I feel like I need to start this post out with an apology. Firstly, this is because we came to Zarzuela with two of our friends as they chose it as a place to meet for our first get together after we moved back to the bay area, and I want to let them know that we had a really fantastic time with them regardless of what is about to follow in this post. (You know, just in case they actually read this.) I also need to apologize as everyone was hungry, so I didn’t manage to snap some of the photos until after we had dug in to some of the dishes, so they aren’t the most appealing.
Zarzuela has been a staple of Spanish cuisine in San Francisco for some time now. The decor kind of reflected that, as it just seemed a bit, well, dated. I was slightly concerned after seeing this because I get the feeling that some older restaurants really rely on being known, and they don’t seem to have a modern or interesting menu. I was also very slightly annoyed that they don’t take bookings (as I really hate to queue), but luckily they had a table for us just a few minutes after we arrived, so we had nothing to worry about on that front.
After everyone arrived, we decided on some Spanish red wine and some dishes to try. Everyone just kind of chose some of the dishes that they wanted and we ordered a few of them. First to arrive at our table were sauteed mushrooms and patatas bravas. The mushrooms were well cooked, but they weren’t really anything special. But I guess overall, it was one of the better dishes of the night. The patatas bravas were, sadly, a bit bland and boring. There really wasn’t much flavor there, and it was a major disappointment as they are often one of my favorite things.
Next, we had some mussels and braised quail. The mussels were way too metallic flavored for me, and it was a huge turn off. After eating two of them, I gave up and let the others have the rest. I was really excited to see quail on the menu as it made me feel like the restaurant was taking a few risks with its menu, however the braised quail was tough and the sauce had way too much sherry in it for my liking. Sadly, most of the dishes up to here were disappointing. Nothing really screamed “SPAIN!” to me at this point.
Along with the quail and mussels, we had a dish of tripe. It was another dish that stood out on the menu as I’m a huge fan of anything with offal in it. And it ended up being the one I could really get behind. If I returned to Zarzuela, it would definitely be on the reorder list. (And maybe I’d just order about six plates of it to be one happy diner!) The tripe wasn’t at all chewy, and the smoky sauce served with it really popped in my mouth. Finally, our paella arrived (and again, sorry I missed a picture of the dish before it was served). As paella go, it’s probably a bit below average, as it was a bit bland, and it just felt like they had been doing it so long, they just stopped caring how it turned out. Needless to say we passed on dessert.
The service also felt like it needed improvement. It was just a bunch of frantic people running around the restaurant. At the end of the meal, one of the clam shells fell into a glass of wine because the busser was trying to clear the table so quickly that it just flew off the plate. Thankfully, they replaced the glass, but it just seemed like something that could have been avoided if they were just taking a bit more time to be careful.
Sadly, my first foray into Spanish food in San Francisco was very lackluster. (Except for the tripe. Seriously, if you do go, make sure to get the tripe.) Maybe it’s just because they’ve been around awhile. Modern, newer restaurants often seem to have a different culinary attitude than older, established places. It just feels like the dishes could be jazzed up and modernized, as most of them just kind of fell flat. I suppose if you’re always that busy, it’s easy just to rest on your laurels, but Zarzuela really isn’t a restaurant that I’ll be in a hurry to return to.
Food: ★★☆☆☆
Service: ★★★☆☆
Atmosphere: ★★★☆☆
Value: ★★★☆☆
Overall: ★★★☆☆
Zarzuela
2000 Hyde Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
Grant, welcome back to California! You and your husband should come down to Santa Cruz for Santa Cruz Shakespeare (their production of the The 39 Steps this summer is excellent). The new magazine Edible Monterey Bay has listings of a bunch of new upscale restaurants that might appeal to you.
We’ve been down to Santa Cruz a couple of times, but usually just for a quick trip to visit friends on a Saturday night. I may have to look into it! Thanks Kevin!