Yesterday, I had lunch at Campton Place with two friends. As it was a business lunch, we didn't focus as much as I would have liked on "foodiness", but we still got a fairly good representation of dishes into the mix.
Service at Campton Place is calm, hushed, elegant. At lunch, it seemed to me that nearly every other party in the restaurant was either a "Ladies who Lunch" group or a wealthy older couple, laden with Hermès and St. John bags. Unfortunately, because this type of table generally has time to burn, service is appropriately slow. We found ourselves rushed at the very last moment to get JP & B to their next meeting on time.
The food was all thoroughly competent. Some of the dishes were deliciously creative; others seemed to be lacking a bit of something. Ultimately, the overall experience did leave me wanting to go back for dinner, to try Chef Humm's dishes when he's actually in the kitchen, and without the limitations of a lunch menu.
Campton Place's lunch menu is priced at $34 for 2 courses, $39 for 3 courses and $49 for 4 courses. Any item on the menu can be prepared in appetizer or entree portions, which is a nice touch.
We were brought a lovely amuse of seafood ravioli, perhaps one of the best dishes of the meal. Tender pasta, a savory-tart sauce, celeriac & seafood danced on the tongue.
We had all been wooed by our waitresses description of the Ahi Tuna Tartar [sic] with Roasted Tomatoes and Basil, so we all ended up ordering the same thing [hanging head in shame]. It was a thing of beauty. The fish was perfect--utterly fresh, delicate but with the unmistakable essence of good tuna. The roasted tomatoes were few and far between, and they were such a good match for the fish I was sorry there wasn't more. All around the fish were alternating dots of a tomato gastrique and a basil oil/puree. The tomato here was all wrong on its own, but somehow worked quite nicely mixed in with the tartare.
Next JP had a mid-course of Cappuccino of Asparagus "Argenteuil" with Lobster. This was heavenly. It was drizzled with truffle oil, lobster foam and what appeared to be asparagus oil. Aside from being beautiful, the flavors were utterly harmonious, and incredibly delicate together.
I have to admit, though, that I was surprised (after hearing all the talk about several amuses at dinner), that B & I weren't brought some small intermezzo so we weren't just sitting and watching JP eat. It's not a valid "criticism" by any means. But I was surprised.
After a short wait, we received our entrees. Two of us had ordered Slow Poached Filet of Beef with Bone Marrow Gnocchi and Thyme. The beef itself was perfection. You could literally have cut it with a fork--and the flavor was divine. There was a light, well-seasoned crust, delicious. The gnocchi were an abysmal failure. You couldn't taste the marrow (although each one was topped with a microscopic bit), and the gnocchi themselves were doughy, pasty and tasted of raw flour. Awful.
JPs Atlantic Black Cod with Parmesan Crust "En Barigoule" was a lightly, almost "fluffy" piece of fish, very delicate and springlike. The accompanying vegetables were diced perfectly--nearly to brunoise proportions--and were again lightly flavored and very delicate. This dish was not to my taste (I prefer stronger, bolder flavors), but its preparation was quite fine, and the ingredients quite fresh.
We had a painfully long wait before dessert (both to receive menus, and to order), but ended on a sweet note with Symphony of Milk Chocolate & Caramel with Maldon Sea Salt and Spéculos of Amarena Cherries with Cocoa Nibs, served with a pistachio parfait.
The "symphony" was fine, a bit too sweet for my taste (but I expected that because of the milk chocolate aspect)...the salt simply MADE this dish, and reminded me again of how incredibly the two pair together. Unfortunately, I didn't get to sample the cherry dessert, but it was beautiful and B polished it off with no trouble.
You can see that this kitchen has some really talented skills... Despite Pim's strange and offputting dinner there, I am really anxious to give Campton Place a shot at dinner.
Campton Place Restaurant
340 Stockton Street,
San Francisco, CA 94108
415.955.5555
