400 Dewey Blvd, San Francisco CA 94116(415)242-0960
Parking: very small parking lot, street parking
Hours: Sun, Tue-Thurs 5:30pm-9:30pm; Fri-Sat 5:30pm-10:30pm, Closed Mondays
Last Visited: January 30, 2011
Atmosphere: 2 to 3 stars
Service: 1 to 2 stars
Price: $$$
Chef Jean-Gabriel Ferrandon is behind the food at Chou Chou Bistro and his past experiences are prominently displayed on their website.
Tonight’s restaurant was chosen by the group after Connie provided several SF Dine About Town selections for us to choose from. We had more than ten people and thought that there was enough room to accommodate the group, plus there was mention of parking in other people’s reviews. It’s true that there is a parking lot, but it was completely packed – very few cars can fit in the lot anyway, so expect to park on the street.
I arrived about half an hour earlier than our reservation, and when I checked in, the host suggested I sit at the bar and enjoy a drink. However, this is probably where my evening started to turn downward – I glanced at the bar and found it completely full – all five stools were occupied by someone either eating dinner or enjoying a drink. This made me wonder why I would be directed to the bar in the first place when there was no potential for a seat. Our reservation was for 6:30pm, but we weren’t seated until at least ten minutes later. Our group waited patiently outside while they rearranged tables and cleaned up.
The Dine About Town menu was not as good as it could have been. As I have warned in previous posts, you need to be careful about the Dine About Town deal. If you’re lucky, the cost of the three courses you select add to the price of the Dine About Town meal or you even come out ahead. However, some places will charge you more for the set than if you ordered them separately. That’s just ridiculous and not a good way to do business. Their selection here had a couple of configurations that would have cost the customer more ordering through Dine About Town than separately, and I dislike that.
I opted not to order through the Dine About Town menu and to just choose something else instead.
- French Onion Soup Gratinée – This homemade soup had lots of little mustard seeds in it. The onion was nice and sweet, and a large crouton floated on top of the soup and was topped with lots of yummy Swiss cheese. While the flavor was good, and the soup was very filling, I would have liked to have more onion. Still, I wouldn't mind eating this again. $8.00
- Pan seared All Natural Local Veal Chop 11oz – The veal was overcooked – it was so bad that after cutting it with a knife, you could feel that the action of cutting was a bit of a struggle, even with a steak knife. The veal demi-glace was rich and a little bit too salty. The fingerling potatoes and mushrooms, Hedgehogs and Mache, were beautifully cooked. I would have enjoyed having more vegetables – more of the green leaves on top would have be appreciated. They just didn't hold up well to the richness of the dish. Unfortunately, the overcooked meat made the meal continue to go downhill. Sadly, I was reminiscing about what could have been with that nice-sized cut of meat. $27.00
My overcooked veal wasn’t an isolated incident. Other steaks that my friends requested be cooked medium came back well done. One for medium rare came rare.
The handling of the vegetables on my plate show that there is hope for the food, but service and main dishes still need improvement in order for them to be successful.
Service was awful. The water glasses weren’t filled for at least ten minutes, but at least we had bread. While the evening was busy, the lack of attention for something as basic as water is frustrating. We repeatedly had to catch the staff’s eye for everything from water to dessert. The dessert menu arrived more than twenty minutes after each place setting had been cleared. Then it took a long time for them to return with our dessert order. The flambe is somewhat entertaining to watch, but nothing spectacular.
Overall, the experience was poor. I left a few minutes before everyone else, but heard that the staff came out to say we were short $15, and when people from our party went in to count the money with the staff, we learned that the amount was indeed paid in full. I have no idea whether or not there was an apology about that. Either way, I won’t be back.
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