Chapeau (fka: Clementine Restaurant)Beyond SuperbWent for Mother's Day, and snagged a 5:00 p.m. reservation on Open Table. The food was beyond sublimely excellent, it was outstanding in every way. Despite being crowded, the service was comparable to the best of a fine dining restaurant. To experience this on a first visit will guarantee may return visits. By the way, a three course menu of your choosing for about $40.00 given the quality of the food and its preparation is a real deal.5/12/2013 12:00:00 AMAlways goodGreat meal every time. Creative dishes at a good value. Service is excellent.5/8/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat for a special date!My wife and I went to Chapeau for our wedding anniversary. Everything was wonderful! The service was top-notch. The food was magnificent! Each course was inventive and perfectly executed! The monkfish was amazing! The filet mignon was --- just thinking about it makes me want to go back! The chef even came to our table and wished us a happy anniversary!
It's casual enough that you come as you are with a group of friends, but it's nice enough that you can dress up and really enjoy a special occasion.5/1/2013 12:00:00 AMA memorable experienceA memorable experience,not just the amazing food but the welcoming attention of the chef Philippe and his staff.4/30/2013 12:00:00 AMAmbience- Chapeau! has a veryAmbience- Chapeau! has a very understated elegance. My only complaint is that although we were seated at a very cozy corner table at the back, my view was of the entrance to the kitchen, containing a pile of extra chairs, servers' coats, etc. It would've been nice if that had been out-of-sight.
I was underwhelmed by the cassoulet. The beans were too al dente, and although it was described in the menu as containing lamb shoulder, there was none in our serving.
However, an amuse-bouche of cauliflower soup was absolutely amazing, the fingerling potato salad in the smoked trout appetizer was wonderful, the trou normand palate-cleanser was delighful, and I highly recommend the nuage au noix dessert.
The waiter made us feel right at hom4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMDelicious and Fun Night OutMy husband and I had a delicious meal here on Friday night and the service was spot on. I don't recall the name of our server but he was very cute...I at least enjoyed looking at him! We weren't rushed and everyone was very attentive and calm and collected...not bad for a very busy restaurant!4/26/2013 12:00:00 AMTruly French and truly deliciousI have been dining at Chapeau, now Clementine for many years and I have never walked away without being completely satisfied. Phillipe, the owner is beyond engaging and makes everyone feel so welcomed and cared about, and I love his french way of kissing hello and goodbye. I also love that he has several French speaking waiters, as well as French music, it really adds to the overall sense of being a truly French restaurant and I love France. As for the food, it's superb, always. Everything from the bread and butter to dessert is a real treat. This has been my favorite restaurant for many years.4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMChapeau is amazing, PhillipeChapeau is amazing, Phillipe is so warm and welcoming! and the food is amazing!!!4/25/2013 12:00:00 AMWow!Love this place. They started us off with an artichoke soup amuse bouche -- concentrated flavor to whet our appetites. Next we had the asparagus veloute, porcini-crusted sweetbreads (both delicious) and escargot (as expected). Monkfish, duck and filet entrees were fair-sized portions, expertly seasoned and prepped.
Quarters are a bit close, so it's noisy, but they need to accommodate their fan base!4/23/2013 12:00:00 AMHost and owner, Phillipe,Host and owner, Phillipe, set a standard for wait staff and others for friendly, warm service. He greeted and conversed with every guest during the evening.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMOutstandingOne of our absolute favorite restaurants. Consistently outstanding food, impeccable service, fair prices. We have eaten here at least a dozen times, and every single time, the owner Philippe has been present and visibly monitoring the quality of the food and service, not to mention greeting every single customer. I think his dedication is the secret to the consistency and excellence of this restaurant. Of course it doesn't hurt to have some stars back in the kitchen, either. Our most recent visit included a beautifully made duck a l'orange as part of the "early bird" special. Only downsides - hard to find parking, tables are a tad crowded, and the restaurant can get noisy.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful food that you justWonderful food that you just can't make at home. Excellent focus on details in service. The entire staff was very friendly and professional4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Authentic French food.Great Authentic French food. The owner is very nice and always at he restaurant to enaure the beat experience4/19/2013 12:00:00 AMexcellent service from hostessexcellent service from hostess to chef. in fact the chef comes out to speak with the customers to see if all is good. food is excellent- i had the mesclun salad and the fish. wine was very good- i enjoyed a couple of glasses that complemented the meal very well. dessert was very good and the chef insisted we receive a complementary dessert. i would go back many times and bring friends from out of town.4/18/2013 12:00:00 AMI love their old-school vibe--noI love their old-school vibe--no foam, no sous-vide, but delicious food. I had sweetbreads (hard to find these days) and skate wing; my husband had salmon trio and braised lamb shank. And we EACH had a Nuage de Noix for dessert. Chef Pierre won't share the recipe, but does describe how much work it is to make it!
We were celebrating our 47th wedding anniversary--and dessert arrived with a little candle on each plate, and accompanied by a profiterole apiece. How nice of them.
We'll be back.4/17/2013 12:00:00 AMOne of our Favorites in SFWent for the early bird 3 course special. Very large portions, excellent quality, absolutely delicious! The chef came to our table 2x to ask how we enjoyed the courses and at the end saw us trying to hail a cab in the quiet neighborhood and told us to come back and wait inside while he called one for us! Excellent experience.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMA dining experience to rememberThe owner greats you warmly and at the door when you leave. He gives the women a kiss on the cheek, ala the French tradition. He also checked in with diners to make sure they were enjoying the food and service.4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMAbout as good as you can get.About as good as you can get. Each course was surpurb, service was way above par and we were made to feel welcome multiple times during the visit. the Prix Fixe menu offered a full rather than limited selection. Parking was the only issue, but it is anti-car san francisco.4/4/2013 12:00:00 AMThe three course early birdThe three course early bird was a good deal. Food was unique, creative, and very tasty.
Service excellent without being overly intrusive. Very accommodating with preparation of food (i.e. "sauce on the side" and such). Wouldn't describe restaurant as "romantic"; although decent ambiance, tables, and therefore diners, are packed a little close together in my opinion. Easy on street parking after 6 pm.4/4/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food, good service andGreat food, good service and the owner/chef makes it personable by saying hello to all of his guests..highly recommended place for a date or special occasions.3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMThis is a lovely place andThis is a lovely place and an amazing bargain in San Francisco. The food can be as good as some much tonier, much more expensive places in the city but not as fussy. Same as the service -- friendly, efficient, but not fussy. This is a sweet neighborhood place, PLUS! The chef/owner usually comes out to greet diners and make everyone feel at home.3/28/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent food and service.Excellent food and service. Chef-owner comes to each table and thanks you for coming. He's very sincere and welcoming. Service overall is excellent. Friendly and not stuffy. Table service is attentive and yet unobtrusive. Food was very well prepared and presented. Overall we had a great time and will go again.3/27/2013 12:00:00 AMwonderful!This restaurant was just fantastic. I booked this restaurant as a nice outing for my girlfriend's birthday dinner and we had a fantastic experience from beginning to end. The main hostess helped us through the menu and made accommodations for a "juice" that my girlfriend requested even though it wasn't on the menu. We had the veal sweetbread for starters and meat melted in our mouths. The sauce was done perfectly. My girlfriend ordered the filet mignon while I had the canard a l'orange. Both were done extremely satisfactorily and filled us up quite nicely. The dessert were to die for. I think it was my favorite part of the meal and ended the night perfectly. The baked Alaska was delicious and the trio of sorbet fulfilled my palate.3/27/2013 12:00:00 AMI'm very impressed with theI'm very impressed with the food, indeed very delicious, my filet mignon was nicely cooked and my mom was very satisfied with her duck breast. However, the service was average, as I believe the restaurant was pretty packed, and the waiters weren't very attentive when we were trying to order food etc. The executive chef was very friendly and recommended the dessert - Apple Walnut and Sorbet and when he learned that the first dessert he gave us wasn't exactly what we wanted, ( I wanted an apple crumble) and he offered us the Cream Brulee which was very nicely done. I'd definitely recommend this restaurant to my friends in the future :)3/26/2013 12:00:00 AMhave been trying for a longhave been trying for a long time to get a reservation at Chapeau. It was worth the wait. We will definitely try again.3/24/2013 12:00:00 AMsublime!Chapeau should be on everyone's bucket list. truly wonderful!3/22/2013 12:00:00 AMA truly excellent eveningA truly excellent evening at Chapeau. We were only visiting the city for the weekend and wanted to find a restaurant that would 'make' our weekend, one that had good reviews, an imaginative menu and a good wine selection. We certainly found that in Chapeau - along with excellent and attentive staff and a great atmosphere. Book early though - it gets busy!!3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMThis restaurant has very highThis restaurant has very high standards and clearly seeks to maintain them.3/13/2013 12:00:00 AMWonderful for a birthday celebratioWonderful for a birthday celebration: delicious food, outstanding waiter, warm ambiance. I'll be back!3/12/2013 12:00:00 AMReturn trips are a mistSpecial service by the owner who is sweet and adorable. Excellent food and service. Must have a reservation.3/10/2013 12:00:00 AMThe best neighborhood restaurantThe best neighborhood restaurant in the city continues to serve superb food worthy of downtown at local prices.2/19/2013 12:00:00 AMChapeau is fine dining atChapeau is fine dining at its best. Everything was so lovingly presented. We had the pork chops, skate wing, and mussels on the prix-fixed dinner. The appetizers and desserts were wonderful as well. This is a charming restaurant with a gracious staff. When you want to enjoy a quiet meal with your friends or your sweetheart, spend a lovely evening at Chapeau.1/9/2013 12:00:00 AM