Uccello Lounge — Restaurant in San Francisco

this is a stylish venue to listen to various music played by students at the conservatory of music located in the same building on van ness. great view of the symphony and opera house across the street. i've been twice, once to hear a jazz trio and second a string group playing various classical and popular (beatles, ok?) numbers. they're really very good these kids. i sat at a hightop and at the bar, and prefer the bar because i didn't have much interest in the food. this last is on small plates and not (typical of "small plates") cost effective if you're really hungry, however the menu is definitely tasty. the crowd, such as it may be at various times, really thins after about 9 so move closer if you want to get immersed in the live sound of the music, which is really harder to come by. it's unfortunate but fact that the sound of live performance tends to lose a certain and important rawness the further away from the stage you are. at some point may as well listen to your cds. get reservations for arrival about 7, hang out for however long depending on how you like the sounds. ok have a plate of squid or something to keep the kitchen happy if you're really there for the music and drink. this is billed as a "lounge" after all. overall it's an under discovered bargain so go if nothing more than to be up on something new in town. just be sure to leave before whatever is going on across the street is finished for the night because as you likely know the traffic gets pretty jammy for awhile after such events. and for pete's sake be generous when you drop by the tip jar on your way out, these kids are good and need encouragement given that a music career is a tough way to make a living. given the door was free, you're ahead of the game...

My partner and I came for our anniversary. Unfortunately, a lot of things did not go very well.

Firstly, the website implies that there is live music every night. My partner is very attentive and that is why he chose to book this place. However, when we walked in on a Wednesday, we were told that there’s only live music on Thursdays. That was disappointing.

Then we looked at the menus and were really excited by the fish and the duck. When we started to order, the waiter said he forgot to tell us this sooner (oops!), but they were out of fish and duck and only had the vegetarian option and a chicken substitute. Also very disappointing.

We had put anniversary on the reservation and were not offered any champagne or dessert either which is typical for a place of this caliber.

The food itself was pretty solid and even though the staff messed up, they were nice. Hence 2 stars. But overall I would not have paid that much for eggplant and...

Literally across the street from Symphony Hall but not on the Hayes Valley side so kind of hard to see.

I delighted in dishes like fritto misto, tossed with rice flour instead of wheat flour. Dungeness crab salad, zhuzhed up with celery root remoulade and capers, then topped with rice crackers and fines herbs, is a perfect expression of Chef Keller's style, balancing classic flavors and fresh herbs; presented with style, without pretense or pounding your taste buds into submission. There is a forthrightness alongside the lighter flavors.

And yes, the staff timed our meal to make sure we left with 15 minutes to go until curtain. I can't wait to go back and see what inspires chef...