Description: We had dinner at Boulevard, which according to Google maps, was 1.5 miles from our hotel near the Embarcadero waterfront. The sun had set by the time we walked to the restaurant and we enjoyed the street lights and lively crowds on the streets in the Union Square area. Closer to Boulevard, it was quieter as the office towers were empty and there were fewer people walking outside.
Boulevard is located in the 1889 French-style Audiffred Building one of the few buildings spared from the 1906 earthquake. Its interior is Paris Belle Epoque with a long narrow room, hand-blown art nouveau glass light fixtures, pressed tin, steel girders and artisan ironwork throughout. The look is warm and stylish.
We were seated near the Steuart Street end of the restaurant where we could see the lights on the Bay Bridge. We really enjoyed the ambiance of Boulevard, busy and friendly staff, and the interesting decor.
My husband and I had dinner at Boulevard twice before in the past year and loved it so much we wanted to return with our children. We were not disappointed. The emphasis is on fresh seasonal and local products to provide exceptional taste, French in cooking style but without an overly fussy preparation. Quite Californian in my mind. The menu has a good range of choices and the hardest part is making a selection.
Our meals were outstanding (see the photos) and service very good. They have an excellent wine list and even though we felt we had splashed out, the total bill was slightly less than Farallon. It was our last dinner in San Francisco and we thoroughly enjoyed it. We found San Francisco to be a marvelous place to eat and were glad we did enough walking and other activities to offset any guilt about how much food we ate.
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