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.
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