Fleur de Lys

My husband took me there for my birthday a couple of years ago and from what I can remember was one of the best dining experience I ever had.  Food was excellent, atmosphere was wonderful and service was very good.  After the dinner the chef even came out to greet us, and we're no celebrity, just an ordinary 30-something couple having a birthday dinner.

Possibly the only "bad" thing I can think about was the hassle we got when we were trying to make a reservation.  When we called, they asked us for what time we wanted to make the reservation for.  We told them a time, to which the person on the phone said, "we only have two seating".  Well how are we suppose to know that?  Then we were told to call back a week before the date to confirm our reservation.  When we called back, we were then told to call back again the night before.  And the person answering the calls weren't very friendly.  He wasn't rude, but not very pleasant either.

If you are interested in going there, make sure to reserve a table in the main dining room, otherwise you'll end up in one of the smaller rooms.  And remember that you'll get a complimentary chocolate dessert tray at the end even if you order a dessert.

*** Jan (aka: the devious one) "[email removed]" *** "1" in dvs1 is a numeral one, not an "l" as in lowercase L

Felis C. wrote:
>
>I described these dinners to a friend, and he said they sounded too
>good to be true. Are they? Has anyone tried that place?

Over the years, I've heard them described as just barely half a notch below Masa's (the premier SF French restaurant).  Haven't been there, myself, though.  Did a quick search on Bay Area Restaurant Guide (http://www.sfbay.com/food/), and there were a few complaints about service.

My husband took me there for my birthday earlier this year.  We were a bit disappointed with it.  We ordered the tasting menu and the accompanying wines for $28.00 a person.  While the appetizers and first courses and dessert were good.  We were extremely disappointed in the quality of our entree.  We both had the filet mignon and thought the meat was not as tender and flavorful as we hoped it would be. The food presentation for the starters was spectacular but the entree was mediocre.  For a restaurant that gets such high marks, the service is below par.  There were definitely not attentive as they should be, a bit impersonal.  We've had much better service at Star's.  I mean when you are leaving a tip of upwards of $30 or more for two people, you should receive some personal, attentive service.  Another thing is that it is touted as being very romantic.  It really wasn't.  We were surrounded by several large parties of businessmen dinners and they were kind of obnoxious.  How very unromantic.  One of our best dining experiences lately has been at Alfred's on Merchant Alley, next to the Holiday Inn in Chinatown.  Excellent food, personal service, and intimately quiet, we couldn't ask for a more perfect evening.  They serve classic American steakhouse fare. We had Martinis, Caesar salad made and served tableside, escargot, and huge, perfectly cooked t-bone and porterhouse steaks with the best potatoes au gratin and creamed spinach.  The only thing is that the  desserts weren't that impressive, but after all of that you may not be able to eat dessert. All of this, at very reasonable prices for the quality.  A great place for some pre-dinner drinks would be at the	Bubble Lounge down the street.	Great atmosphere and huge selection of  sparkling wine and champagne, by the glass or the bottle.	Enjoy, Bon Appetit!