"Where-To-Wednesday" Adventures: October 2011

I'm not sure if you all remember, but Summer came last week. Yes...I know, you're shaking your head, if not from the pouring rain on top of it, from the cloudiness your mind is experiencing trying to remember what nice weather felt like. Think hard and take the journey with me back to the day Summer arrived...and then left. Yes: Wednesday..it’s all coming back, right? 9/28. And what better day to ring in Summer and then kiss it good-bye, than with an outdoor patio to soak in the warm weather and sun, with crisp white wine and gobs and gobs of food…the entire menu to be exact. (Come on, we’re an equal opportunity tasting crew). Cue Bar Agricole, whose sly facade in the heart of SOMA, called us hither to bask in the warmth of the day with good friends. Many thanks to Terra for planning this installment of Where-To-Wednesday, that myself, Lindsay, Jocelyn, Elizabeth, Becky and Melissa enjoyed. So, was the food as hot as the warm Summer night? Read on fellow tasters, to see how Bar Agricole tipped the 0/10 scale.

Ambiance 9: It never happens. The warm, summer days we can spend outside…at night…relaxing amidst a warm summer breeze, that is; a nod towards Mr. Twain as he reminds us why we instead don parkas every day. So, when hell freezes over and San Francisco doesn’t, what are the chances that we’re able to have time to soak in the weather and the perfect place do it? Apparently last week, our chances hit 100%. Grazie, Terra! We hit the jackpot with the ambiance here, as we were seated at communal tables outside in a hidden cove from the street side. And the beauty of this place? With a canopy above along with heat lamps that were just installed above each set of tables, we can sit back and pretend Summer never left…and never will. Overall, Bar Agricole was very modern – the inside housing two bars with booth seating against each side. The outside continued the modern feel, with wood paneling laden with tiny lights encapsulating us in the outdoor nook, as a fountain bubbled in the background amidst the mild chatter. The only issue? The chairs. Come on people, pad those chairs. Make us want to stay longer without our butts numbing up on us. Just a mild suggestion. Ahem.

Wine 7.5: Just once, I’d like to walk into a restaurant and be greeted with a wine tasting, to prep my palate for the best selections with my meal to come. Are we in agreement? I feel your nods. And I say this because, let’s be honest, with so many options to choose from and only so many realistic rounds throughout the night to try them…there are times where you just miss the winners. With a full book of wine options, I’m sure there are some gold medals in there. But based upon our selection and the recos we received, we drank…good options…not great. Not even ribbon-worthy. And try we did. From a crisp, effervescent Benito Santos, to a forgettable rosé, to yet another white that I sadly didn’t even bother to write down in an effort to try to erase how blah it was…our options suffered, to say the least. But, not to worry, I’m sure there are better options in that huge wine book. So if you’re a’comin, come thirsty and get your taste on.

Food 7.5: I’ll say it. If I was grading this alone, the score would be lower. Much lower. But alas, it’s a group effort and Bar Agricole, the curve is your friend. Typically, when we order at restaurants, we all pick a dish that speaks to us, and then share with everyone family style. This time…we ordered just about every entrée on the menu..because..why not? The menu is situated a little oddly – the appetizers are on the top, and the entrees are below it. Or they would have you believe. For there are also appetizer-sized entrees hidden in the entrée list…wearing the disguise of a larger dish, only to yell “surprise!” when they arrive. Well played menu..well played.

- Duck Confit Salad: Case in point. My first thought when this arrived around the table was that the duck was cold…very cold. Delicious…but cold. It was only when we discussed this after eating, that I realized this had been part of a salad. Hence the disguise…little salad. Regardless of the size, this dish was excellent with a very nice consistency. Topped with soft white cannellini beans, juicy snappy tomatoes and crunchy arugula, the blend of varying texture made for a winning combo. Just order two.

- Cheese Plate: Hardly enough cheese for one mouse, let alone a group of 7 girls. It was good – and included Taleggio and Abbaye de Belloc (two of my personal favorites), but for 18 bucks and so little cheese…skip.

- Raw Albacore: Delicate and delicious – the albacore was perfect. The dipping sauce accompanying it was a perfect match, with a hint of garlic and a gritty consistency – pairing well with the albacore.

- Roasted Peppers: I can include the fancy shmancy names of peppers that were included in this dish, such as pardon, gypsy, jimmy nardello…but at the end of the day…this just tasted like a pepper. A small, lifeless, tasteless…oh, and seed-infested pepper. I think I may have also tasted a grain of salt…but, that could have been a leftover from the previous dish. Either way, fail.

- Grilled Squid: To say this was charred would be an understatement. A more accurate description would be: burnt. to. a. crisp. The waitress was nice enough to take this back to the kitchen, but when she asked if we wanted another one…with the taste of expired fire in our mouths still ringing true, we passed.

- Ling Cod: Delicately cooked, the buttery fish melted into your mouth – delicious! I could have feasted on this all night. A must-have on the menu.

- Half Chicken: Super moist and juicy – with almost a hint of spice to kick it up a notch – this dish was delectable. Served with creamed corn that gave it the buttery touch that makes your tummy feel warm and cozy inside, this one was a winner.

- Spaghetti: Okay, I’m noticing a little trend here. Butter seems to be getting a lot of playing time in this restaurant. It’s accompanying most of the dishes, and taking center stage which I honestly didn’t mind…until the spaghetti. Let’s get one thing straight – butter is good. It sure is. But it’s not the answer to cure any and every bland dish. The spaghetti was average, cooked very al dente, and topped with basil, plum tomatoes and garlicky, yes…. “buttery” sauce. People! Butter won’t solve your problems! Enough butter..try a tomato-based sauce, try…anything.

- Wood Oven ~~Burnt~~ Roasted Eggplant: I think you get the hint. If not, the picture below is worth the thousand words I don’t want to write about it.

And now…the part we’ve all been waiting for. The best part of every meal, no matter how full you thought you were before the topic came up: dessert!

Now, as it turns out, mine and Becky’s birthdays are right around the corner and the girls were thoughtful enough to order a surprise birthday dessert for us. Knowing what really hits the spot, they asked for chocolate. Sound the horns, bang the drums…it’s now time for….wait for it, wait for it….the second rendition of the “Seriously?” Segment of Where-To-Wednesday. When requesting a chocolate “anything” dessert to celebrate, they were told, and I quote “chocolate isn’t in season.” Seriously? We’re not talking about white shoes after Labor Day here. Not in season? Seriously? What kind of ignorant statement is that? Have they rustled up their own little cocoa tree in the back, crossing their fingers that somehow outside of the 15 degrees from the Equator that cocoa is actually grown, that try as they might they will grow their own? Seriously? Is Hershey silently working miracles over there every day? Are Twix, Snickers, and Butterfinger all secretly cohorting together to utilize what must be, the world’s only supply of chocolate? Seriously? Were the ten blocks to walk all the way to the world renown master of chocolate: Ghirardelli, who has also somehow miraculously found the secret elixir to create endless chocolate, too much to muster for the servers here? (spoiler alert for more to come on the server note). Seriously? I think not. Come on people.* Insert very sad head shake.*

Price 9: After ordering a ton of food and wine, the dinner was actually very affordable. Under sixty bucks each, it even left us with enough money to buy our own chocolate. Zing! You knew that was coming.

Noise Level 9: With the communal tables and busy outside area, we could have easily been overpowered by other groups and conversations. But we weren’t! And with a group our size, we have to spread down the table a bit, and even with that issue, we were still very easily able to hear each other and carry on a discussion with the whole group of girls.

Service 4: At the end of the meal, we should have been served breakfast. We had been there for so long, with the dishes coming out just about as often as a cocoa bean was appearing on the tree out back. And…it couldn’t be the kitchen, unless they were cooking up the bottles of wine as well – for we waited on average, about ten to fifteen minutes for every bottle of wine we ordered. Do the math. We spent more time waiting for things to arrive than we did consuming them. And you know what? I think it’s time, once again, for yet another rendition of “Seriously?” Yes, big night tonight folks. As you can all deduce from the postings, we take a picture of our group at each outing. And as advanced as the cameras have become, they still haven’t found a way to walk themselves in front of the table and snap a picture. Technology is so slow. Therefore, we typically ask someone at the restaurant to take the picture for us. So, when a gentleman came by to drop off wine glasses for the bottle of wine we ordered, and would continue to wait for, we asked him to please take a picture for us. And his response…are you ready for this? Tell me, are…you...ready??? “I’d love to, but I’m really busy.” Slap in the face. Seriously? Okay, let’s be honest here. How long does snapping a photo really take? 6…maybe 7 seconds if you just climbed out from under a rock and don’t know how to press a button? So, you mean to tell me, you can’t take 7 seconds out of your wine-glass delivering schedule to take a picture? Seriously? And you’re in the service industry? What are you, the slowest wine-glass deliverer that you can't spare a second...excuse me, 6 of them? Come on mister. That would be like you asking for a tip and me saying I’m too busy. Zing! Very zing.

Special note: big props to the manager Ben who made an exception for us with a 7pm reservation (take note Boxing Room!), and even found room for us outside. A+ Ben!

All About The Area: SOMA – all work and not much play…unless you're hitting the main stream areas such as 2nd/3rd street or by the ballpark, laden with flourishing businesses and thriving restaurants and bars. Then yes, play on my friend. But steer clear of the seemingly desolate streets that run under highways, full of shopping carts...and no place to shop nearby. As for the other side of SOMA...it's a little hit or miss. And my vote, is to miss. And for good reason, 11st street isn’t exactly the go-to destination of the SOMA area. Sure, the street holds the home address to a few other restaurants and bars, among them Slims, Butter and DNA Lounge...hmmm...you know what I'm thinking; I'm not even going to say it. But hey, a lot of these places are popular islands, so don’t let me stop you from having your fun. My advice? Select carefully, plan ahead, and valet.

Overall Grade: 7.6

Where will we go next? You excited little reader you, you’ll just have to wait and see! Or come along next time – just contact any of us to join. Don’t want to join but have something to share? Comments welcome! Unless they’re mean…then keep them to yourself.