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Absinthe: French Gem in Hayes Valley
By Erik Chak
Associate Editor
Tucked away in the heart of Hayes Valley is Absinthe — not the hallucinogenic
beverage of old, but a truly unique dining experience boasting amazing French
cuisine and a wonderful mural depicting the green Absinthe devil himself.
But bad news first. When we walked into our 7:45 reservation the greeting area
was very loud. It looked like people had just gone to the restaurant after a
hard day's work and wanted to blow off some steam. But before I began to kick
myself too hard for deciding to come here for a nice quiet Valentine's Day dinner,
the hostess led us to our table.
The back room was perfect. It was extremely quiet, and other couples were dining
and chatting quietly among themselves. We breathed an immediate sigh of relief
and took to our menus admiring the deep reds and lush greens painted all over
the walls. It almost felt like an art gallery with paintings of breads and poultry
set in gold frames. The dim lighting and the small candles on the table made
it perfect for a date and I was at once put at ease. Let's eat!
First, we ordered a bunch of appetizers. The oxtail soup was filled with little
pieces of oxtail, tomatoes and some small vegetables in a meaty broth —
a must for all you carnivores out there. We also shared a pear salad topped
with roasted walnuts and cranberries and half shell oysters, which were raw
and very slippery going down. The soup and salad made our taste buds rejoice.
The oysters ($3 each!), I could have done without.
On to the main courses. She ordered the roasted Maine lobster with tarragon
sauce and I had the grilled rib eye. Like all rib eyes, it was a little fatty
around the edges, but the meat just melted in my mouth — a great steak,
very soft and chewy like it may have been cooked in butter. The plate came with
some mashed potatoes, a tiny salad and yes, a bone with a little fork to eat
the marrow. Her lobster came arranged with head and legs intact swimming in
a sea of tarragon sauce. It was probably the best lobster that I had every tasted.
The tarragon just infused its way into the meat making it supple, sweet and
addicting.
We finished the dinner with a pot de crème, which was basically a bowl
of chocolate topped with whipped crème that we were too full to completely
enjoy. The chocolate was subtly sweet and had kind of a nutty flavor to it.
The chocolate straws and shavings scattered about the crème were a nice
touch.
Absinthe is probably one of those places that you would go to on a special occasion
because of the price. You can expect to spend about $50 dollars per person.
But bottom line is that you won't find better food or ambiance many places
elsewhere so it makes it all worth it. To ensure you get your spot, you can
make a reservation through their Web site: absinthe.com.
398 Hayes Street at Gough
San Francisco
551-1590
Eric Chak is a second-year medical student.
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