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PaulK Restaurant San Francisco Review
Hayes Valley Neighborhood Exterior PaulK Restaurant is a good neighborhood restaurant in the Civic Center area, especially for an original meal before the San Francisco symphony or opera—both of which are located just a few blocks away. Located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood, just west of the symphony and opera -- PaulK specializes in Mediterranean influenced foods. Our meal began with freshly baked flatbreads and two kinds of hummus for dipping. The fresh flatbreads were warm and delicious, and the hummus flavors—including caraway seeds—were a great start to our meal. The restaurant offers a short but well chosen winelist to accompany the dinners.
Comfortable Interior We decided to start with a salad and manti wontons. The salad had a Mediterranean flair of both flavor and its accompaniment with green olives, pine nuts, and feta cheese. The manti wontons were a ground spicy beef served with a tasty yogurt sauce. Throughout our meal, from start to finish, the service was attentive and informative, without being pushy or annoying. Our waiter had a good knowledge of the menu and handled all aspects of the meal, rather than handing off tasks to others as you see in larger restaurants. For our main dish, we chose the Arctic Char (fish) and the lamb shank. The lamb shank was quite good and served with a preserved lemon that allowed you to eat the lemon including the skin. The lamb was flavorful and hearty in a generous portion ($18). Accompanying the lamb was a white root gratin of turnips, parsnips, potatoes, and many other vegetables in a gruyere cheese. The char was a salmon-like fish with a trout type of taste. It was served medium rare with lentils and a flavorful sauce ($18). Both of our entrees were tasty and a good value for the Civic Center area where many symphony oriented restaurants tend to be on the high-priced side.
Roasted Lamb Shank Entree With Preserved Lemon We tried a chocolate torte with vanilla ice cream for dessert. The torte was served warm with tangerine slices around it and a soy ginger sauce. It was just delicious and I must say the restaurant’s strong coffee could rival many a coffee house! PaulK restaurant represents an enjoyable neighborhood eatery convenient to symphony and opera events. As an extra bonus, the restaurant’s parking was far easier than normal to obtain for San Francisco—always a plus. (January 2002).
Chocolate Torte Dessert PaulK's Dinner Menu December 2001
199 Gough at Oak Street - Hayes Valley / Civic Center Area 415-552-7132 Restaurant Reviews of San Francisco's Best Restaurants Lodging Desk for a wealth of hotel reviews
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