Lolinda — Restaurant in San Francisco

Party of 6. 9:45pm 11/13/2021 Many staff deserve 5⭐️s. I’m hoping that I will soon be contacted so I can actually remove my post. It pains me to post such a negative review because so many of the staff work hard and provide a great product. The owners invest blood, sweat and tears into their businesses.

My hat goes off to the great kitchen staff, the welcoming hostess, the bar backs and army of bus staff that stealthily make the restaurant work.

So why a 3⭐️. Honestly it’s only reserved for a few.

In the beautiful reception you are greeted by a grand table with menus. As I looked through the menus, I noticed they were all the same size. Oddly enough every menu I picked up was a real dessert menu. An actual pre Covid style menu. Not interested in dessert at this time, I decided to make my way for a cocktail. Excited for a craft cocktail, I asked the bartender if they had any specialty drinks. My question was returned with “have you read the menu?” My answer was no and one was provided promptly. My old eyes struggled to focus on the menu in the classic dimmed light of the restaurant. The typical bar tender irritated voice instructed me that I have to download the menu. I thought how interesting to have a mix of real desert menus at the reception and Qcode menus elsewhere. I knew I would be better prepared and wouldn’t make the same mistake at the table. The drinks were delicious and I moved on.

Unfortunately, I still was not adequately prepared for the waitress. We noticed that there were several birthdays around us. My oldest daughter immediately asked me if I informed the staff of my youngest daughters birthday. We made every effort to inform our waitress without being obvious. The surprise was on us. She came to the table and announced “I’m just going to let the cat out of the bag. Ok so everybody knows we have a birthday here. Don’t expect any singing because we are a classy restaurant. Now let’s get things started”.

After the first shot across the bow by the bar tender, I decided read the menu to be better prepared. However, I made the mistake of asking for recommendations. Our table soon would be met with this phrase 3 more times: “Have you read the menu?” 6 sets of eyes shifted back and forth searching for the confirmation you can only get when you recognize the same bewildered looks spiraling In the eyes of the others around you. The recommendations did come. They were essentially everything on the menu. I suppose she was right in her echoing phrase that is haunting me. I will be better prepared in the future as I can barely cope with failing my oral exam. Either I’m extremely optimistic or slow to learn the rules of engagement. My mistakes keep piling up… I asked about the beef. This defaulted to an assumption that I was completely unaware of what qualifies as prime beef. “You may have never had prime beef. It’s the one with more fat and the bone in it.” Ok then….the explanation was brilliant. My thoughts …this is really happening? We skillfully parry the jab with lack of recognition and move on. The food comes and doesn’t disappoint.

Meanwhile, the dessert menus remained neglected and lonely on the table at the grand entrance that was too big for their small stature. I made the egregious mistake of ordering creme brûlée. Apparently this was beyond offensive. I attempted to duck for cover by stating that flan and creme brûlée are similar. I was reprimanded immediately as all filters were clearly removed. I retorted with “well, have you ever made either?” She retreated to “No” and asked how many would I like. Apparently she wasn’t listening so I was happy to remind her with the type of simple clarity that penetrates self absorbed density…”I did requested 2”. Sweet and simple.

She found my threshold of tolerance in dealing with an adult. I asked one of the amazing bus staff to send for the manager. This sent the wait staff and manager into flurry of internal investigation and head whipping. The manager arrived. Stood directly in front...

Our friend chose Lolinda as the site for his birthday party for 25 people.

ATMOSPHERE: Very trendy with dim lighting and contemporary decor. The first level features a small bar, high tops, booths and low tops. The second floor is a loft, with yet another small bar and low tops. There's a rooftop bar but I couldn't check it out due to the line to get up. The noise level inside was obnoxiously loud, which our party only added to.

MENU: Argentinian apps, steaks, seafood, pork, sausages, pre-fixe menus for large parties with several price points.

BEVERAGE: Uinta Baba Black Lager This dark beer was good, with coffee notes and wasn't too bitter.

Quilmes Lager A traditional golden lager, with subtle & nutty flavors.

FOOD - PRE-FIXE MENU SERVED FAMILY-STYLE: Ensalada de Palmito (hearts of palm salad) Nice salad tossed in a lime-based dressing. Good but mainstream.

Ceviche Mixto The squid, shrimp and ono were very tender and nicely seasoned. To the side were breaded corn kernels that were deep-fried crispy and formed into two discs.

Empanadas de Carne I was excited for these but they were just okay, taste-wise. The filling was bland and the empanada shell wasn't too flaky. There was some kind of sauce to drizzle over, but I passed on it because I wanted to taste the natural flavors of the meat.

Vigorón (pork belly) When does pork belly ever taste bad?! They were cut up and stir fried with cabbage. Very good.

Chuleta (pork chop) Pre-cut, surprisingly moist, tender and seasoned perfectly.

Ojo de Bife (ribeye steak) Served medium rare, the meat was tender, not too fatty and had that great meaty flavor.

Trucha (trout) Surprisingly good! We don't have too much trout back in Hawaii, but I'm a fan. Very flaky like butterfish and nicely done.

Chiles a la Parrilla (shishito peppers) Holy bageezuz was my mouth on fire!? The version I had at Daikaya in Washington DC wasn't a five alarm blaze. Pass.

Papas (roasted potatoes) These came on the same plate as the inferno peppers and were lightly seasoned.

Churros Mmm, these were yummy and served warm with dark chocolate & caramel dipping sauces for dipping.

SERVICE: Our 25-topper was serviced by Amy, I believe was her name. Because some of us arrived before the party time, we naturally bought drinks from the bar. She didn't care for that assuming because it was not going towards her tip and made it known to my spouse who was handling the event. Understandable, but they should've assigned a designated server for drinks, maybe?. She did check on us throughout our courses along with one, sometimes two other co-workers.

We also brought in a specialty cake (which they charged per slice to cut) but they lost the specialty candles that went along with it. Instead of letting my spouse know, they went ahead and stuck in 10 regular candles where they felt like it on the cake then brought it out before pictures could be taken which basically ruined it.

OVERALL: Nice ambiance, good food,...

THE GOOD • The CEVICHE – a must-try. Even the pickiest of foodies will not be disappointed. • The OCTOPUS – perfect texture, perfect seasoning. • The YUCCA FRIES – possibly the tastiest thing I tried all night. And I tried a lot of things. (We were a party of 13.) • The CHURROS – note: these are not your standard, state-fair-issue churros. These melt in your mouth and will have you whimpering like a pup on a bloated teat. They were served with two dipping sauces. One looked & tasted like warm chocolate, and you’ll like it. The other looked like…Chinese hot mustard. And you’ll absolutely ADORE it. (It’s warm caramel.) • The SERVICE – outstanding, friendly, patient staff.

THE BAD • The EMPANADAS – horrible. Just an absolute, unmitigated disaster. The shell was doughy and uninspiring, and could really have benefitted from a deep frying. And the filling tasted like under-seasoned, Safeway ground beef – stultifying and bland. A very forgettable dish. • The DÉCOR – I don’t know if it’s just me, but this place seems laid out more like a mall food court than a steakhouse. It just seems crowded and cramped noisy. And the three angry bull heads adorning the wall above the kitchen weren’t the loveliest thing to look at while I was eating…beef. But the worst thing? Easily the lighting – or lack thereof. I’ll be blunt here: it’s WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY WAY too dark in there. People were reading the menu by smartphone flashlight. That’s because the candlelight at the table was insufficient. Examples of everything I mention in this section can be found in the photos I attach.

and THE UGLY • The BONE MARROW – I’m not saying it’s bad (although I didn’t particularly care for it myself); the other twelve people in my party in fact raved about it. But I guess the presentation -- literally a bone cross-section with a warm gooey filling – just messed with me.

Overall though, you could do much, much worse for your money. The good things easily outweigh the bad, and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone...