Claude and Claudine

No, these are not two French twins with matching berets. They are restaurants in the Financial District of San Francisco, just northeast from Union Square. As someone who lives right above Union Square, I often struggle when trying to find a place to eat. Everything is very touristy, kitschy and way too expensive for the quality of food being served. San Francisco is the capitol of the foodie crazy! We take our cuisines very seriously. Some of the best chefs in the world have restaurants here, we have fresh ingredients year around and feature a while range of diverse ethic food.

These two restaurants, along with an Irish pub and a pricy Southwest European restaurant (Gitane) make up Claude Lane, a cute little alley between Bush and Sutter, right before you get to Kearny St. Cafe Claude is a French style bistro that offers live jazz on the weekends. The outside looks like something you would seen in Paris and don't be afraid to sit outside, there are heat lamps! The inside has a vintage Parisian feel, with plants, vintage tables and chairs and French art and maps. We ended up sitting outside, as it was a chillier night in San Francisco and the wait inside was at least an hour. I started out with on of their 1920s inspired cocktails, the egalite (vodka, lillet blanc, st germaine elderflower, lemon juice), which was cripsy, refreshing and a good balance of the strong flavor profiles mixed in. I went with my mom and she ordered the pate de champagne, a pork pate seasoned with black peppar and red wine, served with a side of crisped french bread. I love, love, love pate so of course I stole a couple bites. It was one of the better pork pates I've had in a while. For my entree, I got the Thon (which correct me if I'm wrong), does not seem like a French dish. It's tombo tuna served ahi style on top of flageolet ragu, shaved fennel and winter chicories, with thinly sliced kumquats topping it off. While seemingly not French, it was actually a quite tasty dish. I liked the acidity of the kumquats with the tuna. My only thing is that Cafe Claude advertises being affordable, but I would give them $$$ over $$. And if I want to pay $$$ for French food, there are better upscale options (although not as close to Union Square).

The other restaurant Claudine, is owned Gitane, but is more affordable. They served New American and French food, with an emphasis on Northern Californian seasonality. They don't have outside seating, since they're located on the corner of the Lane, facing Bush. However, the inside is smaller and very modern. There's a cool circular bar in the front that you can sit around. They have wine on tap, so I was immediately a fan. A lot of the wine was local and the bartender was very knowledge and let us taste before making a decision. To eat, I got the half roasted chicken, with Yukon potato-artichoke mash and arugula. I was super excited about the mash and while it was good, it didn't live up to my expectations. The chicken was good, but nothing special. I think the best thing I tasted there was the cranberry-orange bread pudding with bourbon cream. I hadn't had a bread pudding before that had that edge of tart fruitiness, so it was very enjoyable. The prices are a lot more reasonable that Gitane. If I went back to Claudine, it would probably just be for a glass of wine and some of that bread pudding.