The Solo Scale:

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Dining in a city like San Francisco means having endless choices. There are any number of amazing experiences that range the price gamut from the easily affordable to the mid-range and then to the very expensive experiences. On the higher end are restaurants like O’ by Claude Le Tohic. Located near Union Square in the ONE65 building, this experience doesn’t come cheap. What it does provide is an incredible array of techniques, ingredients, flavour combinations, and service.

Ready to dine with O’ by Claude le Tohic?

To dine at the restaurant, you go to the top floor of the building. Don’t expect fancy views. The restaurant is fully indoors, but extremely classy without being fussy. You’re not elbow-to-elbow with other tables. However, if it’s a calmer night when you go (as it was for me), you might end up striking a conversation with the table next to you.

You’ll have two dining options — five course and a nine course (with vegetarian versions of both). I opted for the nine course (at the time, being the summer grand tasting menu) and added the wine pairing to this as well. The wine glasses are full pours and come with nearly every course. I had already been to Napa and Sonoma that day and the wine pairing might have been a touch overboard. However, some of the pairings were absolutely perfect and worth the culinary match in heaven.

If you really want to be a big spender, there are a few other opportunities. You can add a cheese cart, black truffle, and sometimes even option for wagyu when it’s on the menu. There’s also a normal wine pairing and a grand pairing, which offers wines of a slightly finer variety.

The service was incredibly attentive, the food delicious, and the atmosphere fantastic. In terms of Michelin quality, O’ certainly held up to expectations. Below is the summer 2023 menu to give you a glimpse of the food.

What was on the menu?

The meal began with an amuse bouche of nori, red pepper, and snap peas. The cone was an adorable touch and the taste was fantastic as well!

The asparagus panna cotta with heirloom tomatoes, fresh almond, extra virgin olive oil and herbs. This was served with a Sauvignon Blanc, with herbal qualities to complement the dish. This was a bit one-note in texture and was overly focused on technique vs taste.

Next came the caviar three ways. This is the Dungeness crab, heirloom tomatoes, and avocado (the best of the three ways to my tastes). It truly was a work of art with delicate sauce work and the most amazing attention to detail. Given that this was just one of a triad of dishes, it made it even more impressive.

Part of the caviar composition, this second is the lobster gelee with cauliflower cream and lemongrass oil. The appearance of a geode that you were breaking into made it just as interesting as the first.

Last of the caviar composition: Oyster and madai, fingerling potatoes, and wild raspberry base (and raspberry tuiles) — they seemed odd together, but honestly made for a fantastic pairing. This course was served with a champagne with mineral notes.

Moving on, the next course remains in the seafood area with mollusks served in a croustade of seafood with a fennel emulsion and sauce vierge (primarily diced tomatoes, olive oil, fresh herbs and lemon juice).

The morels & green asparagus (so good I dipped into it before remembering to take the picture) was slowly cooked in vin d’arbois and served with a foie gras royale. Foie gras is one of those ingredients I’ve come to expect when doing fine dining (alongside gold leaf, caviar, and truffles), so it was nice to have it balanced so nicely with the sauce and vegetables.

The courses continue with seafood, though the preparation may have you thinking otherwise. Despite the look like a steak and potatoes with vegetables, this was a wild turbot, with roasted baby artichoke, gem lettuce, and truffle aigrelette.

However, the meat wasn’t far behind. The final savoury course featured limousin veal with shank confit ravioli, white asparagus, black garlic, and natural jus.

What was for dessert?

Truly, no fine dining experience is complete without a mild onslaught of sweets, so how does O’ by Claude le Tohic shape up? First up, they had cherries confit in banyuls, amaretto sabayon, and cherry ice cream. I absolutely loved this because it was tart and sweet and unique.

The fresh and tart continued with the second dessert. This focused on rhubarb and came with a crispy arlette, fresh berries, lemon mousseline and vanilla.

Lastly, it’s dealer’s choice. You get to pick as many items as you’d like from a resplendent and full dessert tray. Pictured below are (L to R): Strawberry & Orange Blossom Chocolate, Raspberry Macaron, Peanut Butter & Chocolate, and Banana Pastry. I was so full by this point that I couldn’t do more, but the trolly was stacked three levels high and had so many options I could have selected.

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Overall, I really liked my experience. I probably would have paced my wine a little slower as I felt like it was hitting me a little too much, but even to this day, I can still remember some of the flavour profiles of what I was served. It’s an experience I’d absolutely love to do again if I’m ever in San Francisco, and worth the price if you’re in the market for a Michelin dinner (and have saved up).

Ready for a unique experience that you won’t soon forget (no matter how much wine you have?) – check out the O’ section of the ONE65 website here to see their latest menu and make reservations.

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