Tablespoon

Great restaurant with sleek décor, a bit rigid and cold maybe with all the stone tablecounters.
The food is elegant and delicous. I researched about this place afterwards so i was surpised by the food and no wonder, chefs from Jardinière and Gary Danko started this address. That’s why i was eating awesome food for a more moderate price!
The crowd is local, nice no brainer place to spend some time with an old friend. I’ve not seen this place packed. Probably why it closed… for the second time. It was first Spoon, became Tablespoon, then they probably lost their shirt and got the point… Too bad.

Another good restaurant closed. Boooo!
I will miss your crab salads, tender pork tenderloins, and chocolate fudge cakes! :(
But I will not miss the parking.

Ouch.
Early on a Tuesday.
Eating at the bar.
Drinks were great.
Food —- whoa! Jeez! WHO LET THAT OUT OF THE KITCHEN?
The special summer menu.
Halibut with squash.
Summer squash.
I would assume FRESH summer squash?
They were cooked within an inch of their lives.
Mushy.
Vinegary.
I was at the farmer’s market today and this was a TRAVESTY!
And the servers didn’t care.
I said something like: «the halibut was nice, but the veggies were really overcooked. Which is too bad, because aren’t they in season/​fresh/​wonderful?»
And the server said: «Thanks! That’s excellent!»
What?
Who are these people?
Excellent?
I just told you that the veggies sucked.
And you tell me: «Excellent!»
The place sucked.
I will not go back.

Fresh, delicious food. The mac n cheese or any pasta they have is worth it. When the duck’s on the menu, order it.
Very good restaurant, but in need of a face-​lift. The yellow cloth– backed bench that runs around the restaurant has many a nasty looking stain on it.
The servers are accommodating, but not exactly attentive.

Deliciously sophsicated comfort food.
The place does follow a seasonal menu. Two of my favorite starters were their Mac N’ Cheese, and their Foie Gras. The mac n’ cheese is filled with so much flavor, and has little bits of bacon in it. The foie gras was so rich and delicious. The truffle sauce was indulgently perfect. One of the entrees I remember the most was their Roast Pork with Spinach and Succotash, which was heartily delicious. The pork was wonderfully soft and juicy. The succotash was so rich and flavorful. Next, I have my eye on trying out their Veal Cannelloni.
Other than the food, the space is a little tight but the service is great. The place follows the boxcar restaurant layout of many small restaurant in the city. However, the modern bistro décor is simple, and the atmosphere is very relaxingly warm. The place is a great place for something like a date or weekend dinner. The staff is very personable. The wine list is pretty extensive as well.
Tablespoon brings wonderful flavors to hearty dishes.

Why were there so many kids at this restaurant? I really gave them the benefit of the doubt, but had to be annoyed once they started jumping up and down on the booth next to me. Perhaps they were dining there, on a Saturday night, because they could get great macaroni and cheese?
The mac and cheese is really tasty. I really enjoyed my entrée’ of pork tenderloin, but WOW– there was way too much black pepper on my salad of strawberries with balsamic vinegar and greens. So much pepper, in fact, that I spent my first course coughing.
It’s a cute place and the service was very good… I just want to avoid the kids with no table manners at Tablespoon the next time I go.

I had been eying this restaurant for a while now. It’s really close to my house and the menu always looks fantastic. After a long hard day of wine tasting in Sonoma, my boyfriend and I were exhausted but hungry. Being in a long distance relationship, I need to take every opportunity to go on quality dates while my guy’s in town. We headed down Polk and stopped at Tablespoon to check out the menu. I spent a pretty penny on wine that day so the prices put me off a little. After wandering up a couple of blocks, we ended up coming back and sitting down in Tablespoon.
The place was cozy and inviting. The service was absolutely fantastic! We had the sweetest waitress who had great recommendations. I seriously recommend the Mac and cheese. I guess they have a changing menu, but I ordered the delicious pork loin and my boy got the hanger angus steak. Steak was a little dry, but the pork was done to perfection. We were too stuffed and exhausted for dessert, but the table across from us ordered and it looked fantastic. I will definitely go back and recommend to all my friends

So I’m on the hunt for the best mac n’ cheese in the city. This place is definitely in the running. For $ 10, you get the «small» portion, which by American standards may be small, but, in most parts of Europe, would have been considered a feast. (And if you really want the entrée version, you may so indulge for $ 18). I also like that you can order it with the smoked bacon baked in (she said bacon baked!), on the side or just steer away from the pig completely.
Other highlights:
* There were 9 of us and we were seated immediately, without reservation.
* They served wine and cocktails, but also had a good selection of hot tea, which I really needed at 9PM last night.
* Decent variety of salads and sides, which from a vegetarian’s perspective, is always a good thing.
* Service was great. Our server was super attentive and ensured we all had a pleasant dining experience.
Lowlight:
* They ran outta bread. Really? A restaurant can run outta bread? One of us (I won’t mention any names Melanie N.) actually considered heading down the street to grab a baguette to complete her meal.
Regardless, it will definitely make it on my «Mac n’ Cheese Please» list. Stay tuned.

It looks like a small typical SF restaurant when you walk in, intimate and small. When I opened the menu, there was a good variety of food but not vast, the wine list was much more impressive, with lots of French and local wines. But the best was yet to come.
The staff was very attentive, helpful and knowledgeable. They never rushed us and always came back to check in. The waitress gave us a great wine selection that was exactly what we wanted.
We ordered Ceasar salad to start with, it was amazing, I don’t know what they did differently but the croutons were the icing on the cake.
Next we had the gnochi with wild mushrooms, they were so flavorful, light, not the usual texture and you never felt full after eating them. When they arrived there was a sort of foam around them, at first we were hesitant but it was light unlike some rich sauces that just overpower the food.
Then each of us got an entre, salmon, which was so tender, light and fresh you couldn’t get enough. The steak, a great dish as alwaysm flavorful, cooked to order and tender. Both had great side dishes that weren’t the norm but yet were paired perfectly. You didn’t know what to expect when tasting them but they were amazing as was everything else. The third entre was the Mac and Cheese. This has been becoming a favorite in many restaurants, but I always picture the Craft box when I think of it. This is nothing short of extraordinary, the sauce was light yet flavorful, the bacon on top made it even more flavorful, we kept the dish to basically lick it clean.
Needless to say, I can’t wait to come back again and make it to dessert this time.

This restaurant gets mixed reviews. I have been here several times and found it sometimes good, sometimes ok. There was one occasion when I was craving a slice of cheesecake, called every restaurant around, and Tablespoon helpfully obliged my cheesecake fancy take out order! Cheesecake savior.
On another occasion a friend and I were seated at a two person table against a wall on an empty Sunday night, and the waitress was slightly uncooperative in moving us to the neighboring four person. Ok woman, clear the forks and chill. This pretentious restaurant needs to learn a thing or two about service.
The food is good, although not memorable. They had a macaroni and cheese dish. Personally I would rather microwave a box of Kraft than pay for this at a restaurant, but hey everyone has their opinions.
The fish dishes are quite nice. The hanger steak, ok. Risotto with shrimp, a real yum.
They do have a prix fixe menu which is a nicely priced three course dinner where you can choose a combination of some of the menu fare. I had a really good carrot cake.
I think this is one of the better restaurants on Polk and will probably keep coming for some nice atmosphere, good wine, and good food.

I really am a very stupid human being. I knew I was going to Tablespoon at 9 PM this Friday. I knew this fact. Yet when I arrived home from work at 6:30 PM I was starving. So I did what any sane, sober Texan does when starving: went to the corner store, bought a jar of scorching hot salsa, a bag of tortilla chips and a 12-​pack.
By the time I reached Tablespoon, I couldn’t even read the menu and I didn’t even bother ordering a drink. Somehow a large bowl of macaroni and cheese ended up in front of me — and it was delicious. I beasted the whole thing.
The waitress discussed the intricacies of World 4, aka Big World, in Super Mario 3 (best video game ever) with us. We plotted to someday open up Big World, the restaurant, which would have stoners and 400 lb men as its target market. Each item would be one thing — and it would be BIG. For instance, instead of a salad, just one huge croûton.
Anyway, this place is good — not great. My mac was great, but the bacon bits were tiny. I could barely see them! I paid like $ 45 or something for that mac — there better be some sizable bacon to be found. C’mon, Big World waitress; get it together.

My friend just moved to Russian Hill, and she wanted to try some places in the new ‘hood, so we went to Tablespoon… I was expecting to be underwhelmed, but everything was fabulous!
The acutal place is cute — nothing too great. But we had the macaroni and cheese as a starter, and it was heavenly. The cheesy sauce was perfectly rich and yummy — who knew sharp cheddar could taste so good? I almost used the bread to get every last bit of that cheesy sauce. Then I had the veal stew (I know baby beef :-() — was feeling in dire need of some hearty protein. The dish was pretty large and really tasty with creamy polenta and mushrooms. The dessert menu was tempting but I was absolutely stuffed.
It’s definitely not an everyday kind of place, but I will definitely return…

What a way to top off the end of the Dine About Town Season!
Although this place is small they were easily able to accommodate our party of six, quite well.
The service was warm and prompt from the very beginning and our server had quite the personality — charming, knowledgeable and funny.
The food was exceptional. For a neighborhood restaurant on the nicer part of Polk Street it sets a standard many other «renowned» establishments can take a page from. We started out with a dozen raw oysters — wonderful although the lemon wedges we got were a bit dry. The beet salad was orgasmic and crunchy (never thought I would rave about beets), the lamb tenderloin, which the hubby had and the oven roasted pork which i had were juicy and flavorful! In between we polished off 3 bottles of wine. For dessert we had the carrot cake, the chocolate cake and the cookie plate — which included my all time favorite cookie — SNICKER-​DOODLES!
I have to say that this was a most definite and solid 4 stars, but we had such good company and conversation that it gets five stars.
We will be back!

Solid, competently prepared nouveau-​comfort food. I had the duck ravioli which was very good, but not too memorable. We shared the mac n cheese… again, good. But the same fancy cheesy noodles can be had in at least 5 other SF comfort food spots. Some of my dining companions had the braised short rib. I say «rib» because there was, in fact, only one rib («I’m Gonna Git You Sucka» reference in 5. 4… 3… 2… oh, nevermind). But I had a bite of this lone rib, and it was good. Still, who the hell serves ONE rib?
I skipped dessert, but had a taste of the carrot cake and the chocolate cake that my friends ordered. Again, it was good… but forgettable.
We brought our own wine, so I didn’t really get a look at the wine list. Be forwarned: their corkage policy is a bit draconian. They increase the corkage fee with each bottle opened. I figured that they might give us a break, given that we were a large group… no such luck. At least they earned the corkage on the bottle of vintage port I brought along — they did a good job decanting and serving it.
Anyway, the experience was decent, but I’m in no hurry to go back.

A large group of us went here for the Dine about Town menu, we wanted every excuse to try this place out. Now, prior to going we decided we’d keep on a tight budget and bring our own wine and just pay corkage. They said $ 15 for the first bottle, $ 5 for each additional… so it’s no wonder why we had 5 bottles of wine on the table when we sat down. Only then we discovered it’s $ 15 for the first bottle, $ 20 for the 2^nd, $ 25 for the 3^rd, and so on… we spent $ 115 on corkage and even though we explained to the waitress what we were told prior to dining there, the manager did NOTHING about it. We spent a LOT of money even sticking with the dine about town menu– we simply HAD to try the mac & Cheese, which was admittedly orgasmic. It was so delish I almost want to say I’ll go back just to have it– but I won’t.
We were 12 people all there for the first time and, thanks to the way the manager handled things, it will be our last. The portions were small, the food was okay but not amazing, and the desserts– they were bad. 12 people had dessert– and 12 plates were still sitting there (missing a bite or two) an hour later. It should tell you something when nobody finished dessert.
Disappointing food, crappy customer service and WAY overpriced for the beverages. (Plus, who charges a $ 3.00 glass fee??? Watch out– they charge money to use the stemware). Don’t waste your time going here… this city has much better restaurants worth the time, money and effort you spend when dining out.
The one star was for the mac ‘n cheese… otherwise, no stars.

My friend and I came here to try the Dine About Town deal, but before we could start eating, we had to find parking. Parking in Russian Hill is impossible, fyi. I got dropped off to tell the host that we were here, but trying to find parking. I sat at the bar for 40 minutes waiting for my friend to return. The servers at Tablespoon felt sorry for me, chatted with me, etc, BUT did not offer any food — not even BREAD. wth. I even told them I was hungry.
So finally we get a table and decide not to order the Dine About Town menu. The torched foie gras was good (decided I’m only going to eat seared foie gras from now on. hahah), the pork tenderloin delicious. But the dessert was gross. I ordered the carrot cake, and the frosting I swear tasted like butter or crisco. Maybe its just me — that I’d prefer Costco cake frosting…

FOOD
Went for DAT. Nice selection of wines by the glass. The citrus salad was boring.
Butternut squash soup was creamy, but a little too rich for my palate. I did enjoy the chanterelles floating atop.
Fish was bland. The pork loin reminded me of sausage, not in a good way. The grilled roots were lovely.
The panna cotta was horrible, rubbery, gingery dome. The fudge cake was simple, moist, got stuck to the ruf of my mouf.
ROOM
Ack. No thanks. I don’t like server ass in my face or sitting on people’s laps during dinner. Everyone was within elbow’s length.
SERVICE
Enjoyed the friendly and warm banter from the jovial server. A rare event when dining these days. Bread plates and silverware had to be requested. Water was refilled on a timely basis.
POTTY
Male and female, but surprisingly clean.
CONCLUSION
Good. There were some kinks in the service. The prices are reasonable. Cramped space, not ideal for the claustrophobic. I’m a sucker for sharp logos and cute fonts. Tablespoon’s sign and menu layout is fantastic.

My favorite restaurant on Polk Street/​Russian Hill. The best $ 10 mac and cheese you ever had :)
I used to come to this place a ton with someone special no longer in my life. My beautiful blonde best friend from growing up made it fun to still come here :)
I always liked the wine list, great service, and good menu. The mac and cheese I have never tried until last night, it is so good but you can only have a few bites an then feel very full! Also try the hangar steak, and the smoked sturgeon pizza.

Friends and I went here for dinner 9÷16÷06. I was so looking forward to trying the dishes.
The seating is tight, our table of 5 got the window seats but we are so close to other tables it just felt too cramped.
Free bread and butter given out after we ordered. The bread was good. Lightly toasted, warm is my favorite.
We had a cheese platter for appetizer-​I like all the cheese we tried, don’t remember all the names of them all, but we finished them $ 14.
I got the smoked pulled pork bbq with grilled corn bread and warmed cole slaw $ 10.50-I thought the meat was good, the corn bread was boring, I thought it was soggy bread, and the cole slaw forgetable.
I also had a salad of balsamic glazed strawberries and goat cheese & candied pecans. $ 7.75-it was good, not special, good pecans, some goat cheese, and balsamic strawberries over mixed greens.
Mac & cheese w/​bacon $ 10 starter/​$ 18.50 main– we got the main to share with 5 ppl-​it was ok, not the best mac & cheese. Still looking for the best tasting to me.
B. got ahi tuna w/​cranberry & green beans, tomato, avocado salad $ 12starter/​$ 23 main. The ahi tuna was cut into about 6 bite-​size chunks, over peppered, cooked a bit too long, I thought it was too salty.
Shared the cookie platter-​cookies were just ok, too hot and a bit gritty. $ 9.
Chocolate cake w/​tarragon ice-​cream was better. Friends and I really liked the chocolate cake. Tarragon ice-​cream was ok.
We had drinks and lots of dishes (portions on the small side) so it was $ 50 pp. Some ok dishes, but I’ll probably not go back.
Two unisex bathrooms in the back. Credit cards taken. They have a bar area.

Decent comfort food.
Really bad dessert.