We booked our reservation at Big Four on Open Table (I really love that site!) as we were staying just down the road in Nob Hill and had walked past a few times. For our last night in San Fran we thought we'd splash out on a nice dinner. We'd enjoyed the 'American' food so much over the past week, and wanted to go out on a high. All the reviews said Big Four is a San Francisco classic, so I made our booking for 2 veggies, got a nice new dress on, and enjoyed the walk over past the Fairmont and the beautiful cathedral.
Sometimes I think you just 'know' as soon as you get to a new place whether it's going to be good or not. In this case, I had the gut instinct we were in for an average event, based on the dismissive way we were greeted and seated. But remembering how lucky I am to eat in places like this, I decided to have a great night. The heavy woods, leather seats, and dim lighting makes for a old-world feel, and the pictures on every wall remind you of the history of San Francisco. It's a cosy space with many nooks set up for private tables, and the live piano player is a nice touch (that is, until he starts chastizing the waitresses, and you notice how much he's drinking.... Anyway! Back to being grateful!)
We ordered a salad and soup to start, and a pasta and risotto for mains, along with some champagne to celebrate a great, sunny trip to a beautiful new city. We'd walked the hills, sipped the Irish Coffee, drank Napa wines, and listened to the bell of the trams outside our hotel window. We had felt strangely at home in the huge expansive China town, and chatted with people in the post office trying to send baby formula back to Beijing. We'd also found some of the best coffee roasters in the city - I always measure a city by how good the coffee is and San Francisco stacked up with the likes of Blue Bottle and Four Barrel. I could happily live there with the sunshine and the sea mist.
The food arrived - sorry to say the soup might have come from a can, and the salad, while presented in a pretty symetrical pattern, wasn't very tasteful. Well, we moved ahead. My risotto was very nice, with a lemon zest that really stood out. Unfortunatley, the spaghetti was truly bland. It's a shame to say that Big Four is all vegetarian sausage sizzle and no pop.
I don't expect a restaurant to make a special event for us. It's great to see places like Big Four who already have meat free options on the menu as part of their regular offering. It's just a shame to see such lack of imagination and flavour. Why bother?
The wait staff were stiff, and seemed to be full of inside jokes amongst them. There was no genuine warmth or care paid, and the head of the restaurant seemed dismissive and full of self-import. It was truly a strange experience see the management of the floor hit the mark by so far. They seemed so preoccupied with the pomp and importance of their restaurant, that they forgot to look their patrons in the eye to offer any vague expression of warmth or interest.
Oh well, it all goes to show - the packaging isn't everything, although it's very pretty in this case! But if it's what's inside that counts, then Big Four gets my big thumbs down. It feels terrible to write reviews like this, but I guess it balances the rest out - they can't all be good!
Add: 1075 California Street San Francisco, CA 94108. Cross Street: Taylor
PH: (415) 771-114
Web: http://www.big4restaurant.com/
Sometimes I think you just 'know' as soon as you get to a new place whether it's going to be good or not. In this case, I had the gut instinct we were in for an average event, based on the dismissive way we were greeted and seated. But remembering how lucky I am to eat in places like this, I decided to have a great night. The heavy woods, leather seats, and dim lighting makes for a old-world feel, and the pictures on every wall remind you of the history of San Francisco. It's a cosy space with many nooks set up for private tables, and the live piano player is a nice touch (that is, until he starts chastizing the waitresses, and you notice how much he's drinking.... Anyway! Back to being grateful!)
We ordered a salad and soup to start, and a pasta and risotto for mains, along with some champagne to celebrate a great, sunny trip to a beautiful new city. We'd walked the hills, sipped the Irish Coffee, drank Napa wines, and listened to the bell of the trams outside our hotel window. We had felt strangely at home in the huge expansive China town, and chatted with people in the post office trying to send baby formula back to Beijing. We'd also found some of the best coffee roasters in the city - I always measure a city by how good the coffee is and San Francisco stacked up with the likes of Blue Bottle and Four Barrel. I could happily live there with the sunshine and the sea mist.
The food arrived - sorry to say the soup might have come from a can, and the salad, while presented in a pretty symetrical pattern, wasn't very tasteful. Well, we moved ahead. My risotto was very nice, with a lemon zest that really stood out. Unfortunatley, the spaghetti was truly bland. It's a shame to say that Big Four is all vegetarian sausage sizzle and no pop.
I don't expect a restaurant to make a special event for us. It's great to see places like Big Four who already have meat free options on the menu as part of their regular offering. It's just a shame to see such lack of imagination and flavour. Why bother?
The wait staff were stiff, and seemed to be full of inside jokes amongst them. There was no genuine warmth or care paid, and the head of the restaurant seemed dismissive and full of self-import. It was truly a strange experience see the management of the floor hit the mark by so far. They seemed so preoccupied with the pomp and importance of their restaurant, that they forgot to look their patrons in the eye to offer any vague expression of warmth or interest.
Oh well, it all goes to show - the packaging isn't everything, although it's very pretty in this case! But if it's what's inside that counts, then Big Four gets my big thumbs down. It feels terrible to write reviews like this, but I guess it balances the rest out - they can't all be good!
Add: 1075 California Street San Francisco, CA 94108. Cross Street: Taylor
PH: (415) 771-114
Web: http://www.big4restaurant.com/
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