We were really looking forward to our dinner at Anjou. We were only partially satisfied when all was said and done, although there were some charming dishes enjoyed.

Anjou is quite small. It's cozy but brightly lit in an all-brick interior. The tables are set closely together with white linens and everything looks very crisp and elegant but also quite "efficient" and there's a certain lack of charm that's offset only by the warm red brick walls.

The waitstaff seems to be trying very hard to present the snobby, uptight Parisian waiter attitude. There was attentiveness and good, prompt service of our needs, but no smiles and no cheer. We befriended a wonderful bus man who exuded the easy smile and charm we wished our waiter could have shared with us.

The appetizers were tremendous! We had the lobster/artichoke/grapefruit/tomato large appetizer... yum! Delicious, crisp, and exciting balance of flavors. We also enjoyed the french onion soup gratinee, which was everything it was supposed to be -- perfection! The artichoke and roasted pistachio soup was also excellent and quite unique and enjoyable.

After all this excitement, we were a bit disappointed when the filet of beef and the duck confit both arrived in an overcooked, dried-out state. Was the kitchen overwhelmed with a large number of pre-dinner patrons? Perhaps. Nevertheless, it was very diappointing to have the main courses so off the mark when the preview of the chef's skills in the appetizer and soup courses led us to anticipate greater things.

We finished with a creme broulee which was quite delicious. Overall, good, but I've had my socks knocked off by everything from standard American fare (The Daily Grill restaurant) to continental/Italian (Scala Bistro at the Sir Francis Drake) and Anjou frankly disappointed us with that main course bump-in-the-road, unbalancing what would have been a much more enjoyable experience.

This place has good food, but the experience was very average. The ambiance is terrible (think buffet - you know, with the bright hanging lights). The service was pretty good--can't complain there. The menu is kind of all over the place--not a great place to take a group with the potential of a few picky eaters.

Overall, I was very underwhelmed, but again, the food was good and the service was good. It just wasn't a fun atmosphere. It wasn't a place that you wanted to hang out at and have an extra drink, or glass of wine, or even DESSERT. I just wanted to get the check and get out as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, I did go out of my way to go to Anjou and that was a mistake. There are probably hundreds of restaurants in San Fran that will give you a better dining experience. It was our first time in SF so I was going in a bit blind.

We went to a place called Oola the night before and that place ROCKED!! Unbelievable food, and a pretty cool scene. Check it out.

My husband and I were directed to Anjou by the concierge at our hotel when we asked for a lunch recommendation. While it was not easy for us to find (it is down an alley), when we did find it, we found a treasure! We selected from the special lunch menu...I had fois gras on toasted brioche. My husband had the ahi tuna sandwich. The food was delicious. The service was attentive. It was an enjoyable experience. We will definitely re-visit this restaurant the next time we are in San Francisco.

This restaurant has such great potential. The kitchen does a great job with its menu and food preparation. The service, however, needs a lot of improvement.

After being seated by the hostess, our server came over and asked if we would like anything to drink. I told him that we'd be ordering a bottle of wine. He said "OK", then took away our wine glasses and said he'd have some bread sent over. He didn't come back to take our wine order until he came back for our dinner order.

On the wine list (which was rather short), there was a section under the international red wines labeled "Burgundy/RHone". I asked him if the first wine on the list was a burgundy or a rhone wine and he said something to the effect of "hmmm. I think its a blend of the two. let me check". About 5 mintues later, he came back and told me it was a burgundy. I told him which bottle we wanted and we gave him our order. He didn't stop back by until he served us our entres. When he set the plates down, we reminded him about the wine. His reply..."oh yeah". There was no apology.

I ordered the seafood cassoulet. It was OK. It was served in a crawfish broth which seemed to overpower the monkfish and lobster that was in the cassoulet. All they lent to the dish was texture. I couldn't taste anything but the heavily salted crawfish sauce. My wife ordered the salmon, which was delicious. It was served with a small round of foie gras which was also delicious. it melted in your mouth.

For desert, our server failed to mention what the seasonal fruit was and didn't ask us if we wanted coffee or tea. I ordered the chocolate truffle. It was devine. It was a dense oval-shaped truffle with a cocoa dusting. My wife ordered the creme brulee with the seasonal fruit. It too was very good.

Just as we were finishing our desert, the server slid the bill on the table and said "thank you" before walking away. I guess he decided we didn't want coffee or anything else. Maybe they were trying to clear the place or something. I don't know.

Oh, and shortly after he took our main course order, he came back and said that water spilled on his notepad and he had to retake our order. He also had to come back and ask us a second time what our desert orders were (this was after the alleged water incident). We saw him write the dessert order down. Why didn't he refer to that? Our server also made several mistakes with the couple that was sitting next to us who arrived about 15-20 minutes before us.

All in all, we'd probably give this place a second chance. They did have several large groups in this very small restaurant. But the only reason we'd go back is because the food was very good. If on that visit, the service didn't improve, we'd find another place for bistro food.