Masa's Restaurant, San Francisco

Went for dinner a few nights ago for a special meal. Last time we went Julian Serrano was the chef. That was one of the best meals of my life, so I wanted to go back, and was willing to pay what I knew would be a substantial chunk of change. Here's how it was: Atmoshere: Got all dressed up, and so did the rest of my party. New decor was nice, although some of the paintings didn't go together (abstract dark paintings across from cheery woodpeckers with red dots and music scores ? No...) Guy next to me was wearing a hoody sweatshirt and Puma sneakers in Kelly green. Another guy in a t shirt was working on his Mac while eating alone. So much for the dress code. We could all have been much more comfortable if only we'd known... The bathroom is now in the hotel, and is kind of plastic and cheap. No more bathroom luxury. Service: Excellent at first, but then the floor manager (head waitress?) went home, and things sort of went down hill from there. Everyone was really polite, but dishes got served to the wrong people, food was described incorrectly, courses weren't held while a member of our party was in the restroom, ...that kind of stuff. All fine in a good restaurant, but not in a world class restaurant. Food: Okay we spent more than three hours eating and it was all really really good, except for the dessert (more about that later.) Amuse buches (yum), interesting flavor combinations, palate cleansers, pickled watermelon salad, gelee's, fois gras, caviar which was amazing...all pretty spectacular. Excellent wine. Back to the dessert, which was ...well mediocre would be nice..awful more accurate. I kind of think the dishwasher did the dessert because it was a huge deviation from the rest of the meal. Would I go back? Well definitely if someone else paid, and maybe if I was paying (now that i have lowered my expectations and know I don't have to dress up -which I hate) It was overall very very good, but not a world class restaurant anymore.

Time tested, tried and true. Just keeps getting better and better!

Service and atmosphere are outstanding, but the food is not worth the prize. I tried their chef's samplers, and out of the 5 dishes being served, I only enjoyed 2 of them.

O.K so I wanted to know what spending $300 for 2 people to eat was like. It will spin your head the amount of money you can spend here on tiny tidbits of food. Cheaper to have a crack habit. I don't get it. And my snobby waiter just rolled his eyes as If I asked for catsup when ordering. Inside it felt sterile and I was afarid to chew because it would be too loud. This is probably a great place to go if someone else is paying like mayor Newsome or Dick Cheney.

With food to die for and friendly efficiant service, MASA'S is one of those places that gets better and better every time I go back!

This is one of SF's Finest and overrated restaurants...the stillness in the restaurant is delightfully disturbing, the staff impeccable, the food is on the verge of perfection, I have to admit that I have stepped through these doors before, about 8yrs ago and the prior chef was perfection not that I have the palate of a connoisseur, but I did notice the difference as I did have a similar meal , still it is very enjoyable and is a definite 4hr sit down dinner. Be sure to be wearing that dinner jacket.

best in SF

while the food at Masa's was everything we hoped it would be three times over the course of the four hrs. dinner took both my girlfriend and myself went without service for up to 1/2 hr. Unable to get our iced tea refilled our waiter would walk past without even glancing our way. Both water and Iced tea glasses sat empty until one time I was able to get a busboys attention and ask him for a refill. Upon returning home I took time to e-mail Masa's to let them know of our experience and our dissappointment in light of everything we had heard and read. We never heard back. Being thirsty during dinner is enough to really bring down what otherwise would have been a truely memorable experience. That being said I would probably go back as the food was outstanding and I do feel that this was an oversite and the exception rather than the rule. Had the service been on par with everything else it would have been worth the $ 400 a person (not counting drinks) we spent.

This is the birth place of the new wave of french food that is still with us today. No question it was the dining room of all dining rooms in the early 80's. Shortly after opening the wait for reservations was over six months. Bill Galloway was catapulted into stardom and maintained the standard beond expectations. Later Julian Serrano eventually took the menue away from the classic french to a more mediterainian style. Less butter and more flavored oils. Now with Gregory Short as chef the magic is back. Better than ever. While Masa was more of a french cuisine purist, Short is the master magician. What put's the evening all together is the tightwire act of Todd Stillman. Todd knows Masa's. He knows the history and the ledgends. He has taken the lead in running the dining room from the time of John Cunin. This is the finest dining room in San Francisco.

Nice location - fun atmospher. Several food options both at MASA's and next door. Has been a good place for friends to gather at the end of the week before a night out on the town.