Academy Report: Cafe, Moss Room Menu Revealed

We've got much more coverage on the way over the next couple days, so for now, consider the below a bit of a teaser in anticipation for the weekend's grand opening of the Academy of Sciences and its restaurants.

Golden Gate Park: Full reveals will be en route over the next few days, but here's what you need to know about the museum projects: the Academy Cafe has the structure of most museum/zoo cafes—various stations on one side, cash registers and seats on the other—but that's where the similarities end. Charles Phan has divided it up into a plethora of international cuisine stations like Noodles and Steamed (the man's even gone with Lebanese influences in the Slow Cooked station). One early favorite: the Taco Man. Trust us.

Downstairs, of course, is the fine dining establishment of the pair, The Moss Room. Both restaurants will be open for Saturday's grand opening, but the Moss Room won't start dinner service until October 7th, and effective yesterday, reservations are definitely being accepted, both via telephone and OpenTable. To tide you over until then, we have a special sneak peek at Loretta Keller's opening menu:

The opening menu:

Appetizers
Pacific Oyster and Chorizo Fritter
tarragon and mustard aioli $12

Louisiana White Prawns $14
mariquita early girl tomato and saffron stew

Grilled Monterey Squid $11
creamy polenta, salsa verde, olives

House Made Pita Bread $12
hummus, roasted vegetables, manouri cheese, lemon, sea salt

Country Style Pork Terrine $13
house made pickles, fruit mostarda, frisee

Crispy Sweetbreads $14
mache, cornichons, capers, mustard, beets

Confit Leg of Guinea Fowl $13
chantenay carrots, cipollini onions, frisee, piment d'espelette

Soup $8

Star Route Farms Little Gem Lettuce $10
olives, pickled hungarian peppers, cucumber, feta, sweet onion vinaigrette

Smoked Trout Salad $14
fingerling potatoes, quail eggs, horseradish

Entrees
Bellwether Farms Ricotta Stuffed Tortellini $18
parmesan broth, cavelo nero, davero olive oil

House Made Tagliatelle $21
red wine braised duck sugo, pecorino

Oven Roasted Whole Fish $29
aromatics, lemon, sea salt, extra virgin olive oil

Braised Local Albacore Tuna $24
tomato, garlic, preserved lemon, mint

Sustainable Catch of the Day AQ

Roasted Breast of Guinea Fowl $25
100 almond curry, mariquita farm root vegetables

Grilled American "Kobe" Bavette Steak $28
sausalito springs watercress, charmoula vinaigrette