**TLDR for Smyth – good food, expensive, good experience overall**
**Food** – overall lots of good bites, some amazing bites, some misses. Couldn’t upload all the images, so a few items are left off. I see why this is a polarizing restaurant for many. Some dishes were delicious; some were odd, unique, and worth trying; and some were underwhelming. Given the cost and curiosity about the menu I listed out comments below on each dish.
**Service / Atmosphere** – Service was good, but mixed. Some servers were warm and engaging (one in particular). A few were a bit cold or felt like they were reading from a script and then had to leave fast (despite it being fairly empty).
**Price** – before going in to the experience, I new it was going to be expensive. I had also read multiple posts on how the booking was unclear about whether service was included. At $550 when booked on Tock, we assumed service was included per prior discussions online. However, when we asked at the end whether service or gratuity was included, we were told no, so we added the typical 20% which puts the total for the chef’s tasting menu with tax and tip at approx. 720-750 depending on the tip. That’s on me for being uninformed and surprised. To their credit though, we did not see the typical multiple upcharges for potential addons. I hate that practice and can appreciate how Smyth did not present those options separately but rather the baseline cost of the menu was a bit higher.
**Value -** Given that a last impression tends to stick with people most, the high cost and lack of clarity on tip situation put a damper on the meal as a whole. This is particularly evident when you compare the cost to less expensive meals in more expensive areas like SF Bay (e.g., French Laundry, Saison, Cyrus) or better overall meals that cost significantly less (Mingles in Seoul, Hermanos Torres in Barcelona). In order to convince myself I had fun and it was good, I had to back, look at pictures and the menu again, and re-live what I liked in the moment. The ending experience is something the restaurant should be thinking about if it’s looking to continue to draw customers. Most restaurants have figured this out by having most of the meal prepaid on Tock, doing kitchen tours at the end, and sending you home with kitchen goodies to leave you feeling warm and happy after the meal. I think Symth will continue to be successful and the chef is taking the right risks and if you’re an adventurous eater it’s probably worth spending up one time.
**Milk Punch** – delicious
**Quail Egg** – delicious
**Lamb Brain Donuts** – miss
**Honey Mussel** – miss for me, but personally not a fan of muscles
**Maine Uni & Passion fruit** – interesting and undecided, much more earthy than you find in other uni such as from Japan (sweeter) or Santa Barbara (more brine)
**Maine Uni, Unagi, Truffle** – delicious (though Saison does uni toast best)
**Main Lobster Custard** – good combo
**Caviar and Almond** – novel combo and liked it a lot
**Avocado and Pistachio** – miss, except for the oils at the bottom
**Golden Beet & Pumpkin Seed** – miss
**Rainbow Trout & Sichuan Peppercorn** – middling good, like the spice
**Vermont Quail, Malted Milk Bread** – AMAZING, best qual I’ve had, the sauce was next level, bread was addicting.
**Wagyu** – fine, but didn’t seem like wagyu to me due to how lean it was and the toughness of the cook. I appreciate a steak with texture so it was good, but was expecting something else
**Mandarin & Toasted Rice** – nice
**Truffle & Citrus Blossom** – really special dessert, unique (my friend did not care for this one)
**Candied Oyster & Kombucha** – creative and interesting, liked it
**Mussel Madeline** – miss
**Scoby & Trout Roe** – delicious
**Kombu & Caviar Caramel** – delicious
**Sea Lettuce Candy** – miss
ImpressiveBook3744
The caviar and almond dish still floats through my dreams almost 8 months later.
mg63105
Thanks for the review and pictures! Still one of my favorite restaurants in the US. The quail is sublime. I like the avocado, but it just seems like A Lot!
Automatic_Arrival430
To be fair, doesn’t Smyth also offer a cheaper menu? This is expensive but not the only option. Smyth is truly awesome, I remember going when they were relatively new and had a $95 menu!
5 Comments
Thoughts?
**TLDR for Smyth – good food, expensive, good experience overall**
**Food** – overall lots of good bites, some amazing bites, some misses. Couldn’t upload all the images, so a few items are left off. I see why this is a polarizing restaurant for many. Some dishes were delicious; some were odd, unique, and worth trying; and some were underwhelming. Given the cost and curiosity about the menu I listed out comments below on each dish.
**Service / Atmosphere** – Service was good, but mixed. Some servers were warm and engaging (one in particular). A few were a bit cold or felt like they were reading from a script and then had to leave fast (despite it being fairly empty).
**Price** – before going in to the experience, I new it was going to be expensive. I had also read multiple posts on how the booking was unclear about whether service was included. At $550 when booked on Tock, we assumed service was included per prior discussions online. However, when we asked at the end whether service or gratuity was included, we were told no, so we added the typical 20% which puts the total for the chef’s tasting menu with tax and tip at approx. 720-750 depending on the tip. That’s on me for being uninformed and surprised. To their credit though, we did not see the typical multiple upcharges for potential addons. I hate that practice and can appreciate how Smyth did not present those options separately but rather the baseline cost of the menu was a bit higher.
**Value -** Given that a last impression tends to stick with people most, the high cost and lack of clarity on tip situation put a damper on the meal as a whole. This is particularly evident when you compare the cost to less expensive meals in more expensive areas like SF Bay (e.g., French Laundry, Saison, Cyrus) or better overall meals that cost significantly less (Mingles in Seoul, Hermanos Torres in Barcelona). In order to convince myself I had fun and it was good, I had to back, look at pictures and the menu again, and re-live what I liked in the moment. The ending experience is something the restaurant should be thinking about if it’s looking to continue to draw customers. Most restaurants have figured this out by having most of the meal prepaid on Tock, doing kitchen tours at the end, and sending you home with kitchen goodies to leave you feeling warm and happy after the meal. I think Symth will continue to be successful and the chef is taking the right risks and if you’re an adventurous eater it’s probably worth spending up one time.
**Milk Punch** – delicious
**Quail Egg** – delicious
**Lamb Brain Donuts** – miss
**Honey Mussel** – miss for me, but personally not a fan of muscles
**Maine Uni & Passion fruit** – interesting and undecided, much more earthy than you find in other uni such as from Japan (sweeter) or Santa Barbara (more brine)
**Maine Uni, Unagi, Truffle** – delicious (though Saison does uni toast best)
**Main Lobster Custard** – good combo
**Caviar and Almond** – novel combo and liked it a lot
**Avocado and Pistachio** – miss, except for the oils at the bottom
**Golden Beet & Pumpkin Seed** – miss
**Rainbow Trout & Sichuan Peppercorn** – middling good, like the spice
**Vermont Quail, Malted Milk Bread** – AMAZING, best qual I’ve had, the sauce was next level, bread was addicting.
**Wagyu** – fine, but didn’t seem like wagyu to me due to how lean it was and the toughness of the cook. I appreciate a steak with texture so it was good, but was expecting something else
**Mandarin & Toasted Rice** – nice
**Truffle & Citrus Blossom** – really special dessert, unique (my friend did not care for this one)
**Candied Oyster & Kombucha** – creative and interesting, liked it
**Mussel Madeline** – miss
**Scoby & Trout Roe** – delicious
**Kombu & Caviar Caramel** – delicious
**Sea Lettuce Candy** – miss
The caviar and almond dish still floats through my dreams almost 8 months later.
Thanks for the review and pictures! Still one of my favorite restaurants in the US. The quail is sublime. I like the avocado, but it just seems like A Lot!
To be fair, doesn’t Smyth also offer a cheaper menu? This is expensive but not the only option. Smyth is truly awesome, I remember going when they were relatively new and had a $95 menu!