After walking around a good deal of Union Square and the Financial District on Thursday, we were pretty sure that finding another café style bistro for lunch on Friday would not take long. How many people work downtown? They’ve all gotta eat somewhere right? Maybe it was the heat or maybe it was because we were still getting our bearings straight, but we seemed to roam aimlessly for quite some time without stumbling upon anything that might measure up to our expectations. Then, while wandering down Sutter Street we came upon Café Metropol. One peek inside at their showcase of offerings and a few words with the charming man in front (had to be an owner) and it was a done deal.
Metropol has a few tables in front for dining al fresco, and again, these were popular due to the heat. We opted for a table as close to the front door as possible. The owner really was charming, in a very European way. We asked his recommendations and he made everything sound like manna from heaven. When it came to salads, his number one choice was the Ceviche. I followed this queue and ordered it. Our friend Jackie could not decide on one and opted for their salad sampler, which gives you up to 4 salads to sample, a great idea. My Ceviche was wonderful. They didn’t vary much from the traditional recipe of fish, peppers, tomato, avocado, onion, cilantro, olive oil, and salt. Why mess with a good thing. They did add small shrimp and crabmeat, two of my favorites, and some sort of noodle I couldn’t quite place. Perhaps a rice noodle? The portion was perfect. I was full, and satisfied. Jackie enjoyed her sampler, favoring the beet salad with pears and blue cheese on organic mixed greens, as her top choice. They had a lovely dessert tray which was brought out upon request, but I will let Alex wax poetic on that course…
The service was attentive and friendly. The interior has a modern European flair. I saw quite a few people order pizza which looked and smelled good. I saw one child dining there and I would take a child there for lunch, but I can’t speak to whether or not I would at dinner. Overall the atmosphere is casual and relaxed. If we were not tasked with getting to a concert that afternoon, it is the type of place where we could comfortably linger over a drink and chat. I noticed that the employees seemed very familiar with several diners. It’s nice to see local regulars dining in a restaurant. That is a sign to me that there is consistency in their service and menu. Bien cuit, Metropol. _Laine
I was determined that we were not going to eat somewhere mediocre and we would stop and look, maybe go in and then decide we could find something much better. I was looking for a bistro, with which I have had the best luck, especially if I am wandering a little aimlessly. Becoming a little frustrated as I do when I am in the middle of a city and cannot find somewhere to eat and the problem usually is that you are one street over from 'restaurant row', at least in my experiences. When I spotted the wicker chairs and bright yellow awning, it was almost as if Metropol popped up just to serve us! We could only be so lucky. We quickly perused the specials board and decided this was a fit.
Seated quickly at a cute inside table that was dangerously close to the dessert case, we excitedly scanned the menu. Everything we saw come out looked delicious. Grouper, salmon, white and black bean salad, meatloaf, ravioli, pizza and many others. On the outdoor patio, a little girl had a lovely looking Pizza Margarita and while it was a pretty good size, she was munching away at it with no problem. I would like to have had a bite!
Maryland opted for the Salad Sampler, which she could build with her salad choices. Some she included were the Slow Roasted Beet Salad, the Chicken Caesar Salad and the Ceviche Salad. She was very pleased and said the beet and ceviche were her favorites.
Another hard decision for me, but if these were the only hard decisions I ever had to make, I would be one joyful person. I finally settled on the Grilled Eggplant Focaccia Sandwich with fresh Mozzarella, greens, tomatoes and Dijon mustard. Served with a perfect little mixed greens salad (one of my favorite additions to a burger or sandwich), this sandwich was perfect. The focaccia was very fresh with herbs and olive oil and the grilled, marinated vegetables and mozzarella were made to perfection. I could eat this sandwich daily. Perfect in size, it did not stuff me but I was fully satisfied. I say that but then I had to again investigate the dessert case, at which I had peeked previously. There was a chocolate three-layer cake, a few berry pies and then there it was...the pear almond cheesecake. WOW! I did ask our waitress, to be sure, if she had a favorite and without hesitation she said the cheesecake. I needed no other reassurance. A light, almond-flavored cheesecake filling with fresh, poached pears atop, this variation of the popular dessert is definitely the best I have ever had. I am saying that with all honestly and truthfulness. I talked about it for the rest of the day and told everyone I knew what I had had. Calls, text messages. I would have emailed had I been near a computer! Unbelievable. Whatever you do while you are in the Bay Area, visit Cafe Metropol and order this dessert.
Prices are reasonable, service was good and the atmosphere was lively, yet relaxing, like any European cafe should be. Metropol serves lunch and dinner daily.
~Alex
Café Metropol
168 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA 94104
Tel: 415.732.7777
Fax: 415.732.7778
No comments:
Post a Comment