Frite is a word that tempts hungry palettes across Western Europe and has travelled across the pond, across the Mid-West to inspire taste buds in San Francisco. In Belgium the "frites" are French Fries cooked in duck fat and they are quite the tasty treat. Frjtz in San Francisco has attempted to capture that same magic. The odd decor is what gives Frjtz on Valencia St. a unique punch; the flashing lights and estranged artwork on the wall remind the diner that he is indeed, in San Francisco. This is one of the rare establishments in the city that has Grimbergen Dubbel Abbey on tap, as well as many other European rarities. I ordered the Frjtz Burger, rare, served on a Dutch Crunch bun, flavored nicely with caramelized onions, chipotle remoulade, and ginger coleslaw. There was not anything truly unique about the coleslaw as it lacked any ginger essence and my burger was raw, below the point of rare. Ordering meat in any restaurant that does not have properly trained cooks is always a nuisance because you can always keep your fingers crossed for that "box of chocolates," but alas, you never know what you are going to get.
The fries were incredibly well crafted with a crispy crust and a wonderful fluffy inside. The two choices of sauces were interesting but uninspired. The Bacon Mayo and Curry Ketchup were tasty but forgettable.
For a fast food "art teahouse," I would call Frjtz worth the reasonable prices but not worth boasting about. Upon leaving I wished to have tried the mussels to make a proper meal with the fries, but that is another day of "moules et frites."
Sure the fries are just above average, and the sauces are watered down if even too mild to be worth much investigating, but there are several items on the menu that are worth going back for: Gauguin salad (spring mix tossed with raspberry balsamic, served with mangoes, macadamia nuts, avocado, red onion and smoked salmon), and the Basquiat sandwich (grilled chicken, pesto mayo, caramelized onions, melted Swiss and avocado and focaccia served with spring mix) are both excellent dishes. There is a lot to explore, and the fritz are not even what you go back for... its the other more "dinner" fair, and the ambiance.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Hayes Valley location is much more bohemian and art-house styled, with a "cozy" and moody interior and a romantic outdoor back patio, as well as a DJ station, where most nights someone is spinning cool down tempo grooves... making it a great casual date place.