Home Food & Wine The Hungry Palate Myth lives up to the hype

Myth lives up to the hype

Written by Susan Dyer Reynolds, Northside Editor

Monday, 31 January 2005

There’s been a lot of buzz about Myth since it opened in the Jackson Square space once occupied by MC Squared, something that often works against new restaurants. Quince, which I reviewed a couple of months ago, is a good example of hype setting the bar too high. Is Quince a good restaurant? Yes, it’s an excellent restaurant, but because everyone had it on their top ten lists and gushed about it, I was slightly disappointed when I didn’t grow wings and fly to haute cuisine heaven after the first appetizer. With Myth, much of the excitement stems from the fact that it is the first major solo venture for chef/partner Sean O’Brien, who spent nearly ten years working with Gary Danko, first at the Ritz-Carlton, then at Viognier in San Mateo, and most recently as a sous chef at Danko’s four-star eponymous restaurant. I consider Gary Danko to be the best chef in San Francisco, and Restaurant GARY DANKO is also without comparison. Obviously I am not alone – a recent survey in USA Today concluded that GARY DANKO had the longest wait for a table in the country, with reservations booked nine weeks out. When I profiled Danko last June, it was obvious that he cared about his chefs, hand-picking them from hundreds of eager applicants and working closely with them to bring them up to his impeccable standards. This bodes well for Mr. O’Brien, because a decade with Danko is the best training an aspiring chef could ask for. Add a gifted and creative culinary mind to the mix and you have a winning combination that lives up to the hype. O’Brien’s supporting cast puts the cherry on top, including restaurant veteran Tom Duffy, owner of the popular Spoon (now Tablespoon), heads-up general manager John Flanagan, and the very knowledgeable and enthusiastic wine director, Alex Fox. The ambiance also does its part, lending a casual, warm loungy feel to a space that always felt cold in its MC Squared incarnation, replete with cozy wooden carriage booths and stylish lighting. It has a chic New York City sensibility that manages to be both hip and comfortable, just like the food. The only weak link for me was the service: it was good but not polished. When we visited, our server was pleasant enough but she didn’t seem terribly knowledgeable about food, confessing that she tried oysters for the very first time a week ago while dining at Myth. The timing was also a bit off – appetizers arrived with astounding efficiency while entre&eacutes lagged, and there were a number of times when plates and glasses sat empty through another course and I actually had to ask the busboy to clear them. Conversely, the water was refilled every time I took a few sips. Since Myth has only been open for a few months, I expect that time and experience will smooth some of the rough edges and inconsistencies. The real star at Myth is O’Brien’s sophisticated yet whimsical menu, for which he skillfully combines fresh, seasonal ingredients to create deceptively simple dishes that dazzle the taste buds. It’s fair to say O’Brien had me at the oysters – creamy little Kumamotos marinated in cilantro and lime and topped with Yuzu tobiko ($12). My father’s east coast influence usually has me screaming for homemade cocktail sauce with fresh horseradish, but the tart citrus marinade married with the briny oysters and fish roe won me over. My dining companion and I both agreed that we’re “salmoned out” after this year’s abundant season, and tartare is popping up on so many menus that McDonald’s may be offering a McTartare any day now, but I couldn’t resist the smoked salmon timbale ($12) and I’m glad I succumbed: the salmon was some of the freshest I’ve had, and the mixture of crab, shrimp and apple rolled within the fish was light and refreshing. The foie gras mousse on brioche with pear chutney, pistachios and pomegranate seeds ($14) was also a standout, with the airy mousse set atop the little bite-sized pieces of brioche. The pomegranate seeds – all the rage these days – added color and crunch, while the sweet taste of the pears played nicely against the delicate, silky liver. As an animal lover, I am always in a moral dilemma when it comes to veal and foie gras – let’s just say that when I’m not on the job, I don’t order them. But since O’Brien cooked with the master of foie gras, Gary Danko, I had a feeling that he would utilize it well, and he does with his mousse. I didn’t think that the garganelli pasta with foie gras cream and Marsala ($8/$14) worked nearly as well – it was delicious, but the foie gras was overpowered by the Marsala, a fortified wine from Sicily with a rich, smoky flavor. I loved the roasted cauliflower soup with curry, ginger and duck confit ($10). The curry and ginger were balanced perfectly, which is no small feat considering that both are strong flavors on their own, and cauliflower is, in my opinion, a wonderful, under-used vegetable that lends itself to soup better than any vegetable except potatoes. Since the menu at Myth doesn’t offer much fare for vegetarians, this soup would have made an excellent vegetarian option minus the duck confit, which added richness but was almost unnecessary. The small-plate trend is now far too trendy; Myth however, uses it in a clever way, allowing diners to choose from two portion sizes on a number of the dishes, which facilitates sharing, as my date and I did with the lovely pancetta-wrapped monkfish with mussels, chorizo, bouillabaisse and rouille ($11/$19). We also split the mushroom-dusted scallops with black trumpet mushrooms and potato pure&eacute ($11/$19). The scallops were deliciously sweet and the dried, ground shitakes added a subtle, earthy touch, while the potatoes underneath were creamy and smooth, just the way I like them. For sheer indulgence, the braised beef cheeks with Brussels sprouts, horseradish pure&eacute and gremolata ($23) are a must. Toss your steak knife aside: the tantalizingly tender meat is marinated overnight and slow-cooked to the point that it literally melts in your mouth. The gremolata adds just the right zing while allowing the flavor of the beef to shine. O’Brien scored another veggie point using another under-used favorite of mine, Brussels sprouts. How anyone doesn’t like these bite-sized cabbages is beyond my comprehension. Wine director Alex Fox, a former wine educator at Niebaum-Coppola, is an attentive and knowledgeable guide. Throughout the evening, his affection for wine is evident as he takes patrons through the well-selected list which includes rotating flights and a collection of bottles under $25 described as “exceptional wines from conscientious producers who share our belief that great wine need not be expensive.” We sampled the Italian white wine flight, which featured fine selections from northern, central and southern Italy for a reasonable $12. For dessert, Fox chose a wonderful 1949 Domaines et Terroirs Banyuls Grand Cru to pair with our chocolate-Earl Grey pot de cr&egraveme. If I gave stars, I’d give Myth a strong three out of four right out of the gate, and as Ashton Kutcher knows, things only get better with age. Not-to-miss-dish: Toss your knife aside and indulge in the buttery beef cheeks. Myth: 470 Pacific Avenue near Montgomery. Dinner served Tuesday through Thursday 5:30 to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 11 p.m. For reservations, call (415) 677-8986 or visit www.mythsf.com.

Last Updated ( Monday, 31 January 2005 )