Butterfly

Pier 33

San Francisco, CA 94111

Occasion: Celebrating Jenny's Quarter Century! Party of 18. 11.12.11

   
 Shots on the house

Because we were not seated til an hour after our reservation

Birthday shot with the Bday girl! Cheers to the freaking weekend.

 

Kalua Pig with Butter Lettuce Cups 

Hoisin BBQ Sauce, Pepper Brunoise, Toasted Cashews, Scallions

Complimentary because we were kept waiting!  We were hungry, so they tasted pretty good to me.

 
Salmon rolls 

Smoked salmon strawberry salad rolls with spicy garlic and ginger dipping sauce

Definitely unique! The two vietnamese people we had at our table thought it was weird.  I thought it was quite refreshing.  Strawberries, salmon and fishsauce? The savoriness of the smoked salmon, the tangy sweetness of the strawberry and the spicy sweetness of the fish sauce. Sounds like a weird combo, but it worked for me.  I definitely would not consider this to be an authentic dish, but still something interesting enough to try.

 
Duck Confit Spring Rolls 

with chinese mustard and honey dipping sauce

Not your typical fried egg roll.  Duck meat is definitely not something you would normally find in a fried egg roll, but the sesame honey dipping sauce worked well for the duck confit spring roll.

 
 Fire Fried Calamari with a tabasco remoulade and toasted garlic

It was nothing extraordinary and I find it hard to mess this dish up, but it was a nice flavorful crispy snack to have before our entrees came.  We enjoyed it even though the portion size was small.

 
 Crab and mascarpone stuffed crispy chicken breast with corn, shrimp and shiitake mushroom fricassee, Pat Chun Black Rice Vinegar, Arugula Salad 

This was my entree of choice.  I usually stray away from ordering chicken, but the description of it made it seem so delicious, that I just wanted to try it.  It came out looking like this big fried crab ball.  

 
The chicken cut in half.  Doesn't it just look amazing.  Thin layer of crispy skin, with moist chicken breast stuffed with generous chunks of crab meat and mascarpone cheese. What an impressive dish!  It came in such a generous portion that I was not able to finish it.  Taking something as simple as chicken meat and turning it into something pretty amazing. I applaud!
 

Grilled Kalbi Skirt Steak “Surf and Turf”

Shrimp and Scallops, Crispy Egg Noodle Nest, Soy Jus de Veau, Baby Bok Choy 

I was actually overwhelmed with the flavor of the sauce.  It was too salty for my liking.  The kalbi skirt steak was supposed to be cooked medium rare but came more on the well done side.  The meat however was pretty tender.  The crispy egg noodle nest was just mediocre and we could have found something better at a more authentic Chinese restaurant.

Pan Seared Wild King Salmon

Toasted Garlic Cous Cous, Red Pepper Miso Coulis, Cherry Tomato, Fried Rock Shrimp

This was Jenny's choice.  I usually would have ordered a fish dish, but the chicken sounded more appealing to me.  In my opinion I thought the fish had a very fishy taste to it, not to say that I can't stand the taste, because I can.  I just thought it was really unusual, because I don't usually think salmon is all that fishy.  The meat was tender, but I liked the chicken more. 

Warm Chocolate Torte

with Mitchell's coffee ice cream

I think I've discovered a new liking for chocolate souffles.  I loved it.  The outside was soft and spongy and the insides were filled with chocolate gooey goodness.  The cold coffee ice cream complemented the decadent warm cake perfect and I nearly finished this dessert.

 
Classic Vanilla Creme Brulee

I was stuffed, especially nearly devouring the creme brulee.  I had a couple bites and didn't think it was anything to rave about.  Nice creamy custard fillng with a thin torched crust.