Best Restaurants for Groups in Cole Valley

We walked in right at 7:45pm and the people outside said it was a 1 hour walk-in wait at 7:45pm! The place wasn't that full when we walked in ad there were some open tables, but they filled up pretty quickly with reservations. It was so cool seeing Chefs Franky Ho and Mike Long (two Mister Jiu's alums) and their partners Millie Boonkokua and Lucy Li in person working. I've seen their pictures and read their names so much, I fangirled internally. We were seated at the bar next to each other which was fine. I love the art and Canto decor. It's cozy and warm and nostalgic and modern all at once. We enjoyed the complimentary peanuts and cucumber--that was a good starter because we didn't order any vegetables because too many other dishes sounded good. Our waitress said 3 dishes would be good for 2 people--maybe 4 if we got fewer carb-heavy dishes. We ordered the squab ($45) (limited quantities), Mapo spaghetti ($21), and claypot Rice w/ Chinese sausage & Bacon ($26.) We had high expectations for the squab and claypot (which they said would take 30 minutes, but seemed like it was faster.) The squab grew on us--the lemon and powder we were given for it helped amplify the flavor. The claypot was very good--the crispy crackling rice was delicious and rich. The sausage and bacon wasn't fatty but flavorful. The highlight of the night was the Mapo spaghetti.

Everything was wonderful (as usual) except our server. He wasn't pleasant or friendly. Previous servers knew we were there for our anniversary, said Congratulations, asked how long we've been together, took a picture of us etc. He had no interest in anything except getting our drink and entree order. Not a nice fellow or interested in making us feel welcome. Example; there was no napkin at my place setting and I politely asked for one. He walked by, put one on the table and said "here ya go" and kept moving. I said "thank you" but all I saw was the back of his head moving away. A good server would have offered an apology for the oversight, immediately corrected the mistake and said to the customer thanks for your patience and understanding (or something to that effect). He made me feel like I was bothering him. Contrary to our disengaged waiter there was a busser guy who was awesome! He was open and friendly, joyful, and accommodating. He liked his job and wanted to be helpful. Our actual server, not so much. My wife and I openly wished the busser was our server. If I knew the busser's name, I'd say promote him. The only time our waiter was even remotely kind was when he put the bill on the table. So, when it's time for the tip, guess what? He was very nice! Wow, imagine that...

Amazing service and food was phenomenal Lighting and ambience was spot on

Dinner at The Progress is absolutely worth stalking OpenTable for the reservation. The whole staff is attentive and having fun - the hostess had great banter and our server was phenomenally helpful with the menu and made sure we had just what our little hearts desired. The space itself is fantastic - green, big art, nice light fixtures, a tall ceiling - and there's a nice chatter level and energy without being oppressive. Of course, the main attraction is the food. The pig head was as much salad as pigs head but obviously you cannot go wrong with the combination of delicious pork, fennel and apple. The butter beans were simultaneously crispy and creamy with a great acidic pop to offset the fried feeling tossing in some burrata never hurt anyone either. Radicchio & persimmon salad hit the spot with the bitter and sweet combo lifted by the unami of hard cheese. The scallop crudo was the one thing I won't rave about - it was tasty but just a bit busy with a heavy emphasis on the yuzu - maybe should be billed as a ceviche more than crudo? But the real highlight was the dungeness crab and whole wheat sorpresine - in season, sweet crab and absolutely expertly prepared pasta? Sign me up. We didn't get any of the "main attractions" so I can't tell you much about potato clouds and duck. The table next to us got both so all I know for sure is that the cloud looks cute I guess and I'd probably want a party of 4 to tackle the duck. You could manage with 2 but there's so much deliciousness on offer that you should either bring friends or skip it and save room in my humble opinion. Cocktails are reasonably incentive sounding. A Mr Sinister is a really nice use of Mezcal and Benedictine that I wouldn't have cooked up on my own. The wine list is varied enough to have something of great quality for every taste. Dessert came in the form of a lemon olive oil cake that was equal parts very lemony and very sweet. Just a delightful way to cap off the meal. Next time we have somet

The booth side seats were not very comfortable. Other than that the service and food was great!