By Emma Krasov, photography by Yuri Krasov
Sitting at Garcon! Restaurant on the corner of Valencia and 22nd on a rainy misty afternoon is like being in Paris.
The ambience is casually-elegant and cozy, the wine list is well-selected and impressive, and the food is so good, you want to linger over each bite. And so the regulars do, as well as the newcomers. The staff is genuinely friendly and jovial. The place is rather small, but with enough elbow space, and with a reflective chanson playing quietly in the background allowing for (oh so French) dinner conversations.
Our dinner started with a very satisfying amuse bouche of duck confit rillette mixed with foie gras and formed in a tiny patty. It came mounted on a beet and honey gelee coin, and garnished with truffled crème fraiche. Put on a crostini, this heavenly combination seemed to me a testament to Executive Chef Arthur Wall’s culinary talent.
Chef Arthur and proprietor Jerome Rivoire are a dynamic duo behind the Garcon’s success, cooked up with local, seasonal, and organic ingredients. Bar manager Brian Felley adds perfect wine pairings to all menu choices.
Chilled Alsace blend of Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and pinot blanc, “Gentil,” gently complimented our starter.
The best white I’ve ever tried, Vouvray chenin blanc from Domaine Sylvain Gaudron 2008, with subtle notes of flowery sweetness, accompanied our roasted eggplant soup, made with diced artichokes, roasted garlic and leeks, and finished with basil, Madeira, paprika, and lemon cream.
While pairing eggplants with seasonal artichokes seems like the most natural thing to do, it took Chef Arthur’s creative imagination to come up with this soup du jour, and now I’ll have to come back in hopes to catch that same jour again.
Grilled scallops on a bed of braised lentils with airy cauliflower-garlic puree and topped with candied bacon is another great appetizer, surpassed only by my favorite grilled asparagus with translucent Serrano ham slices, arugula and frisee in lemon vinaigrette, and crowned by a pouched egg, breaded and fried – crispy on the outside, with a gooey yolk center.
A glass of Vacqueyras from Clefs des Murailles 2007, a blend of syrah, mourvedre, and Grenache made a great pair to our appetizers, while pinot noir Melville pinot noir 2009 was perfect for pork tenderloin with halved baby artichokes, end-of-season black trumpet mushrooms, bacon, potato puree, and crunchy pickled mustard seeds.
Chef Arthur has an uncanny ability to transform and elevate every element of every dish, adding his special touches to the most tried and true ingredients, making them shine.
A nod to his New Orleans roots, our delectable dessert of espresso pot de crème came with sugar powder-coated beignets – and a glass of exquisite Rivesaltes (1945 vintage!). I make it a point to come back and try more dishes from the inspired and lovingly executed menu and more rare wines from the precious wine list. I know I can’t go wrong with anything at Garcon!
Garcon is located at 1101 Valencia Street, on the corner of 22nd Street, San Francisco. For more information and reservations, call (415) 401-8959 or visit
www.garconsf.com.
Sitting at Garcon! Restaurant on the corner of Valencia and 22nd on a rainy misty afternoon is like being in Paris.
The ambience is casually-elegant and cozy, the wine list is well-selected and impressive, and the food is so good, you want to linger over each bite. And so the regulars do, as well as the newcomers. The staff is genuinely friendly and jovial. The place is rather small, but with enough elbow space, and with a reflective chanson playing quietly in the background allowing for (oh so French) dinner conversations.
Our dinner started with a very satisfying amuse bouche of duck confit rillette mixed with foie gras and formed in a tiny patty. It came mounted on a beet and honey gelee coin, and garnished with truffled crème fraiche. Put on a crostini, this heavenly combination seemed to me a testament to Executive Chef Arthur Wall’s culinary talent.
Chef Arthur and proprietor Jerome Rivoire are a dynamic duo behind the Garcon’s success, cooked up with local, seasonal, and organic ingredients. Bar manager Brian Felley adds perfect wine pairings to all menu choices.
Chilled Alsace blend of Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and pinot blanc, “Gentil,” gently complimented our starter.
The best white I’ve ever tried, Vouvray chenin blanc from Domaine Sylvain Gaudron 2008, with subtle notes of flowery sweetness, accompanied our roasted eggplant soup, made with diced artichokes, roasted garlic and leeks, and finished with basil, Madeira, paprika, and lemon cream.
While pairing eggplants with seasonal artichokes seems like the most natural thing to do, it took Chef Arthur’s creative imagination to come up with this soup du jour, and now I’ll have to come back in hopes to catch that same jour again.
Grilled scallops on a bed of braised lentils with airy cauliflower-garlic puree and topped with candied bacon is another great appetizer, surpassed only by my favorite grilled asparagus with translucent Serrano ham slices, arugula and frisee in lemon vinaigrette, and crowned by a pouched egg, breaded and fried – crispy on the outside, with a gooey yolk center.
A glass of Vacqueyras from Clefs des Murailles 2007, a blend of syrah, mourvedre, and Grenache made a great pair to our appetizers, while pinot noir Melville pinot noir 2009 was perfect for pork tenderloin with halved baby artichokes, end-of-season black trumpet mushrooms, bacon, potato puree, and crunchy pickled mustard seeds.
Chef Arthur has an uncanny ability to transform and elevate every element of every dish, adding his special touches to the most tried and true ingredients, making them shine.
A nod to his New Orleans roots, our delectable dessert of espresso pot de crème came with sugar powder-coated beignets – and a glass of exquisite Rivesaltes (1945 vintage!). I make it a point to come back and try more dishes from the inspired and lovingly executed menu and more rare wines from the precious wine list. I know I can’t go wrong with anything at Garcon!
Garcon is located at 1101 Valencia Street, on the corner of 22nd Street, San Francisco. For more information and reservations, call (415) 401-8959 or visit www.garconsf.com.
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