Dinner at Cafe Des Amis

Whenever I travel I do extensive research on which restaurants I should try. Some are on my ‘wish list’ like French Laundry while several are more realistic and doable. San Francisco had tons of restaurants that I would like to try but I was only there for a few days so I had to pick really well.

I’ve never read about Cafe Des Amis before but that’s where my friend Jeanne took us for dinner. It was highly recommended by her friends Beverly and Rick who really know the good places to eat at.

Cafe Des Amis was located in Union Street, a very nice shopping street. The stores were unique and trendy and the shop fronts looked very chic yet quaint.

I felt like I was in a real French brasserie.

This was the wine my friends had with their dinner.

Unbelievable but Ariel and I were still full from our brunch at Brenda’s Soul Food and coffee and dessert at Hooker’s Sweet Treats so we decided to share our appetizer, salad and entree.

We were quite underwhelmed with the foie gras terrine. The sprinkling of sea salt on the terrine made it too salty and I couldn’t appreciate the flavors of the foie gras. The salty olive tapenade didn’t help either.

foie gras terrine $15

On the other hand we both loved the salad dressed with a very light blue cheese dressing. The chunks of blue cheese were utterly divine with the sweet pears and extra crunchy toasted pecans. What a wonderful combination and I wouldn’t mind having this salad as a main course.

chicory & pear salad $13

The minute I saw the Rossini burger on the menu I knew I had to order it. How can I ignore the words cured foie gras, black truffles and sauce bordelaise?

rossini burger $27

I was so excited to finally try black truffles and not just truffle oil. When I didn’t smell any truffle aroma I tasted the truffle and was disappointed that it tasted bland and the texture was just like wood ear (tenga ng daga). I asked the manager and he explained it was canned black truffles. What did I expect for $27?

Even though the black truffles and cured foie gras were disappointing and didn’t really add anything to the burger we were simply amazed at how good the burger was. The meat was smokey from the grill and the beef was simply excellent and tasted just like prime steak. Ariel and I agreed it was one of the best burgers we’ve ever eaten. And trust me we’re both very picky about burgers. The manager said the burger was made of 50% chuck and 50% prime brisket. This burger should be on San Francisco’s list of top burgers!!! Although I would order the Cafe Des Amis burger at $14. The ‘extras’ were definitely not worth the additional $13.

my half of the Rossini burger

The others had the following dishes. Everyone was happy with their choices.

French red pumpkin soup $9

Frisee with poached egg and lardon was one of the items I saw in a lot of the menus from San Francisco to Washington DC, New York and Los Angeles. It must be the dish of the moment.

salad lyonnaise $11

butter lettuce salad $10

beef bourguignon $27

roasted peppers

savory roasted chicken grand mere $25

Sadly this wasn’t my cappuccino. I had my quota for the day. Rick said it was very good.

cappuccino

I tried it and it was so delicious specially with the orange chamomile syrup that brought it to another level.

24 layer crepe cake $10

Ariel and I checked in on Foursquare and got a chocolate bouchon and a glass of sparkling wine. The manager was so nice that he also gave the same to everyone at the table.

Let me tell you this bouchon or brownie was one of the best diet breakers ever. It was warm with a gooey center and a chewy crust. The chocolate used was deep, dark and obviously a very good quality. Already decadent, dipping the bouchon in the milk chocolate espresso creme made me weep with joy.

Thank you Foursquare. Thank you kind manager. It was the perfect ending to our wonderful meal.

chocolate bouchons $3 each

Thanks for dinner Jeanne. It was really nice meeting Beverly and Rick. Excellent choice for dinner. I loved the food and it was really nice seeing Union Street for the first time. I hope to go back next time and walk around at a more leisure pace.

Cafe Des Amis
2000 Union Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
telephone: 415-563-7700