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Jeanne d' Arc (French cuisine)  $$$

 8.5
JaT Rating

715 Bush St, San Francisco, 94108  (Directions)


415.421.3154


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Charming French restaurant in the lower level of Cornell Hotel


Reviewer: Jason
Total Reviews: 1040
Reviewed: 8/13/2005
Rating: 8.5
My photo gallery 		My parents were staying at the Cornell Hotel in San Francisco and with the hotel package they got, they were able to get 2 free dinners at Jeanne d' Arc. Its a great bargain and I couldnt recommend enough for someone to stay at this eurostyle lodgings at these prices. In this french hotel lies a quaint restaurant hidden in the lower levels of the hotel. Ive been to europe a couple of times and this restaurant resembles a lot of places Ive been in my travels.

With a 8PM reservation, we took the old school wired door elevator to the basement. Upon exiting we are greeted by the hostess and taken behind a 15th century setting with old artificats and decorations surrounding the noble Joan of Arc. This restaurant is cool and definitely a place to take family or significant others or even celebrate an occasion. Im surprised a place like this is hidden in the hotel.

Service started off very slow and I was getting a bit irritated. We sat a good 10 minutes before anyone even approached us or even bother to drop off the menu. The waiter appeared and bluntly asked for waters immediately. I shouldnt even have to ask, its such a drag for a lovely restaurant.

The menu is a 4 course set meal with options to select from 2 mixed salads and a handful of main courses. For dessert, you had the option to select between ice cream and berries or the orange souffle. All this for a lowly price of $29.95 which I believe is an excellent bargain for what you are to recieve.

cream of white corn - I was ready to write this one off, Ive never had good luck with cream of corn but theres a first for everything. Very palatable and I nearly polished the bowl with some help of the french bread.

mixed salad with goat cheese on toast - you can get this salad mix at any grocery store which is fine. The goat cheese was combined with chives and placed on toasted bread. Cheese was excellent, now the only problem is trying to find this stuff at Draegers or any fine market.

porc medallions with a mushroom sauce - served with mashed potatoes, bok choy, various veggies. The whipped potatoes as they referred to them were quite good but these are never seem to disappoint if you put enough butter in them. Braised bok choy had peppercorns drizzled throughout and a nice touch to any meaty meal. The pork was served with 2 generous thick cuts and topped off with mushrooms and a delicious mushroom sauce. The sauce completely made the dish and Im dreaming to think I could learn to cook this. I resorted using my french bread to mop up the sauce. I thought the pork wasnt as tender as I thought it should have been. It was a thicker cut and I still enjoyed my meal.

For an extra $6, you can order the rack of lamb. My father ordered that and I was able to try that out....wooow, I think thats the dish to order. It was so good and for people who are worried about the gamey taste of lamb, it was non-existent and it tasted like a fine beef. Accompanied with a red wine and shallot sauce, it was excellent.

mixed berries and ice cream - ice cream served in what appeared to be a carmelized almond something crunchy wired basket with whipped cream, black and raspberries, and decorated with grand marnier sauce with swirls of raspberry sauce. You dont even have to guess if I liked it, just take a look at the picture (see picture #12)

I consider Jeanne d' Arc a hidden jewel and hope you plan on making a visit. I thought the food was great and value for the food was excellent. Yes, I left completely stuffed and it was an uncomfortable feeling, I ate too much. I cant believe Im actually leaving a gourmet restaurant with my tummy beyond capacity. The restaurant is cozy and has a family feel to it. I doubt you will feel disapointed as I would recommend this place to anybody. Im not a french food expert but all I can give you is my opinion on the dining experience. The food tasted exceptional to me rates in the high 8s maybe 9s but I think the reason I gave an 8.5 was the service. For a nice place like this, you shouldnt have to wait eternity for menus and water. Another mistake was the waiter poked the orange souffle and poured the sauce into it without even asking my father. I think the customer should always have the option to eat the souffle as they prefer. Maybe Im too picky because my dad didnt seem to mind and loved the souffle. Thanks to Jeanne d' Arc for a gratifying dinner.
 
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