Toy Soldier fails to live up to its promise
It’s easy to be lured into San Francisco’s Belden Place. Rows of twinkling lights strung between buildings invite passersby into the charming little alley lined with restaurants in the city’s Financial District.
Toy Soldier, the newest addition to the alley’s collection of eateries, replaced Belden Taverna when it opened early this fall. It’s more of a 2.0 version of the old restaurant since it’s still co-owned by Belden Taverna’s executive chef, Fred Turner, and general manager Franz Meis. But this soldier has a new mission, not the least of which is brewing its own beer. However, when I inquired about the house brew on my visit, I was told it was still in the works.
Like most of the restaurants on Belden Place, Toy Soldier has a nicesized patio for enjoying the quaint district’s ambiance, and it was surprisingly busy for a cool December evening. The interior has been updated with a very subtle military theme, including a giant corporal insignia on a wall panel above the communal table in the main dining room and gun casing accents in the upstairs lounge. A large bar runs almost the entire length of the dining room and becomes the focal point once dinner service is over.
We settled into a comfy leather booth across from the bar, and looked over the list of 20 specialty cocktails ($12-$14) while 1980s hits blared over the sound system. There was a strong predilection for The Pretenders, which I noted with some irony because Toy Soldier couldn’t pass muster on our visit.
Our server checked in with us several times before we’d made up our mind about drinks and starters. Although it was much better than being neglected, I couldn’t help feeling a little rushed.
The menu is appealing on paper and includes some of Belden Taverna’s more popular dishes such as crab spaghetti and lobster escargot. Many of the starters, like beer-battered bacon and deviled eggs topped with bacon, are ideal for pairing with the 14 beers on tap or cocktails. We chose the rabbit arancini ($14) and the warm Brussels sprout Caesar salad ($14).
Both came quickly and we dug immediately into the crisp, golden arancini. Tucked inside the creamy risotto center oozing with fontina cheese was a small morsel of rabbit, a surprise you know is coming but still delightful when you get to it.
The Brussels sprouts in the salad could have been sliced more thinly. Sliced as they were, about as thick as a piece of cardboard, the dish took on the character of a regular side of sautéed sprouts in dressing that felt heavy and dull.
With crab season under way, the Dungeness spaghetti ($31) seemed a great choice for a main course. Among the twists and twirls of al dente pasta were corn kernels, asparagus and a generous portion of crab, but the jalapeños in the dish overwhelmed the crab’s delicate sweetness rather than accenting it.
Half a fried chicken ($25) is served with a large helping of roasted garlic pureed potatoes. The breast was dry and all the meat had an acidic tang from the brine we found offputting. The coating was crisp but under-seasoned.
The dessert menu had several options (all $9), including a sweet corn crème brulee and strawberry shortcake, but the summer flavors weren’t appealing on a cold December night. Fortunately, there was a chocolate pot de crème that was creamy and rich and nicely done. That, along with the arancini, were fine bookends to an otherwise lackluster meal.
Despite the pretty packaging provided by the glittering Belden Place location, a makeover inside and an appealing menu, Toy Soldier was like a shiny new Christmas present that sadly, is quickly forgotten by January.