Oola

Oola opened a couple of years ago on Folsom between 4th and 5th, just up the street from Lulu and Azie, but I think I was scared away by the trendiness of the name until now. The atmosphere is pretty pleasant, we got this somewhat odd crow’s nest table in a loft section completely secluded from the rest of the dining hall. I worried that our server would forget us, but instead the server was prompt, friendly and knowledgeable throughout the meal.

The ahi tuna over hearts of palm appetizer was just about the most well-balanced raw tuna preparation I’ve had in a while; Annika declared it her favorite of all time, and I think it was the best use of radish as a flavor component I’ve ever seen. What reads like a fairly standard cheese plate of camellia, roquefort, and a goat cheese is made memorable with clever accents like frying the camellia (a lot like the Greek saganaki), a lovely roasted pear with the roquefort, and candied nuts and apricots with the goat cheese.

With this strong start some of the entrees came as a bit of a disappointment. The slow-cooked baby back ribs were very good (tasted like these, kinda) but the chicken and foie gras ravioli with black truffle sauce arrived nearly cold and improperly seasoned — the truffle spoke up a bit but the chicken was overseasoned to the point of distraction. The “fried potatoes with truffle and parmesean” arrived as a gratin (were we brought the wrong dish? too many cheese/potato/truffle dishes I guess) and was a little soggy, the goat cheddar mac & cheese was similar to, but not as good as, the one served at La Boulange de Polk in their brunch service.

They also feature a coffee-rubbed roasted duck breast — I didn’t get to try it but it sounds pretty interesting. Their chef seems to have some creative ideas but the execution is inconsistent.

Did you know that Oola was also the name of one of the dancers in Jabba the Hut’s palace in the Star Wars movie? Probably a coincidence.

Oola, 860 Folsom St, San Francisco, CA 94107 ($$)