Compared to the likes of New York and Los Angeles, San Francisco's trendiness factor isn't very high. Only a handful of restaurants--if that--require primetime reservations a month in advance and you're just as likely to run into a local celebrity at Michael Mina as you are in the Mission. Of the few stereotypically trendy places in town, Myth just might have the most name recognition, so it's a bit of surprise when Aleta Watson's Sunday review reveals some issues with Owner Tom Duffy and Executive Chef Sean O'Brien's established downtown gem. For the most part, the food remains "inspired" and "seductive," yet Watson finds some shortcomings with Myth's service:
Our server proved altogether too chatty, however, spending more time talking about his plans to open a bar than remembering to bring our wine or noticing that we had been waiting half an hour for our food. When Duffy learned of the lapses, he intervened. Appetizers arrived quickly - there had been a backup at the pizza oven. And our server brought us complimentary glasses of honeyed, fizzy moscato di Asti with dessert as an apology.Though Watson notes that O'Brien's talent in the kitchen transcends any minor service issues, another letdown was the "surprisingly dull" dessert dishes (sidenote: Nick Flores, formerly of Cortez, took over the pastry chef position just last Thursday). The end result: a somehow-disappointing 3.5 stars for Myth.
· Myth: A tasty mix of homey and haute [San Jose Mercury News]
