First Crush Restaurant Wine Bar & Lounge

I went on a date to this restaurant last week. We had reservations so that was not a problem, but I recommend having them because there was quite a crowd around the front. The lighting was great and noise level. I felt very comfortable in cozy. The decor was beautiful and the service was alright. Definitely could have been more attentive to our needs. The food was delicious and drinks were yummy.

Pros: great food

Cons: expensive

Posted 10/09/09

not a bad place to eat for a date on a last minute kind of thing. you wnat to go and get wine but also try the desserts and make sure you ask for the bread! they sometimes forget.

Posted 02/11/09

this was a good place to eat but over prices and maybe i will go there again with a friend. well i will goback when this is a better place adding more his time to test

Pros: best wine in town

Cons: service is lacking

Posted 02/11/09

Great decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decorGreat decor

Pros: Great drink

Cons: expensive

Posted 02/09/09

Although services were pleasant, there's nothing romantic about this location. Perhaps, because the restaurant is in the lower floor with low ceiling and narrow surrounding, noise got trapped. It's a noisy restaurant. Food is OK. Nothing impressive to compensate for its pricie menu. Most will assuming that a noisy place is good for large group. In my opinion, this place is too noisy for large group (of 10 people). You can't hear someone down at the other end of the table!

Pros: Union Square area

Cons: Somewhat small for large group gatherings. Too noisy to be romantic

Posted 02/07/09

This restaurant just doesn't do it for me; starting with the cramped layout, to the blah wine selections, to the food. Nothing offensive, but in a city with all the options of SF, I won't return.

Pros: they do have wine

Posted 12/03/08

Great place for dates or a night out with the girls! Very quaint and peaceful and the food is delicious! I highly suggest their salmon...best salmon I've ever had! And their wine selection is very good!

Posted 12/02/08

My first visit to First Crush was a disaster and I can honestly say I will never go back. Despite the fact that we had reservations, apparently we didn't reserve far enough in advance and were seated in the bar area upstairs. There is nothing remotely romantic about this area as it is loud and there are waiters rushing back and forth with drinks, and I couldn't move my chair back because there was a pipe sticking out of the wall blocking it. We tried asking the hostess if we could be seated downstairs, and clearly she was used to people getting upset by second rate seating because she tossed her hair and gave us an incredibly rude response. In fact, I think she made me more mad than the bad seating did!

This trip really ruined our evening and put both of us in a bad mood. We should have done what we saw several other people do and leave as soon as it was clear we were getting 'second rate' seating.

Posted 11/10/08

With so many places in SF to eat at, very few can be a memorable experience..

First Crush is not one of them. I am now a fan of this place! Although it was just me, table for one, I was treated like a VIP. Seriously, I was greeted and seated from the moment I walked in, catered to without having to famously ?flag ? my server down, and yet, with all of the attention, I was still able to relax peacefully and enjoy my flight of wine. The food was excellent and my chocolate dessert was very rich and sinful..

I Couldn't have chosen a better spot for my quiet dinner alone.

Posted 10/30/08

Went to dinner here with my friend and I already have plans to return! Although our reservation was at 7:30pm, we showed up at 7pm, thinking that we maybe, just maybe that our table might be ready for us. It looked like a busy night there (or it could be that its a small place) but the hostess immediately brought us to our table. Not knowing what to order, we bombarded our server with questions and based on her recommendations, ordered the ribs for starters, and for dinner, the Halibut for me and the steak for my friend.

One word to describe our food: fantastic. The ribs were just perfect for the two of us, a little on the spicy side, but very tasty indeed! My dish was very delicious. Very light and extremely flavorful. I would definitely return just for that dish alone. My friend's dish must have been good as well-she didn't want to share with me and cleaned her plate.

Can't tell you how dessert was though. We were too full by then.

All in all, our experience, service and of course, dinner was a pleasant experience. I definitely will return, if not for dinner, then at least for a glass of wine. Maybe even two!

Pros: food, service, ambience

Cons: parking, small space, crowded

Posted 10/30/08

We sat for 10 minutes no one even bothered to bring us a water or ask for a drink order. The manager simply said "sorry ladies" when we walked out and complained. Prentencious! Rude! Went to the food court in the WestField Mall down the street where there was nice people and decent food.

Posted 10/20/08

Two words, CRAPPY SERVICE. Don't waste your hard earned money on bad/rude and unmotivated servers, a ton of ugly attitude and average to subpar cuisine. What's worse was that it was my sister's bachelorette dinner party w/ a total of 14 people. Just glad my sister was happily distracted by her friends. The only good things about First Crush were the host/hostess and the bus staff. Management needs to interview their employees a bit more carefully or at least train them in how to treat customers properly. Not disappointed since there were no expectations on my part...but if you're running a restaurant that was named Best Date Restaurant, there should be a level of service that matches up to that accolade. 2 Thumbs WAY DOWN for FIRST CRUSH IN SF.

Posted 09/08/08

My boyfriend and I were looking for a resturant to go to on Valentines day, we stumbled across First Crush on City Search as it was voted "most romantic resturant". We couldnt have gone to a more perfect resturant. The ambiance was romantic yet chic, perfect! Because it was a holiday there was special menu, the food was absolutley delicious, I had the Filet Mignon which was cooked to perfection. We also chose to do the wine pairings which were spectacular. I would highley recomend this resturant for a special occasion dinner or for a "just for fun" night out.

Pros: Good Food, Cute Spot, FUN

Cons: It was a PACKED

Posted 02/14/08

My wife and I tried the restaurant for the first time last night and were left with a horrible taste in our mouth. We were very excited to spend our anniversary dinner there after reading several great reviews and hearing from friends who liked the place.
We went to a comedy show around 730 so we had a late dining time, a 1030 reservation. (They told me they seat and serve til midnight)
We were sat promptly but immediately our service from our waiter was awful. He never introduced himself (by name or as our server) but he was a tall, fairly young (late twenties?) and found out his name is Jackson.
He asked if we wanted drinks and after we ordered a $100 bottle of wine and the cheese plate, he asked if we were "having an entree or what?". We both thought this was a bit rude, especially since he had not spent more than ten seconds at our table up til this point.
We wanted to enjoy our wine and the menu so we had a salad and soup as our next course, followed by the scallops to finish up.
Around 1130, the scallops were dropped off and we asked him for share plates and never saw him again...until 5 minutes later when we saw him walk out the door in a different shirt.
He had apparently transferred his table (and another sitting near us) and left...without telling us a word!?!? Our new server was nice enough but she dropped off our check as we were on our first bite of scallops and said "the kitchen closed at 1130 so here' s your check".
WE WERE AND ARE APPALLED!
First of all, we were never told that our server left, never given an option of seeing a dessert menu, and never told the kitchen was almost closed until after the fact. I usually get treated better than this at Chili's, much less a well reviewed fine dining establishment in San Francisco.
Our new server half-heartily apologized and removed the cheese plate off our bill but we ultimately were left confused, rushed, unwanted and hugely disappointed.
(the busboys were amazing...)

Pros: big portions, large wine list

Cons: horrible rushed service....no manager on duty late night

Posted 01/19/08

I love romantic restaurants with great food and candle light. I came here for my birthday and enjoyed the toy box salad and the halibut. The food was excellent and very fresh. Our server "D" was extremely attentive and was able to answer any question we had about the menu. The restaurant was very crowded and we had to wait to be seated. This spot is definetly worth a 15 minute wait. Do yourself a favor and eat here on your next romantic date.

Pros: great wine, food and service

Cons: I have nothing bad to say about this place

Posted 01/12/08

All the food we ordered were excellent. The short ribs were delicious. I highly recommend First Crush.

Pros: Great food, Great atmosphere

Posted 01/04/08

i like this place for a wine bar, the food is ok, but not my favorite place. The set up of the restaurant is odd and often times feels a bit cramped and awkward if there are a lot of people there. Overall I am a fan of this restaurant though and have visited several times. Many people I've referred to it however wonder why I've sent them here as it doesn't always please. I would suggest giving it a try as I like it, but i guess it's not for everyone.

Pros: atmosphere, wine

Cons: crampped

Posted 01/02/08

We had our company holiday party here and it was perfect! The ceasar, duck and amazing bread pudding was out of this world! Of course, the baked oysters and shrimp apps were phenomenal, as well! Thank you, First Crush for such a great party!

Pros: All the apps, the ambience and the food!

Posted 12/18/07

Whenever my wife and I are headed to SF for dinner, I like to check out citysearch for something fun and exciting; First Crush jumped right out at me. The decor was very classy, and cozy. It was a little loud when we first got there, but people were obviously enjoying themselves. The wine list is very extensive, but the option to select wine flights was what really drew me to First Crush. We ordered three flights, which allowed us to sample 8 different wines. What a fun way to experience different wines. The food was excellent as well. We split the Crush Salad, and I had the Pork Chop while my wife had the Tortellini. Both entrees had wonderful sauces, and everything was quite flavorful. The service was very hospitable; just enough attention to make you feel important with a little privacy thrown in. The only thing to note was that our server did not mention an addition to the menu for the evening, French Onion soup, but perhaps they were out. We would definitely eat here again.

Pros: Ambience, wine list, service, and food

Cons: tight seating area, but not bad at all

Posted 12/04/07

We had our fist experience for dinner on Thanksgiving evening. Our daughter ordered the Thanksgiving Dinner; the potatoes were room temperature at best. The turkey and dressing was like something you would get at a buffet. My husband and I ordered off the "limited" menu offering. Which I must say had some potentially interesting items. He started with the crab cake which was served over too much lettuce and was over dosed with too much banyuls vinaigrette; his second course was the dry aged rib eye, served over wilted baby greens, again served room temperature with cold gravy poured on top. I started with a squash trio which was also served cold, but did have a nice flavor for my second course; I ordered the Alaskan halibut pan seared w exotic mushrooms with haricot verts and tarragon beurre blanc. The halibut was cooked perfect, but the "exotic" mushrooms turned out to be button cap with a few chanterelles tossed into the mix.

Based on the rave reviews we were expecting an incredible meal, but we left unsatisfied with an 18.5% gratuity added by the server for our party of 3!

Pros: Interesting Menu

Cons: Fails to Deliver

Posted 11/22/07

Had a great dinner! It was our first time at First Crush and they made all our decisions very easy and they server suggested food as well as wine pairing for us. The wine list was huge and the menu seemed to have something for everyone. The desert flight was great as well. Three different and great tastings desserts and we had a nice port wine to go along with them. The place was packed but the service was very calm. It was a great experience all around.

Pros: Food, service and wine was top notch!

Cons: The place was packed so I guess not having reservations would make you have to wait

Posted 11/07/07

Good wine and decent staff. The wine flights are a great choice. Try and ask for a table closer to the bar or downstairs. Some of the tables closer to the entrance tend to be chillier.

Posted 10/26/07

I went last year for the first time, choosing the location for the 'romantic' aspect. We went for our 1-year anniversary, on a Sunday night. It was packed, being the Sunday of the Nike 26.2 Marathon, so there were a lot of runners and tourists, since most stay in Union Square or thereabouts.
Our waiter was much more interested in chatting it up with the 3 ladies next to us who were in town for the race (and single) so we had to ask the waiter for something anytime we needed it.
The wine flight was GREAT. Lots of good choices and we tired wine that we had never had before.
My husband's food was fantastic, I had fish that was still raw in the middle - and it was supposed to be baked Halibut, not seared.
Overall, I found this restaurant a bit overpriced and the service was poor. Perhaps it would have been better had it not been so crowded, but we have not been back in the last year.

Posted 10/20/07

I?m always looking for good restaurants, so we had a SF trip planned for this past weekend, so I looked online for good restaurants. I came across ?First Crush.? I saw the reviews and had to check it out. We went on Saturday night and it was just great. The place is set very romantic like. We started off with great wine and the cheese appetizer platter. Then we had our meals. Their menu is divided into sections of ?small plates? and ?large plates?, (which I think is a great idea), I can never finish my plate. This way you know what size plate you?re ordering. I ordered the ?ahi tuna? which was under the small plates and it was perfect size for me. My bf ordered the ?filet mignon? and he loved it. The staff was very helpful and so friendly. I?ll never forget our time here. It was so romantic and had very reasonable prices. We?re definitely going to come back to ?First Crush.?

Pros: Romantic, affordable.

Cons: Tables are put too closely together with other couples. But, it?s worth it.

Posted 09/09/07

My boyfriend and I came to San Francisco for a little weekend getaway and I made reservations at First Crush based on the great reviews on Citysearch. The reviews didn't lie! This restaurant was adorable and cozy and charming. A wonderful wine selection and beautiful ambience. You do sit kind of close to other people, but that was o.k. with me. I loved it!

Posted 09/06/07

Had a nibble with my date. Nice spot. Wine flights were fun. Had a couple of nice appetizers. Place was hopping at 8 o'clock. Downstairs looked fun but we wanted something more intimate. Read some of the reviews and decided to try First Crush. Some reviews were helpful, others seemed funny. All in all, the service was nice and non-intrusive but professional. We'll come back for a full dinner experience soon.

Pros: Great deal for what you receive. Food and wine were good

Cons: a bit cramped where we sat. Could of used more elbow room

Posted 09/06/07

I've only ever been here for drinks late at night, but it's a great place to sit and relax. quiet enough to carry on a conversation and really comfy if you can snag a couch downstairs. Love their flights and the wine cocktails but service can be seriously lacking sometimes.

Posted 08/26/07

nice setting. romantic. need i say more? get service......amazing appretizers, great mingling. perfect night.

Posted 08/01/07

My mom and I came here for a girls night out...had high expectations after some of the reviews. The place was pretty busy since it was Friday night but it was a lively, but kinda swanky atmosphere. Not overly stuffy or trying to be romantic, just cool. The hawaiian dalu (sp?) fish, pork tenderloin and crush salad we had here fantastic. Service was on it ,and we received good wine suggestions, as expected. I was wondering if it would be too touristy since it's in Union Square but it a great mix of parties and couples of locals and tourists. Overall, a great spot in the city! I am looking forward to going back with my husband.

Pros: wine list, cool atmosphere, location

Cons: no bar area...would be cool to stop in for just a glass of wine

Posted 07/22/07

Okay, somebody is manipulating the reviews? I feel taken advantage of! I challenge you to find another restaurant with more than 50reviews... 114 is suspicious. ***HERE'S MY EXPERIENCE AT FIRST CRUSH*** <<<1. SUB-PAR SERVICE>>> ((Servers with attitude wearing dirty t-shirts resembled the homeless)) ((No server etiquette... we were greeted by the server with a rude..."areya ready")) ((The female server with the curly red hair almost knocked the cork in the bottle (for a place known for its wine I found it odd that the server seemed to have never opened a wine bottle before))
<<<2. POOR QUALITY FOOD AND MENU SELECTIONS!!>>> ((Tasteless and boring!))
((Chicken dry )) ((Salmon under cooked)) ((Menu an odd mixture of random dishes. No theme!!!))
((Very very expensive bottles of poor quality wine (we had a few of the wine samplers... tasted like it came
from a box! :-( We are huge wine lovers so this was pretty darn disappointing! :-(
((Didn?t try the dessert, after spending over an hour in that place we wanted nothing more than to leave!))
<<<3. 1-STAR AMBIANCE>>> ((Table and floor were sticky and dirty)) ((Downstairs tables circled the bathroom)) ((They put tea lights on a dirty, sticky table and called it romantic)) ((Our table was almost touching the table next to us)) ((My elbow kept bumping the guy next to me, his girlfriend wasn't happy about that. I was so Uncomfortable. We asked to move but were told we couldn't.))
**I could have overlooked the poor service, bad food and bitter wine if I could have just been able to enjoy a romantic night out with my boyfriend... THE ROMANCE DIDN'T BEGIN UNITL WE LEFT THAT PLACE!

***IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A GOOD 1ST IMPRESSION, DONT TAKE YOUR DATE HERE! ***

I WAS FOOLED BY READING THESE REVIEWS... PLEASE DONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID...
I WALKED OUT OF THAT PLACE THINKING... HUH.. I GUESS THE JOKES ON ME :-(

Pros: wine samples allowed us to taste the wine before making the mistake of getting a bottle

Cons: WHERE SHOULD I START FIRST?!?

Posted 07/18/07

We went on a Saturday night. They were busy and we didn't have reservations, but we thought we would try anyway. We ordered couple glasses of wine and a cheese plate at the bar. We became so comfortable we decided to eat our entire meal at the bar. That atmosphere is great, very cozy, nice place for a date. The service was excellent, the staff were very friendly. My only complaint was the food was just OK for the price. I used to live in Sonoma Valley and the food does not compare to the wine country restaurants. The cheese plate and the bread were pretty good, but the scallops were slightly overcooked. I will be back, but next time just for some wine and a cheese plate.

Pros: Atmosphere, Wine list, Service

Cons: OK food

Posted 07/07/07

I was looking on CitySearch for a restaurant to take my husband for our anniversary. I wanted a place that was nice but not too fancy, had good food and wine, and a fun atmosphere. After reading the reviews for First Crush, I took a chance and made reservations. First Crush met my expectations and beyond! Not only did it have everything I wanted, but the staff made the experience that much more enjoyable. We enjoyed a flight of wines and their cheese plate at the bar (since we arrived early) and then when we finished they had a table waiting for us -- a perfect table for an intimate date or a romantic night. Everything we ordered was delicious (salad, salmon, duck, bread pudding)! When I went downstairs to use the restroom, I noticed a whole other area for dining and drinking... more like a lounge atmosphere. When we come back (which will be soon) I think I'd like to wine/dine downstairs just for a different atmosphere. What a great night to leave my kids at home with the babysitter and be romantic with my husband!

Pros: food, wine, service, atmosphere

Cons: not in my home town

Posted 07/05/07

Wine and jazz is almost as good a combination as Guiness and fish & chips. I enjoy both, it just depends on my mood or date for the evening (or lack of).

Posted 06/13/07

I get down to SF several times a year (from Portland, Oregon - a great food town these days, BTW) and try to uncover special places with particularly fine interpretations of some classic dish, or rare ones that aren't easy to find elsewhere. That leads me, for example, to Cafe Colucci in Oakland/Berkeley border for the best fulle ever (not watery); to Bombay Cuisine in Berkeley for fabulous Indian home cooking; I don't usually bother with Union Square because it's generally too pricey/pretentious for my plebian tastes (how's that for alliteration?). But when I told a friend I'm crazy for lamb shank, she suggested I try First Crush. I haven't been in the bar and usually don't have wine, so I can't comment on whether their wine's good, great, bad, or indifferent. But I did immediately like the cavernous but cozy downstairs restaurant, though they might consider pulling out a table or two to prevent that too-neighborly feel. Anyway, I decided to treat myself with a small plate and a large one. The small was the trio of roasted squash. There is nothing more satisfying than roasted squash to this jaded palate, and I was hooked by the butter-wine glaze. Wonderfully delicious. Then on to the braised lamb shank. This was tender and scrumptious, the meat falling off the bone. The truffle oil au jus enhanced the flavor. Another winner. I usually have to go to Greek places to get decent lamb shank.

I had expected to get dessert but was way too stuffed. On subsequent visits I've enjoyed grilled artichoke and asparagus and prawn spring rolls in the small plate format, but have stubbornly ordered the lamb every time. God, what a philistine I can be. I keep meaning to order something else but must have my lamb! In sum, I've had excellent food at FC and only wish they'd throw out a couple of tables to give a little more elbow room. I'm a big guy -- and getting bigger scarfing all that meat & potatoes. Service was professional and friendly.

Pros: Fabulous lamb shank & some excellent small plates; cozy, atmospheric restaurant

Cons: Fewer tables would be nice

Posted 06/12/07

C'MON... I THOUGHT THIS PLACE WAS KNOWN FOR THE WINE??? SHOULDN'T THEY TEACH THE SERVERS HOW TO OPEN UP A BOTTLE? SHE JUST LEFT THE BOTTLE ON THE TABLE WITH THE CORK FLOATING AROUND IN IT! OTHER THAN THAT, MY FRIENDS AND I HAD FUN... BUT WE ALWAYS HAVE FUN! IF YOU GO FOR THE WINE...ASK TO OPEN YOUR OWN BOTTLE!

Pros: HAD FUN!!! ITS NOT ONE OF THOSE BORING QUIET PLACES...

Cons: VERY VERY POOR SERVICE!

Posted 06/07/07

I just ate at first crush last night and the reviewers are very entertaining to say the least....lol...wow! Whatever, it's all about me anyway :). My wife and I ate the shrimp spring rolls. Great sauce and very crispy. We had a nice glass of rose and then shared the salmon and the ribeye. I wanted mid rare and it was served a perfect mid rare. We had two nice glasses of cab and then had the cheese plate for dessert. We celebrated our 10th year wedding anniversary upstairs because the downstairs seemed more of a hip lounge type crowd and we wanted something more romantic. We are both from L.A. and flew up at the last minute and stayed at the Nikko and just stumbled upon this lil' gem of a restaurant. I would recommend this to anyone who wants that "connection" withn the one you love. Very romantic indeed!

Pros: great food for the price. Nice wine list with something for everyone

Cons: Too far from LA! :(

Posted 06/07/07

I came down on business from the Bodega Bay area and didn't know any "wine bars" in the area except one that is in the financial district which was closed. I looked up other wine bars and found First Crush. I just wanted to have a couple of glasses of wine and some small appetizers and bellied up to the bar. I had a red "flight" which was very reasonable for the amount of wine you received. I had the beef short ribs which were very tender and had this great demi sauce to it. I then had the crush salad and I love blue cheese and dried fruit with my salads and this was a perfect pairing for my flight. I skipped dessert because I was feeling very warm and fuzzy and the staff were super nice, giving me directions back to my union square hotel. I waddled happily to my hotel room. I would say it was a great experience for anyone who loves wine.

Pros: apps were solid. Wine list was good.

Cons: Bar area was crowded and if I were with a date, I would of opt'ed for a sit down experience.

Posted 06/07/07

I just moved to San Francisco a little over two months ago with my boyfriend. We have traveled and have lived all over the world. We love food and love trying different restaurants. Thus far we didn't have a lot of luck with great restuarants in San Franciso until we came across First Crush. The setting is very romantic with bistro style tables and candels througout the restaurant. It reminded us of a restuarant you would find in Europe. The servers are amazing and the food is delicious. The wine selection was off the chart. We have been in three times in the last two weeks. I hope the staff does not get tired of us because we will become regulars for sure; I guess we already are.

Pros: The best restaurant in San Francisco

Cons: none

Posted 06/06/07

Food and service is great! Great wine list. A must for first time S.F. diners! Cool upstairs and downstairs has a split level appeal.

Pros: great for large groups and just two people. Food and wine are outstanding

Cons: If you don't set yourself a reservation, you may just be out of luck and will have a long wait

Posted 06/06/07

We chose to book reservations here after seeing great things about it online & in magazines. We live 2 hours away from SF so we really enjoy making our trips there special & as unique as possible. We arrived at First Crush in the pouring rain. The host staff was great. They took our wet coats & let us dry off downstairs. The restaurant is a bit crowded upstairs but once you start enjoying your meals, it's no big deal. Our server was very attentive. The "flight" idea is the best. Who wouldn't want to try several wines for the price of one?! My husband was a little skeptical about trying the roasted squash but when it came out, we practically licked the plate. The roast pork was yummy & the filet I thought was extremely tasty with very flavorful potatoes & sauce. we couldn't resist getting the "flight" of desserts to end the evening. I would recommend stopping in for even just dessert. We ordered bread pudding, choc. mousse cake, & creme brulee which all had their own little unique twists to them. My husband adored the bread pudding which was served warm with rum raisin ice cream. The chocolate cake was nothing special. We would certainly eat there again. The price for everything that you get is not that bad.

Pros: Assertive Staff, Many options

Cons: Not very spacious

Posted 04/21/07

My boyfriend and I ate here for our one year anniversary and loved it so much we just went back for our third. Just as great as we remembered it! Upstairs seems more romantic for couples and downstairs seems to be a litttle louder, brighter and for larger groups. Service is very attentive and friendly--we never had to ask for anything, they were one step ahead of us. For the price (reasonable) the quality of food and service is really exceptional. The short ribs are AMAZING. Can't stress that enough--the best I've ever had. Also, the squash appetizer and the cheese plate are outstanding. The only thing wrong was the fillet mignon--kind of lacking in flavor and a tad tough. Otherwise, one of the best dining experiences we've had and very consistent. They don't rush you and we've had such long romantic dinners here. I highly recommend it!

Pros: Short ribs, cheese plate, service, consistency and great value!

Cons: Fillet Mignon

Posted 03/31/07

I just love eating in the city. I also love to eat at places that know how to take care of me. I come to First Crush frequently. Not as frequent as I'd like being from Marin, it's a small trek to get to the restaurant. The last visit was superb. It was our six year wedding anniversary and the manager made sure it was memorable. We sat upstairs in the corner booth. There were candles on all the tables and the place definitely had a romantic feel to it right off the bat. We started off with two glasses of Champagne. There list is great. All California. We both tried the spring rolls and the caesar. Great. I decided to be more rustic and try the lamb shank which was really good. Very flavorful and rich. My wife tried peppercorn duck breast. Man the sauce was amazing and the duck was cooked perfectly medium rare. We didn't op for dessert but decided to do the cheese plate "flight" and it was nicely presented and we had two glasses of dessert wine to go with it. Our server was very attentive the support staff cleared our plates and made sure our waters were filled at all times. Every detail was perfect for our anniversary and I would recommend this restaurant to anyone. Bon Appetit First Crush!

Pros: Great food, great service, I like the two level aspect of the restaurant

Cons: Walk in's we saw waiting for a long time. I would suggest reservations.

Posted 03/20/07

I am puzzled when people write reviews but do not research the places they eat at and then suddenly are shocked with the stark reality that where they chose is completely the opposite of where they've eaten. For example of the previous reviewer. I love First Crush. The restaurant is business casual with a funky and hip lounge appearance to it. The servers are all crisp in their black shirts which fits in perfectly with the dark appearance of the restaurant. Folks, this isn't a fine dining restaurant. It is a fun and exciting place to eat with a very upbeat crowd that loves to have a good time. We had the oysters, shared the crush salad and I had the tenderloin and my wife had the walu and everything was great. The service was outstanding and the wine list is to die for. It is also very easy to eat there on a budget. There is always a buzz when we eat there and the crowd is young, hip and beautiful. If you really want that quiet fine dining experience, I suggest open table's website and do some research before you delve into the depths of eating out.

Pros: Fun place to eat, great wine list, food is consistent

Cons: Dark in some spots, if you don't have reservations, you may not get a seat

Posted 03/20/07

Service was done by someone who looked like they were pulled off of the street and threw on a black T-SHIRT!!! Yes, no collar, no nice white tables nothing like that at ALL!!!! Second of all it is sooo loud in there that you cannot hear the person in front of you talking, so if you acutally want to have a conversation this is not a place for it. Food was ok but for the 2 hours that I was there, it was not worth the wait. Unless you want some 18 year old girls screaming in your ear for two hours, after paying over 200 for a meal, go here. If I wanted to go to a place that like - I would have just went to the Cheesecake factory.

Pros: Close to Union Sq

Cons: Too Loud, only CA wines, Badly dressed servers, Too cramped, the list goes on...

Posted 03/14/07