Sweet & Savory

Exquisite Cuisine

Please excuse the lateness and scarcity in posts. A and I, no longer so recently, changed jobs and were dealing with the resulting upheavals in our life. Things have finally begun to settle down. We hope to resusitate Sweet & Savory and continue on our merry way. :)

I returned to Japan but this time with A in tow for my sabbatical. We were determined to explore Kyoto for a glimpse into old Japan, followed by a visit to Tokyo, to see modern Japan.

As Frommer's had warned us, it was difficult to find many destinations. Even native Japanese often needed to ask for directions. Many of the less touristy areas or smaller streets did not have signs labeled in English and as neither A nor I can read or speak Japanese, we were at a distinct disadvantage. On the first day, I sprained my ankle during a 2-hour trek in the rain looking for a confectionary store only to find that the store was closed!! We did eventually learn to utilize a combination of the maps in the multiple travel guides we brought, the maps at the subways, and the various other maps placed around the city to minimize the time we spent aimlessly lost.

On account of being hopelessly disoriented most of the time, we were very grateful for this clearly marked street sign, which was right where we emerged from the subway on the third day of our stay in Kyoto. Due to this good fortune, we were able to find, in record time, the ryokan that we'd reserved for the night! If only we were so lucky for the rest of our trip! :P

After a quick check-in, we were shown to our room, located on the first floor, with a beautiful garden right outside our sliding glass doors. As we sat there soaking in the serenity and calm that surrounded us, the weariness of urban life already forgotten, the head maid brought in a tray of frothy green matcha, hojicha, and slightly cinnamony sweets for us to enjoy.

When the head maid returned to retrieve the used tea cups, and to leave us a fresh pot of hojicha, she motioned to us that the yukatas neatly folded in the closet were meant for us to wear after we had taken our in-room hot bath. The bathing facilities were different from what is customarily found in the U.S. but we had read enough travels guides figure out how to use it. The hot bath was fabulous, so hot and soothing for all our aching muscles and tired feet. After I had become sufficiently prune-ish, it was time to climb out and put on the yukata. Mine came with two sashes, a wide red one and a narrow purple one, each long enough to wrap several times around my waist. A and I pondered a while as to how to tie them. Since there were no instructions given, we came up with our own technique. Stylish, no?

At 7 pm, the service of the very impressive kaiseki dinner began.

Menu of Hiiragiya Kaiseiki -- April 2006

Aperitif Shokuzen-Shu
Shirozake
Unfortunately, we didn't get a picture of the little cup of cold crisp sake.

First Appetizer Sakizuke
clam, crab, nanohana (rape blossom buds), udo (Japanese edible wild plants), glehnia littoralis, baby flying fish, vinegar with sesame seed.

Very light delicate fresh flavors.

Since A is allergic to shellfish, he was served what we believed to be fava bean tofu.

Sashimi Dishes Mukouzuke
sea beam, tuna, japanese needlefish, paste laver, stem of young perilla, japanese white radish, carrot

I especially enjoyed the sea beam and tuna. The needlefish was very fresh but much chewier than what I like.

Simmered Dishes Nimono-Wan
paste of white flesh with mugwort, greenling, konoko (dried konowata before fermenting), urui, carrot, kinome

A light broth, a medley of light well-blended flavors, with several unidentified items.

Second Appetizer Hassun
ark shell and horsetail seasoned with vinegar and miso, sea beam roe in jelly, prawn coated with powdered dried mullet roe, dressed kogomi with walnut, grilled japanese icefish with yolk, baby octopus, young peach

This was the most exciting dish of the meal with its many exotic ingredients and a personal favorite. The baby octopus took some courage to eat but I found it quite delicious and not at all chewy. The young peach was surprisingly sweet and soft and fuzz-free. (I still don't know what a kogome is and googling it turned up links to an anime call Inuyasha which had absolutely nothing to do with food.)

Grilled Fish Yaki-Zakana
grilled trout with konomo, broad beans

Delicious grilled fresh trout!

Dishes in the Middle Oshinogi
sekihan (made from glutinous rice and some non-glutinous rice steamed with azuki beans), octopus

This was my least favorite dish as I am prejudiced against azuki beans, especially the ones with their shells on and this dish had LOTS of azuki beans with shells. A wasn't able to eat the octupus so his dish had two Japanese icefish as replacement. Unfortunately A is prejudiced against sakura leaves so both of us were prepositioned to dislike this dish. Perhaps this dish would have had a better chance of succeess with people who weren't so set against azuki beans and sakura leaves.

Steamed Dish Mushi-Mono
shark's fin, tofu, yuba (delicate soybean milk skin), brussel sprout, sticky soy sauce, ginger

This dish was similar to a toned down and less cornstarch-filled version of the Chinese shark fin soup. The portion of shark fin in the bowl was HUGE!

Simmered Dish Takiawase
bamboo shoot, Matsubara's red rockfish, wakame, japanese butterbur, kinome

The bamboo shoots were spectacular. I was told it was bamboo season in Japan so we were just in time to taste fresh bamboo shoots. In the U.S., bamboo shoots usually come pre-packaged out of cans. Even during bamboo season, when you are able to buy them at the asian market, they just don't seem to taste as fresh or as tender. Also of particular interest were the butterbur as they looked like celery and tasted lighter and not nearly as stringy or full of fiber as a celery.

Deep Fried Dish Age-Mono
fried anglerfish, small sweet green pepper, salt, lemon

The fried anglerfish was hot and crisp on the outside while sweet and soft on the inside.

Soup Tome-Wan
aka-miso soup with fu, shiitake mushroom, japanese homewort, rapeseed

Rice Gohan
rice mixed with bamboo shoot, kinomo

Pickles Kou-No-Mono
cucumber, nanohana, japanese white radish, and sea tangle

The rice, soup, and pickles all came together on one tray. Again, loved the bamboo.

Dessert Mizu-Mono
melon, strawberry, mango jelly

The conclusion to our extravagant meal was this fruit plate. I don't recall ever having melons so sweet! If you look carefully on upper left hand side of the bowl, you can see the dish is made to look like there is a tiny figurine trying to climb up the side of the dish to get to the food.

The kaiseiki dinner was impressive not only in the abundance, variety, and presentation of the food, but the care that went into the preparation and delicate flavors it was able to showcase. No wonder freshness and eating according to what is in season is of such high importance in Japanese cuisine. Serving inferior produce would be easily recognized. Though of a different cuisine, I could not help but notice the similarities between this meal and the one I had at French Laundry. Both leave the diner feeling like they are participants of an impressive theatrical production.

Full, happily satiatied, and relaxed, we drifted off to sleep on a surprisingly comfortable futon.

Restaurant Lulu

This post is very late in its appearance, for in our busy lives, we have been neglecting our blog. We originally dined at Restaurant LuLu at the end of last July, and here are our tasting notes.

After our "snack" at Boulette's Larder, we had a 12 o'clock reservation at Restaurant LuLu for lunch. The outside of Restaurant LuLu is minimalistic with only splashes of color on the windows, but the inside was festive, airy, and imparted the sense of spaciousness with the open kitchen area and the high ceiling.

The blue-tiled indoor courtyard, arrayed with heavy wooden tables and woven chairs, invited us to enjoy a leisure meal. The large windows, while partially blocking the August heat, allowed all the light to come through, completing the feel of an outdoor cafe. The place settings added to the overall French provencal feel of the restaurant with its handpainted style and warm colors.

The bar area showcased the large quantity of alcohol for your imbibing pleasure. We solemnly debated the possibility of ordering some alcohol but decided it was perhaps a wee bit early in the day to start partying.

To start, we ordered a cheese and fruit to share. It arrived with three different types of cheese, a couple slices of walnut bread, some fig jam, and a cluster of champagne grapes. By overwhelming consensus (3 out of 3), the Brillat-Savarin, an extra rich and creamy cow's milk cheese, was a hit. None of us were previously fans of blue cheese but the Windsor Blue from New Zealand, a very mild pasteurized cow's milk blue cheese, was surprisingly tasty. It paired very well with fig jam, neither the pungunt blue nor the sweet jam overwhelmed the other. Lastly, we had the Humbolt Fog, made by Cypress Grove Chevre located in nearby Humbolt County. How cool is that?!

I also ordered the fennel sausage and fig pizza with tapenade and sage. The combination of sausage and tapenade made it a little too salty, and the presence of figs was necessary to counter this. Most people I've met seem to have strong feelings about figs — either they love the sweet, soft texture with the fun crunchy seeds or they hate it and think it taste like mush. I am of the I-love-figs camp so the pieces of fig on each slice of pizza were greatly appreciated. But admittedly, I did wish the fig pieces were bigger.

A really hit the jackpot when he ordered the roasted leg of lamb with red onion marmalade, arugula and tapenade on sun-dried tomato levain bread. The lamb was done perfectly, full of flavor and fairly moist. I'd never had red onion marmalade before and was actually a little intrepid at first, expecting to taste a nasty combination of cloying sweetness and acrid onion flavor but was pleasantly surprised.

My brother had the grilled salmon with chopped egg, capers and watercress on ciabatta with a side of potatoes. The picture doesn't do the sandwich justice as 90% of the sandwich is blocked by a massive mound of potato salad! The idea of chopped eggs with the salmon was new to all of us, but both my brother and A professed to be big fans the moment they tasted it. The eggs added a creaminess to the still warm salmon, making this sandwich a kind of healthy gourmet salmon melt.

We polished off our delicious entrees, forgetting to save room for dessert (actually, in a way we'd already had dessert earlier that morning with Boulette's beignets). We so enjoyed our experience at LuLu that we ventured to try their sister restaurant Zibibbo the following month. And in writing up this post, I've decided a return visit to LuLu is overdue!

Hot delicious soup noodle!

We celebrated Thanksgiving and then promptly got sick! But to help cure our nasty cold, we went for some nice big bowls of savory Japanese ramen with our good friends Joy and Mike.

We had seen lots of great reviews on Santa Ramen, a ramen shop located in San Mateo. The reviews also forewarned about the long lines. We arrived around 1:45, hoping to miss the lunch crowd. So while the line was not exceedingly long, there was still a wait. It turns out that Santa either close by 2pm or when the soup stock runs out, which ever one happens first! We arrived just in time to be the last customers. Whew!

The menu was posted on the wall for easy viewing by all. We agonized over all the possible choices and narrowed it down to two (to share of course)!

I picked the pork-flavored ramen with roasted pork while A picked the soy sauce flavored ramen with bean sprouts. Both bowls were satisfyingly delicious. The pork flavored ramen with slices of roasted pork was very rich and savory with just a hint of ginger from the bright red slivers of ginger added to the soup. The soy sauce flavored ramen with bean sprouts did not have as complex soup flavor as the pork flavored ramen with roasted pork but still very rich. A enjoyed the bite in the noodles and the abundance of bean sprouts but felt the soup was a little too salty from too much soy sauce, but I thought it was fine.

We slurped and munched our way to an empty bowl. Well, mostly empty. :) All done!

Pizza à la Antica

Sunday night, we had dinner with some friends (Joy & Mike) at Pizza Antica over at Santana Row. They had apparently become regulars there on weeknights when they'd had to work late. This thin-crust pizzeria, which prides themselves on using artisan ingredients, had also made its way into our own favorites list.

On this particular visit, J, being the fervent fig fanatic that she is, was on a mission to try one specific pizza on their menu — one whose season was almost over — the Proscuitto de Parma, Black Mission Fig, Gorgonzola and Fontina pizza. And, even though I am allergic to figs (unfortunate, I know), I was sure I'd find one of their other pizzas more than adequate to satisfy me.

We were definitely not disappointed. The four of us shared an equal number of small pizzas, so that we could enjoy a variety of flavors. The fig/proscuitto pizza (we got it with fresh mozzarella in place of the gorgonzola) was a big hit with the other three diners, as expected, and we all agreed that the Spicy Fennel Sausage, Portobello Mushroom and Roasted Onion pizza might just be our all-time favorite. It was news to me, but they apparently make fresh mozzarella in-house and use it on their classic Tomato Sauce, Housemade Mozzarella and Fresh Basil pizza. (I just realized that it says so in the name, but I guess I never noticed that before.. but it does make sense, since I always felt the cheese on this pizza tasted very pure, characteristic of fresh mozzarella.)

Dining at Pizza Antica seems always to inspire me to try my hand at making my own thin-crust pizzas at home. In fact, when we first discovered the restaurant in early summer, J and I had tried to reproduce the flavors in our own oven. I even took pictures and started an entry, but never finished it. Well, here it is now..

We tried to mimic a variety of the ingredients that Pizza Antica used: various meats (Italian sausage, grilled chicken, thinly-sliced soppressata), yukon gold potato and caramelized onion, and tomato and fresh mozzarella.

It was really a time of experimentation, so we ended up with four pizzas with different combinations of toppings:

First, our Potato Onion Pizza got good reviews. It turned out to be quite close to the original Heirloom Potato, Caramelized Onion and White Truffle Oil we had at the restaurant. The only thing we were missing was the truffle oil, but the potato and onion were intense enough to hold their own. This one was definitely a thumbs-up for me. I think J said she was neutral on this one.

Next, our Margherita Pizza disappointed us. It was a bit soggy in comparison with the restaurant's version. This was probably due to the difference in our furnace temperatures. Whereas the restaurant had a wood-fired furnace, which is easily capable of producing that nearly-blackened crisp crust we were after, we had to rely on a pizza stone heated in a home oven. Although the flavors were well blended, the lacking texture got this pizza two thumbs down.

Then, our Meat Lovers' Pizza wowwed us. It was not exactly like the restaurant's Spicy Fennel Sausage, Portobello Mushroom and Roasted Onion pizza, but it had similar flavors. The Italian sausage I'd used was a premade mix, but we could taste a strong fennel seed presence in addition to the pepper that we could visibly see. This got a thumbs-up from both of us.

Finally, we combined the remaining toppings to make a Chicken Potato Onion Pizza, which surprised us. The potato/onion combination was mild, and while J gave this pairing a neutral review before, the addition of smoky-flavored grilled chicken bumped her opinion up to a thumbs-up. I originally thought the addition of grilled chicken would bring down the flavor of the potato/onion original that I already liked, but it was actually not unpleasant. This pizza got two thumbs up as well.

Some other toppings I'd like to try next time include olives/chevre/walnuts, fig/proscuitto (for J), and pesto or garlic with grilled chicken. I think in the to experience great flavor combinations, then perfect the crust, and eventually host a gourmet pizza party to share our it all with our friends.

Craving....

Pastrami is not really a West Coast thing. We have great organic fruits and vegetables, excellent weather all year around, and coconutless palm trees, but no good pastrami. Our sole prior experience with pastrami has been from Togo's, which I have to say is nothing compared to the pastrami from Katz's Deli. Unfortunately, there is a distance of two thousand nine hundred and fifty-two miles between my craving and my object of desire (according to Yahoo's driving directions).

A and I went off to NYC in March. Prior to our arrival, we had done some research on places to eat and found Katz's Deli to come highly recommended so it was placed on our list of places to be sure to eat at. The beginning of our search for Katz's Deli was inauspicious as we got off the wrong Metro stop and ended up walking 16 block, of which 4 were in the wrong direction on Houston. Fortunately, the long and laborous meandering trek through the southeastern section of Manhattan was fruitful in the end.

We ordered one pastrami sandwich, not two, to share between the two of us, which turned out to be the right choice as each of those sandwish was HUGE. Don't let the picture fool you. What you see in the picture is only half of the sandwich. Two slices of rye bread with a big stack of thinly sliced pastrami. Yum!! So delicious, juicy, and a good melding of flavor. And that is why I am currently craving a Katz's Deli pastrami sandwich. *sigh*

We also ordered matzo ball soup. This was the first matzo ball soup I've ever had. It was ok though I'm not loving it as much as the pastrami sandwich.

Potato knish ... interesting.

All we were left with were the empty plates, these pictures, and the memories.

I do recall picking up a flier about Katz shipping their pastramis and other assortments of products through the mail for those not fortunate enough to live close by but I've gone and lost that flier! Lucky for me, A let me know that we can still order through their website. :)

Zibibbo

A and I went to Zibibbo last Sunday for lunch and we LOVED the experience. We sat in the beautiful serene courtyard and ate delicious Meditteranean food, what is there not to love? :)

We arrived at promptly at noon to find the restaurant fairly empty. The hostess motioned for us to sit wherever our hearts desired. We picked a table for two in the middle of the courtyard next to a rectangular pond with a view of the entrance, the seating by the bar, and the lush vine climbing on the wall.

I, in my never-ending quest for delicious beignets, ordered the beignets of course. The delicious dough balls (hot from the fryer, rolled in cinnamon sugar, and served straight to our table with a little cup of lemon curd for dipping) tasted very much like the beignets we had at Boulette's Larder.

A ordered the combo of three small plates. From left to right:

The eggplant caponata was a wonderfully-spiced cold stew of eggplants. The eggplants were not soggy, as I'd expected of a stew, but had a firmer texture which made the dish resemble pickled eggplants with just the tiniest hint of mint.

A "BLT salad" - bacon, butter lettuce, and heirloom tomato slices, topped with a lemon aoili and minced chives. The tomato slices along with the few crisp lettuce leaves did well to cut through the lemon aoili.

Grape leaves wrapped around a mixture of spiced rice and ground lamb to form dolmas. These were topped with a sauce of currants and balsamic vinegar.

All three small plates were DELICIOUS. I was initially a little dubious with A's decision but he proved me wrong on all three counts. The eggplant caponata ended up being my favorite because it was such an interesting eggplant dish that I'd never had before and it had such well blended flavors. :) Zibibbo, I am happy to say, is definitely a keeper. We will have to go back again in this fine California weather for some more fine food. :)

Chez Panisse

When A and I visited my Brother in Berkeley, we stopped by Chez Panisse for an exciting lunch. It was the perfect season in Berkeley. The purple and white wisterias were in full bloom in the neighboring streets and around Chez Panisse. It was April and all the plants were vibrant green and thriving. The front patio, which I thought was really pretty, offered a cool retreat from the sun while we waited for a table.

We marched up the stairs, passing the kitchen area to sit by the windows with white wisterias hanging outside and proceeded to order our lunch.

Bread and Butter

This was your standard bread and butter. Enough said. On to more exciting fare.

Garden Lettuce Salad

I ordered the garden lettuce salad, which as you can see, is just fresh salad greens dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a little salt and pepper. It tasted fine but I wish I had ordered something a little more exciting, like the ...

Green Garlic Broth with Snap Peas

Brother had ordered the garlic broth and it was delicious! While it could potentially have been potent and pungent (and produced a scary-breath Brother), this broth was instead surprisingly light, clear, and flavorful with a mild spring garlic flavor.

Sonoma County Duck Breast with Asparagus and Green Olives

This dish reaffirmed my dislike of olives or at least such strong-tasting olives. The duck was nicely executed, juicy in the middle and more well done towards the skin. The asparagus was tender — they had obviously taken care to peel the tougher part of the stems. But the olives just bugged me. There weren't very many actual olives on the plate but it had such a strong presence that both the duck and asparagus tasted of olive and not much else.

Pizza with Parma Prosciutto and Greens

A ordered this thin crust pizza and we all sampled a thin slice. The greens, though unidentifiable, were quite good — neither too wilted nor too stringy. The good quality proscuitto, sliced extremely thin so as to not make you feel like you are chewing like a cow, helped to make the pizza delicious.

Grilled Cattail Creek Ranch Lamb Leg with Peas, Carrots, Mashed Potatoes, and Anchovy

Brother ordered this dish, which I thought was a real winner. Our recent trip to The French Laundry had me raving about fresh peas, and the peas in this dish reminded me again of how much I loved them. I practiced great restraint and allowed the Brother to finish more than 50% of his peas in peace. The lamb was tasty as well, but the anchovy was a little strong for my taste.

Hazelnut-Ricotta Cake with Swanton Farm Strawberries and Strega Cream

Dense crumbly cake paired with light fluffy cream and macerated strawberries is always a good pick for dessert. Especially if the cake is hazelnut flavored!

Chocolate Custard with Espresso Cream and Candied Almonds

Sadly, I must confess I have a very foggy recollection of how this dessert tasted. Hm... I think the chocolate custard reminded me of a chocolate pot de crème. The biscotti on the side were quite crunchy, I think... Oh, A says that he remembers they would have been better with coffee.

Honey Nougat Ice Cream with Pain D’amandes

Having this ice cream was like having gelato, both in its lightly-whipped texture and with the thin almond tuilles served alongside. Add the delicate flavor of honey and the little bits of nougat, and this was a simple, yet refreshing way to wrap up the meal.

We stuffed ourselves silly and got to take home the leftover food in this nice box.

I know this is sacrilegious to say, knowing how almost everybody raves about Chez Panisse and how it is such a Mecca for foodies, but I did not love my first meal there. Perhaps it was what I ordered or they were just having a bad day, but I left the restaurant feeling a little disappointed due to the incongruous taste of many of our dishes. However, there were several highlights which indicate to me that this restaurant can and does produce fabulous food — food that would make me swoon. I would like to go back another day and give them a second chance. Could those of you who felt you had a great experience recommend some dishes that you enjoyed and felt lived up to the name of Chez Panisse and Alice Waters?

Just Lots of Pictures.

Back in February (yes, we are really behind...), A and I went to Gary Danko for our 10 pm dinner reservation. It took all of our combined willpower to keep each other from raiding the refrigerator before we left for dinner.

So here's a collection of all the dishes we ordered. Unfortunately, it was so long ago that I lost my notes somewhere around here.

Foie Gras Mousse with Pine Nut Brittle

Seafood Risotto with a HEALTHY Dose of Parmigiano Reggiano and Pecorino Cheese

Tuna Sashimi

Duck Confit

Fishy <*)Xx(

Persimmon Pudding <— blah! (Tastes like regular pumpkin pie with all the spices you've come to associate with Autumn.)

Coffee Napolean

Chocolate Souffle

Petit Fours

If you counted, you'd have realized that A and I got THREE desserts (not including petit fours). Resistance was futile. We surrendered to our desires and got the souffle after we saw waiter after waiter deliver the chocolatey airy dessert to table after table. We already ordered all of our dishes, desserts included and neither one of us was willing to give up our pick so we went ahead and got another. Our waiter was very kind to point out that souffle is mostly air anyways. :) Oh! And it was our favorite out of all the desserts, so I'm glad we caved in to our temptations.

I don't know if it was because it was the Friday before Valentine's Day or just the free-spirited vibe of San Francisco on display, but we saw the City Hall basking in warm red lights as we drove home at 1am in the morning with our stomaches fully stuffed and our hunger duly satiated.

French Laundry - Chef's Tasting Menu

Since J has already set the table, so to speak, for our trip to French Laundry, I will get right to what you've been waiting for — my ten courses!

Chef's Tasting Menu

Cauliflower "Panna Cotta" with Malpeque Oyster Glaze and Russian Sevruga Caviar

I learned from the French Laundry Cookbook that the secret to refined textures was to pass the combined ingredients repeatedly through a chinois until the desired silky smoothness is achieved. When I tasted this "panna cotta", I was sure it had been passed through the chinois uncountable times. The pure and refreshing cauliflower flavor balanced the richness of the cream, instead of being overwhelmed by it. The caviar added the perfect accent of saltiness to the clear and refreshing "panna cotta".

"Terrine" of Poached Moulard Duck "Foie Gras," Field Rhubarb, Celery Branch, Sauterne-Telicherry Peppercorn "Gelée," Cutting Celery Greens and Toasted "Brioche"

I'd heard from friends and read from various restaurant reviews of the many ways to fail when preparing foie gras. I was convinced this dish was prepared without those flaws. The disc of foie gras was free of stringy veins and concentrated fat pockets. Textured like butter, it spread easily over the toasted brioche slices. The accompanying vegetables and gelée added just the right amount of acidity to counterbalance the creamy foie gras.

Grilled Loin of South Florida Cobia, Glazed Baby Fennel, Roasted Artichokes and Spanish Caper Emulsion

Cobia is new to me. It's a white-fleshed fish, which flakes when cooked, but is still resilient to the bite. It tastes mild, somewhere between cod and sea bass. Since I'm a big fan of both of these, it was no wonder that I strongly approved of the grilled cobia. The two-bite portion was enough to tempt my appetite, and I eagerly awaited the next course.

"Saffron Vanilla" Maine Lobster Tail "Cuit Sous Vide," with Wilted Arrowleaf Spinach and a Saffron-Vanilla Sauce

Since I am allergic to shellfish, I traded J my lobster course for her Canard Parmentier. She said that the lobster tasted delightfully sweet and juicy, flavored just right with the vanilla saffron sauce. However, the arrowroot spinach was a mystery — it didn't taste bad, but it just didn't taste anything like spinach.

Braised Rabbit Shoulder "Farci Aux Ris de Veau," Melted Belgian Endive, Slow Poached Royal Blenheim Apricots and a "Foie Gras"-Balsamic Vinaigrette

Never having had rabbit before, I didn't really know what to expect with this course. The meat was tender and came off the bone in shreds, much like meat of small game hens. This similarity was so convincing that I even remembered this course as a course of squab, only realizing it was rabbit when i later reread the menu, in preparation for this post. The poached apricot was also unfamiliar — it had a sweetness that I'd never associated with apricots. Having previously relegated the apricot as a sour fruit low on my list of preferred fruits, I was inspired by this particular one to give the fruit another chance.

Snake River Farms "Calotte de Boeuf Grillée," Yukon Gold "Pommes Purée," Crispy Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, "Broccollini" and Sauce "Bordelaise"

I'm not a fan of beef, so when my main course arrived, I traded it to J for her main course of lamb. Here's what she thought:

Although it was not filet mignon, the perfectly grilled side of beef almost tasted like it was filet mignon. The mashed Yukon Gold made a light yet creamy accompaniment to the meat. The sauce reminded me of having something au jus. I don't recall eating any of the Hen of the Woods Mushroom, though I wish I had so that I could match a flavor to such a funny name.

"Chaource," California Green Asparagus, Black Truffle "Coulis" and Arugula Greens

This mild French cheese tasted very much like Brie to me. The Chaource was accompanied by a slice each of currant bread and a walnut loaf, both dry and fairly dense, which went well with the creaminess of the cheese. The asparagus and the truffle coulis added to the visual appeal of the course, but did not really contribute any interesting flavors. But perhaps that was the intention — to cleanse the palate and to make way for the upcoming desserts.

Banana Sorbet, Muscovado "Génoise," Braised Maui Pineapple, Mango "Pâte de Fruit" and a Yogurt Caramel "Croustillant"

Architecturally speaking, this was probably the most exciting course of the Chef's Tasting Menu. However, the impressive list of items that composed this dessert course seemed to fuse into just one simple flavor. I expected that each individual player in this dessert would bring its own subtleties to the main tropical theme, but none stood out from the generally sweet overtones. The mix of textures was definitely present, but was not complex enough to truly hold my interest.

"Tentation au Chocolat Noisette et Lait," Milk Chocolate "Crémeux," Hazelnut "Streusel" with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream and Sweetened Salty Hazelnuts

In this dessert, there was more distinction of individual components. The classic pairings of chocolate with hazlenut and ice cream with streusel did not disappoint me. Drizzled dark and white chocolate decorated the remainder of the large rectangular white plate, along with a cluster of hazelnut tuille, completing the visual appeal.

Espresso "Pot de Crème"

This petite pot de crème was a surprise treat for me. It wasn't listed on the menu, but it arrived at our table along with a crème brûlée for J. Not that I'm complaining! I'm used to having pots de crèmes, but I've never had one that was espresso flavored. As a fan of coffee and espresso flavored desserts, I was amazingly impressed by this one, despite its simplicity.

After sharing the mignardises with J, we had no more room for these chocolates, so we had to pack them up to go. We did later try them all. I don't remember all of the flavors; I only remember our favorites — the one streaked with orange is passionfruit and the sparkly magenta one in the front row is raspberry.

Although we were very satisfied with our experience at The French Laundry, it will probably be a while before we go for a second meal there. It's not because there was anything that failed to meet our expectations, since everything about this indulgent meal lived up to the hype we've read. It's because we will need some time to refill our wallets. At least we will have these photos with which to relive our memories, until the next time!

Arikato Sushi

Wednesday night, I felt really drained by work. I was looking for something to perk me up.. something refreshing.. something delicious. J suggested sushi, which sounded like it fit the bill perfectly. We decided to try some place new instead of Kamakura, our usual favorite. Arikato was nearby and we had wanted to try it over the weekend, but it was closed for some reason, even though it was well within their advertised operating hours. (Update: They changed their hours — now open for lunch on weekdays only, but dinner every day.) Lucky for us and our growing appetites, it was open this time and we got a table without much of a wait.

I have to apologize in advance for not having any pictures to show. Since this was a spontaneous trip, we didn't have our camera with us. But, for the meantime, I'll try to describe everything with words as best I can.

The sushi bar was situated in the middle of the restaurant and occupied the majority of the space. Between the sushi chef's workspace and the counter where diners could sit, was a track for sushi boats. This track actually looked like it also ran into the kitchen, which we could see behind a wall that separated it from the dining area. This probably allowed behind-the-scenes kitchen staff to add sushi selection to the boats as well.

The ceiling was painted a dark blue or black with sparkles added to mimic a night sky. Modern lamps of all different colors hung around the sushi bar area. Ten or so square tables encircled the sushi bar, lining the perimeter of the room.

Arikato had coloful menus with plenty of photos, so that we could tell what we were going to get. Each roll had its own picture and the captions were very detailed. There was also a section for your usual Japanese appetizers and entrees, though there were fewer pictures for this part.

It took us a while to figure out exactly what we wanted to try, since there was so much selection. But when we were ready to order, we realized that there was a shortage of waitstaff — one sushi chef behind the bar and only one waitress. J thought she saw the waitress doing the cooking in the back as well. Service was slow enough that this certainly could have been possible. Fortunately, we both had a lot to talk about and she did take our order once we signaled to the attentive sushi chef that we were ready to order.

We ended up getting two special sushi rolls — a Besss roll (shrimp tempura, white tuna, and crabmeat) and an IBM roll (unagi, tuna, and avocado). We also got a Futo Maki, California Roll, and three orders of Nigiri — Sake (salmon), Maguro (tuna), and Tamago (egg).

By the time we finished it all, we were stuffed and very satisfied. The raw fish tasted very fresh, and the proportion of rice in the rolls was just about right, unlike many other sushi roll places that use too much rice. The best part was that all this food only cost about $40 including tip. This surprised us, since typically a meal of high quality sushi such as this would cost at least one and a half times as much.

The prices were reasonable, the food was fresh and the portions satisfying. Overall, we give Arikato two thumbs up. It might even take the place of our current favorite sushi joint. We'll have to go back to try out the entrees as well as to nab some pictures! Or we might try the sushi bar next time, especially if we intend to eat mainly sushi again.

SF Town Hall

A and I went to the Town Hall for our 1st year anniversary. Inside the red brick restaurant on Howard and Fremont, the closely packed dark wooden tables made examining your neighbors dishes prior to making your own selections so much easier. :) The industrial-looking chandelier made for an interesting conversation piece. I liked the feel of the place. The controled hubbub of random conversations, the dark warm interior, and candles on the windowsills all contributed to the genral coziness of the place.

We started off our meal with the roasted veal meatballs with potato purée and green peppercorn sauce. Three round meatballs sitting on a bed of buttery puréed potato doused in gravy arrived at our table with a little bit of chopped cilantro sprinkled on top. They looked very inviting. We had read about these veal meatballs from various reviews and wanted to try it first-handed for ourselves. Cutting into the meatballs revealed its slight pink inside, attesting to juicy-ness. The meatballs were also distinctively flavored with some type of cheese, which was interesting.

Our side order of jalapeno cornbread was served hot to our table still in their cast iron mold. The outside had a little crunch with a fluffy soft inside. The jalapeno flavor was subtle. These were delicious jalapenos cornbreads!

My main entree was the peanut and tasso crusted Niman Ranch pork chop with smashed potatoes, spring corn, English peas in garlic parsley butter. The pork chop was tender and juicy but a little salty-spicy. The mix of peanut and tasso on top created a nice textured topping. The corn and pea mixture was so overwhelmingly peppered that I couldn't discern any corn or pea flavor. :( The meal had started off so well that I was really disappointed by how the entree turned out.

A's entre, the Sonoma lamb T-bone with Nicoise olive gnocchi, herb smashed English peas and fava beans, gave similar results. The lamb T-bone was delicious but the sides were lacking. The emphasis at Town Hall seems to be on strong overpowering flavors rather than subtleties.

We were both pretty stuffed after the main entress but after scanning the dessert menu, we couldn't resist ordering dessert. Besides, it's better to end on a good note! There was no consensus so we each ordered one with the promise to share our pick.

I ordered the coconut panna cotta, strawberry, gelée, with ginger bubble tea, which turned out unimpressive. Both A and I wondered if they forgot to add the coconut and the ginger flavor?!

This was Town Hall's signature dessert, the butterscotch and chocolate pot de crème with butter toffee chips. The dessert was creamy and tasty but a little sweet for my taste. Even A, the one with the sweet tooth, ultimately surrendered to the overwhelming sweetness.

In all, A and I were a little disappointed in Town Hall. The appetizer and the side dish was great but never one of us liked our main entree. There was one hit and one miss for the desserts. I don't think we will be going back anytime soon.

It's not my birthday but it sure feels like it!

An amazing thing happened on Friday. A called French Laundry at 2:00 pm and secured a table for two for lunch on Sunday. Not only did he accomplish this incredible feat, but he did it in a record time of FIVE minutes!!! When he broke the news to me over email, I jumped out of my chair and danced gleefully around the lab. It elicited some strange looks from my coworkers but I didn't care because I was going to The French Laundry!

The French Laundry has all the physical trimming of a quaint, picturesque country cottage with a beautiful, relaxing garden. Arriving early for our reservation paid off and garnered us a table for two upstairs by a window overlooking this beautiful garden. Our extremely competent and knowledgeable head waitress, Marta, came by not long after we were seated to talk about the 4 menu selections available and to give some recommendations for wine selections. A and I pored over the menus and agreed to have the Celebration of Spring for me and the Chef's Menu for him giving us a total of 18 dishes to sample between the two of us.

The kitchen surprised us with two items not on the menu, to help whet our appetite. The first to appear were two "cheese puffs" served in a curved silver bowl. In our eagerness to consume these cute little treats, we forgot to take their picture! :P The "cheese puffs" were a cousin of the sweet cream puffs both made of pâte à choux. But instead of sweet dough, these cheese puffs were a perfectly flavored savory dough with salty Gruyère and roughly ground black pepper. We were particularly pleased to find the recipe for these little creations, which actually goes by the more dignified sounding name of Gruyère Cheese Gougères, on page 48 of the French Laundry cookbook.

The second canapé to arrive were the salmon cornets — salmon tartare with sweet red onion crème fraîche. The different components of this dish were so well melded together that no single ingredient stood out as the main player. No strong fishy smoked salmon flavor. No stinky onion, shallot, or chive breathe. A lovely dish to behold and even better to eat.

And now begins the Celebration of Spring.

Torchon de Foie de Lotte au Japon avec Les Oeufs de Saumon Marinèe et un Boullon de Radis Blanc

At this point, I wished I had taken French instead of German in high school. This dish is composed of monkfish liver served with salmon roe, marinated in something which I could not quite determine, and topped with shreds of radish.

Chilled Sacramento Delta Green Asparagus Soup, Grilled Holland White Asparagus and Pèrigord Truffle "Blinis"

The asparagus soup was wonderfully smooth and refreshing — a delightful showcase of the delicate flavor of asparagus. Though still delicious, I was a little disappointed to find the white asparagus tasted exactly like the green asparagus. I had previously relegated white asparagus to one of those exotic vegetables that we read or hear about but rarely see.

Brown Butter Roasted Fillet of Dover Sole "Sur l'Arête," Sautèed New Crop Potato "Mille-Feuille," Glazed Spring Onions and Spring Onion "Vinaigrette"

The dover was moist and flaky with a crisp nutty outer layer. By baking the potato, thinly sliced and reassembled in a tightly layered fashion, it resulted in a nice texture, much like that of a mille-feuille. :)

"Fricassée" of Maine Lobster Tail and "Mitt," Young English Peas, King Trumpet Mushrooms, English Pea "Purée," Garden Tarragon, Lobster "Glaçe" and Clear Butter

This delicious course in particular pointed out the difference made by using fresh ingredients. Of course the lobster was sweet and delightful but what made this dish so memorable were the fresh young english peas with the keyword being FRESH. Accustomed to the bland frozen peas from my local grocery store or even dehydrated wrinkly ones in Cup O' Noodles, I was very pleasantly surprised to find the peas so sweet and flavorful. I am inspired to track down some fresh peas from my local farmers' market and try my hand at cooking with fresh peas.

"Canard Parmentier" — "Confit" of Liberty Valley Duck Hash with Poached "Jidori" Hen Eggs and Maple Syrup "Gastrigue"

The first thing that caught my eye in this dish was the fist-sized poached egg. Being unfond of molten yolks, as is characteristic of poached eggs, I tasted only the duck and accompanying vegetables. The duck was cooked to just the right doneness, neither too chewy nor too dry. A, who enjoys soft-boiled eggs, said that the egg was just the right texture, and that the generously-sized creamy yolk went well with the duck.

"Dègustation" of Bellwether Farm Baby Spring Lamb, Jacobsen's Farm Green Garlic Hearts, Fava Beans, Pinenuts and Young Garden Mint

The amazing part of this course was the fact that there were five different preparations of lamb, highlighting the rich flavor of each cut. I do not quite remember which was what, but A assures me that it was some arrangment of neck, rib, shoulder, sausage, and saddle. Knowing that he was a fan of lamb, I traded him this dish for his main course. Judging by his speechlessness and abundance of drool, I inferred that every piece was delicious.

"St. Marcellin" — Sour Strawberry Relish, Young Cilantro Sprouts and Coriander "Syrup"

The tiny baby strawberries in a pool of pink sauce served in a small white bowl had me smitten at first sight. :) Not only were they cute and adorable, it went well with the soft, slightly nutty St. Marcellin.

"Honey Comb" — Wildflower Honey "Génoise," Mascarpone Sorbet, Honey "Gelée" and Napa Valley "Aigre-Doux"

My first dessert was definitely worthy of the name "Honey Comb". Even though everything was made from honey, there were still distinctly unique flavors and the combination of textures made the dish more interesting than I thought initially.

Tart of Spring Field Rhubarb, "Crème Fraîche" Ice Cream, Toasted Almond Streusel and Slow Poached Rhubarb

The only time I've seen rhubarb in a dessert, or in any dish for that matter, is with the classic strawberry-rhubarb pie, which tends to mask the flavor of rhubarb with the overwhelming flavor of strawberries. This tart of spring field rhubarb had me stunned. It was delicious! The tart came to the table still slightly warm, which paired well with the crème fraîche ice cream.

"Mignardises"

As if two desserts were not enough, we also had a plate of mignardises, which consisted of shortbread, passionfruit pâté, financier, dark chocolate tart, and lemon poppyseed tart.

A and I thoroughly enjoyed our experience at The French Laundry. Every dish was well executed, with excellent pairings and fresh flavors. Although the flavors were graceful and soothing, I do wish they had more energy and enthusiasm. The service was impeccable. The wait-staff were polite, professional, and extremely knowledgable. Overall, we had a great meal.

To drool some more, read A's review of the Chef's Tasting Menu at The French Laundry.

Grégoire Takeout

A and I made a trip up to Berkeley to meet up with some friends for a much anticipated tour of the Scharffen Berger Factory. We arrived at 1:30 pm in Berkeley, a good 2 hours ahead of schedule to meet up with my brother for some good eating from the excellent selection of restaurants Berkeley has to offer. I even brought along a camera to take pictures!

We've been meaning to visit this particular restaurant on the northwest side of campus, named Le Poulet, whose storefront is filled with chicken artifacts. Unfortunately, we seem to always visit Berkeley on Sunday, the one day of the week they are closed.

Instead, my brother suggested this tiny hole-in-the-wall place off Spruce by the name of Grégoire. And what an adorable place! There is room for maybe five people inside the restaurant at the kitchen counter, but the best seats are the picnic benches just outside, right by the kitchen window where the piping hot food come sailing out in octagonal corrugated boxes lined with black and white checkered paper.

My octagonal box contained the tomato and onion quiche with greens. It was a mild eggy and tomato-y quiche with faint traces of sweet onion, reminiscent of the soft scrambled tomato egg dish my mom used to make. Normally, I would include a picture of the delicious quiche here but would you believe I left the camera in the car?! Unfortunately, I was neither diligent nor fearless enough to brave the wind and rain to make the 10 minute walk (with hills) to the car and the 10 minutes return trip just to fetch the camera. Plus, my food would be cold and soggy by the time I'd have returned.

A had the traditional pork rillettes and cornichon on baguette. The rillettes were, surprisingly, only slightly salted. The cold fat, in combination with a large ratio of shredded pork, formed stiff rillettes which were placed, rather than spread, on the baguette. The petite pickled cucumbers were also lightly flavored, and were a bit overwhelmed by the pork rillettes. A said it reminded him of a sandwich he had when on vacation with his family in Paris long ago, but I didn't particularly like the flavor combination myself.

My brother had the smoked salmon on banana fingerling potato salad which he didn't seem particularly pleased with. The fingerling potatoes were seasoned with mustard and a variety of spices but most potently by the strips of smoked salmon. Eating cold fishy potatoes out in the blustery wind and rain probably wasn't all that much fun.

The highlight of our excursion would have to be the piping hot potato puffs, delivered directly from the fryer to our table (and to our mouths). We tried to eat them as quickly as possible without burning ourselves. The potato puffs were balls of savory mashed potato dropped into a fryer to form a crispy golden brown outer shell, filled with soft tasty potato-ey goodness on the inside. Warm. Toasty. Totally satisfying.

To top it off, we shared the coffee bread pudding with crème anglaise. Coffee bread pudding wasn't my thing but A and my brother seemed to enjoy it until the last crumb.

When all the food was consumed and our tummies were fully satiated, we start the trek back to the car, simultaneously planning of our next trip to Berkeley, and of course to Grégoire. And next time, we will definitely remember to bring the camera. :)

SF Dine About Town: Part II-B

Pommes frites - J and I were surprised to see these two words printed on the dinner menu at Fringale. French fries are a side order typically relegated to fast food status or as an accompaniment to steakhouse fare. What was it doing here? Granted, pommes frites were French french fries, but butternut squash fries with chive mayo seemed more likely to make an appearance on this menu. On a whim, we ordered them as appetizer.

When they arrived in glazed earthenware, they were piping hot, possibly straight from the fryer, and lightly salted. The texture was fantastic - light and airy and perfectly crisp. I found no uncooked soggy potatoes or over-fried oil-soaked sticks, as is common with the mass-produced frozen variety. The gourmet quality of the pommes frites made us feel obligated to eat them with forks.

No sooner than we had finished our appetizer my chestnut soup arrived. The soup du jour was decorated with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly cracked black pepper. The texture was smooth and velvety. As such, I wondered how it could have possibly been prepared with the exacting description the waiter had given us - "no meat broth, no dairy, and just a bit of butter". This care had no doubt been taken to give people of all dietary restrictions the opportunity to enjoy the bold flavor of this chestnut purée.

My dinner entrée again featured chestnuts as one of the primary ingredients. Whole chestnuts and sautéed king trumpet mushrooms sat in a pool of sauce and provided a bed upon which the pan-seared king salmon rested. Beyond the crispy exterior, the fish was thoroughly cooked but still surprisingly moist and flaky. The sauce turned out to be an earthy marriage of chestnut and mushroom flavors. I suspect that the chestnut purée used for the soup du jour may have also been used as the basis for this gravy. The fish and gravy were well matched and balanced, neither one overpowering the other.

I was pretty full at this point, but since Fringale's Dine About Town menu included my choice of any dessert, I could not resist having a taste of the hazelnut and roasted almond mousse cake. Alternating layers of airy hazelnut mousse and genoise formed the cake, which was topped with toasted, and perhaps candied, almond slices. Beneath the cake, a pool of dark chocolate shimmered. Together, it was the perfect end to my meal.

On the drive home, J and I agreed to add Fringale to our regular rotation of restaurants, for we could not stop raving about our extraordinary dinner.

SF Dine About Town: Part II-A

So yes! Our internet at home is finally up and running. It's so good to be back. The internet really hasn't been around for very long and already it's so ingrained in my life that I felt WITHDRAWL symptoms!! Let us just say that I severely missed the internet and it's good to blog again. And now, onto more important matters... THE FOODS!!

Fringale is a beautiful restaurant with scattered soft-lit lights and filled with the low murmur of indistinguishable conversations. Interesting modern-ish arts adorn the warm "sponged egg-colored" walls. One entire wall was devoted to geometrically stacked cubby-holes of fine wines. A lovely cymbidium orchid and tulip arrangement sat at one end of the bar, greeting each hungry patron as they walked in. If the decor and atmosphere were any indication of the food, we were in for a fabulous evening of fine dining!

The meal started out with a rattan basket of sliced baquettes and a dish of sweet butter, a little something to tie us over until the entrées arrived. The bread was not warm but still light, fluffy and sweet.

As the bread and butter was winding down, our appetizers arrived. I had the arugula salad with ruby red grapefruit slices and small cubes of feta cheese lightly coated with olive oil and topped off a dusting of freshly ground pepper and minced chives. It was a delicious salad! The bite from the arugula went well with the sweet but slightly tart grapefruit and the mild-mannered feta. I'm normally not a fan of feta as some of the ones I've tasted can be described as "squeaky" and awfully pungent, but the one in the dish was very nice. In addition, the arugula, feta, and grapefruit all had different textures making for interesting bites.

My main course, the tender braised short ribs, arrived shortly after I devoured the salad. The delectable melt-in-your-mouth short ribs sat on a large dollop of creamy mashed potato and was accompanied with perfectly cooked and seasoned red chard. Yum!! I ate everything on the plate!

To finish our delicious meal, I chose the sorbet du jour, something light and refreshing after something so heavy as short ribs. The sorbet du jour was composed of a scoop each of coconut, raspberry, and passionfruit sorbets in a simple white bowl with a vanilla cigar cookie on top. What was particularly surprising was that out of the three flavors, my favorite was the coconut sorbet rather than the raspberry or passionfruit sorbets. It was delicate and sweet, rather than creamy, and the absence of pencil-shaving-like coconut shreds made it perfect. (Remind me to post about the coconut sorbet from E & O Trading Company sometime.)

In all, dining at Fringale is a very satisfying affair with beautiful decor and delicious food. My only gripe is that it's so far away! It take about 1 hour just to drive there. I wonder if they would be willing to consider moving south or at least start delivery service. :)

SF Dine About Town: Part I-B

This is a continuation on A's rather thorough introduction to our first SF Dine About Town experience, at the Ana Mandara.

The decor was lush, intimate, and sensual. Definitely a place to impress your date or hold little dinner parties. As the tables were situated very close to each other, A and I were privy to some sketchy alcohol-induced conversations. [Mental note to self: Never drink so much wine that you embarrass yourself by annoucing tidbits about your personal life and/or parts.]

I'm afraid I wasn't as impressed with the cuisine at Ana Mandara as A was. One of the things I like to check out at new restaurants is their fruity cocktails. Remembering my previously eavesdropped conversation from the next table, I limited myself to just one cocktail - the Ana Mandara signature cocktail. The cocktail was a soft yellow with swirls of tiny mint bits and one large random piece of orange peel. It tasted of orange (which I guess would explain the reasoning behind the floating orange peel) and mint seltzer water with very slight traces of alcohol. The menu said it contained lemongrass. But aside from the lemongrass shred turned impromptu swizzle stick, I could detect no lemongrass.

For my first course on the prix fixe menu, I picked the dungeoness crab sesame noodles. I'm not sure what the ingredients were but the flavor of the sauce was just too overwhelming and the noodles were undercooked. Different people have different preferences on how salty their food should be and how soft the noodle should. I guess this dish just wasn't for me.

For my second course, I had the "seared Mekong basa with scallion flowers and spicy lemon sauce". I was particularly excited as the waiter had highly recommended it (THREE times to the another table next to us), saying it was their signature dish. The Mekong basa turned out to be like lightly breaded cod in its firmness and texture. It came served on top of lightly sautéed tiny pea shoots with a pool of lemony fish sauce speckled with chili. I wasn't particularly inspired by it. It reminded me a little of lemon chicken, except replace the chicken with fish.

Lastly, the MOST exciting course of all. The dessert course!! I choose the pot de crème with vietnamese coffee. It came with a dallop of whipped cream dusted with cocoa powder and with a triangle sesame wafer stuck on top. This was definitely the highlight of the meal. It was creamy, light, and had a nice coffee flavor.

In all, the dishes I had at Ana Mandara were disappointing. I did get to sneak some bites off of A's plates and they were definitely better. So perhaps I picked the wrong dishes or it was an off day for them. Hearing and reading all the hype from friends and reviews makes me feel like I should go back and give it another try. Hm... Maybe I will, but at a much later time when I can start fresh again.

SF Dine About Town: Part I-A

After hearing nothing but laudatory comments about Dine About Town over the past two or three years, we were not about to let another year of the program pass us by. So this year, the countdown to the new year was also a countdown to a month of feasting. Since the "world class dining" deal - $21.95 for 3-course lunch and $31.95 for 3-course dinner - is only valid for the month of January, we spent last week narrowing down the over one hundred available places to feed down to four that we felt caused us to drool the most with their posted menus.

For our first Dine About Town experience, we went to Ana Mandara, situated at the edge of the bay, in Ghirardelli Square.

Decorated in the style of French Vietnamese colonial, the interior was breathtaking. Unfortunately, the low-light setting did not present the best conditions for photography. The seemingly-authentic facade of traditional architecture and the simple elegance of their furniture remind us of the lost beauty of that bygone era. Couple that with the chic modern styling of their upstairs lounge and you get a feel for the intimate social atmosphere. Diffused red-orange lighting, natural wood and rattan-woven chairs, and familial portraits adorning the walls were all details which served to complete the romantic ambiance.

Shortly after being seated, we ordered three courses each. J stuck with the prix fixe menu while I simply could not resist some of the regular dinner fare.

My first course was the Sonoma Duck Sausage with Foie Gras, Pinenuts, and Spicy Ginger Sauce. The exquisitely-seasoned melange of ground duck, foie gras, and pinenuts was wrapped in what looked like roasted seaweed sheets, and then pan-fried, such that the juices flowed out only when I bit into these sausage-shaped packages. Savory all by itself, the flavor of these duck "sausages" were enhanced by the tangy-spicy ginger sauce and accompanying pickled julienned carrot and daikon. A sprinkling of roughly-chopped peanuts completed the arrangement of this dish.

My second course - Grilled Rack of Lamb, with Vietnamese Cinnamon-Star Anise Rub and Spicy Tamarind Sauce - tasted as good as it sounds. Cooked to medium well and showing just a touch of pink in the center, the lamb was tender and juicy. This was served atop a bed of raw pea sprouts decorated with fried garlic chips. I was pleasantly surprised by the tangy-salty flavor of the normally-dull pea sprouts and surmised that they may have been wearing a light sauce combining fish and soy sauces and sugar in some secret proportion. There was more than met the eye to this dish, for when I was close to finishing my delightful pea sprout salad, I was greeted with what looked like a potato croquette, hidden beneath and peeking out coyly. I couldn't detemine the exact composition of said croquette, but the mingled flavors spoke of sweet onion, potato, and Japanese yam.

Rounding out the meal, I ordered the Roasted Banana Boat, with Caramel-Walnut Sauce and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. This was a new interpretation on the typical fried banana, served à la mode, that seems to dominate the dessert menu of every southeast asian restaurant in the area. The banana was roasted peel-on, then carefully opened lengthwise and set in a pool of caramel sauce replete with chopped walnuts. The walnuts' crunch played a great duet with the soft warmth of the gooey banana. Served with a scoop of smooth vanilla bean ice cream, this rich flavor combination was the perfect way to end my dinner.

Impromptu Feast

It was a dark and stormy afternoon. The sky lobbed a torrent of fat rain droplets ground-ward. I knew it was bad idea to go shopping at the Stanford Shopping Center without an umbrella. Did we bring an umbrella? ... No. *sigh*

Drenched and bedraggled and most importantly hungry, we lumbered to the very fortuitously located Andronico's. (How often do you find a frou-frou gourmet grocery chain in an ultra-chic shopping centre?)

The warmth and coziness were a definite welcome change to the outside cold and rain. The food selection wasn't bad either. They had over 20 different kinds of deli meat?!

Hubby picked a salami and prosciutto with provolone sandwich with minced pepperoncini in addition to the usual add-ins. I got us a cup of the Italian wedding soup which seemed to be composed of mini-meatballs, some sort of greens (collard?), onions, orzo, and an unknown medley of herbs. And most importantly, an "Adult" brownie. Apparently the San Francisco Chronicle rated it as the best store-bought brownies.

And THAT was our grocery trip turned impromptu feast!