Jun 6 / Lando

Lunch at Luce – Dine About Town Report

With San Francisco’s Dine About Town promotion making a return, it’s giving diners budget friendly dining options and opportunities to visit many participating restaurants in San Francisco. Three course menus starting at $21.95 for lunch and $34.95 for dinner are available. When I heard about the program, I quickly looked up the list of restaurants to see if any restaurants that I have wanted to try were participating.

With such a long list to research, I randomly clicked away to read descriptions. Some made my list, the others I merely skipped. A couple of random clicks down the list and I stumbled at this interesting find:

“Featuring innovative New American cuisine, Luce’s menu is refined and elegant, yet unpretentious. Luce showcases the legendary wines of Frescobaldi with a sophisticated New American menu, and a wine list of distinction. At the helm is Chef de Cuisine, Dominique Crenn, who Esquire magazine’s John Mariani named Chef of the Year 2008. Crenn’s passion for local fare and global flavors are showcased throughout Luce’s lunch, dinner, and dessert menus…”

A quick look at the sample three course menu and we were off to see what Luce was all about.

Luce is housed inside the Intercontinental Hotel in San Francisco. A quick stroll down the hotel’s lobby will lead you past the bar and into the restaurant. The elegant sphere lights hanging above you and large windows covered with translucent curtains surrounding the restaurant, give Luce quite the modern feel. Selections of wines were on display and behind it, if you looked carefully enough, you could get a glimpse into the kitchen.

The Dine About Town Menu allowed you to pick one dish from each of the courses:

Capay Farms Assorted Greens / Breakfast Radishes / Cranberries
or
Lentils Soup / Truffle Tremor Goat Cheese
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Braised Pork Belly “Vietnamese Sandwich” / Cilantro / Mint / Jalapeño
or
Rare Ahi Tuna / Flageolet / Meyer Lemon Oil / Pickled Baby Tomato
——————————————
Wild Berry Parfait
or
Catalana

With two it of us dining, it was perfect. We could each order something different and take a taste from each others order. We started with the mixed greens and soup. The salad was dressed with a very light vinaigrette. It was a good balance of tartness and sweet from the cranberries and fresh greens. The soup also had a good balance. The lentils absorbed the sweet flavors of the vegetable broth. The goat cheese added just the right salty touch.

The main courses soon followed. Dominique Crenn’s take on the Vietnamese Bahn Mi sandwich was splendid. Unlike other Vietnamese sandwiches I’ve had, this one didn’t leave my mouth feeling like the roof has been scraped up from the bread crust. The slices of bread here were baked perfectly. Tender and fatty pork belly filled the sandwich. The mint added hints of sweet flavors along with the savory pork. Hidden inside the sandwich was a baby pickled tomato for an added twist.

The Ahi Tuna was a beauty to look at. It was divided in half, accompanied by earthy flageolet beans and sweet pickled baby tomatoes. The seared tuna was seasoned with pepper and topped with a finishing salt. The wide open plate invited you to slide the tuna across the sauce to savor the flavors.

No photo can describe how delicious the two desserts were. It was crowning the highlight of the lunch. The parfait was topped with fresh wild berries dressed in a syrup. Beneath the fresh berries lay its creamy center. The catalana offered the same presentation. A sweet port syrup covered the top of the custard. Digging your spoon into each dessert is the only way to appreciate their smooth textures. Both desserts were equally impressive and made lasting positive impressions.

Chef Dominique Crenn’s creative flare shined with all her dishes and thanks to the Dine About Town promotion, I’ve found another favorite in the city.