La Folie

(Russian Hill)
2316 Polk St.  
415-776-5577 Map it
www.lafolie.com

E + D Award Winner; Dinner only
$$$$
French
good for groups, notable chef, prix-fixe menu, romantic, valet parking

2008 EAT + DRINK AWARD: Best French (tied with Fleur de Lys)

SCENE: San Francisco has all but given up on formal dining, but still La Folie persists, turning out classic French food in a warm, elegant dining room in Russian Hill. Here, you’re reminded of just how wonderful fine dining can be.

EATS: Roland Passot, the chef-owner who’s been behind the stove here since 1988, creates such sophisticated dishes as fragrant pumpkin soup poured tableside over chestnut confit and spiced marshmallows, duck consommé with foie gras tortellini a must-order pan-roasted sturgeon on soft braised leeks with oxtail-stuffed calamari. The grand finale is the Sunset, a warm bittersweet-chocolate fondant with a surprise inside: a filling of vanilla ice cream and brandied dried fruit that oozes out when you take your first bite.