Monday Munchies: Waterbar
'Monday Munchies' returns. Yay! Also, if you can't afford to eat / be seen at Waterbar, calm down and listen: We have a review of Jollibee's, ready for your reading pleasure later this week. Until then, enjoy this.
by Tiffany Maleshefsk
The very ritzy-ish Waterbar, normally way out of our wallet’s reach, offers a prix fixe menu on Mondays called Shellfish & Champagne. And their prix fixe menu, which is billed as a "deal" even though it's still out of reach for many of us, is a tad more reasonable. For $60, eaters get three courses and three flutes of champagne. Or, go for the bargain-basement deal three courses for $40 (sans champagne).
We recently tested out the Shellfish & Champagne menu when the shellfish of the evening was Dungeness crab (our absolute favorite). And to keep things interesting, we brought a pal who didn’t need to restrict herself to the prix fixe menu.
Here’s a blow-by-blow of how the meal went down.
Prix fixe appetizer: Crisp Dungeness Crab Cake with avocado, arugula, and roasted corn salsa. Now, most crab cake fans know the risk of ordering this yummy dish is a small portion for a lot of money. Or, it’s so overcooked you’d have been better off getting the shrimp basket. So we were pleased to be served a very generous-sized crab cake just we like’em: a thick layer of fried crust that gives way to a lovely pocket of moist, crab. Normally, this appetizer alone would’ve cost us $17.
Full-price appetizer: Yellowtail Ceviche with avocado mousseline and fried hominy. ($14). Though this appetizer was reasonably palatable, it was no match for the crab cake. Sure, the yellowtail was tender. The creamy mousse and crispy hominy was magical. Yet, the crab cake simply beat it in terms of satisfaction.
Victor: Crab cake. Hands down.
Prix fixe entrée: Dungeness Crab Ciopinno. Ciopinno is a tough dish to pull off. Like all of the best dishes that have ever existed, ciopinno is nothing more than a fish stew, no doubt born of the leftovers of an Italian kitchen. Waterbar’s take on this classic is admirable. The tomato broth was heartier and thicker than most recipes we’ve had, but we liked it.
Full-price entrée: Grilled Wreckfish ($32) with spinach, ceci beans, and cherry tomato. It’s almost unfair to compare these two. Ours had so many flavors with every spoonful, and the wreckfish was just bland in comparison. If you want something very light that made you feel you made a healthy choice that evening, then the wreckfish would be the way to go.
Winner: Cioppinno.
Prix fixe dessert: Almond Citrus Cake with ricotta cream with blueberry coulis. Well, the first few bites were alright. It’s smart to choose a lighter dessert to pair with crab, since crab is so darn rich.
Full-price dessert: Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream Bomb ($10). Read: Ice cream pie. Yes, this is cherry vanilla ice cream in a graham cracker almond crust. We tried one bite and were just sad about the whole citrus cake thing.
Winner: Cherry Vanilla Ice Cream Bomb
Conclusion: The Monday night menu does not mean you’re restricted to the restaurant’s worst sellers. In fact, it beat out the regular menu on two of the three entrees. We estimate our meal would’ve cost us around $60 (food only). Plus, the deal on the liquor is hard to beat as well. The average glass of champagne at Waterbar is $15 a flute. And hello, awesome view to boot!
How good of a deal is this? Well, the average cost of a single entrée is $40, so the opportunity to pad it with a starter and dessert for the same amount of money is a pretty juicy deal.
Tonight’s menu: Diver Scallop Carpaccio (served with tomato water, Thai basil), Pacific Oyster Stew, Summer Berry Crips.
July 13 menu: Top Neck Clam Salad, chilled, served with tomato concassé, lemon, tarragon. Pan Steamed Shellfish, prepared Bouillabaisse style, Nectarine Cobbler, with brown sugar Chantilly sauce.
Not into shellfish, but still want to try Waterbar on the cheap?
Sunday through Thursday, the restaurant also does a “down-the-line” three-course menu for $40 per person. Diner’s can also pair a bottle of red or white wine with their meal for $20.
Waterbar
Hours: Lunch, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Saturday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dinner, Mondays through Sundays, 5:30 to 10 p.m
399 The Embarcadero South
For reservation call (415) 284-9922 or visit www.waterbarsf.com