I recently stayed at the Clift Hotel in San Francisco, while on my way back to Los Angeles from Sonoma. It was just one night, so that I could catch up with a couple of girlfriends who live in the city. I arrived mid-day, tired and hungry.
I ordered the Thai Beef Salad: Seared Carpaccio of Spicy Thai Beef with Avocado, Shredded Coconut, Orange Segments and Asian Greens, with Hot and Sour Dressing. Though I haven't heard many great things about Asia de Cuba, which is the chain restaurant at the Clift, the description was tempting and it was exactly what I was in the mood for. I called room service and it was delivered within 20 minutes.
The salad was wrought with problems. It looked amazing, but upon closer inspection (and a huge bite), I realized the greens were absolutely DRENCHED in a syrupy, sticky-sweet dressing. The beautiful carpaccio was covered in what tasted like Sriracha sauce, which I normally love but this was way too much. There was way too many coconut "shavings," which were very thick and left pieces of hard coconut bark in my mouth. In a word? YUCK.
I should have sent the salad back, but I was too exhausted to deal with it (I know, I know). I ended up scraping the Sriracha off of the beef and eating it with some crackers from the mini bar. I will send the Clift an email letting them know about the salad, as it is only fair. However, I cannot imagine how a kitchen can send something like this out at all. When you "toss" one cup of dressing with a cup of greens, it doesn't take a Michelin starred chef to understand it's going to be a soggy, goopy mess.
The hotel itself was lovely, and the service was prompt and courteous. But the food leaves much to be desired.
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