Frau L.
Yelp
If you enjoy amazing fusion dishes that follow local food availability and thus change with the seasons (along with a few to-die-for standards like their shrimp cocktail and well-doctored half-shell oysters), followed by out-of-this world desserts served with beautifully artistic flair, then this is the place for you.
Over the past couple of years, I've been here with large parties and just couple dining, and have been uniformly treated with delightful service (modern, sense-of-humor, letting-you-in-on-a-secret style, not traditional stuffy, exacting, intimidatingly pedantic style). Last night was no different, even though the place was practically bursting at the seams with diners, including an out-of-town celebrity group at the big round table under the quirky giant mural of a giant octopus attacking a ship --take that, giant octopus, I had one of your relatives for a delicious appetizer! But more on both these things later.
Chef Mike runs the kitchens for the whole Factoria compound with flair and heart, and still makes time to ensure that either he or his sous chef Sarah (or sometimes both) visit each table personally. This is a great choice because they both exude energy, warmth, and passionate creativity, and their visit elevates the diner's evening rather than being an interruption. They gladly answer any and all questions, so you get the chance to learn how his or her family background, life experiences, and training, the local market availability, all play into the delectable artistry that arrived on your plate this evening.
You also never know whether celebrities might show up to dinner, and the people here are always worth watching, celebrity or not. Last night, we learned that the big round seating spot with the giant lazy susan, the so-called "captain's table" (I've sat there with a large party before) was occupied by a group that included actor/comedian Tate Donovan, semiconductor giant AMD's senior vice president Forrest Norrod, actor Sadie Sink, and several other people that Google Lens couldn't identify. They were there when we arrived and were still going strong enjoying themselves as we were leaving.
Last night, I started with a delightful passionfruit cocktail and had the Korean fried octopus followed by the wild Hokkaido scallops, and I just about swooned with delight. The octopus was incredibly tender, the best I've ever had, and carried this amazing sweet-savoury-spicy sauce that perfectly tied it together. There was no heavy bread coating, so the octopus was allowed to really shine. The scallops were perfectly cooked and served with a potato strata and delightful homemade blue potato chip garnishes, and a creamy but not too thick sauce that the server poured over the dish with flair from a little pitcher. My table partners had the yin-yang roll, the onion baddies (I snagged one of these, and I'm so glad I did -- indescribably delicious!), and for their mains, the Long Island Duck and the Fisherman's Stew, all of which were pronounced to be excellent. Chef Mike really knows what he is doing with fusion fare!
For dessert, we did not hold back, knowing from a previous visit that all the desserts are made in house at the hands of Sous Chef Sarah. We shared the Cherry Poppin' toffee pudding, the carrot cake, and the Rhubarb Rose. Due to a chocolate allergy at the table, we did not get the fourth dessert available, the Choc-Daddy, but the table next to us did, and I do believe I will go back sometime this week just to try it. The Cherry Poppin' was a creative take on a toffee pudding, which substituted sour dried cherries for the usual dates, and brightened the whole thing with Meyer lemons in the sauce. The Rhubarb Rose was an absolute confection of a piece, looking like something out of Willy Wonka, with bright colours, a gluten-free almond cake base piled with poached rhubarb, a decadent vanilla-rhubarb mousse, lime streusel, dots of pure rhubarb ecstasy, and garnished with curled rhubarb crisps -- delicious! The carrot cake was the best I've ever had anywhere, hands down. Chef Sarah delivers nuance, balance, and art with desserts that are decadent but never cloying-- a perfect ending to a simply delicious meal spent in delightful company overlooking a gorgeous view. Just go already! (But if you don't like waiting, be sure to get a reservation, and if you don't like crowds, go on a Thursday or Sunday.)