In situ - SFMOMA

Hi @Chowseeker1999 -

Sorry. I didn’t get a notify of your reply… happens sometimes :wink:.

Yes, I have been reading about Saison on FTC. Your report is superb. When we go to S.F. it will definitely be our swanky dinner.

Thanks!

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Hi @TheCookie,

Thank you. Nice! :slight_smile: Looking forward to your thoughts.

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thanks for the report. sounds like a very cool place.
two things, though, please:
first, is this an expensive or a very expensive joint?
second, if youll excuse the pretentious humble brag on my part:
i encourage you not to let your disappointment with the lettuce dish turn you off all things relae. it is an utterly fantastic, non pretentious restaurant with inventive but absolutely delicious, non ridiculous food.
and filling enough for even your clean plate ranger types.

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Hi @linus,

Thanks! Yah, we quite enjoyed In Situ. As for price, it’s a la carte, so you can decide how many dishes you want. For us, it ended up being $100 per person or so, but we also over ordered by a dish or so.

For Relae, thanks for the recommendation! That’s very cool that you got a chance to try it in person, and reading a bit about the restaurant, it seemed like a place I wanted to go to regardless. :slight_smile: But it’s good to know the Lettuce Sandwich isn’t indicative of the restaurant in general. Thanks.

The menu is online. If you have discipline you could try a dish or two without spending much.

http://insitu.sfmoma.org/menu

Hey, I was actually there last week on a Wednesday. I asked about the Scallops and the Sea Urchin as they were not on the menu. Server stated that they are typically there on Friday/Saturday dinner time in relatively low quantities.

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How do you come back down to earth after that? Fan-fucking-tastic.

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Another solid dinner at in situ, but didn’t top my last visit, mainly because there were a couple misses and the Plogue à Champlain with Foie Gras was no longer on the menu.

Caramelized Carrot Soup
coconut foam, chaat masala
Nathan Myhrvold, Modernist Cuisine
Bellevue, Washington, 2011

Excellent start, I could drink this by the bushel.

Cuttlefish Cappuccino
potato, braised cuttlefish, ink
Massamiliano Alajmo, Le Calandre
Rubano, Italy, 1996

Tasted like the eggslut slut, warm and comforting.

Dadinhos de Tapioca
tapioca and cheese fritters
Rodrigo Oliveira, Mocotó
Sao Paulo, Brazil, 2005

Like cheesy tater tots

Apocalypse Burger
lettuce wrap
Anthony Myint, The Perennial
San Francisco, 2016

Fresh Stone Crab Claw
steamed with egg white and Chinese wine
Lau Chiu Shing, Fook Lam Moon
Hong Kong, China, c. 1970

Claw meat was fresh and sweet but there was too much shaoxing wine.

Smoked Confit Pig Jowl
shiitake, shaved sea scallop, Jerusalem Artichoke Leaves, Juniper, Bay
Peter Gilmore, Quay
Sydney, Australia, 2014

I had the original dish at quay and wanted to try in situ’s interpretation and it tasted spot on. Great combination of porky fattiness with the sweet scallops and crunch from the artichoke leaves, highlight of the night.

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Lamb Shank Mantı
tomato, smoked yogurt, sumac
Mehmet Gürs, Mikla
Istanbul, Turkey, 2012

Another highlight, loved the slightly sweet tomato sauce with the smoky yogurt.
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Wasabi Lobster
mango jelly, Thai vinaigrette, wasabi marshmallow
Tim Raue, Restaurant Tim Raue
Berlin, Germany, 2013

Perfectly cooked lobster crusted with crunchy wasabi flakes.
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The Voyage from the Indies
wild John Dory, cabbage, turmeric, mango-apple compote
Olivier Roellinger, Les Maisons de Bricourt
Saint-Méloir-des-Ondes, France, 1982

This was a miss, the fish was overcooked and the sauce was way too overpowering.
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Jasper Hill Farm Cheesecake
hazelnut, white chocolate, cookie
Albert Adrià, Tickets
Barcelona, Spain, 2015

Just as good as last time.
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This looks like a wonderful meal @PorkyBelly! :slight_smile: Bummer about a couple of the misses, but it sounds like everything else was great.

It’s also awesome to hear they kitchen can capture the original dish like the Quay dish you had, which speaks well of the chef and kitchen staff. :slight_smile: Can’t wait to go back!

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I love Jasper Hills and loved Tickets Bar (we met Albert) but is that a cheesecake or a cheese?

The cuttlefish cappuccino, I’m in love.

So glad you guys like this place as much as we do. Chef Brandan is a super talented guy and very down to earth. He cooked my birthday dinner a few years back at Benu and I swear he was better than the master himself! We’re big fans of the David Chang Spicy Pork Sausage with Crispy Rice Cakes, though it seems to be off the menu currently.

BTW, have you all tried the third jewel in the Corey Lee crown, Monsieur Benjamin? The stuffed Quail a la Chasseur is quite delicious.

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It’s currently back on the menu as of last week. I wish they would bring back the shrimp grits from wd-50, that was damn near perfection.

Yep, really liked the uni in white verjus and the artic char amandine.

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I’d go to Monsieur Benjamin regularly if it were in Oakland.

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Went with two friends. Two or four might be a better number given the way the dishes are portioned.

First and best bite of the meal, fish cake tempura. This was exactly like something I’d hope to get at a really good izakaya. Score one for In Situ. (We asked for a third, the normal order is two.)

Very similar to if not actually Acme levain. Brown butter (topped with chives etc.) was great. Two for In Situ.

Salmon: all hat and no cattle. In Situ, 2-0.

Asparagus with fried maitake, house-made tofu, and sesame mayo. This was great and again things I’d hope to get at a really good izakaya, albeit with the asparagus maybe not plated so fancily. In Situ, 3-0.

Octopus was surprisingly spicy with fun textures from rice and seaweed crackers. Reminded me of takoyaki, so again solidly in izakaya territory. In Situ 3, Peru 1.

Wasabi lobster with mango jelly, OK but kind of watered-down Japanese flavors compared with the previous dishes. Germany still no points.

Halibut, for me this was a hard fail. If I’d been alone I would have sent it back. Foul for Germany.

Jokbal, this was really good, especially that fermented barley whatever-it-is. There was actually a pretty solid amount of pork in the bowl, though we’d have liked more of the skin, cartilage, and fat like you’d get at a traditional place. Pickled perilla was too sweet for my taste but it was gilding the lily anyway. One point for Korea.

The cheesecake is really good. The filling’s savory and the only sweetness comes from the marzipan covering.

Final score In Situ 3, Korea, Peru, and Spain 1 each, Germany 0. The restaurant’s original dishes surpassing the rest puts the curated menu concept in doubt.

That was plenty of food for three, would have been fine with a dish or two fewer.

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wow this place looks insane. Thanks for the rec @PorkyBelly !

I wonder why reservations are wide open when seemingly every worthwhile restaurant in the city is pretty much fully booked 30+ days out.

To me the atmosphere, comfort, conviviality, and service weren’t in line with similarly-priced places so I’m in no hurry to go back. Plus as I said since the restaurant’s original dishes were the best, the whole concept seems dubious to me.

Nice place for a drink and a snack when visiting the museum.

Every trendy restaurant.

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what are some less trendy options that may be available?
looking to have dinner in SF on Saturday night in exactly one month
tried Mr. Jius and Rich Table - no availability
don’t care to spend Benu/Crenn/Saison/Quince type of $$$$ but still would like something classy with great food in the $100-150 per person food costs.

la ciccia has open tables on 3/23
angler
liholiho yacht club
bellota
acquerello

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