Prospect, San Francisco

the Infinity Towers and complex are home to Prospect

A pair of us from the WC tasting crew recently had the opportunity to try the stylish and new Prospect restaurant in San Francisco. Located on Spear and Folsom, quite near the Bay, this elegant place opened only a handful of months ago in the new Infinity building complex.

This was one of those work affairs in the private room. But we arrived early so had the chance to enjoy ourselves at the elegant bar that fills the front of the place. Everything is new here, and I don’t just mean the restaurant. The building itself isn’t very old. You can really tell. I’d never dined in a restaurant before that had a new car smell, if you know what I mean?

There are huge windows that wrap all the way around which reveal wonderful street scenes. If you had the time, you could probably sit at the bar all afternoon and watch the construction on the new Transbay Terminal across the street. We didn’t, so instead we settled for a Catcher in the Rye and Mr. White as we chatted for about twenty minutes before our reservation. The Catcher seemed like an aromatic subtly orangy rendition of the classic Manhattan, but with rye, Grand Marnier, sherry and more. I really enjoyed it. David’s Mr. White was a tequila and St. Germain concoction that he finished with aplomb.

elegant bar at Prospect

Catcher in the Rye and Mr. White

We couldn’t help but admire Prospect’s look. It had a contemporary feel with the windows, as I’ve said, sculptural lighting that hinted of the Gold Rush era, and an expansive wall of dark wood finished in a now look. D thought it was a modern interpretation of the traditional wood paneled bar. We both liked it.

The private room was cavernous! I really think that it would be easy to have a wedding party of one hundred here with only a little crowding. Our group was about ten, so we had plenty of space. The menu was pre selected. I started with the Green Goddess Salad.

I forgot my reading glasses so didn’t notice the fine print about this decadent “healthy” dish. It came without any leafy greens but with lots of cucumber and avocado architecturally piled over a generous serving of Green Goddess dressing. D had the same and thought that it was “yummy!” He found it to be rich and creamy with a refreshing bitterness from the cucumbers, like guacamole and sour cream mixed together. Wow! I thought that for salad it was too over the top, though I guess I’m used to Hegui’s lighter leafy versions at home. This was so filling that I wasn’t sure that I could go on. Jocelyn, our host, had the seared scallops, which she seemed to enjoy.

Prospect main dining area

Green Goddess Salad

seared scallop appetizer

Unfortunately, I blundered with the main course. I selected the Alaskan Sockeye Salmon knowing full well that I dislike salmon. I should have wised up from my delightful recent visit to Absinthe and claimed that I’m vegetarian. Normally the Prospect salmon comes with ham but they were able to leave that out to accommodate my pescatarian diet. The dish was good, just too salmony for my taste. Oh well, it was my own fault. Next time I go to Prospect, I want to try their Cornmeal Crepe with Goat Cheese & Summer Greens. That seems more my speed.

Dessert was really tasty. I had the Black and Tan, a plate of several chocolate and caramel treats. The billionaires’ shortbread in particular made the entire visit worthwhile.

Alaskan Sockeye Salmon

Prospect Black and Tan dessert

Prospect is fun, casually glamorous, in an interesting location with good views and offers a high quality, though somewhat predictable menu. They really shine with their cocktails and the other guests in our party went into mini spasms over how much they adored the Wagyu Zabuton. I’m so out of practice eating meat that I had to ask the waiter what wagyu was!

Prospect at sunset, that's a good time to go