Winterland Restaurant...

Last night, C & I tried Winterland Restaurant.

The entry into the restaurant is a large but sexy lounge, with orange ottomans, steel art fixtures and bright red walls. The restaurant tables are to the right, with maybe 60 or 70 seats. We were seated promptly, but it took about 10 minutes to get our waiter's attention.

We each ordered a glass of Gruet Blanc de Noirs ($7), which is a lovely sparkling wine. I was kind of put off when our waiter pointedly "corrected" my pronunciation (Groo-ay) and said, "OK, two glasses of the Groo-ett, then?" (He would commit the same faux pas again, when I ordered a bottle of '01 Domaine Joblot Givry ($55) and he would "correct" me to Give-ree.)

As we turned our attention to the menu, C & I both felt that the typeface used made it really hard to read... despite that, the offerings were intriguing, and we settled on a few choices. Our waiter was quite helpful when I was torn between a few dishes, and didn't automatically recommend the most expensive dish.

We were brought an amuse-bouche of Beet Gelee with Golden Beet Puree & Goat Cheese, which we found delightful. First, Winterland is not the type of place you expect amuses and mignardises, but we got both. Second, the flavors were just strong enough to intrigue, without being too overwhelming so early in the meal. The texture of the gelee was softer than I'm used to, in a nice way.

Next, we shared a bowl of Jerusalem Artichoke Soup with Confit Duck and Poached Quail Egg ($8). I watched as our waiter picked up the pitcher and bowls, and headed to our table only to see our empty amuse dishes still in front of us. He found another staffer to clear those dishes, and he first set one bowl in front of C, and another in front of me - at that point, he realized that only one bowl was prepped with the confit/egg/pear that the soup should be poured over, so he said, "Do you guys just want to eat out of one bowl?" Well, yes, we did, but we didn't like the awkward way it was presented as a "non-option".

The soup itself was fabulous - it's amazing to me how Chef Morales is able to take what are normally very strong, overpowering flavors and make them somehow more subtle - the smoky confit, along with the egg and diced bits of pear were a stellar partner to the delicate soup.

Having just barely finished our soup, our next dishes were brought out. C's Poached Organic Egg in Asparagus Broth, Bacon Ice Cream & Parmegiano Reggiano ($9) was startling - the broth was topped with asparagus foam, and the ice cream was simply delicious. A beautiful pairing of traditional flavors with the most unusual textures.

My Skate Wing Roasted with Hazelnuts, Brown Butter Sauce & Spring Mix Salad ($12) was my single favorite dish of the night. Skate is notoriously easy to overcook, and I've never had a piece so moist and delicate. The sauce was delectable, and the small kumquat peels filled with kumquat gelee were amazing with the fish & sauce. The salad was dressed with hazelnut oil, and made a lovely compliment to the fish (even if the single slice of small sour pickle on top made me scratch my head... Perhaps my palate just isn't refined enough?).

We had a bit of a wait before our mains, and inexplicably, our wine glasses went unfilled for a full 10 minutes - yes, I know we could have filled them ourselves, but I was curious as to how long it would take. They were finally refilled when we were brought our steak knives. Along the same vein, our water glasses were not refilled even once all night.

C's Seared Aged Black Angus Rib Eye with Jamon Serrano, Potato Terrine, Spring Vegetables, Red Wine Sauce ($28) was good enough, though I think that it was lacking flavor. To me, the beauty of a rib-eye steak is its marbling and fat - I wonder if cooking it sous vide as Chef Morales is supposedly very fond of drives that flavor out of the meat? It was inordinately tender, but hardly tasted like filet, let alone aged ribeye. The potato terrine seemed dry to me - there was no fat holding it together; pairing it with the roasted red peppers brought it to life, but on its own was lackluster.

My Lamb Loin Baked with Pistachio & Lemon, Black Trumpets, Artichokes & Eucalyptus Jus ($29) was more successful. The pistachio crust was amazing, and the presentation of the dish was ridiculously beautiful - Chef Morales used artichoke to replicate frenched rack bones, and it took me totally by surprise. The eucalyptus paired with the artichokes was a total success. I think my only wish of this dish was that there was something a little off-sweet on the plate - everything was so tannic and acidic that it would have been nice to balance it with something with a hint of sugar.

By this point, we were trying to decide whether to stay for dessert, and the Coconut Tapioca with Mango & Brulee ($8) called our name. At the same time, I asked if it would be possible to get just a small taste of the Olive Oil Ice Cream I'd heard about (and which was on the menu as part of a larger dessert).

The tapioca dessert was a hit - coconut foam atop pearly tapioca pudding, atop sweet, diced mango. Really lovely. However, instead of a small taste of ice cream, I was brought three medium-size scoops... It seemed a sweet gesture at first, but the ice cream was so rich that it was impossible to eat more than one of the scoops.

Finally, were were brought a little dish of mignardises - a passion fruit pate de fruit which was the best I've had in the Bay Area, a pralined macadamia nut which was also delicious, and a mediocre biscuit that was so eggy I couldn't taste anything else. Coffee was French Press ($5) , and exceptionally good.

When the check came, and we were charged nearly as much for my ice cream as C's full dessert, I was floored. That $6 charge made me feel "ripped off" - really, such a shameful way to handle a small request on a $200 bill. Then, when I handed the waiter our valet ticket to have the car brought around, he said, "Oh, well you should have given this to me so I could put it on your check. So, you'll have to pay cash for this - it's $8."

I really wanted to love Winterland... and, the truth is, I did like it a lot.  I know that it's only been open a month, and so I expect the snafus like dishes not having been cleared by the time the next dish is on the pass... but I don't expect my wine and water glasses to go unfilled, and I don't expect my waiter to be a young snot - the days of dot-com San Francisco dining establishment snobbery are long passed.

Would we go back? Sure. But we'd need to wait several months and hear some additional reports about service improvements. I wish Chef Morales all the luck with this venture - his restaurant Salt (in Philadelphia) was amongst the most well-regarded in that city.

Winterland Restaurant
2101 Sutter St., at Steiner
415.563.5025

Starters, $8 - 15, Entrees, $19 - 29, Desserts, $6-9
Corkage, $15
Valet, $8

Comments

[Sam]

Hey Fatemeh - thanks for the great report, I've been a little intrigued since hearing about this place opening. It's funny though - how different people can be though, Fred gets narky when his wine is poured for him. He likes to do it himself. I guess the pair of us are less into 'fine' dining overall. I, personally, am less bothered either way, but if I am driving and keeping check on how much I drink I do find it a little irksome if they just top up my glass without actually asking if I would care for some more, so I lose count of how much I have consumed.
As for the water - I hate it when they refill after I've drunk only, say, fifth of my glass. I'd prefer it if they'd wait til I was down to the last bit. I think I just cannot get used to the idea of being fussed over so much in general as I am much more comfortable being the one who does the fussing (which is my problem, I guess).

[Fatemeh]

Sam -

You make a really interesting point on the wine - I guess I am simply used to not sitting w/an empty glass while the waiter walks by half a dozen times in a place that clearly WANTS to be considered "upscale"...

Which brings up another interesting issue - Winterland doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be "highbrow" (w/the amuse & mignardises) or "sexy casual" (with the loungey front bar). C & I noticed that there was no music until probably 10:30, and even then it was piped mainly into the front bar area.

FWIW, C had polished off more than 2/3 of his water glass within 10 minutes of having been seated, and had emptied it before entrees arrived.

[haddock]

It's a hard line to walk. What one diner thinks of as being fussed over another thinks is the norm for good service.

I'm more in the leave me alone camp. It too drives me crazy when my water glass is being constantly refilled. I guess I like the sense of completion from an empty glass.

I also am thinking of the scene in "Coffee and Cigarettes" where a woman sitting alone is having to protect her coffee from being refilled by a zealous waiter.

As a restaurant owner I wonder if there isn't a way for diners to signal how they'd like to be attended to. Or if there is language a waiter could adopt to let the diners know we would be happy to adapt to their style.

As for Winterland I'm always a little suspect about anything involving the defunct Flying Saucer.

I walked by the place during my last SF trip and there were a few things on the menu that looked good but the logo really put me off. For the moment, obviously without having been, I'd put Winterland under the "trying too hard" category.

[Arthur]

It'll be interesting to see if this place can survive. I've come to believe that some locations are just cursed, and you can't do anything about it. I remember from my childhood all the way through high school, places would open and close at this spot all the time. I heard good things about Julia and thought maybe it would finally be the one, but alas it was not to be. Minerva's location on Divisadero is another example - I think that place changed 3 or 4 times while i was in high school. Looks like Minerva is doing okay though... Hopefully Winterland can break the curse as well!

[cedichou]

Nice review. I agree with your font type comment: I stop by the other day to look at the menu outside, and it is quite unreadable. I did not go in, but I give Winterland the award that was till now reserved for Alma: most ugly/pretentious/ridiculous outside sign and awning combination.

Julia-the-place was good, but it looked like Julia-the-chef did not enjoy it, she had left the ship long before the place finally tanked. Maybe the curse could have been lifted had she stayed?

[k paul g]

Domaine Joblot Givry..[Joe-Blo??]...Givry is pronounced "Gee-vree"...if he corrected you to pronounce it "Give-ree" then he was wrong. But he was wrong to begin with. Once you purchased the wine, you could have called it "Old-Boot" as it was yours at that time. Pretentious, pompous service like that is just unacceptable..whatever happened to people being gracious?
I have been interested in this place as well, and really want to try it, but I have already heard many negative comments from people that I consider to be quite sophisticated diners and all about the service. I don't dine out to be chastised by a server...and I have been in the business myself for 36 years. Absurd!

[winesnob]

I say Zheev-ree

[Arthur]

I'm trying Winterland tonight. It's been a few months - we'll see if the service issues have improved, and if the food is still good!

[Meredoo]

Just came home from a prix fixe meal at Winterland. Bottom line, the food was fabulous, but the service well below average. We had a four course dinner, plus there were two amuse bouches and the mignardaise, all delightful and gave us a nice taste of the chef's skill. It was honestly one of the best meals I have ever had in San Francisco, but sadly the service and ambiance were lackluster. Our server, though a pleasant person, was inexperienced, and just plain not a evry good waiter. Our meal came with a complimentary glass of champagne to start, and we were not asked one time throughout the four courses if we would like another drink!! Finally, after course two, I spoke up and asked to see the wine menu. Plus, our water glasses went unfilled the entire night, while all five of us sat chatting with empty glasses after the desert course came and went. Then there was the clearing of the dishes. The server took each plate, bowl, silverware etc., and stacked them up, plates on plates, bowls on bowls, careful to put all the silverware on the top, right at our table before taking them away. I noticed no trays were used- is this a new trend? It's a bad idea. This is not grandma's kitchen, and when I go out to eat, I want the scraping and stacking of plates to occur elsewhere- our of our conversation range. The food was perfectly paced, where there was just the right amount of lull between courses so that you had time to contemplate the last one for a comfortable amount of time before the next one came. We never felt rushed or stuffed, and that is sadly one of the worst and most common offenses of restaurants.

The ambiance, well, let's just say was lacking any character. The chairs were some of the most uncomfortable I've sat in a while, and the whole place felt rather impersonal.

But, the food...superb. Each dish favorful, and just perfectly cooked and prepared. The chef combined flavors that just worked and played off each other in the most wonderful way. And just the right amount of food so after four courses, you were perfectly fed.

This restaurant was recommended to use by a foodie friend, and I have to say, if they did something about the service and warmed up the room some, it could one of the best restaurants in the city.

[Fatemeh]

Meredoo - thanks for the comment. I'm so saddened to hear that the service there hasn't improved. I really want to give the place another try, but there are too many places in the city that treat patrons well AND serve great food.

[Paul_H]

I visited Winterland two weeks ago. I loved the food and had excellent service. It wasn't up to the level of Myth or Gary Danko, but there wasn't a thing to complain about, either. I don't have any pictures, but here is my report.