I feel like I’ve had a bit of a dining hiatus due to covid and a bit of a writing hiatus due to moving house. (Yes we bought a house, and it’s amazing and also there’s so much involved in buying a house.) But, for my birthday, I was not going to be trapped at home again, so I booked us into the outdoor dining at 3rd Cousin, mostly because Instagram kept sending me amazing looking images of their signature dish: Uni Creme Brulee. Finally my big day arrived and we headed over there to sit outside and enjoy one of the first fine dining meals we had had in awhile.
They have both a tasting menu and an a la carte, but I knew the tasting menu was definitely going to have to be on order. Since it was my birthday, we also decided to go for the supplements, including a wagyu beef dish, a lobster risotto and shaved fresh black truffles added to the pasta dish. They also have wine pairings for the standard menu, and the sommelier definitely had some extra options available for the supplemental courses. Of course, there is also a bottle list if that’s what you’re feeling.
The first course was burrata with english peas. It was a small dish, but it packed a lot of really good flavor. Next up was a raw hamachi dish with strawberries and kumquats. It was also a very tasty dish, with a lot of variety from the fruits and crunchy bits added in order to really vary the texture and flavors. Third was the uni creme brulee, and it pretty much lived up to expectations. A very rich, slightly uni flavored custard with a big piece of uni on top and caviar/roe. It was served with bread, and really was a great luxurious dish that left me wanting more. Up next was the halibut course, and honestly, it wasn’t really to my taste. I find it hard to enjoy a lot of white fish courses, and for some reason the halibut itself wasn’t exciting, and I didn’t really enjoy the sides very much (except for the sauce and potatoes which actually worked fairly well).
Next up was the first of the supplemental courses: The lobster risotto. Now, I’m not always a fan of risotto in restaurants as it is a tricky dish to get right, but I’m a very big fan of lobster, and this dish really sang. It had really great flavor and the lobster was cooked really well. Next was the porcini ravioli, with the supplemental truffles. The pasta was incredible and made me very happy, but, for once, it felt like the shaved truffle was perhaps a bit unnecessary, as much as I love truffle. This course was also served with a little bit of bread and butter than I used to help soak up every bit of the sauce, as well as some of the sauce for the next course: The duck with endive, lentils and pickled strawberry. Duck and lentils are very much a classic combination, and they really nailed it at 3rd Cousin. It felt rich and decadent, and the pickled strawberries added a great touch of acidity to really brighten it up. Finally, came the last of the savory courses (and the final supplemental course) with a wagyu beef dish. Again, the cooking was really well done, and the sauce and sides just made for an excellent plate of food.
Of course, you know how much I love desserts, and these desserts were no exception. The pannacotta was perfectly wobbly and had just the right hit of earl grey tea. The citrus really paired well with the creaminess of it, and it felt like the right way to start dessert. The next dessert was the chocolate HOHO which ended up having a chocolate exterior and something like a marzipan inside. It was rich and decadent and the passionfruit sorbet was a nice foil to help bring acidity and not make it too rich. A candle on the side was a great addition for my birthday!
3rd Cousin turned out to be an excellent foray into fine dining after being on a COVID-related fine dining hiatus. There were lots of great courses, and their signature dish of the uni creme brulee was definitely as good as I was hoping. They had some really interesting wines in the wine pairing that accompanied every dish very well (including a Champagne upgrade for my birthday.) We had absolutely fantastic service as well as they really wanted to make sure we had a fantastic evening for my birthday. And their outdoor dining patio was not too crowded. It’s definitely a winning choice in my book, especially if you live in the Bernal Heights area.
Score: 4.5/5
Recommendation: Get the tasting menu, but if you go a la carte, the creme brulee is definitely a must try!
3rd Cousin
919 Cortland Ave
San Francisco, CA 94110
