 Still glimmering after more than a decade, Jardinière serves as a sort of keyhole into all that’s good and fun about high-caliber California-French dining. A ten-year anniversary redesign has opened the feel of the elegant, two-tier enclave and placed deserved emphasis on the bar’s topnotch cocktail program. Downstairs lounge seating offers a comfortable and impromptu way to sample select items off the menu (try the house-cured salumi or addictive, crispy-fried olives); upstairs the dining room is cush, removed and affords a tidy, dramatic view of the scene below. The sophisticated space seems to fizz and pop with celebratory energy---as though in toast to the Bay Area’s culinary bounty. Celebrity co-owner and (Iron) chef Traci Des Jardins was a strong advocate for responsibility and seasonality in cooking long before local, organic and sustainable became the dining scene’s buzzwords. The kitchen crafts accessible French plates that bloom with California freshness and color. Despite pedigreed ingredients, occasional dishes on the daily changing menu can prove a bit ordinary (a complicated beet salad lacks luster, a petrale sole entrée is overly oily) but a simple butternut squash soup dotted with pomegranate and walnut is memorable and vivid, and nutty risotto melts with hunks of Fontina and is cut with aged balsamic. Wines here are a joy, as is the famous, cellared cheese selection (not to be skipped). It’s hard to spot a misstep in the friendly service. Fanciful desserts are icing on the cake.
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Splurging at top-rated restaurants is fun for special events, but where can you go for a good quality meal that won't break the bank? Gather the change out of your piggy bank and sofa cushions and take it to one of our selections for the best cheap eats in your area. Also, check out our picks for the Top 40 Cheap Eats in the U.S.
