Fable — Restaurant in San Francisco

Sigh. Second time going to Fable after almost writing it off the first time. Ultimately, the service has been too frustrating both times to warrant coming back and the food isnt great or enough to override that fact.

1st time: dinner. Went later in the evening, hardly anyone there so they weren't busy yet it took eternity for ANYONE to come to our table. We just sat there with noone coming to greet us or take our order. It grew so frustrating we almost got up and left and just then finally someone came. It was a while back, food was debatable depending on what dish you got but I think I remember liking mine. We were just so put off by the service (or lack thereof) throughout the experience that that stood out more than the food experience.

Fast forward to 2nd time: brunch. Once again, we are faced with an overwhelmingly frustrating wait to have a server come to our table. We had been seated promptly bc we had a reservation, it was busier this time. I understand waiting a bit but this got ridiculous once again. We sat there to the point you know the whole menu, check all your social media apps, refresh refresh to kill time, look around wondering when the hell anyone is ever going to come by. Nothing... for about 10 minutes until the waiter finally came. Never brought us our coffee -- had to flag someone else walking by for help bc he would never come back and that gentleman brought us our coffee - he was a nice guy and on top of things. The original waiter didnt really do anything except a check in as he walked by when we were eating. Food: we had frittatas; they were fine. The apples in them were interesting and a nice touch but other than that it wasn't anything special and it was extremely pricey for what it was.

Menu always feels pretty limited for a vegetarian/pescatarian who doesn't want to just eat bread or flour...

Some friends from out of town recently invited me to dine with them at Fable; there were 6 of us and we were seated at a nice table in the corner of the patio. The ambiance of the patio is pleasant, with greenery and even a small fountain in the corner. It's a little louder than you might expect for patio dining but not unpleasantly. The waitstaff were very nice and patient as we took our time looking over the menu as we were catching up. They didn't scold anyone for trying to order items that they had said they were out of. That brings me to the first complaint; they were out of several items on the menu. They also had several items that were not on the menu. I understand why restaurants put their menu online due to Covid-19, but Fables becomes one very long scroll which makes it harder to find what you want. Because they would have to update a website, I also understand why they left some off, but other restaurants handle this better. Second, their prices aren't exactly cheap. $26 for a chicken breast and small side is pretty steep. I ordered the double cheeseburger with bacon and fries which came to about $21. The burger patties, bacon and fries were all over cooked and dry. instead of making the patties wider, they were tall so the whole burger including the nondescript bun were about 7-8 inches high; far to big to be eaten my hand so it had to be cut up. I had trouble cutting the bacon with the table knife. There was a small container each of off the shelf thousand island and catsup and nothing else in the way of sauces. From what I saw of the other dishes, they were also over prices and no one raved about anything that was served. In summary, I think there are several restaurants in the Castro that serve better food and do it at al lower price; The Sausage Factory and The Cove being two that I can easily...

Outdoor garden court seating at the rear of the restaurant with adequate heat lamps was a plus. Perhaps because of this, the rear patio was filled to capacity, even on a Thursday night. The menu, as is the case in an increasing number of restaurants, is only accessible through a smartphone QR code scanning app. The waiter seemed a bit scattered and we had to repeat our order several times.

The same waiter also recommended a Santa Rita Pinot Noir that I perceived to be weak and a bit vinegary, although my dining companions deemed it OK. He redeemed himself with a recommendation of a Cabernet Sauvignon, also from Santa Rita. The preponderance of East Bay vineyards on the wine list is notable and the price per bottle struck us as super-inflated.

We ordered two bowls of mussels for a party of 6: one made with chorizo, the other without. The mussels with chorizo were spicy and tasty; those without were bland. We ordered a variety of items for our main course: steak, pork, salmon, and duck. I can only comment on the duck - it was the largest portion of duck I have ever encountered in any restaurant. Doggy bags are generally not my thing, but the mound of duck on my plate was so large that I had to request a to-go bag for half of the portion. As is sadly often the case with duck, the meat was a bit tough.

Our main dessert was the bread pudding and this was good, with a firm consistency and a complex, rich taste. Just as we were finishing dessert, the waiter announced that it was time for us to leave. Apparently, occupancy of tables at Fable is time restricted to 3 hours. This is understandable but it is something all guests should be informed of...