SFReview
Spruce
This is the perfect “Dinner with the Parents” restaurant. It’s fancy, too pricey for a normal evening out (unless you own a Pac Heights mansion), and the food is delicious. Next time your ’rents are in town, bring them here. Reservations are not too difficult to come by, and everyone will have a good time. You are growing up so fast, aren’t you?
About that food: if and when someone else is footing the bill, hit one of the high-class proteins hard. Lobster, pork loin, you know the drill. We’re partial to the duck breast, which has that nicely-scored skin and, these days, some of that barely legal foie on the side. We haven’t had foie at Spruce, but it seems like the kind of place that would kill the foie. Just go with our uninformed judgment on that — it won’t lead you astray.
If you are footing the bill, god forbid, there is one hack to having an amazing meal at Spruce: the burger. Clocking in at a mere $18, this thing is a beast. It is the fancy burger that every other fancy burger is pretending to be. One night wandering through Pac Heights, somewhat intoxicated and ravenous, we suddenly remembered that this burger existed. Sidling up to the bar, we ordered one and absolutely housed the thing. Kobayashi would have been proud — we don’t think that slab of cow lasted a minute. It was one of the all-time great meals.
But back to the here and now. The restaurant is shadowy and vaulted, and low lighting has been scientifically proven to make other people look cooler. The service is on point. You could even bring a date along, or get brunch (killer pastries). This is the rare restaurant that is fancy, expensive, and yet feels totally worth it. If you’re able to drop serious coin on your meal, you won’t go wrong at Spruce.
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Food Rundown
Burger
Look at this thing. Fcking incredible.
Duck Breast
Perfectly rare, perfectly cut, great sides. Duck the way you imagine fancy French restaurants prepare it.
Pork Loin
Suffers in comparison to some of the redder meats, but still a very good dish. If this is what you want, you’ll like it.
Omelet
One of those crazy smooth omelets that we had only until now seen on cooking shows. With a slab o’ brie on top, because WHY NOT?
Beignets
Fancy donuts. Good, but still donuts. Maybe go farther afield in your dessert/brunch explorations.
