Sfcanteen

Cozy diner-like restaurant with a huge personality in San Francisco's Nob Hill neighborhood - There are a ton of very good and decently priced restaurants in San Francisco, but it's been awhile since I've tried a restaurant and thought, "I can't wait to come back again!" Canteen is one of those restaurants. Do a 360 degree spin on one of the counter stools and you will find a simple, yet elegant interior - part library, part retro diner. A neon arrow along the back wall points to the open kitchen, where, if you look closely, you can see Chef Leary and his staff work their magic. It truly makes for a very intimate (and entertaining) dining experience. Not only is the setting inviting and creative, but the food is amazingly fresh, complex, and inventive. It is very apparent that a lot of thought is put into the dinner menu; you won't find your typical run-of-the-mill combinations here. It's tough to make recommendations since the menu changes every week, but I was impressed with the parmesan apricot almond amuse bouche, pommes vonnasienne (kind of like a potato pancake) with beets and horseradish sauce, and white sea bass with spring vegetables and curry. Sometimes curry can weigh a dish down, or potatoes can make a dish overly starchy, but the ingredients and sauces in both entrees were light and complimentary, and the dishes brimming with flavor. For dessert, I would highly recommend the signature vanilla souffle - it was life-changing! Also good was the cherry clafoutis, a baked custard-like treat infused with fresh cherries. The informative and attentive wait staff was every bit as excellent as the food. Even with the timed seating (they occur at 6:00,7:30, and 9:15), dinner did not feel rushed. The dishes were brought out at just the right time, leaving more than enough time to let each dish sink in. I enjoyed my dinner so much that I just had to give their brunch a go. I thoroughly enjoyed the blueberry french toast with sweet cream cheese (imagine even-textured slices of french toast, soaked part-way in blueberry juice). The eggs benedict with potatoes was also good (their hollandaise was so smooth and the potatoes were seasoned really well). Canteen is truly a culinary gem. Now, if only I could find time to have lunch there...