Green's
I kind of couldn't believe that when I searched this board nothing came up for Green's (maybe I'm bad at searching).
It seemed a perfect fit a vegetarian friend from out of town came- we were a party of 5. Everything's right, tables nicely spaced, attentive waitstaff, unusual decor, loads of free parking, and fabulous setting and I just read "Leave Your Shoes at the Door" the story of the Zen Center.
There is but 1 huge gap- it's the food ( a nostalgic stroll down sfveg memory lane of 20 yrs ago).
We started with the corn fritters which turned out to be the highlight of the evening. 3 silver dollar corn pancake fritters adorned with some roasted beets and creme fraiche and maybe a few greens. We also shared meditteranean plate- I thought weak- a slice of an artichoke grilled over mesquite, some hummus, pita triangles, several olives, a chutney, why and some grain maybe barley.
I went with a ravioli ($20) on the servers rec. they might have been good had the dough not been gluey or had they not been drowning in a butter sauce- the greens in the very green dish were not allowed to shine (and mind you it's all about the greens they are all pedigreed. Somebody at the table had brochettes ( I know she went home hungry) their signature dish? another had a mexican pizza $16, who only ate it because he was so hungry.
the desserts were somewhat better than the entrees but still not quite over the range of good. We shared a rhubarb strawberry pie w/ strawb. creme fraiche ice cream, a chocolate bread pudding that was the best but not like any bread pudding ( a very dense chocolaty thing) and a coconut cake- eh not my cup o tea.
Maybe we just misordered although how many corn fritters can one order? nobody ordered soup or salad.
I suppose its still an attraction for all the reasons I listed above in para 1. which is really too bad because of wht it could be.
By jeff
on Feb 27, 2005 12:15 PM
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I agree with your assessment. OK vegie cuisine, but nothing special.
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Try this link. A thread was started just this past Friday.
Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/...
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strangely enough after I posted I found the Green's/Recchiutti thread. WoW some people really still like greens. I think for lunch, especially mon. when you get to use the restaurant but can buy from take out counter it's fine. But I still stand by my post- everything going for it But the food.
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Yep, that's pretty much the conventional chow wisdom. The tried and true Greens dishes at lunch time are the way to go. Dinner is a let down and too expensive for what you get.
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It's actually Greens, that probably explains your lack of search results.
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Ah! How tastes differ!
I was just talking about Greens in my "Recchiuti and Greens" post down below and I described the Mediterranean sampler as one of the best plates of food I'd had in recent memory. I went into raptures over the chocolate bread pudding (I agree, it was more a little cake or a gateau than a bread pudding) with the caramel creme anglaise as one of the finest desserts I've had ever. That hot pita bread with the garlicky hummus on the Med plate -- the spicy tomato jam. The barley-like grain is farro, which is sort of a special Italian grain, and that farro salad still excites me when I think of it.
I actually am a meat-lover and I'll pass up the finest t-bone or even foie gras for a meal at Greens.
The plate of brochettes is one of my favorite food memories from last year. I haven't had it in 2005 yet, but everyone I've been with who has eaten it has been in raptures.
Either the Greens kitchen was not up to snuff that day, or our tastes are just very different.
That's actually cool, though. I'm there are people who think the same things taste either great or just so-so (or even "weak" as you stated -- that made me actually laugh out loud!!!!) Vive la difference as they say.
I will happily take your table at Greens instead. Please tell us when you find another restaurant you prefer, and we can compare if I feel the same or different.
This is what Chowhound's all about!
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i know I found the posts just after I made my posting and I laughed too. Thanks Robert for your correction in spelling/search help.
Perhaps we ordered particularly badly at Greens-
My criticisms are:
I've had much better pastas at Italian restaurants, as well as better cooked greens. Better veg. pizzas at non veg pizza places. so that's the univers that I compare them to not only the veg world.
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add link
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Greens Restaurant
Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA 94123
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