Lord Stanley

On the 2016 SF Gate Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants list.
I was able to make reservations for dinner on a weekday night a few days ahead of time, and our table for 3 was ready when we arrived. Lord Stanley is a super sleek and modern looking restaurant, and this is a great place to go for date night. We tried:
–Chicken Parfait Puffs ($ 2/​Each,
): Super cute, and I loved that this was the perfect bite. The choux puff shell was filled with chicken liver mousse, and the mousse was creamy and flavorful– highly recommended!
–Salt Cod Beignets (Fermented Cabbage Tartar Sauce, $ 7,
): Yum– it’s a little frightening at first when these dark colored beignets arrive at your table, but they are delicious. We also loved the tartar sauce they were served with– recommended!
–Poached Trout ($ 17,
): Delicious– I’m usually not a huge trout fan, but this was perfectly poached, and you could taste the freshness. We all loved the avocado and sauce the trout was served with– highly recommended!
–Pan Fried Cod (w/​Local Seaweeds, Preserved Lemon, Fingerling Potatoes, $ 30,
): The cod was super fresh and cooked really well, and this is a great dish if you’re looking for lighter flavors and protein. Although I liked the dish overall, it was a little too close to the bland side and I wouldn’t order this again.
–Roasted Suckling Pig (w/​Toasted Hazelnut, Radishes, $ 31,
): The skin was super crispy, and the pork was tender, but it didn’t have a ton of flavor. The sauce was good, but I’m not sure if it was the best fit with the roasted pig. However, I really liked the radishes and other accouterments.
–Braised Short Rib (w/​Calcot Onion, Confit Shallot, Red Wine Jus, $ 32,
): The flavor of the short rib was delicious, and the ingredients all worked really well together. However, we all felt the short rib could have been more tender, but I would still order this dish again.
–Strawberry Tart (w/​Elderflower Custard, $ 11,
): GORGEOUS, and the crust was delicious. The elderflower taste was too flowery for my taste, but the texture of the custard was really good.
–Chocolate Ganache (Vanilla, Caramelized Whey, $ 11): Nice and chocolatey, and all the components worked really well together. However, I preferred the freshness of the strawberry tart, but this dessert is recommended for chocolate lovers!
–Complimentary Pâté de Fruit: I don’t like pâté de fruits and this version was no exception.
Service was great here, and they are super attentive and accommodating. I will definitely be back in the future since their menu is updated fairly often. Parking is the most difficult part about dining here, but there is some street parking available around this area.

Loved every minute of our experience.
Beginning with the wonderful service. Our waiter was our main point of contact the entire time. I say this because often you go to restaurants and you have one person seat you, one take your order, different ones bring you your food, etc. I liked the intimacy of the one point of contact and it goes with the intimacy of the small space and small but carefully curated menu.
The helpful descriptions and recommendations were all winners. I was convinced to order the halibut rather than the mushroom dish and was extremely pleased with the decision.
As for the food — all such interesting mixes of flavors and creativity went into every dish and each bite was incredible. For example the first small plate we had was the fava beans. Served inside the open pod carefully placed among avocado cream, alongside slices of green olives and a sprinkling of sprouts on top. These are the kind of combinations of flavors you never expect but pair perfectly. The presentation is like art and the flavor is extraordinary.
Every dish that followed felt the same way. The other dishes we had between the 2 of us were: Onion petals with sherry vinegar
Chicken wings with lemon
English peas with fresh curds, mint and pistachio
Wagyu beed tartar with summer truffle and hazelnut
Local Halibut with mussels and garlic, lemongrass braissage
Roasted suckling pig with toasted almond, daikon and radish
Strawberry and elderflower ‘Eton Mess’
Chocolate tart with se salt and fennel pollen
As you can see we had a great tasting of what Lord Stanley has to offer. Nothing here is ordinary or basic. Nothing is done without considerable thought into every aspect of the dish and its presentation.
It is expensive, but well worth it for a special dinner out.

Lord Stanley was really very disappointing. Maybe this is more 2.5 than 2 stars, but it definitely didn’t fall into the category of A-​OK for us. We came out convinced we had overpaid for a meal we didn’t enjoy, and we didn’t have any interest in going back to give it another chance. It’s possible that we would have been better off picking from their a la carte options, but we did the tasting menu.
The problem was that some of the dishes reminded me of an early experience I had at Fifth Floor circa 2005 where they tried to be creative with the combinations of flavors and textures, but none of them worked, and others were just nothing special. There was literally no dish where we said — that was awesome! I’d want to order this again!
Dungeness crab with celery and salted green plum. The crab was fine, as was the hint of celery in the form of shaved ice, but the green plum did not belong.
Cabbage with house buttermilk and cured tuna heart — this was okay but fell into the nothing special category. Cured tuna heart was shaved flakes of what tasted like anchovy.
Pork belly, hen egg and dashi — for me, this was probably the best dish of the bunch. It was good but not great.
Morels with black olive, almond and curry — on their own the mushrooms and peas were actually fine, but the flavors didn’t really mesh, and again nothing special.
Grilled wagyu with golden beets carrot and red wine jus — the wagyu was really quite chewy. This was fine, just not great.
Strawberries and lillet — this consisted of a combination of some strawberries (the most normal part of this dish), some jelly that tasted bitter and a bit like licorice, and some meringue. I didn’t finish it.
Dark chocolate pudding with malted bread ice cream — I didn’t have this but my boyfriend thought this was probably the best dish of the night.
In the end, when you’re trying to be creative, it probably doesn’t always work, but you’d expect at least a few dishes to be exceptional. The server did describe the tasting menu as whatever the chef felt inspired by that day, which leads me to think that maybe they need to do more testing of the tasting menu first.

The food is fantastic.
I got the Tasting Menu. Service is wonderful. Atmosphere is lovely. Architecture, space, and design is great. Lighting is just right.
I have experienced numerous tasting menus in the city. Rich Table, The Progress, Coi, Californios, Commonwealth, Lazy Bear, Nico, and Atelier Crenn.
I would have to say, Lord Stanley’s tasting menu tasted the best. Every dish except one was excellent. It is truly quite hard to have every dish in a Tasting Menu be fantastic. Lord Stanley is the closest to that feat. I highly recommend.

It was hard to find a booking on valentine’s day weekend & I worked down the Michelin list for San Francisco & managed to get in this one.
It was clean & simple & we were seated promptly. The waiter was attentive. We always love trying the degustation menu. It’s usually delicious, adventurous & shows me the chef’s creative side.
Being a 1 starred Michelin restaurant, I had high hopes. This would be our first visit to one this year and it was my boyfriend’s birthday.
We were a little disappointed. Some dish were just not great. I know food is subjective to different palates but we were not that impressed, at all. We’ve been to non Michelin restaurants & thought they were better. And of course cheaper too. Oh well, it was an adventure though.

Great food, very different and so tasty. Vegetarian options. Great location with a parking garage a block away. Owners are a darling couple and their attention to detail was wonderful.

Food: good but pretty small portions.
I should have definitely had my chicken puff pastries and not gotten the brioche foie gras.
Service: really good. I was leaving kind of sick and the server was very attentive to get me hot water and lemon.
Except that my fiancé called to push our reservations 15m back from our 545 appt. and they said no. Then when we got there– we were the first ones there :/​
Environment:
Nice-​casual
Would I go here again? For the coco caramel desserts at the end– yes

Lord Stanely is a beautiful place to eat. Its simple Danish Modern décor looks picture-​perfect during the day (just check out their website), but even after the night falls, the charming interior doesn’t fade.
Wait staff is friendly and warm. We asked for extra bread. Done. I asked to bring the left over bread home with my doggie bag. Done. No judgment.
The food is great. Onion petals were beautiful and what a great way to open up your palate for the evening. Loved the salt cod beignets — it’s like fish and chips but much more elevated and refined. Surprisingly, the foie gras dish sort of paled by comparison.
Asparagus and sprouted grains are also notable. Ever since I had the delicious toasted grains at Atelier Crenn, I have been paying more attention to restaurants that serve grains. They might sound boring on the menu, but I assure you it’s not like a bowl of bland rice you are getting. It’s flavorful, nutty, and has great texture.
My entrée of cod was perfectly cooked. My friend laughed at my idea of taking it home and reheating it in a microwave the next day as lunch. But guess what? It was delicious, even the day after, even after being warmed in a microwave in a sad little Tupperware.
The desserts were fantastic as well. Chocolate cake you can’t mess up, but the strawberry tart was a pleasant surprise. It retained the natural fragrance of the fruit and wasn’t over-​masked by a layer of syrupy gelatin like many fruit tarts do.
Overall, great place, great food. The ever-​changing menu makes it fun and exciting to return too!

Maybe I’m just lucky, maybe I caught Lord Stanley on a good night, or maybe it’s the fact that Lord Stanley may actually be a delicious place to eat. Either way, in coming here last week with some girlfriends for dinner, we enjoyed our entire meal from start to finish. I know this place doesn’t Unilocal well, and I know that we may have gotten things that are the «home runs» and not the more risky items, but everything I tasted here was delicious. The four of us tried to cover as much of the menu as we could, but there were a few items on the menu that looked too delicious to not get. In light of all of that, here’s what we had:
Small bites:
Uni puffs: I didn’t get to try this since I’m violently allergic to sea urchin; I didn’t see a large reaction to eating these, so I’ll presume that they’re just OK.
Onion petals: This I could have, and I wished I had the dish all to myself. The delicate little onion petals packed a mean punch when it comes to taste! If you plan on sharing this with people, consider this more as an amuse bouche rather than an appetizer.
Appetizers:
Foie gras confit: I didn’t try this, but was told that the wine gel was really fun and that the brioche that comes with this is to die for. The foie gras by itself needs the surrounding sweet factor to offset the richness, but otherwise a delicious dish.
Poached hen in consumme with smoked barley and yolk: I ordered this and ate in absolute silence. Once the consumme was poured over my hen, I went quiet. Sure the portion isn’t big, but the smoked barley really had some great taste to is, and to soak up all of the fabulous egg yolk is something I hadn’t seen before. Would definitely order again!
Cured Black Cod: I didn’t try this, but was told that the dish overall was way too creamy for my friend’s liking. She resorted to picking off the foie gras plate instead and found herself wishing that she had ordered this instead.
Mains:
Charred leeks with mushroom broth, horseradish & shiitake mushrooms: This was easily the best dish I had throughout dinner. As a carnivore, I enjoy a good protein, but there was something about leeks and mushrooms that peaked my interest and I’m so glad I got this. It’s inspired me to look more frequently at the vegetarian options on a menu!
Pan Fried Trout with Clams, Seaweed & Dashi: My friend who ordered this said it was pretty good, and really didn’t have too much to say about it other than the fish was perfectly and enjoyed the other components.
Dessert:
Chocolate ganache with ice cream & chocolate crackers: Eating this solo would be ambitious, but if you like super rich and decadent chocolate, this dessert is for you. I loved the ice cream that came with it, but I’m certainly glad I shared it rather than taking it on by myself.
Lemon yuzu tart with sea salt and meringue: First off, the presentation of bruleed meringue is something that I always marvel at. It’s so pretty! The lemon tart was a perfect offset to the overly rich chocolate dessert, and I definitely thought this was the better of the two desserts!
All in all, I don’t think anyone walked away from our dining experience wanting more. Service was a little on the slow side; and while our server was helpful, he was largely absent for most of dinner. As always, one of my biggest pet peeves is when service is slow, but they’re only too happy to run your credit card through once the bill shows up. In any case, dinner here was delicious and certainly a place worth looking in to if you’re in the neighborhood!

Forget what Michael Bauer said; the tasting menu and the wine pairing were absolutely superb. Perhaps with a constantly changing menu, maybe there are some days where things aren’t up to that experience, but we definitely enjoyed our meal. The cuisine here reminded us a lot of Commis, which is a 2-​Michelin starred restaurant. maybe just one step under that, but I could see this place getting a second star with just a little more improvement.
Some highlights from our meal included a charred sunchoke with vanilla bread sauce, and a perfectly seared scallop with white beans and lemon preserves. Even the not-​as-​stellar dishes like the wagyu beef had a lot of things to talk about, such as that perfect, smoky char that lined the outside of the dish. Every dish here had flavors that were perfectly cohesive and balanced, and we enjoyed all of it.
What we really can’t stop talking about was the dessert — dark chocolate pudding with malted bread ice cream. It was incredible and mind-​blowingly good. Usually, the dessert part of a tasting menu is rarely our main talking point, but wow. This one was sooooooo good that we we wished we could’ve ordered 5 more of those. I really hope they put that on the a la carte menu at some point so that we can enjoy it without the full financial commitment that is the tasting menu.
Wine pairings were on point, with interesting varietals that paired VERY well… Not since Sons & Daughters have we had a wine pairing that worked so well with the dishes. The pairings are daring and sometimes defy convention, such as serving a red (was that the gamay?) with the seared scallop, but it worked REALLY well.
I feel like this place is a bit «under the radar» for a Michelin-​starred restaurant, and the negative reviews on here are for stupid things related to their change of the tip-​inclusive policy (Come on people, if it never says anywhere on the menu that tip is inclusive, why the hell would you assume that it is when you still see a tip line on the receipt? Also, don’t blame the restaurant, blame the government for stupid taxation policies). The food here is absolutely fantastic, though, and I will definitely be back.

*check in on Unilocal*
Ten minutes later…
(text from friend): Dude, saw you’re at Lord Stanley. Hope your experience goes better than ours did. Two stars, at best.
Needless to say, reading that didn’t inspire much faith in what I had (literally) just ordered. However, after recalling our differing views on State Bird Provision and Mission Chinese Food, as well as after learning from one of my dining companions that Lord Stanley had received a Michelin star, I still had some hope that my experience would end differently.
Two and a half hours later… it didn’t.
Now, to be fair, nothing I had was terrible, though I question the Michelin star. The menu changes relatively often, but it definitely tilts towards Modern European (much like the décor’s IKEA-​esque showroom look). A tasting menu (~$ 78) is usually offered alongside the a la carte option, but the four of us passed on it since it didn’t include any of the dishes that caught our eye.
– ONION PETALS with Sherry Vinegar…$ 5
(
)
While the presentation was admittedly nice, I wasn’t a fan of their use of wood chips. As for the petals, I thought the onion’s sweetness worked well with the filling. However, it was hard for me to get past the fact that the overall taste was similar to French onion chip dips.
– ROASTED CHICKEN WINGS with Orange Sweet & Sour Sauce…$ 5
(
)
Wings? More like bites. As much as I appreciated the chicken being deboned, this dish left me with mixed feelings. I liked the chicken itself (the skin was decently crisp and the meat was juicy), but the sauce was a miss (a little too citric and sweet for me).
– SALT COD BEIGNETS with Tartar Sauce…$ 7
(
)
It may have looked weird/​unappetizing, but this was my favorite dish (I should’ve just had a few of these for dinner). The beignets were slightly crispy on the outside and soft, fluffy, and delicious on the inside. Plus, I liked how the tartar sauce tasted slightly herbaceous.
– FOIE GRAS CONFIT with Quince, Walnut, and Warm Brioche…$ 24
(
)
My first foie gras dish since the ban ended and it underwhelmed. The overall taste was no different than any other foie gras confit I’ve had in the past and the quince could’ve used more acidity to cut through the dish’s richness. Also, while I liked the brioche itself, another type of bread might have made for a better vessel.
– BARBECUED PORK SHOULDER with Turnips, Licorice, and Burnt Apple…$ 27
(
)
A Tale of Two Cities? More like a tale of two porks. One piece was great (slightly fatty, moist, and tasty) while the other failed (overcooked, dry, and burnt). Sadly, the rest of the plate didn’t help either, as the overly charred turnips and apples only added to the bitterness.
– LEMON & YUZU TART with Sea Salt Meringue…$ 11
Outside: (
)
Inside: (
)
As disappointed as I was with most of what I had, I still had hopes for the dessert. Thankfully, it was actually pretty decent. The crust was neither dense nor thick, the lemon added just the right tartness, and I liked the overall contrast of salt and sweet from the meringue.
Also, for what it’s worth, there were a few dishes that my friends ordered which seemed a bit more successful than what I had. While I didn’t try either one, the Roasted Duck and Pan Fried Monkfish went over relatively well with my friends, so they might be worth a shot. However, we all agreed that the Chocolate Chiboust dessert is a must get (the one bite I had was enough).
As far as service went, I thought our two main servers were generally friendly, helpful, and prompt with our requests. However, things got rather awkward when, after having confirmed with a server that tip was already incorporated into their prices, a gentleman (manager?) came up to our table to notify us that their policy changed and that, as such, we didn’t tip them. Obviously, it was just a misunderstanding (we explained what happened), but we all agreed his approach could have used a softer touch (he came across mildly condescending, particularly when he went into detail about why their previously policy was unsustainable).
All in all, TWO AND A HALF STARS rounded down. While there were some highlights, there were just too many negatives to the experience, especially given the price point.

I really enjoyed the food and experience at Lord Stanley and would easily return. The dishes are both delicious and beautiful. They have an a la carte option or 9 courses for $ 78. We went with the a la carte option and were pleasantly full (but not too full. Just the right amount of food if you get an appetizer and an entrée). I would love to return for the 9 course offering in the future.
The only thing I disliked was the awkwardness of a couple of things:
— when you walk in there isn’t a clear, intuitive direction on where to stand/​go to. Fortunately the staff is very friendly and will directly you to where to go if your table isn’t ready
— there’s a «bar» area that the staff will whisk folks to. We were fortunate to get seated immediately as we arrived on time for our reservation, but some people who came in a bit early had to linger around awkwardly in the «bar area» but this wasn’t an official bar — no seats/​no actual bartender, etc.
— the upstairs has one huge communal table. We saw a couple get sandwiched in the middle of the communal table by two larger parties of 3 – 4 people on each end of the table. Personally, if I’m dropping $ 75−150/pp on a meal, I wouldn’t want to be seated there
Still, I think the food here is unique and has more of a slightly eastern-​European flair than most restaurants in the city, which makes Lord Stanley unique from competing 1-​Michelin restaurants. The prices are in line with this neighborhood for this caliber of food and the service is top notch!
Great for a date night or double date/​small group of friends. Anything over 4 people will be harder to accommodate.

New restaurants in the City used to be a common occurrence. In the past year, it’s been less so and most of them are coming from experienced owners, mostly veteran chefs. I read somewhere that both chefs (married couple) cooked in NYC prior to putting together their own restaurant here. The immediate impression without coming here is it must be a fine dining place, but it isn’t. When you walk in, you’ll see a small dining area with mostly two or four seat tables with the open kitchen towards the rear. There is a set of stairs that leads up to a long communal table which is where my friend and I dined. I’m not big on communal tables as it often leads to the pressure of sharing conversations with other parties and private matters probably best left at home… not THAT kind. Fortunately, we were at the far end of the table away from the stairs and it was never full. The menu is brief and simple so you won’t need to pore over it too long. After paring down our choices and asking a few questions, here’s what we had:
Appetizers
1. Salted cod beignets with tartar sauce (shared) (
) — Not particularly visually appealing, the flavors were nice but kind of odd dipping something black (beignet) into something white (sauce).
2. Pomme purée with hazelnuts and grilled chanterelles (shared) (
) — Tied for my favorite along with my entrée, the variety of textures and the richness of the sauce made me enjoy those mushrooms that much more.
Entrée
3. Roasted duck with orange jus (
) — Recommended by our server, this did not disappoint. This is definitely upscale version of duck l’orange with the duck slices being soft and tender versus the French confit style. The orange jus was not overwhelming and on the lighter side.
Dessert
4. Chocolate chibout, sour cream ice cream, and cocoa crumble (
) — Another surprise flavor wise as the tartness and coolness of the ice cream contrasted well with the heavily flavored cocoa crumble and the light pastry.
Prior to writing this but already having had this meal, I was a bit surprised by Cherylynn N. (
) and Vicky L. (
) ‘s reviews. All I can say is that I must have hit the right notes in eating here. Tried a bit of my friend’s trout (no really, I think this is salmon!) (
) and monkfish which were not bad.
At the time, their menu prices were gratuity included, but I read that it’s since changed. My meal concentration was a bit off that night as I stole peeks at my android in looking for that Warriors versus Celtics score, figuring that it’d be finished after dinner. Well, we streamed the game which went double overtime and the RIGHT team won. Smiles all the way home, from food to mood!

Honestly I’m shocked that this place has a Michelin star. Service was just so so. Super slow and folks were not engaged with the customers.
The food was just meh. Too many plates felt like it was unfinished and missing ingredients. Also way too much vegetables. Food was also just lukewarm.
We got the tasting menu and the highlight was the scallop and wagyu. The scallop came with beans, not a favorite of mine. The broth with the scallop was good tho. The wagyu was perfectly cooked and would’ve been awesome but it was just lukewarm.
Many dishes could’ve been awesome but just missed the mark. Won’t be back here.

I finally popped into this cozy little joint after having it bookmarked for months. My visit was very long overdue.
The menu is very brief. Only four options exist for each section of snacks, small plates, mains, and dessert. We opted for two snacks and two mains for our table for two. The portions were perfect for us.
The snacks came out not long after our glasses of wine came out. The onion petals were little bites of heaven! (note: don’t attempt to eat the wood chips they are nestled on) We were also very please with the mushrooms. I sincerely enjoyed the bread that came during the snacks– it was doughy, crusty, and perfectly chewy all at once!
My barbecued pork shoulder with clams was delicious. The potatoes that came with it were tasty as well, but VERY salty. Luckily for me, I adore salt, but I’m pretty sure these would be borderline unacceptable to the average Joe. The taters should’ve only been lightly salted since they are plated with a salty broth.
We finished up our meals with the chocolate chiboust with sourdough ice cream because… well, we were just so curious about sourdough ice cream! This dessert was a wonderful finale to our delicious and enjoyable meal.

What an experience! My boyfriend and I went with the sampling menu since we were only going to try the restaurant once. We also paired it with their beverages of choice. Needless to say, the meal left us speechless.
Each of the entrees was beautifully prepared and tasted remarkable. Service was great and left us very glad we tried the restaurant.
We will definitely be returning the next time we’re in San Francisco

When Lord Stanley opened over the summer, the first thing that came to mind was THE Lord, not to mention what a weird name for a restaurant. I’m no bible thumper and haven’t been to church since the 8^th grade so when I speak of THE Lord, I mean THE Lord Disick. I seriously thought Scott Disick was now a SF restaurateur. They sure named their restaurant the way Kimye name their children. Ones is an airline competitor and the other a hospital. Poor babies.
Until Lord Stanley was recently awarded their first Michelin star this past October, I didn’t have much interest in dining there. Only 4 months of being open, they received their star so they must be doing something spectacular! So I thought.
Sadly, my friends and I left THE Lord disappointed and completely baffled as to how they received a star.
The New American Menu is small with 3 snacks ($ 5-​$ 7), 4 starters ($ 15-​$ 24), 5 mains ($ 24-​$ 78), and 4 desserts ($ 9-​$ 11). Portions are small so order from each section. A 7-​course tasting menu is available for $ 78. Service is NO longer included in their prices which we awkwardly found out later.
~ * ~ F O O D ~ * ~
Collectively, the execution was very uneven and some ingredients were not listed on the menu so those with food allergies beware (they didn’t ask if we had any). My friend who is lactose intolerant had to switch her entrée with her husband because they presented her dish as being prepared with buttermilk which was not listed on the menu.
*Onion Petals ($ 5) — 3 STARS
Pretty to look at but these tasted like a glorified onion dip.
*Chicken Wings w/​orange sweet & sour sauce (2 for $ 5) — 3 STARS
The boneless wing was crisp and tender but the sauce tasted funky. Call me ratchet but I prefer Panda Express’ orange chicken.
*Salt Cod Beignets w/​tartar sauce (2 for $ 7) — 4 STARS
Best dish of the night! Forget that they look like a pair of turds, the beignet was delicately crisp, fluffy, and filled with minced cod. Fish clouds!
*Foie Gras Confit w/​quince, walnut, warm brioche ($ 24) — 3 STARS
I order foie gras every time I see it on the menu. The foie gras torchon here was standard. The quince was mute in flavor so there was no tartness or sweetness to cut through all that richness.
*BBQ Pork Shoulder w/​turnips, licorice, burnt apple ($ 27) — 2 STARS
Jekyll and Hyde on a plate. One piece of pork was well marbled and nicely tender while the other was so burnt and tough (see pic) that it left streaks of ashes as I sliced it. The supposed burnt apple had no color but the turnip was also burnt. I like char but this was covered in crust of ash.
*Poached Apple w/​vanilla cream, verjus ($ 9) — 2 STARS
Maybe it was my fault for ordering such a boring dessert but it’s hard to mess up something simple like a poached fruit right? The apple wasn’t fork tender and had to be cut with a knife (with sawing motion). The poaching liquid infused a very unappetizing flavor into the apple. My friend took a bite and said, it tasted like meat.
~ * ~ S E R V I C E ~ * ~
We had two female servers who were really polite but I felt service was lacking refinement. Our water carafe was empty and 3 different people passed by on several occasions and just looked at it. Once asked, they were quick to refill it though.
Dinner ended awkwardly and on a bad note. When settling the bill, we reconfirmed with one of the servers that the service charge was included in the menu prices. She said, «Yes, no tip is necessary».
After signing the bill and before leaving, a tall man comes to our table and said, «As of early this week, gratuity is not included in the menu prices…».
His cold demeanor, tone, and choice of words made us feel like we purposely stiffed them on the tip. Inside, I was horrified and embarrassed. I don’t care how bad the food is, I would never NOT tip because I know servers survive on tips. Now, had he nicely said, «Hey guys, I’m sorry if there was a misunderstanding but we recently changed our tipping policy…», we would of been fine. But, he didn’t. I hope they have trained all their staff on the new policy to prevent future embarrassing mishaps for others.
~ * ~ A M B I A N C E ~ * ~
I’m all for minimalist décor but Lord Stanley is stark, sterile, and the Ikea-​like furnishings made the dining area look like it was on clearance. It’s a small restaurant with 5 – 6 two tops, 2 four tops, and a communal table in the mezzanine. Even after requesting a table in the notes section in opentable, we were seated in the communal table. This turned out fine as we were the only ones there aside from a couple and it was much quieter upstairs.
~ * ~ P A R K I N G ~ * ~
No valet or nearby parking lot. Good luck!
Luckily, the delicious parting chocolate caramel truffles (
) somewhat washed away the bad taste in my mouth. Now, those are some Michelin star worthy truffles!

Had a wonderful meal here tonight with my husband and 2 friends. Everything we had was sooooo well executed and just cooked to perfection. There was almost nothing I could have pointed to, to improve upon.
We all got the prix fixe and each course was delicious yet quite unusual. I tasted some combinations I’ve never had or would have thought would work, and it was all very playful and delightful. The scallop had a nice dark seared crust and medium rare center. It crushed the scallops I’ve had at Gary Danko.
Another thing to note is how well developed the flavors are — intense yet light at the same time. They make great use of acid in the dishes and many of the broths had a nice tang to them. I haven’t had a meal this great since I went to Californios nearly 9 months ago. The food here is not for the conservative eater, as they really like to experiment here.
The wine was also really fun and unique as well.

This place just opened up 2 – 3 months ago and I would highly recommend coming here as a small group or on a date. The ambiance gives off a modern european feel with all white tables, walls, furniture, etc.
The service is amazing very prompt, clean, organized, friendly, and very informative about the menu. For small plates I would recommend the onion petals (SO GOOOD!) very unusual and the salmon with potatoes.
For main entrees, you have to try the pork shoulder or the seabass. The pork shoulder has a very juicy flavor and has a little spice to it.
I would highly recommend making a visit and great location on polk street.

Lord Stanley recently opened and it’s a European restaurant run by a wife and a husband. I really did how the environment was set up but I wasn’t too crazy about the service and the food. All the appetizers that I ordered was very mediocre but my entrée was actually pretty delicious. Maybe I will try it again but it wasn’t my favorite. It looks like they tend to change the menu often as well.
Things I ordered:
— Pickled Mussels w/​Fennel and Dill (not much mussels but it wasn’t bad)
— Salmon w/​Yukon Potato, beurre blanc and sorrel
— Foie Gras Confit w/​green strawberries, muscadet and warm brioche (not my favorite)
— Pan Fried Seabass w/​peppers, black olive and bouillabaisse jus (best thing I ordered and super delicious)