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Dark and
majestic, The Oak Room in the Westin St. Francis in Union Square, San Francisco, is the kind of
place where established people dine before a show at the theatre. The lights
are dim, the furniture heavy, and the ceilings high, but there is the kind of
refined coziness similar to that hidden in a smoking lounge of an old
gentlemen’s club.
It is easy to
sink low into one of the couches, graceful with tall backs, or get settled into
one of the rigid armed chairs, but the food brings a different kind of comfort.
It is familiar but translates elegance and luxury like the decadence of the
room.
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Four plump Maine
lobster ravioli cuddle in a thick and buttery cognac cream, silky and sweet.
Chewy pasta hides smooth succulence of lobster which echoes the sweet of the
creamy dark sauce, while micro greens highlight earthy undertones. And toasted
bread nestles warmed fresh burrata floating perfectly on a consortium of slow
roasted tomatoes, acidic and sweet. The smooth cheese mellows the aggressive
tart attributes of the cherry while a chiffonade of basil adds cool
refreshment.
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Texture is
tossed around in the West Coast Chopped Salad, a rhythm of juicy roasted
chicken, smoky salty bacon, wet cucumbers, buttery avocado, smooth egg and
pungent blue cheese. The chop of the romaine adds more surface area for
toppings and sparkling champagne vinaigrette.
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The braised
short rib, perched on a bed of root vegetables, swiss chard and lima beans,
redolent of Sunday suppers offers something more hearty. Its tender meat
strings and shreds practically melting into the rough hash pile, caressed with
meaty liquids and classic flavors.
The dessert menu
presents traditional favorites, like tarts, cheesecake and crème brulee, and
undoubtedly displaying the same precision and quality of the restaurant’s more
savory dishes. But when running late for the theater, there is no time for
dessert!
RER
8.21.14
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| RER 8.21.13 |
