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| - Great meal, great restaurant, great service.
Hubby & I made reservations a day or so before hand, for a Saturday sitting at 8:00 pm before the 10:00 pm Jay Leno show -- what a great evening, all around.
The host staff was professional, yet welcoming. We arrived a few minutes before our reservation time, and we were seated immediately.
Our waiter greeted us promptly & explained the menu items -- both the prix fixe and the ala carte menu -- and gave us enough time to review & ruminate on the menu while reviewing the wine list and comparing our menu & wine options. We had visited expecting to go with the prix fixe menu, but the ala carte was too tempting & we're not dessert persons -- so that made it easier.
We ended up sharing the Twice-baked Maytag blue cheese souffle & the chef prepared it on two plates for us so we didn't have to fight over it on one plate. The souffle was delicious, and we enjoyed the sourdough bread from the breadbasket for a great starter.
I ordered the prime ribeye -- cooked perfectly as ordered med-rare. It was on a bed of Yukon gold puree with pea sprouts, frisee & arugla. The combination of meat juices with the potato puree on the wilted greens was wonderful. Delicious meat -- tender, flavorful, nicely marbled.
Hubby ordered the South Dakota bison tenderloin -- probably the most beautiful pieces of meat I've ever seen & the presentation was lovely with the chickpeas & onions and greens for garnish. I realize I didn't get a good picture of the tenderloin cuts after he moved the chard & sliced the meat. It was perfectly cooked with a crisp & dark crust and bright pink to red center with the finest grain I've ever seen in a "meaty protein".
We went with a Neal Family 2005 Napa Cab (perfect with the meal), and skipped dessert and coffee -- but we did get a lagniappe of butterscotch pudding in a tall shot glass, topped with whipped cream and pepitas (roasted pumpkin seeds). The perfect size for a dessert for me!
The waitstaff was well trained & very proficient -- the waiter was well spoken & he explained Chef Ogden's philosophy quite well. The support staff (water, bread, bussing, etc) were all timely, yet not obtrusive. The sommelier was interesting & fun to talk with. Did you know they recycle their corks? Wolfgang Puck doesn't (as I found out a few days before).
Total bill pre-tip was $260 - pricey, but well worth it. FYI -- check out the lounge menu too -- there's a smaller prix fixe menu there too.
We'll be in San Francisco at the end of March & will check to see if we can get reservations there.
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