The Cavalier — Restaurant in San Francisco

This review serves as my first and it is regrettable that it is to report such an unsatisfactory encounter and profound disappointment with my recent dining experience at The Cavalier Friday night 8/2/2024.

My friend and I visited The Cavalier for dinner, excited to try it. The initial ambiance and the demeanor of the staff seemed promising, however, the situation rapidly deteriorated following our seating and the placement of our order.

We ordered two main dishes – scallops and salmon – along with a side of truffle fries to share. Despite specifying that we wanted the fries to be served with our main courses, they were brought out first. Although this could be considered a minor issue, it was indicative of the subpar service to come.

To our dismay, we were served regular fries instead of the truffle fries we had ordered. Efforts to attract the attention of any server to rectify this were futile. When we finally managed to speak to a different waiter, he confirmed that they were indeed regular fries and remarked, “at least it’s cheaper,” without any offer to correct the mistake.

When our main courses arrived, I discovered that my salmon was raw despite requesting it to be cooked medium. Attempts to get a server’s attention were again met with difficulty. After eventually sending it back, my friend finished her meal while I waited an additional 15 minutes. Shockingly, the second serving of salmon was even more raw and pink inside. At this point, my appetite was lost. No server checked on us throughout the entire time we were seated, except for when we initially gave our order.

When we finally managed to speak with a server about the issue, I was told the dish would be removed from the bill, which felt inadequate as compensation for such a distressing experience. The lack of concern for our discomfort and wasted time was disheartening.

Additionally, it is worth noting that we were the only people of color present, and we observed that other tables received more attentive service. This left us feeling uncomfortable and possibly discriminated against.

Before leaving, we approached a manager who appeared surprised by our account and the fact that weren’t offered anything else. He then questioned the cooking preference I had specified for the salmon, suggesting that “most guests prefer their fish almost raw.” Well, I did not ask for raw fish, this is not a sushi restaurant.

He offered no additional compensation, instead providing a business card and suggesting we return another time, which felt extremely insincere and dismissive.

This experience has significantly tarnished what should have been a pleasant evening for us. I hope this feedback is taken seriously and leads to improvements in service and customer care at The Cavalier, unfortunately servers and managers present that night (Friday 8/2) did not care whatsoever. Again, maybe it was because we didn’t “fit in” with the rest of their clientele there.

Do not recommend this restaurant whatsoever. Thank you for ruining what was supposed to be a nice evening and break for me, after a very...

TL;DR They serve the best afternoon snack, great soft tacos with the most savory sauce to die for

The pub I tend to visit multiple times , because of the *great service. The head bartender also had a wife who sometimes visited whenever she could. In between those visits, the BM was hooking up with one of the female bartenders who worked at the establishment.

I like to sit by the bar regardless whether I'm drinking or not and the staff are well aware of me. I'm one of the regular. So much so, they don't mind having their full on conversation. They feel comfortable and I don't look like the type who tattle.

So here I am minding my own business, until a conversation had started as a female bartender came in for her shift.

Female Bartender: How's the night going?

Male Bartender: Up for a little slap and tickle?

Female Bartender: Isn’t your wife coming into town.

Male Bartender: Not tonight.

Male Bartender: Even if she was, I’m hurtin’ for you.

Female Bartender: Okay :D You know my rules.

Male Bartender: :) Usual spot?

Female Bartender: Any spot.

(they're having a great time chatting they've forgot I was still at the bar with them)

Male Bartender: But first I want you sit on my face

Male Bartender: I miss the juice.

Female Bartender: So the usual then.

So being the immature jerk that I was, I eventually looked up, and asked: Aren't you worried if I tell?

They looked at each other and quietly walked away, but before they can go any further, I commented: "unless... You let me join in... “

Female Bartender: Excuse me?

Me: well if you two are going to commit adultery why not go with a bang.

Me: Unless you prefer losing your job.

Male: Well, I never had two women before. This sounds great.

Female Bartender: I don't know about this, I'm not bisexual.

Me: I guess you better start looking for a job then, and you (looking at the Male Bartender) need a good divorce lawyer.

Female Bartender: Hold on, I guess I can give it a try.BUT JUST THIS ONCE OKAY?!?!

Me: Shall we go then.

They brought me to the back room. Appeared to be the go to spot for these two lust birds.

We made a plan to act on it because the manager wasn't there and We didn’t have to wait too long, either, since both of them have done this several occasions that they've found a blind spot in the backroom where the security cameras are not pointing.

Btw this is totally fictional lol. If you end up not reading this part because you started to panic and wonder which employee was fooling around the kitchen, then oopsie. But I'm just bored because Google map is broken that it kept saying I've been to places that I've never been. And force me to review them. Okay back to the story.

It was in the middle of the afternoon, the restaurant was dead, barely had any customers. Well, enough for one waiter to handle. Once everything is done, we went our separate ways, they went back to work, and I got my check and left.

She didn't hesitate to give me a call, the Head bartender did tried getting my number, but at the end.. She decided to...

YUM. Came here on a Saturday night with two friends for dinner and drinks. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I came away impressed.

Lamb scrumpets: 5-stars. There's a reason these have been on the 7x7 Big Eats list three years running. They're incredible. Lightly fried morsels of lamb served on the bone. Perfectly tender and rare on the inside, not greasy or too heavy on the batter on the outside. The mint chutney served on the side is the perfect amount of sweetness to pair with the lamb without overwhelming it with sugar or mint.

Corned beef scotch egg: 4-stars. The egg was perfectly done, it broke to absolute perfection. The corned beef was very rare but tasted really good, like a reuben inside a scotch egg. This dish was great, but the price tag brings down its star rating - it just wasn't worth $15.

Sauteed wild mushrooms: 4-stars. Absolutely not what I expected, but really delicious. I expected... well, sauteed mushrooms. Instead we got a puff pastry type thing filled with creamy mushroom tastiness, with spinach and leeks. Though heavy, the dish was hearty and filling, and the earthiness of the mushrooms was perfectly balanced with the flaky pastry and creamy filling. I do wish there was a bit more mushroom, as it felt to be more spinach and dough, and I just love mushrooms so much.

Minted pea salad: 5-stars. Super fresh ingredients, great ratio of salad to burrata and bread. The levain was perfectly grilled, bringing some char to the super creamy burrata and crisp mint. There was a perfect touch of salt to highlight all the flavors without overwhelming the salad. Yum yum yum.

Roast chicken: 4-stars. A perfectly roasted chicken breast, drumstick, and thigh over mashed potatoes and carrots. Served with a mustard bacon jus that was a bit creamy but not heavy at all. The mash was very heavy on the horseradish flavor, which I didn't mind, but it was just a tad overpowering. Also, a few more veggies would have been nice.

Overall, I came into the dinner with fairly low expectations, which were then exceeded. The price takes this out of my "regular place" zone, but I'd be happy to come back on occasion to try other things...