I was in San Francisco last weekend for a last minute television show shoot with my photographer. Our company told us to splurge on a nice dinner so we headed to Tadich Grill just a door down from Aqua. My parents used to take me to Tadich Grill when I went to college in S.F., but alas, Tadish was closed. We didn't have time to look for other restaurants as we had to catch a flight and it was an early Sunday evening when most restaurants are closed in the Financial District. The service is superb, the ambiance is lovely, but the prices are outrageous. My mistake, we should have looked at the menu before we sat up at the bar to wait to be seated at 6:30pm for dinner. When we opened the menu our only options was a three course prix fixe meal for $72 a head or a seven course tasting menu for $102 a head. We were stuck!!! We knew the company didn't have plans to treat us to something this expensive. I produce lots of food stories for local news in Los Angeles so I was well prepared for tiny portions...tasty...but tiny! I have to say, after the meal, we were still starving and split a corned beef sandwich at SFO at Max's Opera House Deli in the Alaska airlines terminal!!! Okay...the food at Aqua was yummy. I enjoyed the presentation mostly. The morsels of food were tasty but I would not spend $72 again for it. You do NOT have the option of just ordering an entree...you are forced into $72 or $102. I love fine dining but I would have been happier with a Pluto's salad with tri tip steak from the Inner Sunset! If you do go to Aqua, check out the menu before sitting down....they may not be serving what you're into. I have to say my Langonstina starter was amazing and the apricot dome with cherries was something I'd still talk about. As you can see...a mixed review on my part!
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