Bistro Chapeau!

So, we spent our anniversary evening with my in-laws. The next evening, we celebrated with my parents at this wonderful little neighborhood bistro called Chapeau!. "Chapeau!" Chapeau without the '!' means hat. But with the '!' means WOW. And the food there is definitely WOW!

My hubby and I had passed by many times on our evening walks. One time, we stopped to look at their menu in the window. The owner, Phillipe Gardelle, came right out with a huge smile and open arms. He made us feel like we were old friends, and we were just passing by! So, we made it a point to eat there one night - and it was fantastic! Funny thing is, neither one of us remembers exactly what we had that night, but we both just know it was fabulous.

So, for our anniversary, my parents and grandma wanted to take us out. Chapeau! became a natural choice. As we were being seated, Phillipe came out of the kitchen, again with a beautiful smile, and greeted everyone in the restaurant by stopping at each table, and shaking everyone's hand. Very welcoming. The food, again, was excellent. I had the cassoulet and my hubby had the lamb shank. There was also quail with ox tail and sauteed ling cod. My hubby also tried their 'fish taster' of the night, and that was an excellent seared scallope over risotto.

Other tables ordered their special of the evening. Prime rib, with four sauces, served tableside. As we watched the presentation, Phillipe would gently carve each slice of the meat. Then he would place them, slice by slice, onto the plate. He took such care in laying out each slice, you could tell he really loves his work - and wanted to present each plate with perfection. After the meat was placed, he and his wife, Ellen, would garnish it and complete the work of art. Of course, it sounds dramatic, but it only took few minutes, and you could see from the faces of the diners (or as Phillipe would prefer, 'his guests') as the plate was being placed in front of them, they already knew how delicious their meal was going to be.

OK - back to our own meal. For dessert, we had creme brulee, warm chocolate cake with rum raisin ice cream, a lemon tart, and the best (surprisingly) was the chilled orange soup. Sounds gross, but trust me, it is liquid heaven. Picture a beautiful orange liquid floating on top of a green base liquid in a martini glass. There were small slices of orange in there as well. I have never tasted anything like it. The orange was, of course, orange juice - but it was the sweetest orange you could ever imagine. The green turned out to be mint. Mixed together... liquid heaven.

As we left, Phillipe came out with us and gave us each a personal farewell. It was a wonderful evening. So, if you're ever in San Francisco, and happen to be in the vicnity of Clement St, between 14th and 15th Avenue... stop by Chapeau! and get a taste of France at its finest and feel at home.