Boulevard Revisited

Whenever a friend or acquaintance has asked me for suggestions on places to eat in San Francisco, my first suggestion is almost always Boulevard.  It has a classic, old-school feel with a modern and wide-ranging menu.  The service is excellent, food is always very good.  I love the counter seating where you can see the chefs preparing all the delicious dishes right in front of you.  I decided to revisit the restaurant recently to see if my first review was on the mark.

First off, if I were to have rated Boulevard on my first visit alone, I probably would have given a grade in the mid to high 90s on a 100-point scale.  But that is the importance of a lot of these restaurants that I visit.  To really be at the top, they have to perform each and every time.  Many of the places I have visited more than once; others I figure I will visit again and just add on to what I have already written.  In the case of Boulevard, something was just a little off on my second visit.  Although I would still rate it highly on my list, there is still room for improvement.

Visit #1

I have a link to my longer review of Boulevard here.  Just to recap, my first visit was one of those days where I was just starting my new job in San Francisco and wanted to reward myself.  I had wanted to go to Boulevard for awhile, having heard so many great things about the place.  I immediately got a seat at the counter in front of the open kitchen and was just wowed from start to finish.  The service was absolutely impeccable, from the hostess to my server.  I never felt like I had to ask for anything, I felt like the timing of the meal was perfect, dishes came out at a good pace, wine and water were filled when necessary.  It didn’t feel like they were hovering over me, but just paid great attention to detail.  And the food was an absolute home run!  The buffalo carpaccio appetizer was perfect.   Thinly cut slices of meat, melt in your mouth goodness.  The pork prime rib chop was cooked to perfection.  So much flavor and tenderness in the meat.  Sitting at the counter, it was absolutely amazing watching the chefs at work.  It really seemed like a very organized, well-run assembly line as they prepared each dish.  Although you could see possible chaos, they all handled it with aplomb, cool as a cucumber.  From start to finish, I really enjoyed everything about the meal.

Visit #2

My next visit occurred recently after work.  I have wanted to try it again just to see if it held up to all of my hype and it really was as good as it seemed.  I again was seated at the counter in front of the kitchen, ironically in the same exact seat.  The hostess was very pleasant when greeting and seating me.  My server was excellent as well.  I ordered a glass of vino and decided to get the heirloom tomatoes and game hen.  I definitely wanted to try two completely different dishes to get the full effect of the menu.  Before getting to the dishes, I love the bread here.  It is so fresh, the butter has a touch of sea salt on it, I love the fact that they have the bread hanging from a wall near the kitchen.  It may sound funny, but really good bread can add so much to a dining experience.  It is usually the first thing you eat and should leave a good first impression.

Heirloom Tomatoes & Italian Bufala Mozzarella

The heirloom tomatoes were excellent.  Served with arugula and mozzarella cheese, it was a nice, refreshing dish.  But it just didn’t knock my socks off like the buffalo carpaccio did on my first visit.  It was a very satisfying dish, just missing something that I can’t put my finger on.  

Field to Family Cornish Game Hen

The Cornish Game Hen was up next.  This was cooked perfectly, prepared with roasted baby artichokes and a truffled artichoke puree, polenta fritta, scaglizzoli and spigarello and chard with garlic.  I loved the fact that they separated the pieces of meat, the pan roasted breast and stuffed leg, both of which were excellent.  It didn’t quite match up to the pork prime rib chop, but was very close.  The meat was tender and juicy.  It was another winner in my book.

It was getting late, but I felt I had to try a dessert since I failed to last time.  I had the apple tart with sorbet and a glass of Moscato.  After stuffing yourself with dinner, the dessert menu is just like a little devil on your shoulder poking and prodding at you for more gluttony.  But it was so good!  Absolutely prepared to perfection.  Great end to the meal.

Now my complaints.  For some reason, it was jam-packed when I went it.  It must have been about 8-8:30 on a Thursday night.  This didn’t severely affect the service, but I felt like there was less attention to detail than in my first visit.  Someone grabbed my fork after one of the dishes and failed to replace it when my next dish arrived.  I heard from the staff that several dishes were returned because they were either too salty or not cooked properly.  I don’t know, maybe it was the fact that they were slammed, but everything seemed just slightly off.

I would still suggest Boulevard to my friends.  It is pricey, but comes with great food and service.

Boulevard is located at One Mission Street in San Francisco.  The restaurant is open for lunch Monday-Friday from 11:30-2:00, dinner Sunday-Thusday from 5:30-10:00 and Friday and Saturday from 5:30-10:30.

Phone number: (415) 543-6084

Prices: 

Appetizers: $14-27

Entrees: $26-40

Desserts: $3.50-11