THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Tao Cafe

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Tao Cafe Restaurant Review:

Tao Café sports spa-like, lemon grass-green walls; Vietnamese art (for sale); and a chic French-Colonial essence. Soothing background music, a refreshing quiet that's not at all normal in San Francisco restaurants, and a generally relaxed feeling quickly turns from a blessing to a curse as the service reveals its lack of planning and efficiency. Water glasses left unfilled and long waits for menus could be more acceptable if the pacing of appetizers and entrées wasn't so erratic. Some dishes like the People's Salad or the skewered pork capture the freshness of cilantro, vinegar, ginger and tamarind that dominates great Vietnamese food. Other dishes are tasteless despite being chock full of these tasty ingredients. One reward is the lychee sorbet, sweet and cool with tiny chunks of candied ginger.