I have a new favorite restaurant (for at least a week) and I didn't even like my main course. This is an interesting exploration into the psychology behind the dining experience. Foreign Cinema is a good fifteen minute cab ride from downtown San Francisco into the Mission district. From the moment I entered the renovated old cinema (or what was made to look like a renovated old cinema), I bought in. We were seated outside in a friendly courtyard, between a restaurant-affiliated art gallery and a room of indoor diners. On the large concrete wall to the courtyard's rear, they project (we visited the second-floor projectionist after dinner) a movie. On this night it was The English Patient. Regular tables, diners are served, some watch the movie, most don't, but the concept works.
Celery root mutsu apple veloute with autumn-spiced croutons
Mixed micro green salad with fuyu persimmon, mission fig toasted pecan vinaigrette
Ajwaan and cocoa nib rubbed onglet steak with carmelites turnips
The menu changes daily (they say) and the food (up until my main) was tremendous. Unfortunately, my steak was a little tough (I don't know why I continue to order hangar-type steaks) and not as flavorful as the multi-syllabic description would have led me to believe. But I'm giving them a pass. My friend's meals were as perfect as the appetizers and soups (they had a middle-eastern influenced chicken and a pork tenderloin), but it was really the experience, the vibe, that won me over.
Cost: $$$
Rating: 7.5/10.0
Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 648-7600
PS - after a return trip a few months later, I'm starting to doubt my initial review, or should I say, it's solidifying my original fears. Again, the starter and dessert were great, as was the vibe, but my main course (paprika/curry-rubbed fried chicken) was surprisingly flavorless. Hmmm...
