a lot of beautiful, well executed courses but taste-wise, nothing particularly memorable, except for the excellent portuguese blue lobster. everything was a bit too new-nordic for me.
having said that, they will absolutely get 1 star.
potato - andante dairy ‘minuet’ | malt vinegar | alba white truffle
going up to SF in a few weeks for harbor house and wanted to do one more splurge meal.
Was between Kiln, Birdsong, Saison, and Californios. Have done californios twice already but birdsong and saison seemed to similar to Harbor. Kiln…I’m more interested in things tasting good than the presentation but any opinions FTC-ers?
Kiln and Saison use Astrea so i am biased. ha ha ha ha ha ha.
I did just have an incredible meal at Saison, i think the similarities between saison and HH are getting wider as time goes on and each of them are finding their own identities outside of what they cooked with Skeenes.
Visited Kiln this past weekend for a celebratory occasion and it was a highlight dining experience. I would wager it is my favorite Bay Area Michelin now. They recently upgraded to 2 stars and I think they fully hitting their stride. Service is the true highlight, especially if you’re here for a celebration they will make it worth your while. Friendly, precise, informative, loved that the chefs get involved with serving courses so you can (quickly) chat about ingredients.
The interior is austere and minimal so I assume it allows you to be more impressed by the food that is coming forth. I would say that instead of a stellar highlight dish, every single bite or dish hit and then the wine pairings are genuinely creative and not just a margin enhancer. If you have the chance to go I would take it.
I really like Kiln - it’s so technically precise and definitely focused on flavor. But I couldn’t help but feel it was a little soul-less when I went. Granted that was a year ago so maybe they’re cooking with more inspiration than just generic fine-dining fare.
I enjoyed my meal at Harbor House/Californios more but would tie Kiln with Birdsong but I’m splitting hairs.
I can get that picture a bit since the dining area is impressively austere. There is a painting of a grey canvas in front of a grey cement wall… But now I think the food is taking the spotlight more assuredly. Compared to prior images from a year ago the latest dishes anre imho a step ahead.
