Behind the Bar - Complete Review

Foreign Cinema

Neighborhood: Mission
2534 Mission St
(between 21st St & 22nd St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
(415) 648-7600
http://www.foreigncinema.com/

In the Know: In the past five years, travel overseas by Americans for religious reasons has grown by more than 50 percent; clocking in at around 906,000. Now if you want to get on that train, Foreign Cinema is practically a transplant from Florence. And, believe me when I say it is very much a religious extravaganza. As far as design, the unfinished cement walls wrap around the gigantic hearth in the main dining room, maximizing in old world decor. Santa must love this place! The bar wall mirrors the same structural look as the the cement except utilized large wood beams as the support. I must say, while the layout of bar to dining space is not bad, I've always had issues having to walk through the entire restaurant just to wait for my table at the bar. And as a diner, feeling like people are constantly staring at my food as flashes of 'oh my god I am so hungry for your delicious food' crosses their faces; this is no treat. This is, however, unavoidable due to the arrangement of the tables. There are three rows; linen covered 4-6 tops on the perimeter and 2 fantastically large black marble, 6-8 tops down the center. All of which is held under the exceptionally high ceiling (I'm guessing around 20-23') that drops down a bouquet of lights, juxtaposing modern with classical elements.
That's not all- The outdoor heated patio displays 'drive-in' type movies on its huge LCD projector while you dine in the picturesque Tuscan setting. That's not all- The Modernism West Gallery is the perfect backdrop if you, lets say, want to show off your super sweet art knowledge among 100 of your closest friends. That's not all- If you happen to be Miss/Mr Popular, you could extend an invitation to 30 more people on their outdoor upper patio. This space is adjacent to both the Gallery and lower patio and offers, as they describe, 'A bamboo grove with fountain, partial views of the movie screen, a clear tent, and gas heaters give this space a unique ambiance.' Oh, that's not all- If you are a B-list celebrity and want to remain completely anonymous from the unknowing minions below you, the Mezzanine overlooks the main dining area and shares a space with the Director's Table; where all the A-list celebrities hang. And now, that's all.

Behind the Bar: All-in-all the place ranked high as a server friendly space. But as with any job, there are going to be qualms. Imagine working in a space resembling MC Eschers' Relativity. (Referring to the different amount of rooms and way to access those rooms and not so much when you enter one of those rooms you'll end up on the ceiling. However, that would be frick'n cool!) The designers did a great job leaving at least 2 forms of egress, a place or means of going out, per room. Lets say one needed to drop off a Brandade gratin with Spanish caper berries, and croutons at a table in the main room, than jet over to the West Gallery to secretly take shots with friends, there would be no problem. The designers knew the difficulty of the space and played the hand they were dealt quite nicely; putting a micros in each room. Now the busser situation is not ranked so high. Apparently there are two kitchens, one for the main dining rooms and a smaller one for special events. In order for the busser to take dirty dishes from your table to the wash room, they have to go out the front of the restaurant and enter the kitchen from the large hallway; the same one that the customers use to go into the restaurant. Now everyone is different, but alls I knows is I do not want to look at a half eaten House cured sardines & anchovies "Taj Mahal" on its way to the trash. That's just me. Now to take it through the other entrance, the busser has to pass by the line cooks (and the word on the street is that is a very small area), and we all know they are just aching to take your fingers off with their new knife set. Getting back to that exceptionally large hallway previously mentioned, the restaurant splits the corridor with the Bar Lazlo (which I will review at a later date). You know the food you didn't want to see being bussed, well the same goes for all the drunk and vomiting kids coming out of that bar when you're coming out of your couple $100 dinner. And the bathroom situation... well those kids I mentioned, ya you are all sharing the toilet space. Yes folks that is right! For a restaurant that can house 960 people, based on their website, that has to be the longest women's bathroom line in all of history!

Who's Who: Recommended for romantic daters, anniversary celebrators, and/or holiday partyers. Oh ya, and if you need a ridiculously large and multi-leveled space to impress people you hardly know.

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