Parallel 37 — Restaurant in San Francisco

No one does it like the Ritz, son! 5 stars for all of it: the food, decor, and service. These peeps have got it down, never been disappointed here. It had been several years since had been to the Dining Room at the Ritz, it's transformed into a very modern and artistic Parallel 37. The same elegance and world class service is there, just against a very pretty new backdrop. We did the 3 course prix fixe and it was epic from start to finish: 1) SASHIMI OF HAMACHI (Monterey abalone, nori, meyer lemon) Bomb dot com. The sashimi melts in your mouth, so tender and fresh. 2) HAND CUT LINGUINI (morel mushrooms, bloonmsdale spinach, pickled ramps) - Very nice. The only thing that was maybe just very good versus epic; just a bit simple but still well balanced and flavorful. 3) 32 DAY DRY AGED RIBEYE (short rib ravioli, summer squash, sweet corn) Wow. Just the most tender, perfectly aged and grilled steak, heaven in every bite. They also threw on some foie gras for me upon request, that took the dish over the top! Ireally vwish we remembered to come here more often, such a great experience all...

We have been staying here overnight from Saturday to Sunday for some years, attending SF Opera and having Sunday breakfast. The Ritz used to offer either a free breakfast or points for Marriott Bonvoy Platinum members, and we always chose the breakfast, which before the pandemic was excellent and beautifully presented. The coffee was downright bad, tasting as if it had been sitting on a burner for some time; but I could order tea. The Ritz no longer offers the free breakfast, and the food has taken a sharp turn for the worse--inferior ingredients, zero attention to plating. The coffee is still terrible. The bar used to offer excellent drinks with stylish garnishes. Last time we had drinks they were missing the edible garnishes on the menu, and not as good but at least as expensive as before. We are disappointed. The service used to be excellent--we had a standing note for a tea kettle and mugs to be put in our room, and this used to happen. No longer--we called the desk on the last two occasions of our stays, and they were never brought...

I wish I could say this met my expectations but I was really hoping for more. I had a quail appetizer followed by a duck breast entree. Both were very good--excellent flavors and cooked to perfection. I ordered a couple drinks from the bar, unique but not earth shattering. My wife had a caesar salad and steak. The steak was tender and tasty but served with poor presentation. The meat looked limp and unappealing. For dessert we had a chocolate cake, port and coffee. I'm torn because the food was great, but something was missing from the experience to make me feel satisfied shelling out the money for a restaurant...