(415) 757-0007
Parking: street parking
Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30am - 5pm, Sat-Sun 8am-5pm; Dinner Daily 5:30pm-10pm
http://www.tartinemanufactory.com/
Last Visited: May 28, 2017
Food: 4 stars
Atmosphere: 3 to 4 stars
Service: 3 stars
Price: $$$ to $$$$
Tartine Manufactory was well marketed even before it opened up. With the closing of Bar Tartine, along with its somewhat unusual (maybe too creative) menu, Tartine Manufactory offers a more reasonably priced alternative that more people can understand. Originally open only for breakfast and lunch, the Manufactory has expanded its offerings to include dinner service. The spacious warehouse space is decorated simply with wood tables and chairs and white lantern lights reminiscent of balloons, creating an airy and light feel.
We arrived about half an hour before dinner started and easily got a table even though the reservation system was full. Those whom came later without a reservation was seated at the bar. Service was friendly, but there is still room for improvement as described below.
Our server asked if we had been to the Manufactory before and when we told her it was our first visit, she patiently explained how the menu is designed for sharing small plates family style and was happy to give guidance about our choices. As we got there early, a fellow patron in line whom had visited several times gave us some recommendations - ribs, bone marrow, and prime rib. He suggested we ask for the swordfish rare if we chose to get it and to avoid the chicken. We listened to his suggestions and ordered a variety of dishes, ending with the special of the day - aged prime rib.
- Warm Bread & seaweed butter - The bread was great - lots of holes in the bread and a crusty outside. It was served warm with fluffy seaweed butter which is essentially butter with nori mixed in. The seaweed butter could use more salt and didn't have enough seaweed for my taste, but there was no salt on the table. I would suggest buying the country loaf for double the price and you'll get a lot more slices. Okay to skip this one. $5
- Halibut Ceviche - Rayna recommended this dish. Lime and cilantro are used to prepare the halibut. Although the menu said there were chili's, the flavor was extremely mild. The tender ceviche is topped with greens, a dollop of avocado based sauce, and chopped quicos (think corn nuts, but without the frying). On the side were two young, tender, red lettuce cups. The serving style was less like a regular ceviche and more like a salad with a very refreshing lime dressing. The quicos give the dish the needed texture difference by adding crunch. Good flavor, but more impressive than the taste is the artistic presentation of the dish with its greens (even though some of the greens had some browning at the bottom of the stem). $17
- Pork Ribs - Five pork ribs are braised in an sauce that has some Asian seasonings (I thought of hoisin sauce when I had my first bite). It's served with a pumpkin seed salsa (pepitos blended fine with olive oil and some herbs) and a thick, savory yogurt. A small serving of sliced pickled rhubarb accompany the plate. The meat from these ribs fell off the bone and the sauce is just a little thick to evenly coat the meat. Very good - must try. If you have a salad or other appetizer, this could easily be a main dish for small eaters. $18
- Prime Rib - Our last entree was the 21 day dry aged wood roasted prime rib served with fried potatoes, horseradish, and jus. This serves two if you are enjoying other dishes. When you ask for medium rare, you'll definitely get a medium rare steak here. While the crust of the prime rib has developed a bark quality and is quite salty, the center is tender. I have to admit that the aging was not as noticeable on this particular prime rib. The star of this dish is actually the fried potatoes that are served on the side. Garlic, rosemary, and cheese are used to season well-fried whole small yukon gold potatoes until they are a dark brown. Inside the potatoes, the texture is creamy and rich - if I could, I would just get the potatoes! Prime rib is good, but the potatoes are wonderful. $45 Several dessert options are available including an affogato, ice cream, chocolate tart, and lemon posset. We opted for the popular gateau basque.
- Warm Apricot Gateau Basque - Served with a scoop of toasted almond ice cream and topped with raspberry compote. It's a moist cake with apricot and custard in the center. The crust is lightly sugared and crunchy. While it was good, I may have had too high of expectations just because it's Tartine. Good balance of flavor, but the ice cream could be creamier. The nuts in the ice cream were still crunchy, so it held up well to the freezing process. $10The Manufactory has a surcharge for employee benefits. All in all, it was a good experience, and while I would go again, next time I would go for lunch/brunch instead to try more pastries or the porchetta.
Where the Manufactory failed me was with my order of a Country Loaf ($9.50) to take home. For that, I dropped them a star for service. When I came in, I asked my hostess about how to go about ordering a loaf and she said she would set one aside for me. When my server took our order, I let her know I had asked the hostess about the loaf and she assured me that she would bring it over at the end of the meal. When my leftovers were packaged before dessert, the boxes arrived without a loaf, so I thought perhaps the loaf would come when my check arrived. After dessert, still no loaf, but when the bill came, I was clearly charged for it. As I was leaving, I asked the hostess near the door if I picked up my loaf then, and she said she would be happy to get me one. Then she asked whether or not I had paid for it - so disappointing considering how they seemed so good about attention to detail (refilling water, cleaning the table, giving me the right leftover boxes).
In any case, I recommend that everyone busy a loaf to take home - I was so inspired by the experience that I made my own toast - Chinese roast pork with arugula topped with shaved parmigiano reggiano and a goat cheese with fresh peaches drizzled with honey. I also sought out smashed potato recipes with the goal of remaking those potatoes and came close.
Overall, it was a positive experience even if the place was very full at the end of the day and I had to keep asking about my bread, but the pork ribs and potatoes are amazing.
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