This new restaurant inside San Francisco’s Ferry Building is one of the biggest openings of the last few months.
Arquet, from chef Alex Hong of Sorrel, has taken over the former Slanted Door spot where they completely renovated the entire restaurant. Initially, I was sad to hear about Slanted Door closing their iconic Ferry Building location but supposedly they’re going back to their roots and reopening in their original Mission space. Arquet’s vibe is contemporary and elegant with an open kitchen and its cuisine is described as Californian featuring items cooked over a wood burning hearth.
When we arrived, I noticed an old coworker who is now the bar manager of the restaurant. He was extremely kind and gifted us a few items including a glass of sparkling wine, a mocktail, and an appetizer. The menu is divided into snacks and bites, vegetable dishes, seafood dishes, and meat dishes, with a handful of options in each category.
West Coast Oysters with Kumquat Kosho Mignonette (Gift).
So Tommaso and I no longer eat raw oysters since he’s paranoid about vibrio. If it’s part of a tasting menu, we’ll eat it and if it’s cooked, no problem. Since this was a gift, of course we ate it. The accompaniments were fine but it’s not something we would order on our own.
Scallion Fry Bread with Buffalo Ricotta (8.5-9/10).
This was easily the best dish of the night. The scallion fry bread was crispy on the outside yet pillowy in the middle and the Buffalo Ricotta with grilled figs, honeycomb, and salsa macha was truly an explosion of flavors.
Ricotta Dumplings with Green Garlic, Sweet Corn, and Chanterelles (8/10).
Another strong appetizer featuring soft plump Ricotta dumplings in a rich green garlic and sweet corn sauce. The mushrooms were mostly garnished around the plate so Tommaso happily ate all of those since I don’t eat mushrooms.
Half Moon Bay Skate with Pumpkin, Saffron, and Shishito Peppers (6.5-7/10).
I rarely see skate on menus these days which is why I wanted to try this dish. The fish was cooked nicely but the overall dish felt slightly incomplete. By no means was it bad but I find that main courses are often the hardest to truly knock out of the park.
Short Ribs with Purple Grits, Apple, and Fennel (6.5-7/10).
Once again, nothing was inherently wrong with this dish. The short ribs were tender, the grits were creamy, and the raw apple and fennel salad added freshness but overall, it felt a bit boring.
Smoked Zuckerman Potatoes with Radish Top Gremolata, and Miso Hollandaise (7.5-8/10).
I was very into the miso hollandaise and the potatoes were nicely roasted. It’s hard not to like potatoes!
Ube Basque Cheesecake with Salted Cream (7.5/10).
The cheesecake was nicely prepared, super thick and creamy, but the ube flavor was subtle as ube typically is. The salted cream added a necessary contrast.
Hojicha Tiramisu with Black Sesame Ice Cream (7.5/10).
Both components were tasty but the tiramisu needed to be soaked more; it was slightly dry and the ice cream melted very quickly. Overall, both desserts were enjoyable but felt like something was missing.
While the space at Arquet is polished and refined, some of the dishes mirrored that same level of thoughtfulness while others played it a bit safe. Not every course was a home run which is understandable. Many of the dishes felt like something I could find at any “trendy Californian cuisine” restaurant and I’m not sure that’s enough to survive in such a brutal industry. At this price point, there are simply more exciting restaurants in the city to try. For that reason, my overall rating is a 7–7.5/10.