Urchin Bistrot

This is just a stunning place to eat. We basically ordered everything. There is a steak tartar with fried oysters on top… Best tartar I have ever eaten. Friend gnocchi was nice. We got a three cheese plate that was excellent. Bone marrow with escargot… Yeah that happened. Then a pork chop a top a creamy polenta. Don’t forget the uni pasta… Oh god the uni pasta.
A really amazing mix of SF ingredients cooked with flawless French love. Go here and eat!!!

Another fantastic dinner! You will spend a decent amount, but it’s worth it. One person doesn’t eat pork/​beef & she was fine, but a vegetarian would be limited.
RESERVATIONS: Table for 6, 8:15pm, Friday. Made on OpenTable just 2 days in advance!
SERVICE: Our server was great. He gave the best drink recs!
COST: $ 97 total pp: 8 cocktails, 1 bottle of red, bread (it’s $ 4 for bread, though it’s pretty good), 6 Snacks, 2 Apps, 6 Mains, & 2 desserts – split b/​t 6 of us:
MUST-​HAVES: Baked Mussels, Steak Tartare, Duck Liver Mousse. Both my cocktails.
COCKTAILS:
* Apricot Sour (tempus fugit noyaux liqueur, lemon, egg white served on the rocks. $ 11) – 5 stars
Incredible; they whip up the egg white nice & thick for a great texture. Guys & girls all loved it. Fruity hints, not overly sweet, some subtle tart flavors.
* Down the Rabbit Hole (vodka, carrot, ginger beer, lemon, rosemary, served tall on the rocks. $ 12) – 5 stars
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Also light & well balanced, w/​a slightly savory hint.
* Bread ($ 4) – 4 stars
Very crunchy crust, very spongy soft bread.
SNACKS
* Deviled Egg, Sea Urchin, Trout Roe. $ 6−−4 stars
If the double richness of urchin + roe sounds appealing to you, get this! I’m glad I tried it once (& split it w/​someone).
* Baked Mussels, Escargot Butter, Pastis. $ 9−−5 stars
As great as before. The real winner is the Escargot Butter!
* Chorizo Stuffed Dates. $ 10−−4 stars
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On the sweet side, but it works.
APPETIZERS
* Steak Tartare, Fried Oysters, Rémoulade. $ 16−−5 stars
Fantastic. The breading on the oysters couldn’t be more perfect, the oysters couldn’t be more juicy & tasty. The tartare was very fresh.
* Duck Liver Mousse, Fruite Compote. $ 12−−4.5 stars
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Lighter than a paté, but retains a rich, thick texture. The bread was more like crackers – small & very crispy. The huckleberry compote was really unique, adding a perfect bit of tang/​sharpness.
MAIN COURSES
* Grilled Free Range Chicken, Späetzle, English Peas, Foie Gras Butter. $ 26) – 4.5 stars
I tried a couple bites & found the meat very rich & juicy!
* Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop, Marble Potatoes, Broccolini, Baby Carrots. $ 28−−4 stars
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The pork chop is very fatty, moist & rich. Comes in 5 strips. The potatoes were nicely done, w/​just a bit of crisp. Other components worked well together.
* Steak Frites, Vin Rouge Butter. $ 32−−3.5 stars
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A rather boring dish. This had a high fries: steak ratio, & it was a very thin steak. My friend got this rare & it was very pink but was still a little tough to slice through. The fries were lackluster – just salt seasoning, thin-​cut, not quite enough crisp.
* Foie Madame, Seared Foie Gras, Smoked Ham, Gruyére Cheese, Fried Egg, Mornay Sauce. $ 37−−4 stars
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This is super rich! There were a few too many consecutive layers of smoked ham, which disrupts the rhythm when take a bite, & I wasn’t a fan of the pickles (they weren’t noted on the menu). The greens were terrible – they barely had any dressing & were very bitter.
* Local Black Cod, Mussels, Wheat Berries, Spring Vegetables, Shimeji Mushrooms, Ramp Velouté. $ 29.50 Fish of the day – 4.5 stars
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They really classed up a very plain fish! The texture was rich & buttery, each slice of meat sliding off effortlessly. This also felt lighter & healthier than other dishes.
DESSERTS:
* Chocolate Bête Noire Cake, Coffee Almond Ice Cream. $ 10−−4 stars
A great dessert, as expected! Got this last time too.
* Caramelized Apple Tart, Crème Fraîche. $ 10 — 4.5 stars
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Everyone’s preferred dessert. Buttery, flaky, & a little dry, though w/​an amazing lightly toasted flavor. The apple & dense crème fraîche were perfect complements.
Menu:
Next time: Free Range Chicken. Cocktails, the Daiquiri, Mai Tai.

3.5 stars.
I’m pretty baffled by the restaurant name since there are only a couple of uni dishes on the menu. I tried both of them — the deviled egg had a nice fleshy piece of uni but it was a complete waste since the flavor was overpowered by the yolk, and while the spaghettini had a nice creamy coating, the noodles weren’t al dente enough for my liking. So what if I’m a picky eater? Wanna spank me?
I’m happy to report the steak tartare with fried oysters received the stamp of approval from my elite taste buds. I’d definitely order this again if I came back.