A5 Steak Lounge

(Before, as Frisson)


(After, as A5)

Date & Time: Saturday February 28, 2009 @ 8:30pm
Company: Steve, Alex and Shani
Crowd: Owner Steven Chen's friends, family and special guests
Vibe: Upscale, but could potentially give off the overdone "hotel lounge/restaurant" vibe
Decor: Sleek update to Frisson's $4mm renovation with separated dining and lounge areas
Service: Repeatedly apologetic that they were still in a "soft opening" phase
Devour: NY Steak, Sauteed Spinach and Broccoli Rabe; Table also had Hamachi Shooters, Truffle Fries, Mac n' Cheese and Mashed Puree


A5 Steak Lounge recently took over the old Frisson space in the Financial District. The decor remains largely the same (dotted-lighting ceiling, abstract glass panels), but the orange couches have given way to cream-colored booths in order to provide a sleeker look. The restaurant doesn't open till mid-March, but it is currently in an extended "soft opening" phase. Full-service dinner is available only to friends, family and special guests, while the restaurant is open to the public for happy hour on Thursdays and Fridays.

I'm going to refrain from giving A5 a formal rating until the restaurant officially opens. The discounted soft-opening menu included $13 New York steak, which is hard to believe - until you actually tasted the steak, which was unusually fatty. But, the menu did include a disclaimer that the restaurant is not serving its namesake A5 beef (the highest grade of Japanese Wagyu beef) until the restaurant opens. On the positive side, I heard the Hamachi Shooters were amazing. Unfortunately, I could not try one because the ponzu sauce includes soy sauce (and therefore gluten). I told the waiter about my allergy and he went into the kitchen to personally verify what I could/couldn't eat with the chef. I appreciated this effort, but I probably wasn't as explicit as I should have been - so I blame myself for getting sick that night. Like at the famous Mastro's Steakhouse, some chefs use a wheat-based rub on their steak. This can sometimes go unnoticed by those who aren't gluten-vigilent, and might have been the source of my glu-tack. Along with my steak, I also had sauteed spinach and brocolli rabe. And my table shared the truffle fries, mac n' cheese and mashed puree, the latter of which received good reviews.

A5 definitely has potential, but I can not give it an accurate rating based on a) a "friends and family" crowd, and b) a discounted, unrepresentative menu. "I'll be back."

244 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA
415.989.2539
Email for reservations: rsvp@a5steakhouse.com