“…What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet…”
Tell me Juliet, what smells so delicious… Certainly not Romeo. Unless, Romeo is a type of garlic, that is.
After hearing pitches about The Stinking Rose first from The Hubby, then from my girlfriend, Jess and her boyfriend, Steve, I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to try out The Stinking Rose for myself to see if it’s just all stink and no punch. I have to say that all the hype is actually worth it.
We made our way to the restaurant after having dessert at Steps of Rome. How Jess and I still had our appetites intact after Empress of China and Steps of Rome can only be answered by a genetics based conjecture (maybe we’re “wired” to have good appetites).
We chose only appetizers and we’re glad we did. Dinner consisted of bagna calda (garlic cloves swimming in olive oil), garlic spinach fontina fondue, and pizza margherita (basil, tomatoes, cheese, and garlic, yum). The rolls that came with the bagna calda were excellent on their own but spread with garlic from the bagna calda… the simple rolls became manna from garlic heaven. The fondue though tasty had a rather unappealing texture. Expecting it to remain liquid, as fondue is a dipping mixture after all, the cheese mixture congealed in less than 20 minutes. Yummy but gummy. The pizza margherita (not pictured) was modest but very good.
Would I return?
Did Romeo and Juliet meet a tragic end?
Si, certo.
325 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 781-7673
Their neon ravioli is tasty and not too cheesy and their garlic roasted prime rib is nom. I was going to say the place feels slightly kitchy, but for a place all about garlic that should be expected. mmm, garlic.