dinner @ Zaré at Fly Trap

We had dinner here several nights ago. Not knowing exactly what Persian cuisine encompasses, we were happily surprised to find out that it’s very similar to Turkish cuisine, yet wonderfully different in terms of food offerings.

Zaré at Fly Trap is a lovely restaurant tucked away mid-block on Folsom between 2^nd and 3^rd Street. I would not have noticed this place walking by were it not for the red awning. To get to their front door, you have to walk into an alley, but it’s not really an alley. It’s a magic portal with beautiful plants and flowers…

Once you entered the restaurant, the mood is quite romantic. The lights are dim, and the décor is beautiful. There’s a communal table near the front window, the rest is sitting area, and the bar is toward the other side of the restaurant.

Since we had reservation for dinner, we sat at a table. We came in on a Friday night, so we noticed that it’s really loud in the restaurant, but then lately all the places we went to were equally if not louder, so we are resigned to the fact that restaurants in San Francisco are acoustically challenged.

Back to food…here’s what we had:

-wild mushroom cake with asparagus and lemon confit

-beef filet tips with green harissa couscous and curry cream sauce

-spice-roasted bone marrow with bergamot preserve, persian baby pickles, toast

-oxtail tagliatelle with natural jus, garlic, turmeric, butter

-a side of brussels sprouts with napa cabbage, pancetta

-yogurt panna cotta, white truffle honey, and candied olive with biscotti on side

What we noticed right away after reviewing their menu is that their appetizers seem more interesting than their main courses. So we choose to try three appetizers to start, with one pasta dish, a side, and finish our meal with a shared dessert.

I chose both the wild mushroom cake and the bone marrow while G chose the beef filet tips in what he considered to be a “safe” dish. However, he and I were both disappointed at the beef filet tips because the filet tips were dry and to me, the sauce tasted quite bland. In contrast, the mushroom cake was not on G’s priority list of things to order, yet it was one dish that stood out for both of us. The lemon confit really brought out the flavoring of the dish and remain one of the most memorable items we ordered from this restaurant. The bone marrow dish was one of the most fun dishes I had in a long while. Patience must be exercised in eating this dish as one had to dig for the marrow and then lightly spread on the toast and add the other flavorings before eating. As for the actual taste, it was a bit warm, a bit slimy, and tasted more like the accompaniment (bergamot and salt) than anything. Next, we had the oxtail pasta which was tasty and we also got a side of brussel sprouts. While it was good brussel sprouts, it was a bit overcooked, so it was soft and not seasoned well. I did enjoy the cabbage that was tossed in with it though. After our meal was over, we enjoyed the greek yogurt & honey. We admired its beauty before devouring the dish. We thought it looked like egg yolk in a dish. G couldn’t get over how good the yogurt was here and to tell the truth, neither could I.

Another wonderful food adventure

at 606 Folsom Street | San Francisco, CA