Prospect

After years of living nearby, I finally visited Prospect for dinner with a friend... and I was glad I did! From start to finish, we had an excellent dining experience here. Reservations: It was easy for her to make a reservation online, and we were seated almost immediately after arriving. Granted, we were there for an early dinner since both of us had things to do later in the evening, but still... Ambiance: It got quite busy as "typical" dinner hours rolled around. Although the noise levels did climb, it was never too much and it was still easy for us to carry on a conversation, even across a broad table (we had one of those big booths, even though there were only two of us - but we appreciated the space). There were a lot of guests in business attire and there are a few reasons I can think of for this: close to financial district, APEC this week, and it seems like a well-visited restaurant for business dinners. I felt somewhat underdressed as a result, but it wasn't a big deal, especially in SF. Service: The servers (there were two - I think one of them was in training) were friendly and attentive, and able to answer questions and give recs with ease. They checked in regularly to see how things were going and to inquire if there's anything else we wanted, but they weren't pushy about it. Food: We shared the Hokkaido milk bread (the first thing to catch my eye on the sharing menu) - it was quite sizable for 2 people, had good texture, and was tasty. We also shared the squash blossom (it's on the in-person menu but not their online menu) - it had interesting textures and a lot of flavour packed in. For my entree, I ordered the risotto (didn't add the scallops so I kept it vegetarian) - it was sooo good and my favourite dish of the evening. Was too full to have a dessert, but I did have one of their cocktails with espresso to finish. Great experience overall and I can confidently say it won't be years again before I visit Prospect again.