Cockscomb [SF]

Fattydumplin · January 9, 2019, 6:59pm

Haven’t posted in a long time, but had a really nice meal last night! Flavors were spot on, had minor quibbles, but great service and a fun atmosphere.

Wagyu Carpaccio - a bit heavy handed on the creme fraiche, but very tasty, with nicely marbled, thinly sliced wagyu topped with dollops of caviar and green onion.

Clams in XO sauce - oversalted (probably normal for restaurants, but a bit much for me), but a tasty, spicy broth that went great with the buttered, toasted bread that came with the dish.

Whole roast duck - loved this, but then again I love duck. I’m more used to eating the Chinese style ducks that are cooked through and this was definitely more on the pink side, so more “chewy” and gamy. But that just meant I had to gnaw on the bones. The gravy that came with the dish went perfectly.

Whole octopus - parts were tender, parts were a bit less so, which made it an enjoyable range of textures, especially with the charred bits on the outside. In retrospect, it’s the fact that this was such a generous portion of 4 large tentacles and part of the body that made it so enjoyable versus other versions that come with a really small portion, where the table is always scrapping for tiny pieces.

Desserts were the highlight for me. Loved their panna cotta which is lighter and less sweet than most I’ve had, almost verging on savory. We also tried the pot au creme - can’t go wrong with what is essentially a high quality dense chocolate pudding, sugar coated roast almonds and torched marshmellow.

I’ve always come here for lunch, never dinner, so this was a great opportunity to pig out… which ironically, is the one dish I wish I had gotten (pig head) that my dining companion just couldn’t get on board with. Next time.

bbulkow · January 10, 2019, 2:54am

Thanks for the notes. I think I’ve been to Cockscomb a few times a year, partially because it’s open later than most. The bar is fun and interesting, and around 9pm they seem to have seats no matter what. There’s enough variety on the menu to keep me coming back. For drinks, I am now a fan of the “gin jam”.

Fattydumplin · January 10, 2019, 5:28am

I intend to go back for dinner as well! We sat at the bar and service was great - friendly, not pushy, and helpful when needed. I did walk out smelling like duck and pig smoke though… The drinks sounded great although we settled on a Brunello and didn’t go beyond that.

Mr_Happy · February 2, 2019, 1:41am

Cockscomb is having a prime rib Sunday supper every last Sunday of the month, from 4PM to 8:30PM. I had this for a solo dinner at the bar on their first Sunday supper.

Dinner comes with a wedge salad, a popover, choice of two sides, and two desserts. Here’s the menu. They only offered this prix fixe menu that evening.

There were a few possible add ons in addition to the set menu. Lobster for an extra $75 , scallops for an extra $35, and oysters for $3 each.

Had a pisco punch ($11) that was delicious.

I added on 3 of the oysters (+$9). They came with an avocado sauce, a mignonette, and a squeeze bottle of smoky house hot sauce. Good, fresh oysters.

The wedge salad was fine. A wedge of iceberg with some Bleu cheese dressing, bacon, and diced hard-boiled egg.

Their popover could use some work. Quite dense and not airy. Also was room temperature and looked like it had been sitting around for a while.

The beef itself was quite good. I got the English cut, which is 16 ounces and sliced thinly into two pieces. Nicely done, on the rarer side of medium rare, tender and flavorful. Good piece of meat. The jus was a little less dark than what I’m used to seeing served with prime rib but was also good and not too salty. The provided horseradish was very strong.

For my sides, I chose the Brussels sprouts and the potatoes aligot. Both were quite good. The Brussels sprouts were fried crispy and were in a sweet and sour vinegary sauce with a few raisins thrown in. The potatoes were rich and creamy. I think there was some cheese in it.

Dessert was a couple sweet bites. A mini banana cream pie and a square of brownie like toffee pudding. Good. I was initially impressed that they include two whole desserts with the meal but these were kind of mini sized. Still I was pretty stuffed at this point so they were probably the right size.

Service was good. Overall a good dinner. And priced OK at $55 including dessert and salad and sides. They need to improve their popovers though.

More Pictures:

droolingdoggie · February 8, 2019, 1:27pm

Did you consider their special pork dishes such as pig’s ears and the whole pig’s head?? I had the former (great taste) but not the latter.

sck · February 12, 2019, 6:59pm

What kind of prep for the lobster? Seems awfully pricey for something that’s not overly expensive.

Mr_Happy · February 12, 2019, 7:19pm

Hmm I don’t remember. I think I zoned out after hearing the price.