Sons & Daughters
708 Bush St.
San Francisco, CA 94108
Yelp
The Annoyer’s old friend New Sun asked us to go to Sons & Daughters. It’s not a place that was on my immediate to-try list, mostly because my fellow blogger Darin Dines didn’t seem all that impressed by the place. Granted, he visited the restaurant some time ago, so maybe my visit would result in a different assessment? The reviews on Yelp are good enough. In four years, the tasting menu price increased a tad from $135 to $150.
Amuse Bouche
The details escape me, but overall a nice start.
Beef Chawanmushi sturgeon caviar, nori dusted potato chip
The delicate egg custard was light in texture and flavor. The salty caviar helped bring some punch. My favorite part was actually the potato chip.
Dungeness Crab winter citrus, avocado, smoked paprika
It’s really hard to go wrong with avocado and crab. It’s like God made them with the intention of being eaten together. The winter citrus ran a tad too bitter and sour, depending on the piece.
Bread & Butter #1
New Sun’s girlfriend was concerned the 9 course tasting menu wasn’t going to be enough food, given how small the portions were. Certainly the 4 house made breads offered throughout the meal helped bulk things up. The Strauss Creamery butter that was paired with this extra rich and buttery toast and sea salt flakes was one of the my favorites.
Sturgeon poached in smoked schmaltz over celery root and brussel sprouts
The sturgeon was nicely cooked. The smoked schmaltz added a different dimension of flavor. The celery root and brussel sprouts added some earthy vegetal notes, that weren’t really my favorite.
Savory Profiteroles
I wasn’t sure if this counted toward the bread courses. It was savory and light.
Foie Gras Mousse raspberry vinegar marinated beets, hazelnut granola
The combination of ingredients didn’t sing in my mouth. It felt like breakfast for a salad. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great.
Bread #3
This crusty country bread was a great medium for the butter and whipped bone marrow lardo. While the lardo had that intoxicating meaty flavor, I actually preferred the butter.
Endive roasted over oak with black truffle, douglas fir oil, mushroom broth
In place of protein, were juicy slices of mushrooms on top of a roasted endive. The mushroom broth had a nice earthiness, but the endive was a bit too charred and bitter for my taste. Overall, the dish fell a bit flat, despite the generous shaving of black truffles. Sadly, it did not do anything for the dish. I wondered if these truffles were from China because they had almost no flavor. Sad!
Pretzel Roll
I loved loved loved the pretzel roll! YUMS!
Ribeye sunchoke gratin, bone marrow mousse, bitter chicories
The meat was a perfect medium rare. The gratin was smooth and creamy. I wasn’t a fan of the bitter chicories.
Mimmolette Vielle custard with pear butter, flax seed cracker
The desserts were my least favorite part of the tasting menu. The salty aged cheese was interestingly juxtaposed with the sweet custard and pear butter. I suppose the flax seed cracker was meant to go along with the cheese. 
Buttermilk Panna Cotta sorrel granita, thyme caramel shards
I remember a lot of sourness from the buttermilk panna cotta and bitter notes from the sorrel granita. Not a fan. 
Roasted Apples and Poached Squash chestnut cream, vanilla ice cream
This was probably the best of the dessert, bringing some needed sweetness and richness from chestnut and chocolates. This was just ok.
Mignardises
Sons & Daughters was just OK. The service was on point. The food was executed to perfection and presented beautifully. The problem was the conception. The ingredients and flavors just didn’t sing in my mouth. There were too many bitter flavors. The truffle dish was really disappointing. Sadly, I would say the bread courses were my favorite parts. I can’t recommend spending $150 for bread.
10 – You NEED to eat here.
9 – Awesome
8 – Very good
7 – Good
6 – OK
5 – Average
4 – Not bad
3 – Not good
2 – Terrible
1 – Do NOT eat here
Overworked. Underfed. 