To be more specific, the 'Polk Gulch' is an informal name of the neighborhood consisting of Polk Street, between Geary in the infamous Tenderloin neighborhood, and Union Street in the Russian Hill neighborhood. This strip is teaming with excellent bars (Lush Lounge, Hi-Lo Club, The Rusted Mule), and great eateries (Aquarello, Swan Oyster Depot). On the corner of Polk and Broadway sits Lord Stanley, its large Broadway street-facing windows allowing a glimpse of its culinary delights for those walking by.
Lord Stanley is the brainchild of co-chefs/owners Rupert and Carrie Blease. Before they took the plunge in restaurant ownership, their culinary odyssey took them to such acclaimed establishments as Thomas Keller's New York bastion Per Se, two Michelin starred UK stalwart The Restaurant at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, and local San Francisco establishments like The Commonwealth. Per Lord Stanley's website, their goal is to "[offer] simple yet refined cuisine with European influences served in a casual, friendly atmosphere." The results have spoken for themselves, including back to back Michelin stars in 2016 and 2017. Being all for refined cuisine in a comfortable atmosphere, I used the Memorial Day weekend as an excuse to see the magic first hand!
The entryway to Lord Stanley is located right at the corner of Polk and Broadway, dumping one right into the dining area with only a small desk to provide the notion of a reception area. To make things slightly more intimidating, when the sun is high over Broadway, a curtain is used to block out the sun coming in from the door. Thus, I found myself entering the establishment almost blindly (and at one point, I wasn't even sure if the door was truly the main entrance!).
Finding my way into the establishment, and led to a table by a delightful hostess, I was immediately captivated by the bright and airy interior palette. Whites and grays are accented by light woods, giving a clean and airy vibe that fit the Memorial Day setting for tonight's meal. The establishment is actually a two-level layout, with a small dining area on an upper level that overlooks the main dining room below. My guess is that this area can be rented out as a group space, though I have no desire to find out how much such a venue would cost.
Lord Stanley offers patrons two different dining options:
- An a la carte menu featuring snacks ($6 average price), starters ($17.50), mains ($33) and deserts ($11.75)
- Seven course prix fixe menu ($87) with optional foie gras course ($17) and/or wine pairings ($57)
Thus, ordering a starter, main and desert will hit one around $62.50 before taxes, tip and the delightful San Francisco Mandate. Ordering any more food, and the prix fixe option wins on pure economic rationale. It should be note that at $87 for seven courses, Lord Stanley is firmly in the middle of Tier 1 (< $100 per person) restaurants in San Francisco. Reviewing the menu, I opted for the full enchilada: seven course prix fixe menu with supplemental foie gras course. With the order in, the machinery that is the restaurant staff kicked into drive, and so my journey began.
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| Poached oyster with daikon, curry and coriander 2017 Lord Stanley. San Francisco, CA |
Tonight's first course was a poached oyster, served with daikon, curry and coriander The oyster was super tender from the poaching, only showing a soupçon of saline notes. The saline notes that remained paired perfect with the curry and coriander flavors. The daikon was julienned, and paired with the curry, offered a nice blend of earthy spice with herbaceous radish flavors.
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| Warm cabbage, house buttermilk and uni bottarga 2017 Lord Stanley. San Francisco, CA |
Following up the oyster was warm cabbage, served with house buttermilk and uni bottarga. Bottarga is an Italian preparation where roe, usually of the grey mullet or bluefin tuna, is salted and cured like a salami. In this case, fish is switched for uni - Japanese for sea urchin - to similar effect.
The cabbage was tender, offering fresh herbaceous flavors. This paired nicely with the rich house buttermilk, almost to the effect of a coleslaw. Tempering the richness was the subtle saline flavors imparted by the uni, though I think this dish could use more overt uni flavor. Still, I love the direction and approach the kitchen was taking with this dish.
Arriving third in our journey is the supplemental foie gras course, with brook cherries and star anise madeleines. Taking a bite of the madeleine on its own, its anise flavor took me back home to Easter when Mom would make anise-flavored pizelle cookies.
The foie gras was rich and decadent, full of its signature fatty gamy flavor. Thankfully the acidity and fruit overtones of the brook cherries paired nicely, keeping the palette balanced for the next bite. Finally, the madeleine's anise flavor and cake texture offered additional complexity to what appears to be a standard foie gras course.
Moving along, the next course up was pan seared scallop with English peas and black olive, served with espelette broth. Espelette is a pepper cultivated in the Southwestern corner of France near the Spanish border. The dish was also served with a yellow potato-based aioli (if my notes are correct) that was infused into the broth.
The scallops were perfectly prepared - just past translucent so as to not be over-cooked - and offering that classic combination of sweet and saline. Specks of black olive offer an earthy contrast, while the aioli provides a bit of body to the broth. Finally, the English peas round out the flavors with their fresh notes that burst with every bite. Overall an excellent, well-balanced dish.
Next up we have a grilled pork rib, featuring an Earl Grey glaze. This dish was accompanied with Piccalilli - an English interpretation of Indian Pickles - and avocado. According to the server, this rib had been cooked for 20 hours, which completely explains why it fell off the bone upon picking it up.
The Earl Grey glaze was simply delightful, subtly infusing the pork with earthy bergamot undertones to the rich meat. Piccalilli offered a nice combination of mustard and pickled vegetable notes, while the avocado lent its typical rich flavor and creamy texture to this culinary tapestry. In totality, the combination of various flavors was absolutely incredible.
Tonight's final dinner course was a Wagyu sirloin, served with early summer squash, nasturtium (a flower, whose buds and seeds are edible), garlic pureé and red wine jus. The squash was pressed flat with a super thin thickness. Pilled up, it looked a lot like baklava!
To be expected, the sirloin was a perfect rare to medium rare, and incredibly tender with awesome beef flavor. The red wine jus offered nice fruit notes, while the garlic pureé - off to the side - allowed one to dial up just how much garlic desired for their palette. These garlic flavors, while tasty on their own, paired nicely with the squash to really round out the dish.
Switching gears to desert, first arriving was a strawberry sorbet float. In this case, strawberry sorbet was topped with Les Capriades 'Per Sec' to create concoction of the same spirit as a ice cream float.
The sorbet on its own was sweet yet refreshing, with nice berry flavor. The rosé on its own offered nice acidity and a touch of oak. Paired together, the acidity tempered the sweetness of the sorbet without altering its actual flavor. Furthermore, the hint of oak from the rosé diversified the flavor profile profile. Overall, the two made for a sweet yet refreshing desert.
The cabbage was tender, offering fresh herbaceous flavors. This paired nicely with the rich house buttermilk, almost to the effect of a coleslaw. Tempering the richness was the subtle saline flavors imparted by the uni, though I think this dish could use more overt uni flavor. Still, I love the direction and approach the kitchen was taking with this dish.
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| Anise madeleines 2017 Lord Stanley. San Francisco, CA |
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| Confit foie gras with brook cherries 2017 Lord Stanley. San Francisco, CA |
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| Pan seared scallop with English peas and black olive 2017 Lord Stanley. San Francisco, CA |
The scallops were perfectly prepared - just past translucent so as to not be over-cooked - and offering that classic combination of sweet and saline. Specks of black olive offer an earthy contrast, while the aioli provides a bit of body to the broth. Finally, the English peas round out the flavors with their fresh notes that burst with every bite. Overall an excellent, well-balanced dish.
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| Grilled pork rib with Earl Grey Glaze 2017 Lord Stanley. San Francisco, CA |
The Earl Grey glaze was simply delightful, subtly infusing the pork with earthy bergamot undertones to the rich meat. Piccalilli offered a nice combination of mustard and pickled vegetable notes, while the avocado lent its typical rich flavor and creamy texture to this culinary tapestry. In totality, the combination of various flavors was absolutely incredible.
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| Wagyu sirloin with early summer squash 2017 Lord Stanley. San Francisco, CA |
To be expected, the sirloin was a perfect rare to medium rare, and incredibly tender with awesome beef flavor. The red wine jus offered nice fruit notes, while the garlic pureé - off to the side - allowed one to dial up just how much garlic desired for their palette. These garlic flavors, while tasty on their own, paired nicely with the squash to really round out the dish.
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| Strawberry sorbet, Les Capriades 'Per Sec' Float 2017 Lord Stanley. San Francisco, CA |
Switching gears to desert, first arriving was a strawberry sorbet float. In this case, strawberry sorbet was topped with Les Capriades 'Per Sec' to create concoction of the same spirit as a ice cream float.
The sorbet on its own was sweet yet refreshing, with nice berry flavor. The rosé on its own offered nice acidity and a touch of oak. Paired together, the acidity tempered the sweetness of the sorbet without altering its actual flavor. Furthermore, the hint of oak from the rosé diversified the flavor profile profile. Overall, the two made for a sweet yet refreshing desert.
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| Frozen peach with arborio rice, verbena and ginger 2017 Lord Stanley. San Francisco, CA |
Tonight's final overall and desert course is a frozen peach, served with arborio rice in the form of a rice pudding. The confection covering the peach is a ginger-sugar confection, topped with finely grated peach skin.
First of all, this was one of the best deserts I have ever had. The peach had a consistency of a sorbet: super creamy and full of flavor. Underneath the peach was a bed of arborio rice pudding, again super creamy. Balancing the sweet flavors was the ginger in the confection, all the while showcasing incredible ginger flavor. Absolutely outstanding.
I couldn't end my meal with a better dish. The frozen peach was a true microcosm of the overall offering at Lord Stanley: a rich tapestry of flavors and textures woven together to create an incredible experience. Combine that with excellent service, and a truly smart-casual atmosphere, and it's clear that chefs Rupert and Carrie accomplished their overall objective. I for one will be interested in what future seasonal ingredients provide this dynamic duo down the road.
Dining date: May 27, 2017
First of all, this was one of the best deserts I have ever had. The peach had a consistency of a sorbet: super creamy and full of flavor. Underneath the peach was a bed of arborio rice pudding, again super creamy. Balancing the sweet flavors was the ginger in the confection, all the while showcasing incredible ginger flavor. Absolutely outstanding.
I couldn't end my meal with a better dish. The frozen peach was a true microcosm of the overall offering at Lord Stanley: a rich tapestry of flavors and textures woven together to create an incredible experience. Combine that with excellent service, and a truly smart-casual atmosphere, and it's clear that chefs Rupert and Carrie accomplished their overall objective. I for one will be interested in what future seasonal ingredients provide this dynamic duo down the road.
Dining date: May 27, 2017
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