F is for: Fringale, a Fabulous French Find {Restaurant Review}

Courtesy: SF Station
It's been a pretty amazing week for me food-wise.

It started off with a bang on Sunday when my good friend Erin was in town with her boyfriend Ryan. His sister is a server at Aziza, which is a hidden gem out in the Avenues on Geary street. (Well, I guess it's not *that* hidden since it's a Michelin Star restaurant).

We did the tasting menu and stuffed ourselves with an obscene amount of food. I regret to inform you I did not take any pictures. Though, looking back, I really wish I had. On the other hand, I was also glad to just sit back and enjoy the amazing experience and the wonderful company. 

(Besides, we sampled SO many dishes, I couldn't even begin to catalog them all.)


My week also ended on a high food note as my agent was in town, and we ate at Fringale in SOMA. 

As I filled her in on my life, job, and new obsession (the food blog), I did remember to snap a few photos.

(And yes, my choice of a French restaurant named Fringale may have partially been influenced by "F" week. :) )


Fringale is a cozy spot. And by cozy, I mean you literally bump elbows with your neighbor and have to physically move the table to get up from the booth. But at the same time, it somehow worked. You kind of felt like you were actually in France. This also could have been due to the fact that our server had a very thick French accent. (I feel like anytime you're at a French restaurant and your waitress is actually French, it's probably going to be pretty authentic.) Everything was fantastic. It was clean, simple, and wonderfully highlighted the delicious ingredients and flavors.

We both ordered the special, which was sliced duck breast with figs, red rice, and a wine sauce. Sharon also ordered a delicious-looking frisee salad with goat cheese as a starter, and I had the butternut squash soup, which was perfect for the rainy weather we were having last night.


And because you can't go to a French restaurant without ordering dessert...I got Gateau Basque. I probably wouldn't have picked this out on my own, but when I asked our waitress which one she recommended, she didn't hesitate even a half second before she said this one. It was basically a rich almond cake filled with a custard cream in the middle. It was delicious. Sharon ordered the warm chocolate Gournand, which was a flourless chocolate cake with berries and vanilla ice cream. You can't go wrong with that.

All in all, I sampled two fantastic restaurants with some home cooked food in between and feeling pretty strong about F week. Onto the "G's"....

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