Trou Normand

I have mixed feelings about my experience at Trou Normand. Salami and cocktails are 2 of my very favorite things, so I’m surprised my experience at Trou Normand wasn’t better. I would probably say my experience was closer to a 3.5 for me, but since that isn’t an option, I had to round down.
Pros:
Cocktails — the Monkey’s Gland was perfectly balanced (and not too sweet)
Charcuterie — the salumis were superb
Chicories salad — the pomegranate seeds and hazelnuts together gave a hint of a light peanut butter and jelly!
Cons:
Seating — our table was way too large for our group of 7. The charcuterie and most of the entrees are for sharing, and yet we couldn’t talk to those around us. I confirmed with our server the table is normally for 10 – 14 people.
Temperature — our rutabaga dish came out cold
Pork chop — under seasoned?
Dessert — tried all 3 options, and none were noteworthy
Volume — the restaurant was very loud, and we were seated so far apart at our table, it was really difficult to talk
Unfortunately, the overall experience was tainted by the seating situation.

Lamb chops were delicious… everything else alright. Really wanted to try the pork chops but they ran out. The cheese plate was average as well. Ambiance is cool, nice business dinner spot but it’ll definitely make a dent int he wallet.

Trou Normand offers a solid if overpriced selection of comfort food brunch. I’m not sure how «French» the menu qualifies as, but the décor and ambiance certainly lends a certain European flair to the experience. The main dining area boasts very high ceilings and some interesting abstract art adorning the otherwise spare walls. It felt more like eating at a slightly upscale bar than a traditional restaurant.
I had the Lamb Burger, which was more like a sandwich, but the meat was perfectly seasoned and cooked. I also tried the Country Fried Steak, which had enough gravy to add some mouth-​watering savoriness without being overly heavy. The side greens and potatoes were good too but a bit too salty.
Overall I was content with my meal but I can’t say I’ll be coming back, simply because I felt the price was too high (and portions too small) for what amounts to some decent bar food.

Seven of us went in to Trou Normand yesterday for supper, and while there was a lot to like about the place, there were a couple of things not to like. First and foremost, I want to give them credit for working with us on the reservation. I initially made it for 6:30 for 5 people on Open Table. When I remembered we had seven, I had to change us to 8:30 to get the larger table. That change didn’t stick for some reason, and when they called to confirm and I told them it was seven and not five, they worked us in at the original time of 6:30. That’s much to their credit and we appreciated it. On the downside, that may be what put us at a table large enough for 10 or 12. In a noisy place like Trou Normand, that meant that we were often shouting across the table at each other. Another downside was that this made it difficult to do the family-​style sharing that they promote. While we still had a great time. this bothered my wife a lot and she swore she’d never go back because of it.
The food was excellent. We started with the large charcuterie platter, which was phenomenal. Do not miss this stuff if you go there, whatever else you order. «Chicories» and carrot salads were very good. Other stuff we ate included the pappardelle (excellent, and very rich), turnips, the porck chop (also amazing), and the rutabaga gratin. The gratin was the one food item that was not perfect, as they sent it out a bit on the cold side. That’s a misstep that shouldn’t happen at a place like this. We ordered one of each of the three desserts and all were good (but I’d put the ice cream sandwich at the top of that group). Between the seven of us, we ordered several cocktails and glasses of wine. We ordered our wine by the glass, and the list is short but well put together, with some really nice selections (the rose was great). House cocktails were balanced and well made. Our server was friendly, loose, attentive, and knowledgeable. The room is stylish, but WAY too noisy.
So to sum it up, great food (except for the cold rutabagas), very good wine and cocktails, bad table, excellent service, too noisy. Go with no more than three friends.

Food was a big thumbs down. Overpriced too.
1. They didn’t have ANY tea available, and didn’t offer to comp due to their own mistakes in miscommunication. I got grapefruit juice ($ 6) instead, and that came in a tiny glass.
2. Poached eggs ($ 26) were so-​so. Potatoes lacked the crunchiness due to being drenched in hollandaise sauce.
3. Bacon ($ 10) was depressing. Poorly fried, and the worst bacon I’ve ever had at a restaurant. Not sure how someone messes that up.
4. Service was the redeeming factor, hence why they’re getting two stars, instead of one.

Their food is good. I enjoyed most of it besides the «schnitzel». Born and raised in Germany, I wouldn’t call that a «Schnitzel. It was dry, barely meat and very greasy sides veggies, I’d rather have the fat&flavor in my schnitzel than the veggies.
They also did not offer sweetener for their brunch coffee or gluten free bread.
I have actual gluten intolerance, so it was a bummer I couldn’t enjoy the Charcuterie plate fully. :)

Their charcuterie and salami selections are amazeballs! We ordered the small and it was perfect to share for 2 as an app. The rabbit salami and pork pâté were the standouts. We also were surprised with a chicory salad on the house! (Thanks!)
For entrée we shared the Tagliatelle. House made and perfectly al dente.
Definitely this place is on the pricey side but good for special occasions. Highly recommend gathering a large group of friends to share the large charcuterie/​salami board! It’s so delish!

I regrettably built Trou Norman up in my head to a somewhat God-​like status of charcuterie, which I blame on being starry-​eyed from certain bloggers boasting of fantastic meals here. Don’t get me wrong, I DID have a nice experience here, just not as magical as I dreamed. My fault, really.
THE HIGHLIGHTS.
+ Cozy little joint with a bunch of cozy leather booths for your dining pleasure (sized for both small and large groups)
+ Extensive, impressive house-​made charcuterie menu
+ Solid, hand-​crafted cocktails (and a knowledgeable bar keep, as well!)
~ Pricey for what you end up getting, but considering the amount of time, energy, and sourcing that goes into each menu item, it makes sense
~ Reservations can be difficult to get for prime hours, as well as parking, but you should still try your luck anyways!
I don’t dream of the $ 78 charcuterie board quite as much as I used to, but it’s a lovely place for an evening with friends.

We came here as a group of 6 for dinner on a Thursday night and were seated at the booth. We left hungry.
I know they are in the heart of FiDi/​SOMA so the price needs to justify the high leasing price. But as a foodie, at least for Tagliatelle ($ 28 as of Jan 16^th menu) you can get what it’s worth PLUS more yumminess at Baonecci Ristorante (ranged $ 17.95-$ 22.95, although the Bolognese Pork and Beef is hands down my favorite.)
I haven’t tried yet but would love to come back here for their charcuterie though. After all it’s what they are known for.

You can equate Trou Normand with charcuterie because, holy cow, do they do a great charcuterie board! They butcher and make their pork products on-​site, and you can really taste the difference.
The space belongs in a design blog. In fact, I think it’s been featured in a couple. They offer very cozy, tufted leather booths in a high ceiling room with a very vintage feel.
Charcuterie and cheese boards split between a couple people is probably enough for a meal, but if you also want an entrée, their salads and burgers are delicious. If you don’t get something alcoholic to drink, their tea is served in beautiful mini glass pots that they will refill.
While on the pricier side of things, Trou Normand is an excellent SF dining experience to be had.

Loved it! Great space. The charcuterie platters are delish. Had the pork belly burger… amazing!!! A slice of heaven. The sauce is especially lovely.
Good beer and wine options. Definitely recommend, especially for a group. Enjoy!

I think this place is great. The pork chop… you know you want it. Charcuterie that is fresh and tastes homemade. Served atop hand hewn brown beautiful wood boards. Great service. Nice unpretentious atmosphere. Wonderful craft cocktails. But definitely not two dollar signs. More like three.

Lovely modern, rustic dining atmosphere. Came here for brunch on a Saturday morning and ordered the small Charcuterie Board Chef’s Selection. This one came with four selections of 1) the Duck Pâté which had figs and rosemary 2) the Pork Pâté which had fennel and thyme 3) the Cayenne Salame with garlic and white wine and 4) 19 MONTH PROSCIUTTO. I also added the Brunet cheese, which is pasteurized goat’s milk from Italy. Got to have some cheese with a Charcuterie Board!
What I loved was the Duck Pâté, the 19 MONTH PROSCIUTTO and the Brunet cheese. All were delicious. The Brunet cheese was so soft, rich and buttery, and I loved that they serve local Acme Bread! The downside was that they only gave me two pieces of bread to start (Which really equated to ONE piece of bread cut diagonally in half.) so I ordered four more pieces of bread thinking it was part of the Charcuterie Board. Turns out it’s $ 2 for two pieces so I ended up paying an extra $ 4 for BREAD. I was so upset. Anyway, I really did not like the Pork Pâté at all. The texture was a bit stiffer in a weird way and stringy. The Cayenne Salame was alright, nothing special.
Overall, Trou doesn’t have much in terms of selection for brunch. Hence — The three stars. I think that’s why I ended up ordering a Charcuterie Board. There seems to be a lot more selection during lunch and dinner so I would love to come back and try Trou once more. Also, they change their menu daily, so perhaps I just went on a random off day.

I went here for a vendor event and the stuff I tried was pretty amazing.
Charcuterie meats.
Pork Loin. Black Cod, and Brussel Sprouts.
They have an awesome back eating area that was just a surprise for me and a great place to congregate. I thoroughly enjoyed this place. I will definitely need to go back to try out more items on the menu.

I’ve visited Trou Normand a few times during the couple of years that they’ve been in business on the ground floor of my office building, the beautiful Pacific Telephone Building at 140 New Montgomery. Like any new business, they’ve done their share of experimenting with different menus, schedules, and prices. Fortunately, I’ve always found the quality to be very high, and the experience to be pleasant.
For breakfast, I used to really enjoy the pistachio croissants that they used to sell (it was a while back now), but they discontinued those. Now they only open for brunch on weekends (never been).
For lunch, they have a few great sandwiches, which originally were very reasonably-​priced ($ 10 – 12), but are now in the $ 18 – 20 range. Whatever the price, they’re delicious, and the ambience is nice. I don’t necessarily blame them for charging higher prices, but it does make me less likely to visit for lunch.
For dinner (or just drinks), the bartenders know what they’re doing, and the cocktails prove it. The dishes at dinner are also excellent, and the space is really special. It makes for a good date night.

Tip is no longer included with the bill, but the menu price remains the same.
The overpriced hotdog is now a «sausage sandwich» They changed the name. Way too much dijon mustard and onions.
$ 53 lunch for two and no alcohol included this time. I left hungry.
Probably won’t be back.

Trou Normand is an ok brunch place — I’ve definitely been to better brunch places in the city that are also not as pricey. The restaurant itself is pretty small, and you would need a reservation to guarantee that you can have a table to sit at because there are so few tables. However, the space doesn’t feel small because the ceilings are very high and the door frames are also very tall and exaggerated and the two walls facing the street have long built in windows to allow in lots of natural light.
Normally this is something I wouldn’t comment on, but I found the paintings in the restaurant to be quite distracting. There were lots of paintings of naked women around the restaurant and while the artwork was tasteful, I also found it to be, well, odd. I’m not sure what aesthetic they were trying to go for with the theme they chose, but I personally wasn’t a fan.
The service was also a bit spotty, but I don’t think it was our server’s fault necessarily because I think he was spread thin, having to serve many tables at once. An example of the spotty service was that when I had arrived a few minutes after my group who had already been seated, the server did not provide me with a plate or cutlery even after our appetizers came out until I had asked him to do so, and even when I did, I had to ask him again for a napkin. Normally a customer shouldn’t have to ask for these things — it should be provided automatically, but again I think our server was spread too thin.
Now onto the food and drink!
APPETIZERS:
1) Apple pop tart with bourbon caramel — This was a meh dish because while the tart itself was crispy, the apples were too finely chopped and had no real flavor and the bourbon caramel was a little too bitter from the bourbon for my liking.
2) Grilled fuyu persimmons — This dish had two pieces of bread lightly toasted with butter, a slice of the creamiest goat cheese that spread like butter on the bread, and two grilled persimmons which were so incredibly juicy and being grilled really brought out the sweetness of the fruit while giving it a soft and warm texture. This was my favorite dish of the morning and I highly recommend it!
MAIN COURSE:
3) Scrambled eggs with trout — This dish was the most disappointing for me as I didn’t think there was anything particularly special or amazing about it. The scrambled eggs weren’t transformed in any way, and the trout and cream cheese were kept on the side of the scramble. None of the ingredients were transformed or even enhanced in any way, and I honestly felt like I could have prepared this dish on my own with items in my fridge currently.
DRINK:
4) Supreme cocktail — This cocktail has calvados, lemon, orgeat, grenadine, and it was really delicious and complimented the meal well. The drink was semisweet and pretty strong, so I’d recommend this as a dinner drink rather than a brunch drink.
Overall, I think if you are a meat lover, you may really enjoy this restaurant, but as someone who is a pescatarian, I expected a lot more, especially given the price point. I do not see myself coming back to Trou Normande again as there are much better brunch places out there!

Came here for lunch on a Monday with my boss. We got seated right away which is awesome. The booths are fairly long for two people but it was fine. They also have an outdoor patio seating for nicer days. We ordered from their lunch menu:
— 4 choices charcuterie: all selections were delicious with the acme bread. They will provide more bread if you’d like without additional cost.
— squash salad: different squashes cut into thin slices in a salad, very delicious and nothing overpowered the original taste of each veggie.
— beef ragu: delicious as well! Noodles were perfect softness and the beef were shredded and tender as well.
Overall, super enjoyed our lunch here. Waiter kept checking on us every so often which was cool. I also had a fresh orange juice which was the perfect sweetness as well. Will definitely want to return :)

I love the vibe at Trou Normand, as well as the rich selection of pâté and salami! Come in and get a drink at the bar… or sit down and get dinner.
We had the small combination board, and the chef selection for the day was pork pâté, beef salame, ciccioli and bierwurst (but we swapped this for dried pancetta). It was amazing. Loved the entire platter and I wish we could have more! My favorite was the pancetta and ciccioli. It also came with mustard, pork consommé and fennel salad which were great sides.
The tagliatelle was also cooked perfectly. The pasta was cooked just to the right texture, slightly aldente, and the dish was seasoned perfectly. Also, just the right amount of bolognese :)
Will definitely come back again, highly recommended!
PS. 20% tip is included in the price and the service is excellent!

Love this place! The «outdoor» patio is awesome; I highly recommend getting seated there. There’s also a group table right in front of the kitchen that looks like a good time.
The cocktails are pretty good, very brandy focused. I got the Supreme and it was delicious. Don’t get outraged by the prices, they all include tip, so it’s actually a great deal!
The food was pretty good. We got the salumi, melon salad, summer squash, braised green beans, and pork meatballs. All the veggie dishes were delicious!
Definitely coming back to try the charcuterie and more drinks!