Fringale is a small, comfy, French restaurant located in the more seedy neighborhood of SOMA (South of Market). A block further South and you'd be watching drug deals from the window. But I'd been wanting to try out this place for some time, having read rave reviews in Zagat's and newspapers. Make a reservation far in advance because it only seats about 30 people but it isn't squishy, thankfully.
Fringale offers a warm, relaxed, well-lit (but not overly bright) atmosphere. Service was attentive, not overbearing. Our server had a genuine French accent, which I'm glad did not come with attitude or upturned nose.
Food means a lot to me; this establishment did not disappoint! This week, SF had an "All About Dining" special event where many of the fine restaurants offer a 3-course menu for $20 for lunch and $30 for dinner. I chose this set plate option, not necessarily because it basically gave me a free dessert, but because it really did sound good!
I thoroughly enjoyed my delicious frisee with stuffed chicken salad and blood oranges, a tender, flakey, unfishy pink salmon filet on a bed of sweet leek and onion, and then - drum roll please - I exchanged the almond pudding cake dessert for a flourless chocolate cake with mixed berries and creme fraiche! Oh my goodness, talk about heaven! Now, I can say that I have easily eaten a good 30 different flourless chocolate cakes (and I'm not a pastry chef); this one was one of the best. Rich and not overly sweet (just as I prefer), kind of oozing in the middle; the only thing that would have made it more enjoyable is serving it warmer. What balanced that out was the fact that the middle was not runny, but more like a pudding. I don't think my writing does it justice but if you are a chocolate lover, try this dessert out when you're in SF! The strawberry/blueberry/raspberry sauce and thick, fluffy creme fraiche were nice additions as well.
Unfortunately, I'm allergic to crab, but from what my friend said, her sculpted crab salad was excellent. I did try her seabass, which is her favorite, but was somewhat disappointed that it was a little overdone. :{ But her dessert, breadpudding, was really delectable, as mine was, but not the right choice for chocolate-lovers.
Despite the delicious food, I do have a word of warning - according to our server, the cold drove a few ants into the restaurant and onto the table! Eeew. I thought about moving to a table away from the window but decided not to fuss. I imagine that the tables away from the window were untainted. Because of the food and nice atmosphere, I would definitely return to Fringale.
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the value of the place is excellent; appetizers run from around $8-13, entrees from $18-28, desserts are $6-7.