have to request. We (3) made the plunge and not only was it an amazing 13 course journey, but on every course, one of us had something different from the other 2, so they actually prepared us 26 courses (more with the amuse bouche and other suprises). The food is flawless and inventive, truly world class. ”
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Lia
(106) reviews
3/9/2005
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Cuisine:
French (New)
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Downtown |
| “ It had better be a special occassion. But if it is, the food will live up to it. The multi-course menus are deceptive - there's a whole lot of really unique food and wine in these menus. ”
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Joey
(77) reviews
2/13/2005
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Cuisine:
French (New)
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Downtown |
| “ I think its all about presentation. The restaurant is sort of discreet and when you walk in i remember the atmosphere as very ' high class' and the lighting was somewhat dim. There was a group of us that went, so you could imagine, we were all a tad bit louder than their normal crowd. I could see a few people gazing at us with their glasses pulled down on the tip of their nose just glaring at us. Okay well the food was interesting. We chose from one of the dinner that had so many courses...some of the things that i was eating ..i had never tasted before..like squab. The portions were small and it was all presentation, actually this place kind of reminded me of like CHEZTJ in downtown Mt View, though I think i like CHEZTJ much better! It was okay, priced a little high, however our service was very good. ”
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