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Provided by Citysearch
Good food, terrible service
Posted by hthayer on 05/31/2009
I went with a small group (6) to 1300 Fillmore and was inclined to like it. The decor is modern and comfortable, and I was looking forward to some great soul food. We had each gotten one drink at the bar and we were seated right away. The server took our orders quickly, but that was the last we saw of her! We all ordered the prix fixe menu, and the appetizers came out in good order. Everything seemed fine -- my companions who ordered the crawfish bisque said that it was excellent -- the salads with the square of fried goat cheese went well beyond the usual. The cornbread was everything that cornbread should be. It was off to a good start.
We had to wait a little bit for the next course, and it would have been nice to be able to order a glass of wine, or to have water . . . or something, but although the server did sweep back and pick up the emply glasses, she never asked if we'd like something more, and she disappeared before we could suggest to her that we were parched. The entrees showed up, but since the busboy had taken away silverware seemingly at random, not everyone had even a fork. We all had ordered the fried chicken -- strong points for deboning the chicken and the crunchy crust. However, the coating tasted oddly of cumin. The whipped potatoes that came with the chicken were tasteless, a simple dash of salt would have saved the chicken and potatoes and put them into the excellent category. The biscuits though were light and fluffy and tasty, but not enough to save the entire dish.
The true annoyance though was dessert. After the busboy had cleared our entrees, a manager showed up with dessert menus. We pointed out that we had all ordered the prix fixe meal and he hurried away. I saw him whispering to the server, and about ten minutes later he came back to tell us that our desserts were "on the way." Despite a table full of empty glasses and a clear mix up on getting the dessert order in, he did not ask if we'd like a beverage, or send anyone to fill our water glasses or anything! FORTY MINUTES LATER our desserts arrived! During that whole time no one stopped by, no one brought water, no one checked in. Astounding.
The rhubarb crisp was okay-- my crust was too thick, so was undercooked with that raw dough taste. But one could tell that it could have been good if cooked properly.
All and all, while the food showed promise, for $30 bucks, it was not worth it, and definitely NOT worth the terrible service.
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Provided by Citysearch
An amazing find for brunch
Posted by charlienyc on 10/06/2008
On a recent trip, my girl and I turned to Citysearch for help in finding a brunch spot near our B&B. We were a bit desperate as it was pushing 2pm, we hadn't yet eaten and barely had an internet connection. Well of the 5 or 6 suggestions, 1300 on Fillmore seemed to meet our criteria the best. Well Citysearch knocked this one out of the park!
Unlike the after-church crowd, we were more than a little under dressed. Still the staff promptly seated us in the gorgeous dining room. Our waiter was extremely friendly, assisting us in putting together an amazing meal. The banana blueberry buckwheat buttermilk pancakes appealed to both of us, although she ordered without the blueberry. Although we usually avoid ordering the same dish and side, we both were in the mood for scrambled eggs on the side. An appetizer of scones rounded out the order.
Curious about those pancakes? In a word, heavenly. Really, the texture and overall taste were fantastic (and would be no less wonderful had we not arrived virtually starving). The respective fruit was infused into the batter and also included on top. The syrup must have been grade B dark amber as it complemented the sour of the blueberries well. The eggs were perfect so much so that she was ready to salt them, but ceased upon tasting. They had perfect consistency, plenty of flavor and I wish mine came out as good at home.
Throughout the meal, the wait staff checked in on us. You could get the impression from other reviews here that the wait staff is perhaps too attentive, but is actually just right. At some point we attempted, naturally, to find fault with 1300 on Fillmore. The staff is fast and friendly, food amazing, entire restaurant decorated beautifully and tastefully, and it even has perfect chatter loudness level, allowing you to hear each other yet still providing that out-to-dinner experience. For a couple of New Yorkers with high expectations, this meal satisfied all-around. Go- you won't regret it!
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Provided by Citysearch
Current Favorite SF Restaurant
Posted by mtess on 06/16/2008
My sister and I had dinner at 1300 on Fillmore and thought it was beyond fabulous. The service and food were exceptional. We tried the pork belly appetizer and loved it. Our entrees (rib eye and rabbit) were so good we wanted to lick the plates. Our waitress was friendly, attentive and knowledgeable and the ambiance transported us to the mid-1900's when the neighborhood was a jazz hot spot. Since it's just 1/2 block away from Yoshi's, it makes a great pre-show dinner spot. Have recommended it to several people and look forward to my next time there. (BTW, don't park in the parking lot across the street from Yoshi's. The ticket machine breaks down on a regular basis, which will delay your departure.)
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Provided by Citysearch
Great Restaurant
Posted by AudreyD1 on 06/16/2008
I took my father here for Father's Day. I have to say we both enjoyed everything. The waiter was very attentive. The cornbread was outstanding. The shrimp hushpuppies were excellent. My dad ordered the steak and I had the spare ribs. They were great. For dessert, we had beignets. I'm from Louisiana so I know good food. They took this restaurant to another level of soul food while still sticking to a little tradition. I highly recommend 1300 Fillmore. Loved the jazz band also.
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Provided by Citysearch
good decor, ambiance and service, bad food, bad location
Posted by pjamin on 04/28/2008
The staff was very polite, very helpful. The decor was well done, I have to give it to them, they are really trying to improve the area. The jazz ambiance and the drink menu was great.The cornbread was excellent. It really started well.
But we were disapointed with the menu: we could not pick a decent appetizer, so we went directly for the entrees. We picked the fried chicken, the halibut and another meat dish. Hard to get some vegies as a side order, so we got the fries. The food was just not good, KFC tastes better. The fries were big chunky, but tasteless, or even tasted like old frying oil. Same for the rest: the ingredients were there but all the flavor was masked by oil/fat.
Maybe it s not my food, but I can eat pretty much anything.
I can put up with anything... as long as I get good food. But that was not the case, and it was pricey. On top of that, we got the extra 4% surcharge for SF health (not included in the prices on the menu, what a surprise). So overall I won t go back.
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Provided by Citysearch
Excellent atomosphere, food and time
Posted by mark on 11/25/2007
Due to a positive recommendation from Mark P. at Citysearch, we decided to give 1300 a try. Boy was he on target! The atmosphere is teriffic and their marketing of the "Harlem west" is fun and accurate. I ordered the Bouillabaisse, which I really enjoyed due to the generous portions of seafood. My wife ordered the steak with I believe bleu cheese flavored grtis- they were outstanding as well. Food envy, big time, as I'm usually the red meat eater. In addition, we ordered a side of Mac & Cheese which was outstanding as well. For dessert, we ordered the Bannana's Foster which closed a successful dining experience for us. The service was great as everyone was consistently checking in to make sure we were enjoying ourselves. Give it a try!
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Provided by Citysearch
Great Service, Beautiful Decor and excellent food
Posted by tialombardia on 11/23/2007
We arrived before our friends so grabbed a seat in the lounge...cocktails are really good. Service in the bar was outstanding as we decided to sneak in an order of "fat frys" with homemade ketchup before our dining companions arrived (rude we know, but irresistible). Our waitress was great. Then we moved into the dining room where the waiter went above the call of duty to make sure that we were seated in a comfortable location with the baby our friends brought along. Dishes we loved: Fois Gras, Fried Chicken, Short Ribs and the Bouillabaisse. Beignets for desert were also very good. We met the chef and he was very nice...good new comer to what may be a tough location.
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Provided by Citysearch
Needs to work on customer service
Posted by danlouise on 11/04/2007
We called for reservations and were given the time options of 5:00 pm or 10:00 pm, we chose the 5pm. We left around 7pm and there were only two other tables seated in the restaurant. We ordered the shrimp hushpuppies which were merely fried shrimp with a tastless dipping sauce. We ordered two glasses of Cava one which came with lipstick on the glass. We had the fried chicken which was good, the potatoes and the biscuits were excellent. The cornbread they give you in the beginning is amazing. My husband asked our excellent waiter Ryan if it was possible to get a side order of fried okra which was on the menu as a garnish. Ryan said he was not sure if they could make a side order but he would check with the kitchen. Ryan walked into the kitchen and Tony the manager grabbed the slip of paper our order was written on and asked Ryan where on the menu it said you can order a side of fried okra he went on for a little while (loudly) then finished by saying "learn the menu" it was all very disrespectful and made us uncomfortable, I called out to Tony that it was just a special request and that Ryan was just going to check to see if it could be done. He was about as polite to me as he was to the wait staff - not very.
