The Progress

"It was such an experience! The food was so yummy and it was served nicely. We liked everything we had here. The barbuce duck is strongly recommended. The duck itself and the rice are the best thing we had at the Progress. Also, scallops are so delicious, I would recommend it as an appetizer."

"Experimentalism gone too far. This meal was very disappointing. The glimmer of hope for this restaurant was the ambiance and excellent service. Masa dumplings (5/5) Hen (Chicken) Schnitzel (2/5) Doughnut and Rosemary Ice Cream dessert (1/5) Peanut milk (4/5) FOOD This is where all my complaints are. The dinner started strong with the masa dumplings, which had a great corn flavor to them and were filled with gooey cheese and a delicious accompanying sauce. However, things only went downhill from there. The hen (chicken) schnitzel was recommended to me as the 2nd best thing to get over the BBQ duck, however I cannot understand for the life of me why. When it was served, the plate was overcrowded with a bunch of useless, undressed leaves and vegetables which I pushed to the side to get to the main event.... which ended up being very disappointing. I mean it's fried chicken... but for $48?? That's outrageous. The accompaniments were this hot sauce and shrimp remoulade sauce which I thought did NOT work at all. After a disappointing main course and reflecting on how I wasted ~$50, I was feeling more hopeful about dessert. My server raved about the rosemary ice cream and doughnuts. I was wary and I should've listened to my gut. It was truly horrible. Like actually bad. I couldn't taste the umeboshi at all in the donuts and the rosemary flavor was wayyy too strong. Moreover, there were citrus pieces at the bottom for some reason... just... nothing was working together. I couldn't take more than a few bites. However, the restaurant WAS kind enough to provide a complimentary shot of the peanut milk which WAS delicious. It tasted like a recess cup - quite good! But nothing extraordinary. Overall the meal was a huge disappointment. SERVICE The silver lining here is the service. Kai was excellent and made the dinner manageable. The staff overall are very well trained and incredibly attentive without being overbearing AMBIANCE The restaurant vibes are great. It's a spacious restaurant with an open kitchen which you can peer into if you have a seat in the back - which I did! It was great to see the kitchen working during my meal. Almost mesmerizing. I don't know what happened here... maybe I ordered the wrong dishes? But I can only give a review on what I ate... and unfortunately it was pretty disappointing."

"I visited for the first time earlier this week for my birthday. We had the pleasure of having Kai D. as our sever and he was absolutely delightful. Super knowledgeable and even marked up a menu for us as one guest had dietary restrictions. He orchestrated the meal for us in the best order and everything was top notch. He also gave great suggestions for wine pairings and cocktails and overall the service was impeccable. We even left an extra tip! Thanks so much for a fabulous evening. And thank you for being open on a Monday!"

"I am enamored at the fact that this place can be just as good as next door but be a totally different experience. While the vibe has its similarities, this experience is perfect for also any occasion and is impressive to bring out-of-towners to. It feels so cozy, and service is pristine without all the white table cloth stiffness and etiquette. The food blows me away every time, and the consistency of their superstars like the potato caviar cloud(which i would totally order 3 just to myself if i didnt find that self embarrassing) & Liberty Farms half duck dish is definitely a core memory. Be forewarned the portion is generous with the fried rice, and if you're going on a date here, you may leave with leftovers if you extensively traverse the rest of the menu like we did. Love the detail and the care they put into simple requests like letting them know the reason for the visit is a birthday. Also, I love the nod to their sister establishment next door with that peanut milk, so good!"

"This is my new favorite restaurant in sf. All of the dishes were tasty but the seaweed noodles blew all of our minds and the duck is incredible for the price. The only thing we would skip would be the octopus pancake. We'll definitely be back!"