Boudin Bistro- San Francisco

Boudin’s Bistro- on Fisherman’s Wharf

Everyone knows that San Francisco is the home of great people, great sites and great places to eat, especially when it comes to eating at the Wharf.  On our recent family trip out to the Bay, I thought Bistro Boudin would be a great place to have a nice family dinner and I would also be able to try their famous, “San Francisco sourdough French bread.”

At the beginning of our meal, the kindly served us their famous sourdough bread w/ whipped butter.  Because of all the hype over this bread I was excited to taste it. It was really good.  It wasn’t warm, but it didn’t need to be. The crust was crunchy and the inside was soft and fluffy.  I can see and taste why they make excellent bread bowls for their soups, chili and chowders.  We didn’t order a bread bowl but we did order their calamari and garlic parmesan fries. The calamari was decent.  The breading on it was good but nothing extraordinary.  The parmesan fries were also okay but not as flavorful or exciting as I thought they would be.

For dinner I sampled a couple entrees.  First, the Crispy Skinned Sea Bass. The skin was definitely crispy and was tasty but for the sea bass itself, it seemed like they didn’t use a good cut.  It wasn’t fatty, or as flaky as sea bass should be.  With this restaurant being on the Wharf I had high expectations of their bass. 

Next up, the Charred Rib-Eye. This was accompanied with bleu cheese au gratin potatoes. The gratin was dry and you couldn't really taste the bleu cheese, considering bleu cheese has a really distinct flavor. The rib-eye had good flavor but didn’t live up to its name. They tried charring it but it didn’t have the proper crust taste and texture.  Once again, proving a point I always make to others, “Don’t order the steak if you’re not at a steakhouse.”

As a side to accompany our dinner, we ordered the Crab Macaroni and Cheese.  This was probably the best of the three entrees. The cheese did have good flavor but it wasn’t thick enough. Also, not every bite had a piece or even hint of crab.  For me that's important especially when you put the word "crab" before the "mac n cheese." 

All in all, our dining experience at Boudin's was just par. The bread was definitely worthy of its praise, however the rest of the food was just average.  Their flavors were fine, but their execution could have been better.  The prices weren't bad so if I were a local to the area I would probably eat here every once in a while.  However, I just wouldn’t suggest this place to someone who had to take a long trip out to the Bay.