The interior of Mourad. Photo: Russell Yip/The Chronicle
By former San Francisco mayor Willie Brown:
I stayed in my neighborhood the other night and went to Mourad, the new restaurant opened by Mourad Lahlou in the Pacific Telephone building — and it turns out to be really good.
Diners can either go for the $150 nine-course tasting or an a la carte menu that’s in a fairly straightforward format.
Duck Liver with Pistachio, Herbs and Cocoa Gel is seen at Mourad. Photo: Russell Yip/The Chronicle
We had 11 items among four of us—oysters with preserved lemon, eggplant with cucumber and pepper marmalade, chicken wings with persimmon and mustard and duck liver with cocoa, pistachio, turnip and Satsuma mandarins.
They served our appetizers in two waves. Then we had two entrees: snapper with saffron ($34), and beef with fregola, nettle, celery root and mushrooms ($36).
They also sent us all five desserts on the menu and they were excellent.
I always like to eat at the bar and I’ve already been back, but just for cocktails. It’s a better space than where I live at the St. Regis, and it’s only a block away. I saw at least four couples from the St. Regis residence there. We are all longing for a neighborhood restaurant that’s not fast food or Ame, which is in the hotel. I think Mourad may become the neighborhood restaurant, and with the upcoming reopening of the modern art museum, the restaurant will be the first choice for dining after viewing the exhibits. I think the location is probably better than anyone originally anticipated.
The restaurant is pretty, and it’s pretty interesting the way architect Olle Lundberg has done it. Lahlou obviously brought all of his personal and kitchen help from his other place, Aziza on Geary, because there was nothing that indicated this was a brand new restaurant.
It was a pleasant dining experience and the restaurant is big so you can actually have a conversation that no one can record without being aware they are recording it. In my opinion, Mourad is a welcome addition.
Article and photos sourced from: http://insidescoopsf.sfgate.com/blog/2015/02/27/mourad-a-welcome-addition-to-downtown-san-francisco/
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