480691 Fri Jan 18 11:05:03 -0800 2008 7 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 3308822 My recent trip to the wine country also took me to Ad Hoc for the first time. The whole experience of eating there was very nice, but I especially wanted to make note of the remarkably good salad. Here's the description of it from the menu: Frisee and Endive Salad duck confit, pomelos, grapefruits, pine nuts and whole grain mustard vinaigrette The salad also contained big hunks of bacon. The whole combination sounded odd to me, with grapefruits and bacon together, but the overall effect was stunning, the flavors just sung together, with salty, sweet, sour, all combining deliciously. My husband, not a big salad eater, couldn't get enough of it (of course, it was a very meaty salad). Really one of the best salads I've ever had. The entree was a spiced Hanger Steak with farro and wild rice, gold beets, and swiss chard, and was delicious. We really didn't like the dessert at all though. Banana Upside Down Cake with warm chocolate sauce and toasted peanuts. We had to order extra chocolate sauce because the cake was so dry. We loved Ad Hoc, the casual atmosphere, the menu, and the service was fantastic. Next time I might try eating at the bar so that we could order a la carte. Fri Jan 18 11:05:03 -0800 2008 13980 beanbag 1 3309090 I agree--I went to Ad Hoc (in October, I think?) and thought the salad was one of the best I've ever had. Fri Jan 18 11:57:53 -0800 2008 3308822 19097 pane 1 3309182 I think that the quality of the vegetables at Ad Hoc is just incredible. I went in July, and the thing that I'm still talking about are the potatoes. They were just simple small whole roasted new potatoes with salt, but they were the best any kind of potatoes that I have ever had. Fri Jan 18 12:20:02 -0800 2008 3308822 13525 JasmineG 2 3310850 link Fri Jan 18 21:38:27 -0800 2008 3309182 10264 rworange 1 3310989 Can you explain the last sentence for me? I thought they only had a set menu? Are you saying they have a different 'bar' menu or just that if you sit in the bar you can order one or two of the dishes but not the price-fixe? (which would have been exactly what I would have done had I gone on the day you were there and discovered that the dessert had bananas in it.....) Thanks for the report, sounds wonderful, (except for the banana cake) Sat Jan 19 00:27:21 -0800 2008 3308822 10158 susancinsf 2 3310999 If you sit in the bar, you can order any of the dishes on that night's fixed price menu, but you don't have to order all of them. Sat Jan 19 00:45:20 -0800 2008 3310989 13525 JasmineG 3 3311306 thanks! Good to know..... Sat Jan 19 07:37:13 -0800 2008 3310999 10158 susancinsf 4 4278698 While I always love the food at Ad Hoc, agree their salads are amazing. While I eat them in general, the salads at Ad Hoc are truly great. That says alot for someone like me who usually eats salad because "you should" rather than because I want to. Sun Dec 28 19:14:25 -0800 2008 3311306 123327 teejaymoore