Chez Papa Bistrot
1401 18th Street
San Francisco
Tel: 415 824 8210
| Monday night and 18th Street restaurants were packed with uber hipsters tucking into Italian, Moroccan and French food. We snuck in without making a reservation but that's most *unadvisable* for any other night of the week. The deep red walls and closely packed tables make Chez Papa super cozy. The people watching is entertaining. And the food from the South of France is still tasty. You have a large choice of small plates as well as larger mains. We stuck with sampling a number of the small plates tucking into a few of the salads. The beet--golden and red--and green bean was my favorite. Thumbs up on the solid mussels laced with garlic which were perfect for dunking bread into. Our neighbors seemed particularly happy with their filet and bay scallops. (5/24/04) SMB |
SS was all excited to go to Chez Papa the other night. Back to Chez Papa. She'd already eaten there LAST week. And here she was itching to go again. In a city that has a plethora of eateries. Thankfully, she made reservations. It's popular with the swankiest of the chic, pointy shoe-wearers, and women who age gracefully.
Any restaurant in this city that is optimistic enough to put tables outside immediately bags a warm spot in my memory. As if that wasn't enough, the food was tasty too. It's French bistro fare gone a little upscale. For starters we shared a couple of dishes. My choice was the beef tartar (still on the meat kick). It was good. It didn't blow me away. But it had a bite with some Worcestershire sauce, capers and Dijon scrambled into it with a marble of a quail egg to hold it all together. The beef tartar at Le Petit Robert is better though. I'm relieved to see that dining out doesn't need to involve a PC menu. Amsterdam G ordered the Marseilles mussels. Mussels are always good to me, they're hard to screw up as long as they are fresh and some garlic is involved. And Marseilles must be the flavour of the month; I've noticed a few recent mag articles on the food in Marseilles. Tasty AND of the moment! Starters are in the $7-$12 range.
For mains we had the ahi, roasted chickie, and seafood pot au feu. All solid, tasty, good-for-the-soul fare. Great for the meat and fish lovers, not so good for the veggies. Mains were $16-$24.
It's a pleasantly noisy restaurant. Waitresses (the coolest possible ones, I might add---really, they *look* cool) rush to and fro, and you're heaped up against the table next to you. I love that. Not the place to discuss your trade secrets. But definitely a place to go for some delicious French comfort food.
The restaurant is also open for lunch. Nice option for escaping SOMA.
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