THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Hawthorne Lane

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Hawthorne Lane Restaurant Review:

This San Francisco favorite has been holding strong for over ten years and is a well-regarded destination for business travelers and locals alike. The contemporary interior is warm and timeless, with spacious booths upholstered in heavy leaf-patterned fabric, and a bar with plump stools that fill with white-collar workers enjoying the weekday happy hour. Executive chef Bridget Batson's market-driven California fusion cuisine leans toward decadent yet approachable. An example is the foie gras PB&J appetizer, served with a heavy swath of huckleberry jam and cashew butter on house-made whole wheat bread, with a delightful tangle of nicely salty ribbons of onion crisps alongside. The trio of toro tuna appetizer showcases Batson's love of Asian flavors, and is served as a sensuous sashimi, a tartare and the third is unexpectedly grilled with shiso leaf. The kitchen is skilled with the fryer, as evidenced by the perfect tempura-fried lobster in the Surf & Turf entrée that comes with a flavorful but slightly over-salted beef tri-tip. Entrées are well-portioned, including the classic succulent roasted duck served with steamed green onion buns. The famed banana sundae is actually quite sweet and gloopy, but the pear-brown butter cake is a delight with candied ginger gelato.