We had the largest turn out to date for the Nov ’08 DASF at the Academy of Science’s Moss Room. The group included two first timers (Niaz and Patricia’s friend Norbert). Rounding out the group: the Phans, the Minns, the Klinkes, the Curries, Jen and Erol (back for the 2nd DASF), Patricia, Lehman and Jason. We also celebrated the Klinkes’ 5th Anniversary party…congrats again!
We had our very own private all glass room (the fish bowl) with views of the dining room, the Moss wall, kitchen and wine cellar. The Moss Room is a collaboration effort by two well known Bay area chefs, Charles Phan of the Slanted Door and Loretta Keller of CoCo500 and Bizou. The cuisine is contemporary Californian and they use only sustainable seafood and local, seasonal organic produce. The food was very solid but the service could use some refinement. Read more below.
Food = 85
Excellent salads and appetizers. The persimmon, dates, endives and radicchio salad was creative and definitely very fall. The sweetbread was light, crispy and nicely flavored. The Bavette steak was a big hit for everyone. So was the whole oven roasted Branzinos (one of my personal favorite fishes). Between, Niaz and I, the Branzinos were eaten to the bones. Every dish was simple and solid, nothing spectacular. The Biodynamic wine was interesting and decent but not at $100 a pop – definitely a novel marketing concept. All the desserts were pretty good…including the Chocolate Truffle Torte from Schubert Bakery.
Atmosphere = 87
The mossy wall dominates the room. In addition to serving as a decorative element, it also help keeps the underground room (no windows) fresh by converting the carbon dioxide we exhale into fresh oxygen. They could have chosen a better table (more rounded or oval) for the private room instead of the skinny long table. The rooms felt a little cold but that’s because the tables had no table cloths (because it takes water and energy to wash them). High marks for the hand dryer in the bathroom.
Service = 78
The service here still has plenty of room to improve. Our waitress was friendly and pleasant but she was definitely overwhelmed by the size of our party. At times, she seemed flustered and lost. I had to remind her a few times of things missing or need replacing. The rest of the support staff did a decent job.
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