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Bistro Clement: Fumbles Mar Fine French Dining
By Laura Goodwin
Hello again and welcome to another restaurant review by Laura. For those of you who read my gushing review of Al Masri, I want to let you down easy right at the beginning -- this will not be that sort of review. Unsurprisingly so, as Al Masri is one in a million. However, I will tell you about some good food, so you should probably read on anyway.
After reviewing Al Masri, it was tough to decide what restaurant to do next. As I told you in that article (see the Synapse May 20, 2004), the restaurant that made me decide to do reviews in the first place was Aziza. I was tempted to do it this time, but thought that two belly dancing Egyptian/Moroccan places in a row was possibly a bit much. Then, through a friend of a friend, I heard about a new restaurant being opened by the owner of Clementine. This seemed perfect, as I adore Clementine, and doing a new restaurant saved me the trouble of looking it up in the Synapse archives to see if it had been done already. (Yes, they are online. Yes, it would have taken five minutes. My laziness knows no bounds.) So I called up two friends who I knew to be as thrilled about delightful French cuisine as I am, and off we went.
The deal with Bistro Clement is that it was just opened a couple of weeks ago by the owner of Clementine (Laurent Legendre, for those who are interested) as a cheaper, more casual alternative. It is located across the street and down a block (127 Clement St.) from its famous parent. I have never yet failed to find parking in the area, but I am convinced it is only because I have in some way found favor with the parking gods. Useful tidbit: there is a cheap parking lot close by at the corner of Arguello and Geary, if you just can't find a space. The three of us arrived at the restaurant at 7:55 for our 8 p.m. reservation. And here's another useful tidbit for any potential restaurant reviewers out there: It is helpful to bring two other friends to the restaurant. That way, they can talk amongst themselves while you are doing such fascinating things as writing down how many selections are offered on the wine list. (33, with 10 by the glass.)
Now the tale takes a turn for the worse. I had confirmed my reservation that morning, but when we presented ourselves, the hostess looked a little confused and said "I'll go check on that reservation." Words it never pleases me to hear. She came back after several minutes and told us that our table was not quite ready -- would we like to wait at the "bar." She didn't say it in quotes, but I put them in because the "bar" turned out to be the countertop separating the hallway back to the kitchen from the cashier's station. No stools. But we decided that standing there was better than standing by the door getting in everyone's way. (And there was a guy by the door who kept running over my foot with his daughter's stroller -- All in for the bar!).
As we were standing there, and my companions were deciding what type of wine they would like, I saw that there was a patio out back. Living up to my reviewer responsibilities, I asked if I could wander back and take a look (the patio will eventually be open for year round dining -- they are trying to figure out how to renovate it without killing some beautiful vines which have taken over the overhead trellis.) Our hostess said sure, and that she would be happy to set a table for us out there while we waited and bring us some bread and wine. It was a bit cold, but we decided it was better than standing and the lure of bread was strong. The table was set in moments, complete with white tablecloth, lit candle, and rose petals scattered on the table. It was lovely, and the patio is charming. However, although we were assured that the wait would be only a few minutes, we were not seated until 8:35 pm. Now, I understand that in a small place like this if people don't get up, there just aren't that many tables -- but don't tell me a few minutes and make me wait 30. Oy.
However, we were finally seated, and they were all very apologetic. We all went for appetizers, and I can recommend the Fish Soup Cancale Style ($5) and the Crab Ravioli with Chicken Jus ($7.75). The soup was good and fun to eat (it comes with croutons, grated cheese and rouille to be added to the soup) and the ravioli was delicious with a buttery flavor I had not expected. Our entrees were decent too; I had the roasted chicken breast in lobster sauce, served with potato gratin and spinach ($12.50), and I must confess that the chicken could have been more tender. It just wasn't that melt-in-your-mouth chicken that I've come to expect from four years of French dining in the Bay Area. And the spinach was, well, a pile of spinach.
My dining companions did a little better with their selections -- the fish of the day ($14.00), and the duck leg confit ($13.75). The fish was also a little overcooked, said my friend, but other than that he liked the dish. We all agreed that the duck was the best, with a crispy skin covering tender meat and a tasty lentil side dish. To round out the meal, we also ordered a bottle of wine, a Muscadet from the Loire region of France, which had a pleasant lemony taste that I enjoyed immensely.
I just realized, in looking at my notes, that I have no paragraph on decor. I have decided now to skip such a paragraph -- do you really care what color the walls are? I must, however, point out the duck above the door -- make sure to notice the duck above the door, as he is the most interesting design feature of the place.
And now, dessert. The desserts were fantastic -- I mean, they are French after all. Our trio of orders included the Fondant au Chocolat, the vanilla creme brulee, and the tarte tartin (all $5), and every one of us thought that ours was the best. (Mine actually was the best -- a small square of chocolate that could be compared to fudge, if fudge were made in heaven, and swimming in wonderful cream with strawberries.)
And then they brought the bill. And the total was $40 more than it should have been. So we sent it back. And we waited. One of my friends said he imagined 40 French guys standing around it in the back, pondering.
While we waited, I asked my fellow diners if they would be coming back. The answers were "yes," and "Depends how this thing with the bill turns out." To our relief, it turned out fine, and all addition errors were resolved. In the end my answer is "yes" too. I will return, order the ravioli appetizer and the duck and maybe even try the tarte tartin for dessert. My advice to you is to go ahead and try it out, but be aware that this is a newly opened restaurant and they are still shaking down -- don't plan anything for after dinner.
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