The Butler & The Chef

The best French bistro brunch I have had stateside! Come for the food, put up with the ascerbic and uneven service. It'd also located in South Park, which is a great little area to visit on a weekend.

Pros: Food, location

Cons: service

Posted 03/23/08

First off, I will say that the food was very good. No complaints about the food.

I arrived at the restaurant between lunch & breakfast & ordered a coffee & a pastry. Sat down, the restaurant was pretty much empty. The owner/manager walked over & asked if I was planning on staying for lunch. I was, & let him know that I was meeting a couple of friends. Friends were late, so I ended up ordering lunch on my own about 1/2 hour later (note, i had already ordered food, so I wasn't just sitting at the table lingering). At this point, the restaurant is about 1/2 full.

The waitress brings my food, I eat. Literally 2-3 minutes after the waitress clears my plate & brings me a dessert menu, the owner/manager asked me to leave. He said it was ridiculous that I was still at the restaurant and they needed the table. There were still empty tables & I had ordered two meals! I was stunned. I couldn't believe I got thrown out of a restaurant seconds after finishing my meal.

This IS NOT the place to go for a leisurely meal. They will move you out of your table if they want to give it to someone else, & tact is not employed here.

The food is not worth the shoddy service, poor customer service, & embarassing treatment by someone who clearly doesn't know anything about how to treat a guest.

Pros: Good food, cute location

Cons: horrible customer service, no parking

Posted 01/29/08

I went to this restaurant because it was close to a salon I was going to afterwards. I am so glad I went there. My friend and I were treated to excellent service and delicious food. I was thrilled to be able to go to a place that is so supportive of a green lifestyle. The food selection was fantastic and the presentation was wonderful, as were the mimosas!

Pros: parking (weekend), selection, presentation

Cons: small seating area

Posted 01/31/07

I lived in France for two years and this place is authentic! Their crepes, salads, quiche, and sandwiches are just like the ones you'll find in Paris - only the portion sizes (as is the case with most restaurants in the U.S.) are larger. The service and atmosphere are both great as well. And how can you not like a place that gives you a delicious chocolate truffle to finish off your meal!? Just perfect.

Pros: Authentic french cuisine, nice ambiance, chocolate truffles !

Cons: Somewhat pricey (although very nice quality!)

Posted 11/27/06

Pretty good food, sweet waitresses, really social chef with a fun sense of humor. This one guy who works there pretends to be French with his faux-lofty presence but is ultimately common. The atmosphere is cute.

Pros: Good Food, Nice folks

Cons: Lame American guy with faux-French attitude.

Posted 08/26/06

The quiche is amazing. Try any of them. Sandwiches are also good. Crepes can take a while, but worth the wait. Quality organic ingredients in many of the dishes. Nice ambiance. Glad it's open 7 days!

Pros: Ambiance, variety of food, delicious meals

Cons: Can get crowded for weekend brunch

Posted 08/04/06

My husband started working in this neighborhood a while back and stumbled into this little cafe and fell in love. We live on the other side of town but have made the trek over to this little gem more than once. The baguette sandwiches are just like the ones in Paris - every ingredient is simple but incredibly flavorable. And the complimentary truffles are divine - even at seventy five cents a pop, they are a steal. Whenever we wish we were in back in Paris, this is where we head.

Pros: charming, good value, great food

Cons: parking can be tricky

Posted 05/21/06

Suddenly you've stepped out of San Francisco and into a neighborhood Bistro somewhere in Provincial France. A busy, noisy gathering place weekdays for the local lunch crowd, relaxed and quite off hours or weekends (open seven days a week), the atmosphere is purely French. I've never had anything here that wasn't marvelous but my favorites are the quiche, croque monsieurs, and the ever-changing Dish of the Day. Generous espresso drinks, excellent French wine and beer, and decadent desserts keep me coming back for more. If youre in a hurry try the huge baguette sandwiches to-go at only 7$. The owners (one French, one Californian) are fun and crazy and obviously passionate about what they do. The staff is quick and courteous even during the extremely busy weekday lunch rush. This is my favorite place to impress a new lady friend without going broke!

Pros: Great Food, Great Prices, Great Atmosphere

Posted 02/13/06

While waiting for our sandwiches, I helped myself to a candybowl on the register beside the business cards. When the cashier rang up my chcken lemon aoili sandwich (dark meat chcken boiled with no taste) she asking if i ate a candy, which she rang it up with my bill -75 cents. Wow. 75 cents for that? Thought it was free after-dinner mint? She said no she has to charge me. Ok, i said. I told the owner that I paid for the candy, but wanted to give feedback on how to show candy was for sale, not free. Customer feedback should always be appreciated. He didn't accept my feedback openly,said this is not a cheap restaurant, & what I ate was a french truffle, & that i shouldn't walk into his restaurant thinking everything is free. Offended by his remark, I vouched never to go back there again.

Pros: Great Location, Casual, very parisian, friendly staff

Cons: Owner - arrogant/rude, sandwiches tasteless, no parking anywhere

Posted 08/16/05

Great lunch spot for those who work in and around South Park. It gets plenty busy, but offers fantastic sandwiches, including croque monsieur and proscuitto and brie, along with coffee drinks and more. On sunny days, I usually skip the wait and grab a picnic table in the park.

Posted 03/16/05