Farallon

Description:

• Although this seafood restaurant is hands-down the most whimsical with its stunning oceanic decor, the high price tag, and fine, but not mind-blowing, food make it a better cocktail-and-appetizer stop than dinner choice. The multimillion-dollar attraction's outrageous decor follows the "coastal" cuisine theme; hand-blown jellyfish lamps, kelp bed-like backlit columns, glass clamshells, sea-urchin light fixtures, a sea-life mosaic floor, and a tentacle-encircled bar set the scene. (Thankfully, designer Pat Kuleto's impressive renovation of the 1924 building left the original Gothic arches intact.)

  Executive chef Mark Franz, who opened the once-famous restaurant Stars with Jeremiah Tower, orchestrates the cuisine. He offers starters ranging from the expected (a variety of very expensive oysters) to the more ambitious (seared breast of squab with roasted foie gras, leg confit raviolo, and rhubarb chutney) -- with a few meat and game items stuck in for good measure. The whimsy-meets-sophistication extends only as far as the food -- the service and wine lists (more than 400 by the bottle; 30 by the glass) are seriously professional. Personally, I prefer stopping in for appetizers at the bar. The scene may be swank, but for seafood, Aqua is worlds better.

• © Frommer's 2012

Awards:

CitySearch

•  Fine Dining 2007

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2009
•  Recommended 2010