After insistently calling Frances every evening for months (no exaggeration, I'm a very persistent person) to see if their famed Chicken Liver Mousse on Toast was on the menu, I decided to reach out to them via email. I asked if they could give me a heads-up on when it would be offered, and to my surprise, they responded in saying that if I picked a day/time to come in, Chef Melissa would make it for me. For me! What! No way! Incredible!!!!! So, one late December evening a few days before Christmas I made a 10 o'clock reservation to dine solo. Frances is one of my favorite restaurants in the city, the warm aesthetic is inviting, cozy, welcoming, nourishing, calm, and minimalist. My soul/stomach feels real good when I am in there because the space and food is just perfect. And the service is absolutely incredible, you feel so taken care of, the servers are so humble and gracious to be part of your amazing dining experience. I arrived at Frances, got the evening's market shot which is "whatever we find at the market gets juiced, spiced, and spiked"- this night it was Cara Cara oranges + Honey + Almanac Beer's Honey Saison. I got a little nervous when I didn't see the 7x7 item on the menu, but they told me that the Chef had only made one serving that evening and had set it aside in the kitchen awaiting my arrival (!!!!!!!!). The presentation was gorgeous - charred smokey toasts with sweet shallot jam stacked alongside some huuuuuuge canelle-shaped chicken liver mousse - that was so decadent, silky, buttery, and rich. It blew my mind. It was the fanciest, silkiest, tastiest mousse I've ever had, or ever will have! Frances, Chef Melissa, Samantha, and my servers - thank you so so so very much for this wonderful experience, I still can't believe I got the royal treatment :)
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| Chicken Liver Mousse on Toast @ Frances. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson. |
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| Chicken Liver Mousse on Toast @ Frances. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson. |
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| Frances. Photo credit: Kendra Aronson. |
Sidenote: I sat next to the most wonderful couple in the universe - Jake & Brett, lovely lads from Philly. Jake is a 4th year medical student seeking out residency in many cities across the U.S. & Brett is a lawyer. They were contemplating moving to San Francisco within the next year depending on where Jake lands his residency, I'm crossing my fingers they will move to the City :) They were so incredibly nice and charming - the ultimate sweethearts! They expressed enthusiasm and encouragement of my blog, which was very flattering. We came into this meal as complete strangers and came out as friendly acquaintances, it's so amazing how food can bring people together. Best of luck to you both!
Chicken Liver Mouse on Toast @ Frances ($11)
3870 17th Street
San Francisco, CA 94114
415.621.3870
Tuesday - Thursday, Sunday > 5 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Friday & Saturday > 5 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
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