Absinthe Brasserie & Bar

398 Hayes St
San Francisco, CA 94102

Occasion: Girls dinner to celebrate another birthday for Ella.  Congrats on turning another year older! Hope this year is better than the last! 08.25.12!

Spicy fried chickpeas

with berbere spice and parsley

The aroma of these chickpeas definitely persuaded us to order this.  It smelled like some Indian inspired flavors.  It definitely smelled better than it tasted, as it was overly salty.  It's nice to snack on while waiting for our appetizers and main entree, but not something I'd want to order again. 

Mixed local greens

with red grapes, brioche crisp, goat cheese mousse and orange-almond vinaigrette

Love the fluffy goat cheese mousse and the added touch of almond slices.  

1) EL TRIGAL MANCHEGO 

white wine-poached apricots, raw sheep milk, firm, sharp, citrus notes

Corcuera Family, La Mancha, Spain

2) GREAT HILL BLUE 

honeycomb, raw cow milk, sharp, caramel flavors, rich

Great Hill Dairy,Marion, Massachusetts

3) MT TAM marcona almonds, Fuji apples

cow milk, soft, bloomy rind, buttery, tangy

Cowgirl Creamery, Point Reyes Station, California

PEI MUSSELS & MANILA CLAMS

andouille sausage, roasted bell peppers, lemon-chardonnay sauce, potato crisps

A combination of mussels and clams in a sweet tangy sauce. I liked the idea that there are chunks of andnouille sausage mixed in there as it adds more flavor to the mussels and clams.

BEEF TARTARE

violet mustard, green apple, red onion, cornichons, quail egg yolk, crostini

spread it on a piece of toasted crostini and it's perfect.  Love ordering this at restaurants and I'm glad the birthday girl does too.  

10oz RIB EYE STEAK

served with arugula & roasted garlic-whipped potatoes, grilled corn, peppercorn jus

I don't usually crave meat, but this just sounded really appetizing. I loved the roasted garlic whipped potatoes with the grilled corn kernels.  Though it's not the thickest piece of rib eye steak I've eaten, it was still pretty delicious.

MASAMI FARMS PORK TENDERLOIN & CRISPY BELLY

maple-Bourbon yam purèe, mustard greens, grain mustard jus

I love the sweetness of the yam puree.  It complements very well with the fatty richness of the pork tenderloin and belly.

Plouf

40 Belden Pl
San Francisco, CA 9410

Occasion: AJ's going away party with the office.  Since she's going away to France, this was the perfect restaurant for our farewell party.  Cute little french place in Belden Lane with outdoor seating.  That's exactly how I imagine it to be in France. Super cute non superficial place with delicious food. 08.16.12

Plouf Mussels

The broth was sweet and creamy and it seemed to have a touch of coconut milk in it.  Definitely one of the better places where I've had mussels.  This is probably one of my favorite dishes of the night.  Like usual, I love dipping bread into mussel broth.  This place has pretty legit broth!

coq au vin aka Chicken

roasted fingerling potatoes, pearl onions, baby carrots, natural jus 

I'm usually not a big fan of chicken as I've had some bad experiences ordering chicken at restaurants.  They sometimes end up too dry, but nope not here.  The meat was juicy and moist and the tasty.

Seared Duck Breast

 sweet potato hash, pancetta, sweet & sour red cabbage, vincotto

Pork Chop

It was one of the specials of the day and one of the best dishes we had.  The meat was juicy and full of flavor.

sauteed salmon 

cannellini beans, roasted summer squach, chorizo broth, aioli

Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee

warm crepes filled with orange marmalade & mascarpone cheese

grand marnier reduction vanilla ice cream

Bisou

2367 Market St
San Francisco, CA 9411

Occasion: GNO dinner for some good food and catch up! There are so many good eats in the neighborhood which makes it horrible to find parking! Cute little french restaurant located near the heart of the Castro.  It's modern, it's hip and they serve up some pretty good french flair. 08.04.12

Beef Carpaccio - Creekstone Farm

filet mignon topped with frisee, mache, chopped shallots, quail egg, and hazelnut vinaigrette

Tuna Tartare

cantaloupe, dungeness crab, ginger avocado purée

Escargot And Mushroom

snails in belgium endive leaves with seasonal mushrooms, tomatoes and bacon cream sauce

Californian White Seabass

seasonal mushrooms, creamy leeks, black sausage and bone marrow sauce

Chocolate cake filled with chocolate and vanilla bean ice cream

Jamey & Ginger

Ginger Cake, Bi-Rite Vanilla ice cream, Jameson caramel and burnt Meyer lemon meringue

Salted Caramel Pot de Crème

Brown butter maple bacon doughnuts, vanilla bean whipped cream, cacao nibs

La Folie

2316 Polk St
San Francisco, CA 94109

Occasion: Double date night for some foie gras grubbing before the ban. Henry opted for the 5 course, while I got the 3 course, especially since I had a little bit to eat prior to dinner. Unfortunately, not everything is pictured. Shame on me. Another wonderful experience here. 06.22.12

Amuse Bouche

Another Amuse Bouche

Henry's foie gras soup
It was interesting, but nothing special to be.  Though it did come with a generous piece of foie gras on the side.

 

Foie gras torchon

Seriously the best torchon I've had!!  The torchon was creamy and it sat on a bed of some kind of peanut butter wafer like thing.  The peanut butter brought out some nuttiness of  the foie gras and it was amazing.  I definitely played around with this dish, as I tried different combinations of everything on the dish.  There was a strawberry jam like thing, some juicy tender squab and a cheese pastry puff.  My favorite combination was the peanut butter wafer. So good, I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Hudson Valley Seared Foie Gras

The biggest chunk of foie gras we've had at any restaurant and also the tastiest.  This time it came with some cherry glaze, but the first time I had it here there was a cinnamon apple glaze that was absolutely memorable and delicious.  I've never been big on cherry glaze, but it was still very delicious.  Henry and I as well as Fanny and Thomas also go their own portion of this.  It really is that amazingly delicious.

Foie Gras with Scallop

The scallop was buttery soft and sweet.  It was topped with a piece of buttery foie gras.  It was good, but just not enough scallop. I guess the chunk of foie gras makes up for the lack of scallop.

Trio of Rabbit

Rabbit prepared in three different ways with a side of fresh veggies. Meat from left to right: Loin, rack, leg .  It was not gamey at all, which was great!  The meat is stiffer and denser than chicken, but not as dry.  The meat was lean  and somewhat had a rubbery texture to it, not like rubber bands, but it just has a springy texture. 

Palate cleanser

Thomas' meat with truffles and foie gras

Foie gras dessert

Very subtle in taste. It was mousse-like and creamy.  Good, but not that memorable.  However, the hazelnut praline sponge cake was really really good.  There was also bacon ice cream.  A lot of different textures and flavors going on, which I liked; variety.

Bistro Central Parc

560 Central Ave
San Francisco, CA 94117

Occasion: In celebration of the BFF finishing her boards.  She has completed another milestone in her life. 06.20.12

Sweet breads with mushrooms

The waiter convinced us to get this.  It was really really good, but Jenny said she's had better when she was in Europe.  I loved the combination of the mushroom and the sweet breads. I would definitely recommend getting this.

Braised beef cheeks, red beet puree
goat cheese, mushrooms, potato fondant

This came in a bigger portion than we had expected,  The meat was super tender and super soft with great flavors.  It was also very rich in flavor and very filling.  I'm not usually a fan of beets, but the red beet puree was quite delicious.  Smooth and silky with a hint of sweetness. Amazing.

Filet mignon with foie gras

green peppercorn sauce, Potato gratin

It was a special on the menu.  We just had to get our fix of foie gras since we were nearing the ban.  Definitely not my favorite dish of the night, but happy to have gotten some foie gras in our system.

Another item on the special's menu

Don't exactly remember what it was, but it was a fish dish.  Light, flavorful and perfect with everything else, since everything else we ordered were very rich and heavy.  I loved the puree that complemented the fish.

Chocolate souffle 

So beautifully prepared and tasty.  Lately, chocolate souffle desserts have been growing on me.  If made right the light fluffy cake with the warm oozing chocolate filling= perfection.  I've always got room in my stomach for good desserts.

Chez Panisse Restaurant

1517 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA 94709

Occasion: Henry booked a celebratory dinner for us in celebration to being done with our paper and the past weeks of no life.  They buy all their ingredients fresh, therefore, the menu is different and pre fixed everyday.  One of the top restaurants in the bay area! Friday date night: June 1, 2012

**As featured on http://www.thedailymeal.com/101-best-restaurants-america#ixzz1wnl5JEQb as one of America's top 5 restaurants.**

Prosciutto with olives

It came out as our free appetizer and it was such a tease.  The prosciutto were thinly sliced, flavorful with the perfect chewy texture.  The olives were not overly salty and paired really well with the prosciutto.  It was a great first dish to warm our palates up.

Red Wine and Complimentary sweet champagne

Perfect compliment to our delicious meal.  I loved the red wine. Don't remember what exactly it was, but it was some kind of pinot noir, a light red, just what I like.

Antipasto of little fish with herb salad and flowering coriander

It may not look aesthetically pleasing, but my goodness were we raving about the flavors.  The little fish reminded me of sardines and prepared in two ways.  There were a couple of pieces that seemed to be deep fried, with a flaky skin, but with super tender meat inside.  There were also a couple of pieces that seemed to be just pan fried.  Everything just tasted so fresh and the herbs used just brought out the flavors of the fish and greens so distinctly.  It was one the of best salads I've had in awhile. 

New garlic and thyme consomme with Parmesan custard

It almost reminds me of how my parents used to make steamed egg, but a lot more flavorful. Don't let it's simplicity fool you because it was absolutely flavorful.  I loved how the flavorful garlic and thyme broth complemented the custard so well.  We were taken away by how something so simple could taste so good.

Spit-roasted Salmon Creek Ranch duck with sage and apricot chutney, tatsoi, new onions braised in the fireplace and fried potatoes

Perfectly crisp potatoes, super tender duck meat that was nice and lean.  Apricot chutney was surprisingly not too overpowering and complemented the duck meat quite well.  It was amazing and super filling.

Blueberry tart with Meyer lemon gelato

Henry was not as big of a fan of this dessert, but I loved it.  It was a little bit tart, perhaps our batch of blueberries weren't as sweet, but the crust was buttery, crumbly, flaky and amazingly delicious. Loved the lemon gelato, as it was the perfect ending to the meal.  I like that the dessert was on the lighter side. I was such a fan!

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.