SFist Eats: Urban Tavern
By Tiffany Maleshefski
Let’s get this out of the way right now: Urban Tavern, the new eatery brought to you by wunderchef Laurent Manrique and restaurateur Chris Condy (together they are C&L Partners) has got to step up its service. That is, if it’s going to survive among San Francisco’s already flush hoity-toity restaurant scene.
The staff, though friendly enough, is sloooooooww. Painfully slow. For reals, we’ve had better service at the nearby Cheesecake Factory.
The good news is the food overall is quite outstanding. While I was expecting dressed up helpings of Shepherd’s Pie and Fish and Chips, what I got was heaps of southern French comfort food that Francophiles and ex-pats alike will coo over.
We started out with the Pissaladiere ($11), a delicious tart covered with kalamata olives, grilled sardines, and caramelized onions. These tarts are the equivalent of hot dogs or pretzels in places like Nice and can be bought from roadside vendors. Though served in a more sophisticated element, the tart doesn’t lose its hearty appeal. Our other starter, the Goat Cheese ($13) is a yummy, generous dollop of creamy goodness served on roasted beets and sprinkled with walnuts and cumin vinaigrette. The dish was refreshing enough for sure, and though a common sight on a lot of menus these days, was executed perfectly.
Moving on to the entrees, the Chicken "Bouillabaisse" Style, which can be ordered to serve 1, 2, or 4 people ($19, $38, $72, respectively) was downright dreamy. Now lovers of this dish know traditional bouillabaisse is essentially fish stew, but here in its chicken incarnation, it is still heavenly. The broth was light, but almost creamy as if it were a curry, which is the saffron coming through. (I wanted to ask for a wine glass to drink the last drop of broth.) The chicken was tender, moist, yet a little hard to eat, but who the hell cares when you really want to suck every bone hollow.
The grilled Halibut ($23), however, which we ordered with the citrus and saffron vinaigrette, was on the bland side. Most of Laurent Manrique's menu here is designed to be a la carte. Though most entrees come with a choice of one sauce or vinaigrette, folks can order additional sides: a gravy boat of sauce or vinaigrette at $3 a pop.
Part of that a la carte design includes the menu's side dishes. Since the main courses don’t come with sides, you have to order them separately (which is kind of a ball-breaker). Each side is $4. We ordered the Spinach Parmesan Gratin, Tomatoes Amandine, and "Paillasson" Potatoes (that is to say, a fried potato tart), with our favorite being the spinach. Even though many restaurants have the tendency to make the spinach element of the parmigiano-reggiano irrelevant, Urban Tavern maintains the firm texture of the spinach leaves, without sacrificing the creaminess that the cheese adds to this dish.
Dessert was also a high note. We ordered an apple and pear cobbler drenched in caramel. If we weren’t so full would’ve picked up and orally copulated the plate.
All in all, Urban Tavern isn't a miss, but it isn't the hit it wants to be either. For the price you pay, the atmosphere, which is definitely on the austere side, and the existing service would probably drive most diners to take their hard-earned dollars elsewhere. Though it is technically a part of the Hilton Hotel (the one on O'Farrell Street in Union Square), the restaurant has its own dedicated entrance. Still, it feels like your typical hotel restaurant: bereft of the coziness, and in this case, missing the tavern-ish element its title boasts. But with some interior tinkering and a pep rally for the staff, Urban Tavern could work its way into the hearts and minds of tourists and residents alike.
Urban Tavern
333 O'Farrell Street
(Next to the Hilton, San Francisco)
6:30 am - 11:00 am Breakfast
11:30 am - 2:30 pm Lunch
5:30 pm - 10:00 pm Dinner
meet [at] UrbanTavernSF [dot] com
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