The French Laundry

6640 Washington St
Yountville, CA 94599

Occasion: Birthday dinner after a relaxing day up in wine country. 03.09.12

**Three Michelin Stars**

This fine culinary establishment has been on my Bucket list for as long as I've known about it.  With their limited availability, hard to get reservations and their pricing, I had not expect to be able to experience fine dining here so soon.  Henry had called a couple months in advance and was persistent with getting a spot for my birthday!

I was super stoked to be able to dine at French Laundry, as we had the chance to dine at Benu (whose owner and chef you can consider as Thomas Keller's protege) a couple weeks prior.  Corey Lee had worked as the Chef de cuisine at French Laundry and his work has been highly recognized.  Since we had such a great experience at Benu, I had pretty high expectations of this place.

Quaint and romantic, just how I like the environment to be.  I love the old fashioned cottage feel of the restaurant.  Brick building, dim lighting and window drapes. I definitely appreciate that type of decor.

Now onto our meal...

Amuse Bouche

Gruyere cheese from Switzerland in puff pastry

Before I could even catch my breath and take in the surrounding, these little balls of goodness came out.  They were served warm and as you bit into them, the flavorful cheesy gooey goodness oozed out from the middle.  We both loved it.  Even Henry, who is not a cheese person, thought it was fabulous.

Reds to go with our meal

Amuse Bouche

Tuna Tartar with cream cheese in a corn cone with sesame seeds

Another great starter to open up our appetite
It was like a lox bagel in a couple of bites.  The cone was wafer like, crumbled with each bite and buttery.  I love the added sesame seeds to the cone as it added some kind of "asian inspired" taste to it.  The texture of the cone reminds me of the eel dish at Benu.

Oysters and Pearls

Sabayon of Pearl Tapioca with Island Creek Oysters and White Sturgeon Caviar

The oysters were plump and juicy and was perfect with the broth it was sitting in.  The caviar added not only flavor but texture to the dish. Pop, pop, pop....as I bit into it.

Royal Ossetra Caviar

Bone marrow custard "Fume a la Minute" Meiwa Kumquat and Tarragon (with an extra supplement cost)

Very beautifully presented.  Doesn't it kind of look like a pot of flowers? It's a little dish, but each bite was super rich.  Rich creamy custard served cold topped with caviar.  I can't really tell the difference between the caviar from this dish and the caviar from the previous dish.  They both had  the same textures.  I still have so much to learn about the different types of caviars.  Between the two first courses, I most definitely enjoyed the oysters and caviar a lot more.  There was also a deep fried fish of some sort in the mix, Not exactly sure what it was, but it definitely added a crunchiness to the dish.

I just loved the presentation of this dish.  Layers of plates.

Complimentary brioche bread from their very own, Bouchon

The bread was so fresh, buttery and fluffy.  One of the best breads I've had at a restaurant.  It was sprinkled with some salt on top, which I could have done without.  It came with two types of butter salted and unsalted.  The Salted butter was from Vermont and the unsalted butter was from Petaluma.  We both preferred the unsalted butter more.  It was creamier and was a better complement to the salty and buttery brioche bread.

Moulard Duck "Foie Gras en Terrine" 

"Pain d'Epices," French Prunes, Red Walnuts, Watercress and Turnip Mostarda (extra supplement)

Super creamy lined with something gelatinous.  It went really well spread on the brioche bread.  Though not the best foie gras I had because I like it seared instead of as a terrine, it was still pretty darn delicious.

Delicious warm brioche bread. The second we were done with our first pieces, they immediately refilled our dish with fresh and warm pieces. Yay! Plus points.

Salad of Hawaiian hearts of palm

Hayden Mango, Hass Avocado, Espelette Chili and Cilantro shoots

A very colorful and refreshing dish. Crunchy, sweet, creamy. A great play in textures and flavor.  After all the rich flavors from the above dish, it was nice to have something less rich in flavor.

"Cuises de Grenouille"

Confit Marble Potatoes, Sugar snap peas, petite lettuces and "Vin Jaune"

The highlight of this dish had to have been the sugar snap peas.  They were so beautifully green and tasted so fresh.  Also grown from their very own garden across the street from the restaurant. Those deep fried frog meat was definitely out shined by the peas.  The softness of the tender frog meat with the crunchiness of the peas were definitely enjoyed by us both. Yum!

Grilled Filet of Gulf Coast Cobia

Marinated conch, sunchoke, broccolini "fleurettes" and braised pine nuts

Buttery soft fish with soft braised pine nuts. YUM! Perfectly grilled.

Georges bank sea scallop "poelee"

Dittalini, "Black trumpet mushrooms, spring onions and sea urchin "Mousseline"

Probably my favorite dish. As you can tell, it's a picture of an almost finished dish. You're probably wondering why.  Well it's because it looked and smelled so good that I had to dig my fork in right away.  The scallop was cooked perfectly, slightly sweet and caramelized. Flavorful, delicious and fresh scallops from Massachusetts.  The added black trumpet mushroom was a plus, as I love all kinds of mushroom.  Sea urchin mousse was creamy, rich and complemented the scallops so perfectly. A lovely dish.

Devils's gulch ranch rabbit sirloin

Medjool dates, cauliflower, marcona almonds, red ribbon sorrel and madras curry

It almost looked like tiny racks of lamb.  Meat was tender and delicious.  It came with two types of rabbit meat which was cooked perfectly.  You couldn't even tell since it wasn't gamey or tasted like anything out of the ordinary.  If you didn't put a name on the dish, I probably wouldn't have know.  I loved the marcona almonds used in this dish; it added flavor and texture. Yum.

Salmon creek farm pork "Jowl"

Corn Bread, Pickled green tomatoes, grilled okra and ham "Gastrique"

Flavorful and decadent. So soft, it melts in your mouth.  Love how the okra helps to balance out the richness of the pork jowl.

Marcho farm nature-fed veal

"Coeur de Veau," hen egg, green asparagus, red radish and "tonato"

Delicious and cooked perfectly. First poached then roasted, leaving the meat super tender.  Not over cooked or under cooked. Simple.

"Tomme de Corse"

Balsamic "Pate de Fruit" Fennel Bulb, Arugula and San Marzano Tomato Compote 

In simple terms: Their dessert cheese platter.  There were a few different types of cheese that were complemented with a jelly, cracker biscuit thing, some greens and this delicious tomato based spread.  I loved the tomato based spread with the cheese, as it almost reminded me of pizza. I enjoyed it, but there was a cheese that Henry didn't enjoy so much. Not sure what it was either.

Cream Yogurt Sherbert

toasted oats, pomegranate, oxalis and osmanthus "nuage"

Acted as if it was a palate cleanser. Tart and refreshing.  Almost reminded me of a breakfast dish complete with yogurt, oats and fruity tartness.

"Marjolaine"

Praline Mousse, "Dacquoise," and roasted banana sorbet

Something on the sweeter side.  Love the different textures on this dish.  Silky soft ice cream with the crunchy dry prailine cookie thing.  All in all, it was unique.

Complimentary housemade truffles 

I still haven't tried them yet, but the flavors sound amazing. Will update once I do.

Ice hot chocolate, doughnut balls and chocolate coated macadamia nuts

Freaking delicious. Perfect way to end the night.  We couldn't finish everything, so they bagged the rest of the nuts for us. The doughnuts were warm and bite sized. Omg, I wish I could have this again. YUM!

My custom made birthday cake

Henry ordered for them to make a birthday cake for me.  It was beautiful, but I was so full from all the other goodies they served that we decided to take it home with us.  It was a salted caramel cake that was absolutely delicious.  There is a cookie on the bottom layer, filled with a caramel mousse like center with nugget chunks and chocolate glaze.  Seriously one of the best desserts I've ever had.  It was so freaking good.

Ritual Coffee Roasters

Oxbow Public Market
Napa, California

Occasion: Coffee for the day off. 03.09.12

I am not a coffee person. I don't drink it on a daily basis, but on my days off, I like to sit back, relax and have some coffee with my meal.

Cappuccino

I love the foam art on this. <3 was in the air.

C Casa-An Innovative Taqueria

Oxbow Public Market
Napa, California

Occasion: Birthday brunch. 03.09.12

We had some delicious tacos the last time we were here, so we decided to once again try something else from here.  At the end, I was regretful in ordering two tacos.  Pica Pica was so good that I wished we had ordered one more item there and one less item here.

Mahi Mahi Taco

The mahi mahi was delicious, but it was buried under all this cabbage.  I think there was just too much cabbage going on.  I wish it was more of a mexian style taco instead.  It doesn't consist of a lot of the components that a real mexican taco is composed of.  Definitely minus points with no avocado.

Breakfast taco

with diced up tomatoes, chorizo, chopped onions, avocado, black beans and cilantro

Between the fish taco and this, I enjoyed this more.  Loved the poached egg, as it's yolk oozed out after breaking into it.  I love the freshness of the vegetables used. The chorizo seemed to be in ground up form, which is the star of the dish.  I enjoyed it, but I loved the Pica Pica Cachapas more.

Pica Pica Maize Kitchen

Oxbow Public Market
Napa, California

Occasion: Birthday brunch.  We started our morning at the oxbow public market for some grub! 03/09.12

I know they have this in the city, but there's just something about having it at oxbow public market that makes it more enjoyable.  Perhaps it's the fact that it's like a food court here and you can order from various food places.

Pernil Cachapas

pulled pork, sliced tomatoes, avocado slices on a sweet pancake maize bread 

I've tried the beef maizewich before and I absolutely fell in love and knew that whatever I ordered here I'd like.  Pulled pork was a little bit on the dry side, but it was so good with the sweet pancake maize bread as recommended by the person who took our order.  I just loved the sweetness of the maize bread with the flavorful and savory pulled pork.  The buttery avocado goodness also adds flavor and a soft creamy texture to balance out the dryness of the pork and the bread.  I can't wait to try something different on the menu the next time I come here.

Boulevard

1 Mission St
San Francisco, CA 94105

Occasion: Celebratory birthday dinner for Zoe and I. 03.07.12

We had originally planned for dinner to be at Chaya, as Zoe was craving their foie gras dish and I was reminiscing about their chocolate bread pudding (best I've ever had).   We planned to get there right when they open with no reservations. Big mistake because they were closed for a private event.  Luckily, Boulevard was just around the block, so we settled for this restaurant, which has been on my food bucket list. YAY!  We walked in at about 5:30pm. With no reservations. Luckily, the hostess was nice enough to seat our party of 6 near the bar area.  They squished together two small round tables and made it work.  We were stoked.  Service was great and the food was even better. Thank you Chaya for being closed, it was such a blessing in disguise.

**One Michelin Star**
 

ROYAL SWEET SCALLOPS

Cauliflower Spaetzle & Smoky Ham Hock

Orange Cauliflower Florettes, Roasted Bird Jus

Sweet with a hint of smokiness to it.  Delicious. Nice pairing, buttery soft scallops and crunchy cauliflower florettes.

AHI TUNA TARTARE

Hodo Soy Tofu & Pickled Lemon Ginger

Brokaw Avocado & Umeboshi Aioli, Horseradish Rice Cracker

Pickled Plum Wasabi Tobiko

It came out in thin shreds that kind of reminded me of a beet salad.  I almost thought the wrong dish came out, but when I bit into I knew it wasn't beets.  Loved the added crunch of the rice cracker, which looks like lotus root.

 SONOMA FOIE GRAS

Pan seared and cocoa torchon

Wild rosechip and fresh red currant preserve, negroni gel. Sorghum pecan cracker jacks. Maple oat toast

We all love foie gras, so it was a must that we order this.  It came as a duo; torchon and seared. The torchon was creamy and divine.  The seared decadent and delicious. The marriage of flavors here was great and very well enjoyed by all.  Sweet red currant jam with the rich savory foie gras.  We loved using it as a spread on the maple toasted bread.  Roasted pine nuts added flavor and texture to the dish that worked really well.  The marriage of sweet and savory flavors were enjoyed and appreciated. We all need to enjoy this while we still can.

"AURORA" RAVIOLI WITH GOAT CHEESE AND RICOTTA

Artichoke hearts with parsley and thyme, crushed almonds and olio verde olive oil

So freaking delicious. The pungent goat cheese with the slightly sweet ricotta cheese wrapped in a pasta noodle was absolutely divine.  It was so simple, yet so delicious.  Creamy goodness filled my mouth with each bite. I could have had a plate of that all to myself.

NEW ZEALAND BASS- GROUPER

Pan roasted with garlic thyme

Baby collard greens with shallot cream and bacon

French fingerling potatoes "Lyonnaise"

Mustard Seed Vinaigrette, chives and thyme

Buttery soft meat, with a slightly crispy skin. Yum.

CALIFORNIA LAMB PRIME T-BONE

Wood oven roasted on the bone, served off the bone

Carrot Spaetzle and rainbow carrots

Morel mushrooms in sperry shallot cream, baby tokyo turnips

Leek and fennel soubise, erbette chard and roasted lamb jus with savory

Tender meat that was cooked perfectly and went very well with the chewy spaetzle.  Loved that the meat wasn't overly cooked.

BERKSHIRE (KUROBUTA) PORK PRIME RIB CHOP

Wood oven roasted

Fingerling potatoes fondant with cipollini onions, parsley, pistachio, kumquat, currants with sour orange agrodolce broccoli di ciccio and roasted pork jus

I don't usually like ordering pork chops, but they were so good. Meat was juicy and not dry; which is always a concern of mine. I loved that the fingerling potatoes were sliced thinly, almost reminding me of squash. Another well put together dish.

Peninsula Seafood Restaurant

641 Jackson St
San Francisco, CA 94133

Occasion: Early birthday dinner with the family. 03.06.12

Nothing beats Chinese food for my parents so of course, we have Chinese food to celebrate. Something simple.

Squab made with soy sauce

My parents aren't big on meat and instead love their birds.  We usually order roasted squab, but this time in addition to our roasted squab, we decided to get the soy sauce one as well.  The meat is definitely not as dry and juicier, but the skin was soft and not crispy, which is how I like it.  I mean it wasn't bad, but I just prefer the roasted squab more.

Snow pea shoots sauteed with garlic

Usually our choice of vegetable. I love the crunchy hollow stems. Yum.

Fish

What's a Chinese dinner without fish. I'm not exactly sure what type of fish this is, but my dad bought it from a Chinese supermarket/ fish store in Chinatown and brought it to the restaurant to have them make it.  They do charge an extra fee for preparation, but it's totally worth it. Soft meat, with a soy sauce and scallion garnished.

Chinese chicken salad

It was way too salty, but good try.

Chinese soup

Roasted squab

I like it roasted better than the soy sauce.  Next time, we'll only stick with roasted squab. Definitely more flavorful and in my opinion tastier than the soy sauce.

Salt and pepper shrimp

 

Mama's

1701 Stockton St
San Francisco, CA 94133

Occasion: Saturday morning brunch with the loverboy! 03.02.12

I've been to Mama's multiple times.  Each time it's been about an hour and a half wait.  This time it was probably a little less than that.  We arrived at around 9am and there were over 20 people ahead of us in line.  Luckily it was a sunny morning, so it made waiting a little more bearable.  If you're feeling hungry and want to snack on something, walk across the street and get some authentic focaccia bread from Liguria Bakery.

Monte Cristo

Breast of Turkey, Baked Ham, Cheddar and Havarti Cheese with Bread dipped in Egg and grilled, served with Homemade Jam

I know it looks like a simple sandwich, but the flavors are far beyond simple.  It's like a grilled cheese sandwich with turkey and ham, except the bread is dipped in egg, so it's kind of like french toast.  You dip it into the homemade jam and there's a nice balance of sweet and savory.  Make sure you eat it when it's fresh because the cheese oozes out.  I've enjoyed it every time I've had it. YUM!

Crab Benedict

Generous chunks of crab meat.  We were hungry and it was absolutely filling.  The hollandaise sauce was rich, creamy and tasty.  Definitely a filling dish, with so much protein and delicious crispy potatoes.

Waterbar

399 The Embarcadero
San Francisco, CA 94105


Occasion: Dinner date with my big sis! 02.29.12


A restaurant with a spectacular view of the Bay Bridge, high ceilings and aquarium columns for us to enjoy while chatting away to delicious seafood, jaw dropping conversations with great company.  It's my third time here and I've enjoyed it each and every time. Great date spot, happy hour spot and a place to catch up with one of your girl friends.

Hearts of Palm

grilled and stuffed with either shrimp or crab (I forget which one) garnished with watercress and slices of grapefruit

I remember thinking the artichoke palms were really tough and just whatever to me.  I didn't really think it was a very well executed dish, though I did enjoy the slices of plump and juicy grapefruits it came with.

Cider braised pork cheeks

soft polenta, poached ranch egg, cipollini agrodolce
sustainably raised at the Hill Family Farm in Pendleton, Oregon 

Delicious dish, with soft, tender and flavorful pork cheeks.  The polenta was delicious and reminded me of something between mashed potatoes and grits.  Soft like mashed potatoes, but not as rich and grainy as grits. Loved the yolk gushing out of the poached egg, which added a creaminess to the dish.  The combination of the green sauce, pork cheeks and carmelized onions were also delightful. Savory mixed with tangy.

1 Dozen Oysters

We both love raw oysters and you just can't go wrong with these.  They were fresh and chilled and I drizzled each one of mine with lemon juice and the vinaigrette. The acidity of the sauce and the lemon really takes away the fishiness of the raw seafood.

Pan Roasted Black Cod

spring garlic jus, grilled baby leeks, romesco sauce

trap caught aboard the “Salmon Stalker” out of San Francisco, California 

Crispy skin with soft meat. So good. Probably my favorite dish of the night.

Hazelnut Profiteroles

fudge sauce, milk chocolate candied hazelnuts 

Like a cream puff, except instead of a cream filling it was an ice cream filling. Fluffy puff pastry with the perfect amount of ice cream drizzled with hot chocolate fudge and little pieces of hazelnuts sprinkled in it.  It was seriously the perfect dessert to end the night, as it was perfectly sweet with nice crunches of hazelnut. I am a fan of anything hazelnut flavored. YUM!

Ebisu

336 Kearny St
San Francisco, CA 94108

Occasion: Our adventure for lunch did not end at Naked Lunch.  As we were making our way back to the office, we got stuck in traffic in the financial district.  Stuck in traffic, we thought about Ebisu's mochi.  We needed to get off of Montgomery street, so we decided to take a right on Pine.  It must have been our lucky day, as we immediately found parking on Pine and Kearny with 10 minutes left in the meter.  It was a sign that it was meant to be. We grabbed the special of the day and made our way out. 02.29.12

Strawberry mochi with condensed milk 

I've never had a bigger mochi than the ones I've had here.  Filled with one humungous strawberry with condensed milk and some sweet bean paste.  Mochi with a delightful twist.  Definitely big enough  to share and split between a few people. Not your traditional bite size mochi, but still delicious!