First off the staff were amazing. Some of the best service I've had anywhere. The atmosphere was warm yet stylish. I had the five course there was nothing I didn't like. The Almond cake was so yummy and I don't normally go for lemon or almond flavors. I will be back. Oh and no sloppy men dining in tee shirts!
The food was amazing as was the service. The only reason I'm giving 3 stars is that I had received a phone call that emphasized the dress code however when I showed up there were other men in sweatpants, sweatshirts, track suits and I was one of maybe 4 that adhered to the dress code that evening. Had I known the dress code was seemingly optional I would have dressed in a casual modern day style approach.Would recommend for the food, and I guess dress codes optional.
We attended a spectacular dinner party at Acquerello. This was an 80th birthday dinner party. It started with wine and appetizers for an hour and then an amazing 6 course dinner. It was very sophisticated and complex. The food was very delicious. It was served very professionally. The dinner party lasted about 4 hours and it was wonderful. The restaurant is very beautiful. It is well located near Union Square.
My wife and I had an amazing experience with the seasonal and vegetable tasting menus. Each dish was unique, well presented, and full of flavor. The staff was attentive and did an excellent job describing each dish to us.My only complaint is just the proximity to the table next to us. It was hard to listen to them complain about every dish and the wine they chose to order while we were having such a nice meal. I know it’s nothing anyone can control but that was the only downside to our night. Luckily they finished before us. I hope to be back in SF again just so I can revisit Acquerello. Thank you for a wonderful experience!
The best Michelin I’ve ever had in SF! The signature pasta dish is to die for. Every dish had outstanding flavor and it kept blowing me away. Would def come back over and over again.
Was here 5 yrs ago for my 10 yrs friendship anniversary with my best friend. The tasting menu is everything everyone been raving about. It's the old school charm that you don't see anymore at some of these upcoming snobby restaurant. Can't wait to take my BFF next week .
Ate here tonight was not worth it would not go back. Had the seasonal tasting menu. Lazy Bear and Sorrel are multiple times better than this (in the 1-2 Michelin star realm). Avoid and find a better spot, unfortunately just not worth it. Tired and not overly interesting food.
Exceptional tasting menu with an equally impressive wine pairing. An elegant experience with highly knowledgeable staff. When we went, the optional caviar course was rather unique, with avocado and a salt and vinegar beef tendon "chip". This was amazing and a refreshing take on a caviar preparation. One of the finest restaurants in San Francisco.
From the moment my wife and I entered Acquerello we were treated like royalty. We were led to a table that was set up with a special anniversary card and printed menus outlining the culinary adventure we about tp partake in. My wife and I selected "A Tasting of Vegetables" set menu with Wine Pairing. Each course was an exquisitely prepared visual masterpiece presented in a way that built excitement for the upcoming explosion of flavors awaiting us. Needless to say we enjoyed ourselves. The dinner was expensive but the overall food and experience was worth it.
Like many of the locals, Acquerello is a successful millennial, just a little over three decades old. It would have been cool to have seen this place before it was converted from a chapel. The history seems to linger with the look, feel, and smells of an older building with the dark wooden beams. We came to celebrate an anniversary with the $150 4-course prix fixe and the $95 wine pairing.We were seated in a cozy little corner and served fresh bread with salt flakes and perfectly wheel shaped pat of butter, which the server informed us is Clover butter. To start, we had a trio of amuse bouches - stuffed olives duck liver mousse, and what I believe were hamachi tarts and olive oil cakes. All were incredibly tasty, and the rest of the dishes were good, but actually did not have as much of an oomph.Carpaccio of Hiramasa, melon, tapioca, fermented pepper -Great! Never thought I'd be eating raw fish with tapioca, but the textures work, similar to that of a poke bowl.Rossotti Ranch vitelo tonnato, caper, Parmesan, olive -Great! Buttery raw slices of veal accompanied with a buttery parmesan cube, an olive and a caper spread.Ridged pasta with faux "foie gras," black truffle, and Marsala -Great! I was most looking forward to the pasta dishes, which were rich and delicious, though not altogether amazing. I would not mistake the creamy sauce for 'faux foie gras' and the 'ridged pasta' resembled rigatoni to me. The black truffle was the best part.On a side note, they kept upselling the truffle, which was kept in an enclosed case. Every time they opened it, the wonderful aroma wafted throughout the restaurant.Cocoa and oxtail ravioli, spiced peanut, crispy leeks -Good! The ravioli, shaped like ridged tartlets, were also rich and tasty, although it is rather on the sweet side. With each successive bite, the sweetness builds.Liberty duck, sour cherry, fennel, smoked honey, black cardamom -Good! Very tender duck with golden brown skin (which could have been crispier) topped with salt flakes, and with crunchy fennel on the side. Sour cherry sauce also added to the sweetness of the meal.Olive oil-poached black bass in saffron and shellfish broth, butter beans, prawn oil -Good! Tender, flaky bass and tasty broth. I actually could have done without the butter beans and the mussels, which were actually a tad overcooked.Affogato - vanilla gelato, Guanajo chocolate, hazelnut, espresso -Great! I didn't expect much from a dish that is typically ice cream and espresso, but this exceeded my expectations. The bittersweet notes from the espresso, chocolate, hazelnut, and gelato were delicious. What put it over the top was actually the dessert wine our sommelier paired it with. It all came together perfectly.Strawberry and pineapple pavlova, lime, mint -Good! This was beautifully plated and the custardy cream and strawberries were wonderful. I wasn't a fan of the candy-like tablets that topped the meringue structure.Petit Fours -Ok! Also beautifully plated, but it didn't do it for me. Madeleines were a bit dense, and the jellies were too sweet.Almond Biscotti -Great! Who doesn't love a take home treat, especially freshly baked almond biscotti? They went great with coffee the next morning.Wine Pairing -Excellent! I can't remember what the wines were, but I remember each glass complemented the dishes so well. The aperitif, which I initially didn't like because it was so exceedingly sweet, was actually delicious with the espresso in the affogato.Food was great, and service was even better, especially our charming sommelier. The wine pairing itself was actually what tied the entire meal together and made the experience worth it.