Carrie 218's Recent Activity
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Most Reliable Restaurant Review Site Outside of Chowhound?
Bobert, I think you mean mouthfulsFOOD.com
mouthfuls.org is an index for mouthfuls.com which is a sex site...
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need recs for july visit
Sushi: Sebo, Kiss, or Koo (currently, my preference is for the latter)
Steakhouse: Morton's or Ruths Chris
Izakaya: O Izakaya in Japantown
Greek: Kokkari
Dim Sum: Koi Palace in Daly City
Indian: Dosa (there are two - I prefer the one on Fillmore)
Best Burger: (Search that -- heavy-handed debates, but I'm in the O Izakaya camp)
Roasted Marrow & Foie: both to be found at Bix, where you must also order their tartare and a Sidecar (not to be missed!)
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Maison Riz - Redondo Beach
For the salad served at the soft opening, any idea how many different dressings it had? ;-)
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Maison Riz - Redondo Beach
I know Izakaya Bincho well and if I had not been at Shin-Sen-Gumi the night before, that would have been the evening's choice. We ultimately just walked over to Kinkades for bar food to satisfy the immediate need.
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Maison Riz - Redondo Beach
A decade ago, I used to live in Redondo Beach. And I return at least once a year – usually for business – and still dine with an old foodie friend who always keeps me apprised of new and interesting restaurants. There was some local buzz of a French/Japanese fusion restaurant on the pier, Maison Riz, which had only recently set up shop, complete with a very large, glowing sign. We called to make sure we could be seated and was told that if we arrived within 15 minutes, there would be room. When we arrived, we could see that more than ¾ of the restaurant was entirely empty.
There was some quandary about the menu as we wanted to try as many dishes as possible. The restaurant offered a six-course Riz Tasting menu which we ordered along with some additional dishes. Our waiter was young and energetic (maybe just legal to drink) and although he tried to exude sophistication.
The first course was a quiche-like something. It was barely warm and made with a puff pastry that was extremely rubbery. The dish was flavorless and piled atop a mound of over-dressed, limp lettuce. This dish arrived before we had an opportunity to even place a drink order. We were pondering the wine list and asked if they had a sommelier. We asked three different people several times if they had a sommelier. The bus boy was not sure what we were asking for and asked a waitress to help us. We repeated the request a number of times and without admitting ignorance of the word, she responded that she would check with the kitchen. Pondering a sparkling sake, there was a chance that it was dry or sweet, but no one seemed to know and our waiter’s only response was that someone had tasted it last week and enjoyed it.
The second course was a small tasting of crudo. However, under the two raw seafood preparations, was a puddle of spinach, a few pink peppercorns, and citrus oil. I know that one of the fish offerings was tuna, but I can’t tell you what the white fish was. On top of the two fishes was uni and caviar. It was layered far too high to gather all of the ingredients, but even with those I did get in my first bite, my initial reaction was “train wreck.” It was extremely reminiscent of the sickly-sweet perfume I wore as a nine-year old. There were too many disparate flavors and the muddled, strident tones of the ingredients conflicted with each other. Served alongside was a tuille of parmesan cheese studded with sesame seeds, but the cracker was woefully stale. Thankfully, our order of individual glasses of champagne arrived to help cleanse the palate. The dish was piled so high as to be laughable with the ¼ teaspoon-sized utensils offered. I believe this was intended to be more along the lines of an amuse, but instead of amusing, I was aghast. I made a comment that I would not be remotely offended if we wanted to cut bait and leave, but we agreed to give them one more try. As we looked at each other in horror as the bread basket arrived. What looked to be potentially beautiful, crusty bread was in fact bread that had either been steamed or microwaved. I’m not sure this was the straw that broke our camel’s back, but it definitely showed an astonishing lack of professionalism on the part of the kitchen.
Our third course was a salad that was described as “Crab Ceasar.” The travesty which was offered was yet another multi-layered concoction of discordant components; intensely strong pesto underneath fried, greasy shoestring potatoes, under overly-dressed miso/Ceasar greens, under a salad of crab meat which was gloppy in its mayonnaise-based dressing, which was under some shredded vegetable of indeterminate origin. Yes, you read corrently: Three different dressings in one “salad,” none of which were balanced or remotely appetizing. And to have all three composed in one dish was atrocious. It was here that we started calling for servers to tell them to stop the meal. We were just on the border of the evening being early enough to salvage some potential dining time and we needed to make our escape soon if we were going to have an opportunity at another establishment.
Unfortunately, another course arrived. It was in an oddly useless piece of service ware; a deep, oblong bowl on top of which was a two-handled, ceramic “spoon” which kept it from lying flat on its own. In the bowl itself was crab ravioli garnished with two over-cooked, ruby prawns. The ravioli dough was gummy and the sauce akin to Chef Boyardee. In the spoon-like attachment were two prosciutto-wrapped cherry tomatoes. For whatever reason, they call this “prosciutto maki” and garnished it again with the horrendous pesto.
The manager had arrived as my companion explained that the meal was just not working for us. I was reaching for my purse to escape, when the manager begged the indulgence of continuing the meal. I will grant that the restaurant is new and that it takes some time to iron out problems, but with the short time I have to visit, I was in no mood to be anyone’s guinea pig. To his credit, the manager pleaded for a return visit and while it seems obvious the chef has had some formal training, he seems to be one that is newly graduated from cooking school with the idea that good food must be a complicated mélange of flavors, but it seems shockingly evident that the chef has little experience with taste components or flavor matching.
Looking at their website, the mystery continues in presenting themselves as offering “French-Japanese inspired cuisine featuring European culinary traditions and ingredients indigenous to Japan.” I was unaware that pesto and fried shoestring potatoes were indigenous to Japan. Their website promotes “a distinctive wine list highlighting petite vineyards.” When was Beringer’s White Zinfandel’s vineyards ever considered petite? Well, they didn’t mislead in one regard; they state that their “goal is provide all the necessary elements that will result in an unforgettable dining experience, creating memories that will last a lifetime.” Man, there is no chance of me EVER forgetting this dining experience. I wish I could.
Pictures on the blog (if you dare look….)
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Anyone reviews of the Incanto, Iron Chef - Battle: Offal menu?
Yes, I did: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/574848
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Visiting SF in July: Recommendations?
Totally concur, TVHam. Besides Aziza, Dosa is one of the few restaurants that I never both order wine. Mostly because the cocktails are so much better. But you'd think that Dosa would be able to hit the ball out of the park on the desserts front...
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Visiting SF in July: Recommendations?
Sunday brunch:
Canteen
Foreign Cinema
SPQR
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Ubuntu 2009 Spring Report
There were three in the party and I specifically pre-ordered a tasting menu (which I believe is going to be a thing that is going to be more prevalent in the future). About $100 a person.
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Ubuntu 2009 Spring Report
That's it. For me, there is no restaurant that continues to thrill and excite me the way Ubuntu does. It has become a religious experience and after a 4 1/2 hour lunch on Sunday, I feel as though I am worshipping at the Temple of Vegetables with High Priest Jeremy presiding over the liturgy. U.E. and A Life Worth Eating and I drove up yesterday, having specifically requested a tasting menu before our arrival. You'll be able to see U.E.'s pictures later, but here is the recap (those items in caps are from Ubuntu's own biodynamic garden).
Amuse - Vellutata Selvaggio, enriched with NETTLE - BORAGE condimento, foraged SORRELS, BLOSSOMS, etc... - stunningly composed soup spoon bite of creaminess goodness with a bit of crunch and the tease of the garden goodness we were about to explore.
1. Spring BRASSICAS and mushrooms a la grecque - LION'S RUN "bordelaise," BORDEAUX SPINACH, preserved lemon. The preserved lemon was barely detectable, but if that was the only complaint, than big deal. The bordeaux spinach was intense and paired well with the spicy brassicas.
2. 2x-shucked peas and GOLDEN SHOOTS in a consommé of the shells - white chocolate, 'CHOCOLATE' MINT, macadamia, PURPLE PEAS in the pod. This dish has changed a bit since I had it a year ago. Now with the consommé added tableside, there is a bit less of the clear broth to drench the fresh peas. Still studded with bits of chocolate and macadamias, the joy of this dish is that the specks of white chocolate melt in the back of your throat and provide a sense of creaminess without an overt chocolate flavor. Brilliant.
3. Seven degrees of 'FORONO' BEETS - hazelnut "soil," avocado, FICOIDE GLACIALE, rhubarb pickle. There is an cylinder of "tartare-looking" beets topped with what looks like a quail egg, but it isn't. And then there are quenelles and a dark gritty "soil." It is all so unctuous and rich and engaging.
4. Carta da Musica, our crisp Sardinian flatbread - topped with Ubuntu SPRING GARDEN, truffled pecorino. A standard dish, a beautiful hunk of paper-thin flatbread topped with all the colorful, bounty from the garden and long shavings of the pecorino, the truffled flavor from which gives a second layer of earthiness to the beautiful vegetables.
5. 'PURPLE HAZE' CARROT crudité with mimolette - spiced "crumble" of dried carrot pulp, peppery NASTURTIUM salad. A long log of orange carrot, topped with the beautiful Purple Haze carrots and bits of mimolette. The bit of heat from the nasturtium flowers gave a pleasant bite of heat which contrasted nicely with the sweet, sweet carrots.
6. 'REDHEAD' RADISH stew, roasted & raw - LEMONGRASS & creme fraiche broth, SOI RABE, sweet HERBS. Our first hot dish of the day and our second dish with a table-side pour of a broth. I thought the broth was based on coconut milk, but it was pure creme fraiche and the lemongrass which threw me. So intensely rich, the juxtaposition of the cooked and raw radishes not only provided complementary mouth feels, but showed just how varied the vegetable can taste in its different cooked forms.
7. A Savory expression of 'ORION' FENNEL scented with our vadouvan, 'DELFINO' CILANTRO, local citrus. Quite possibly my dish of the day. I am SUCH a fennel fan that to have it accentuated with their delicate vadouvan made for
8. Cauliflower in a cast iron pot - roast-purée-raw, our vadouvan, 'DELFINO' CILANTRO, brown butter toast. We asked to have this added as cauliflower is U.E.'s favorite vegetable. It was similar enough in taste to the fennel, but still well-loved and welcomed.
9. Arbuckle grits, our goat ricotta and the whey, "Midnight Moon" - Napa strawberry soffrito, FRAISE DE BOIS, assorted BASILS. First, we were happy to see that this was made with something other than Anson Mills grits. Not that Anson mills is bad, but Chef Jeremy told us that Arbuckle is being locally sourced (less of a carbon footprint) and ground to their specifications. Sitting on top of the bowl were beautiful little miniature fraise de bois but it was really when you scooped through to the bottom to pick up some of the strawberry soffrito did the richness of the creamy grits and cheese make one's head spin.
10. Strawberry Pizza "Margherita" - Napa strawberry soffrito, burrata, assorted BASILS, saba. A Life Worth Eating insisted on adding this in our tasting and we all wanted to taste the burrata. It had enough cheese and soffrito to be similar enough to the grits course, but it was still well-enjoyed and made me appreciate what a really good pizza could be.
11. A sweet expression of 'ORION' FENNEL - the garden's first 2009 HONEY, yogurt whipped with MEYER LEMON. Now I'm hard pressed to decide which fennel offering I liked more, the sweet or the savory. The shade of anise that exists in the fennel seemed more concentrated in the sweet version, but I have a feeling that it was because it was more on its own versus being accompanied by the vadouvan.
12. the SPRING FLOWER POT - LAVENDER custard, bee pollen crumble, rhubarb. A lovely version of Deanie's cheesecake -- instead of being served in a Mason jar, it arrives in a terra cotta flower pot and topped with fresh flowers. So amazingly beautiful and tasty.
The service continues to excel but what cannot be described and only seen in person is just how stunningly beautiful each dish is; in color and composition. Take a look at Ulterior Epicure's FLICKR account later as he is the one who took pictures. But I am thoroughly convinced that if I had only one restaurant to choose from for a last meal, this would be it.
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Visiting SF in July: Recommendations?
Actually, the Indian food on Pioneer in Artesia or in Northridge is way better than what you will find up here. I lived in L.A. for 18 years and always hit the Indian restaurants in SoCal when I return. Also, I see no reason to go to La Taqueria as you have way better Mexican in SoCal as well.
My recommendation would be Aziza -- there is nothing like it anywhere else; upscale Moroccan that is NOTHING like the Marrakesh chain you might be thinking of.
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Coi
Which is what I said in the beginning; I believe they were "a trick" to add texture and little flavor. I don't think it succeeded because I believe the Chef intended for them to add flavor and because of the mis-intentions by freezing the peas, the dish did not succeed on that level. Why have frozen peas AND frozen buttermilk? You don't need that many frozen elements in a soup. The peas were fresh enough to offer the "pop" which was probably desired. But freezing them ruined that intention.
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Coi
Adult food should also not contain useless ingredients. Why put in something that does not add flavor? It added texture but nothing else -- and why put something in that detracts?
Dined at Ubuntu yesterday and had my third pea soup in three days. Suffice to say that Patterson's was my least favorite, in taste, texture, and finesse. Jeremy Fox's Pea Consomme with macadamia nuts and white chocolate blew every other one out of the water. But between the two purée-based pea soups, I would still take Murray Circle's version over Coi's.
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S.P.Q.R.
I forgot a service snafu -- We had to ask for the bill after we had been sitting for some time (ten minutes or so?). As we were perusing the numbers and putting in our cash, the waitress dashed over with a second bill; seems she had forgotten to charge us for my latté. Just seem like bad for to me. Your guests HAVE the bill and are obviously ready to pay. Once the mistake is realized, swallow the extra $2.50 instead of interrupting and drawing attention to the fact that a mere cup of coffee hasn't been included.
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What is the most unusual, but tasty, sandwich you make or have made?
Duck confit with caramelized onions and Mutard de Violet on crunchy bagette....
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decorative oil bottle... ?
Have you checked eBay? I see almost a dozen different Eiffel Tower bottles on there right now of different sizes, etc...
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Coi
Because liquid portion of the pea soup was not just peas -- it had other ingredients. If it were 100% pea puree, that would be one thing about offering forth that flavor. I found the frozen peas a distraction more than a flavor component since I believe a frozen vegetable has less flavor. I do not think it added anything to the dish other than a textural trick.
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Coi
What I haven't gotten around to writing up is the lunch I ate the following day at Murray Circle which ALSO served a pea soup... It is the Murray Circle soup that I liked better which is probably why I sort of forgot about the Coi version. The Murray Circle soup also had a citrus ice, but tasted significantly brighter and more enticing.
Then there was the Pea Consommé I had at Ubuntu today.... <sigh> I'll write that one up in a bit!
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Coi
Dinner on Thursday night -- my first visit in some time and my first since Michael Bauer gave Patterson four stars, so I was curious if it had changed much since my initial visit. Of the four of us dining, two of us had the wine pairings, but we all shared.
Amuse. Milk & Honey. A mouthful of concentrated milk flavor and honey flavors. Lovely.
1. Pink Grapefruit. This is the opening dish, served with the essential oil and paired with the Coi Cocktail. No change and still a nice palate cleanser for what is to come.
2. Earth and Sea. New harvest potatoes, cucumber, borage, sea beans, ice plant flowers. Served with [i]Domaine de la Fruitiere Muscadet, France 2006[/i]. An interesting dish which was colored with squid ink. Creamy potatoes and grassy greens were brightened with the ice plant. Fabulous wine, but I'm not sure it did anything for the dish.
3. Inverted Andante Dairy Goat Cheese Start with black olive, vadouvan, preserved lemon, and wild arugula. Served with [i]Gutzler Blac de Noir, Germany 2008[/i]. This was a beautifully-prepared dish and exciting to eat. The vadouvan was barely detectable as the goat cheese predominated in flavors. Creamy and well-complemented with the tang of the preserved lemon, the paper-think black olive start provided an exciting crunch. The wine pairing was too strident to work well with the goat cheese.
4. Winter Into Spring. Chilled English pea soup with buttermilk snow and mint. Pired with [i]Ostatu Rioja Blanco, Spin, 2007[/i]. Heralding spring, what could be better than a bright green, clean pea soup? The soup itself was delightful but it was studded with almost frozen fresh peas. I thought it distracting and masking the flavor of the peas. They did "pop" in the mouth, which I imagine is what Chef Patterson was striving for, but I think it shut down the flavor of the peas. The buttermilk snow added a nice tang and was light enough to not fight the creaminess of the soup.
5. Fried Chicken Consommé. With artichokes, fava beans, radish, and green garlic. Paired with Coenobium Blanco, Italy, 2007. This was a very odd dish; four round fried "fritters" which I can only assume was aspic. Breaking one open, I half expected it to be liquid on the inside, but it was not. Not a very memorable dish for me and the wine pairing made the entire dish taste a lot more earthy than I believe was intended.
Intercourse - Tofu Mousseline with Mushroom dashi, yuba, kelp, pickled daikon, and ginger. Paired with [i]Hitachino Nest White Ale[/i]. The last time I had Chef Patterson's yuba, I was not that thrilled as it was a bit too thick and gummy. He has certainly got it down significantly better, but I found the dish a bit overall too salty. There was barely any detectable ginger and I never did find any tofu mousseline. The pairing was spot on and made me chuckle a bit; the only other time I've had this ale was at a pairing at Bin 8945, by David Haskell.
6. Sautéed Monterey Bay Abalone. With Escarole, caper berry-sea lettuce vinaigrette. Paired with [i]Domaine Tariquet, France 2007[/i]. My dining companions made a point of saying that Chef Patterson Twittered about getting the abalone that day so they were excited about the dish. I found it intensely mediocre; chewy and unbalanced, it tasted incredibly salty and almost unfresh in its overt "bottom-of-the-ocean" flavor.
7. Morels with burnt rice, ash, smoke, and pine. Paired with [i]Louis Latour Marsannay, France 2006[/i]. I was most excited by this dish as I am quite the mushroom fan. And, sadly, it was the most disappointing dish of the evening (with the abalone a close second). In an opportunity to showcase morels in their whole, glorious state, they were chopped up in to small bits. The rest of the ingredients provided no color so the dish was muddy looking. The texture was pasty and many at the table indicated that the dish was too reminiscent of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup -- thick and gloppy. Great wine though!
8. Marin Sun Farms Goat in Different Forms with sprouted seeds, nuts, beans, and wheatgrass. Paired with [i]Chateau Rayas 'La Pialade' France, 2005[/i]. Very well executed protein; rare and tender, showcasing the gamy quality of the goat. Quite frankly, though, I'm not sure how preparing the meat four different ways really showed off Chef Patterson's talent or the ingredient, as they were all piled together on the plate. We had no way of knowing which piece was prepared in which fashion.
9. Comte (Marcel Petite) with spring lettuces.
10. Olive Oil Shortcake with strawberry rhubarb, lemon balm, and long pepper, paired with [i]Elvio Tintero Moscato d'Asti Sori Gramella[/i], Italy, 2008. I could eat TONS of this cake. Moist, light and delightful.
11. White Chocolate, semi-frozen with Brooks cherry, lime, and thyme. Paired with [i]Mas Amiel, France, 2006[/i]. I would like to think that even those who are not white chocolate fans would appreciate this dish. Creamy and rich without being too cloying, it lied on a bed of "crumbles" which were mostly indeterminable, but added a nice crunch. The wine pairing worked with the cherry elements in the dessert.
Vanilla Milkshake -- I guess this has replaced the much-loved warm malt drink. The new offering is topped with olive oil which made for a very bright mouthfeel.
Petit Fours - Chocolate truffles with finely ground cookie crust. I could eat these all day.
Now, reflecting on this meal a few days later, I am more unimpressed than impressed. It is the mediocrity of the abalone and the morels that I am remembering more than the successes (which, quite frankly, were the desserts). By and large the meal was too heavily salted and a bit ponderous in its seriousness. There seemed no attempt at levity in the intent of showcasing fresh, raw ingredients; uncooked items were mere garnishes or -- in the case of the peas -- frozen as a "trick." Too many bells and whistles without letting the ingredients speak for themselves.
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S.P.Q.R.
10+ course lunch there yesterday with Ulterior Epicure and A Life Worth Eating -- I'm hoping they will chime in on all the courses, but this is just a quick recap:
1. Beat salad with fresh ricotta. Damn fine fresh ricotta.
2. Fried brussels sprouts. They are still over-salting this dish.
3. Tuna conserva, puntarelle, garlic, anchovy and mojama; they have added garbanzo beans to this dish and I seem to prefer it the older way it was presented.
4. Beef tongue with pickled horseradish crema. Fabulously tender and rich.
5. Zuppa with porcini mushroom bread dumplings, chives, and pecorino. WAY too salty. Inedibly so for me.
6. Bay scallops with agreeti, preserved lemon and chilies. Couldn't taste the chilies, but I didn't care. Perfectly prepared morsels of goodnes.
7. Sweet potatoes with pancetta, fried chilies, and pecorino. Easily my favorite dish of the day (well, 'cept maybe dessert).
8. Tripe with fennel, chilies, pickled onions, mint and parsley. I could taste these chilies -- almost too spicy for me.
9. Jones Farm rabbit with frisée, carrots, pancetta and mustard. Still a great dish.
10. Ricotta fritters with orange marmalade and crema fresca. OH.MY.GOD. 'Nuff said.
We were seated early and tended to well in the beginning, but as the restaurant filled up, there were LONG spans of abandonment which was surprising considering there were people waiting for tables. If you have customers waiting, it would seem to me you want to get the tables turned. The busboy was amazing though. He must have filled my water a dozen times and was on top of cleaning our table and getting left-overs boxed.
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Cab lovers trip to Napa/Sonoma
I don't understand why you are driving from St. Helena to Sonoma to eat at El Dorado Kitchen when you will be in Glen Ellen for two days after that (which is closer to El Dorado anyway). From St. Helena, you are looking at an hour drive to Sonoma and from Glen Ellen, you would have a 20-minute drive.
There are more amazing restaurants on the Napa side of the valley that would warrant staying (Ubuntu, Terra, Martini House...), than making the drive to Sonoma for El Dorado. Especially if you are doing the Pride tasting the same day. That is a LOT of driving for food that frankly isn't that great.
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Destino
Because of a recent promotion, I got a WHOLE BUNCH of discounted coupons from Restaurant.com (something like $250 worth of coupons for less than $30). Tonight was the beginning of the coupon adventure with food-buddy, Lisa.
We started with a cocktail at Pisco, the neighboring bar, as Destino was not quite ready to open. I had a lovely "Pisco Cosmo" which was very bright and tangy and Lisa had a classic Pisco Sour which could now be one of my favorite drinks.
While we were pondering the menu, we were given an amuse of a sliced, fried plantain served with a green parsley sauce. I could have eaten a dozen of these easily and both Lisa and I were dipping our fingers in the green sauce.
We ordered four small plates to share: a salad of Mexican papaya, greens, toasted pumpkin seeds, and hearts of palm, skewers of beef heart, a chicken empanada served with queso fresco and Andean black mint, and a ceviche of yellowtail tuna, ginger, sesame oil, and Fresno chiles.
Of the four dishes, the salata and the ceviche were easily far superior. The salad was fresh and points were given for not being over-dressed. The ceviche had large chunks of fish (I hate it when its almost ground) and was also not overdressed but quite rich and well-balanced.
The other two dishes were more wanting; the empanada's dough should have been brushed with egg before baking and it was a fairly chewy dough. It was served with a very spicy, yellow chili sauce and we were both pleased that we had kept the green sauce from the amuse to moisten it up. Made me miss the empanadas from Empanadas Place in Los Angeles. The beef heart skewers were well-seasoned, but sadly overcooked to the point of being very tough and chewy.
Huge points are given for the great service. After our cocktails, we sat down and ordered Sangria. Being slightly undecided, the waiter suggested one each of the white and red and when we found them too sweet for our tastes, the bartender very graciously took them away and discussed other cocktail options for us. Secondary cocktails that we shared was a Pisco-based Mojito and a Caipairinha, made with a most interestingly smoky Cachaca.
We were debating a dessert and knew of the fame of the Alfajores cookies. On the Destino menu, they only list the cookies by the dozen but the bar, Pisco, has them individually. When asked about dessert choices, we indicated we would go back to the bar for a cookie, our waiter offered us several small dulce de leche caramel-filledcookies which was the perfect ending.
Based on other dishes I saw being served and the attentive service, I would definitely return to try other dishes.
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Where to get good, fresh uni?
Always available at Nijiya Market in Japantown.
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Manresa questions, mainly logistical
I'd stay away from the tasting menu -- it generally runs 4 to 6 hours...
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NY hound in SF for 1 night only - HELP
Aziza. Haute Moroccan. There is nothing like it anywhere else in the country and the chef is impressing so many that he was offered a show by the Food Network but has accepted doing a show for PBS instead.
When I have friends visiting from other cities, Aziza is consistently my go-to restaurant and never fails to impress.
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Mother's Cookies abruptly shut down
Thanks for the link. I am so happy!
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Where to eat rabbit?
I had rabbit twice last week; once at Aziza and another time at SPQR.
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Low key rehearsal dinner in Napa
Check out Zins Valley - they have a private room that can accommodate up to 40 and they are one of the best hidden treats in the valley.
http://www.zinsvalley.com/
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Koo Sushi - what took me so long???
It has taken living in the city for three years to beat it into me that I have to get out of my comfortable neighborhoods. I had yet to eat at ANY restaurants in Inner Sunset and I have my eating buddy, Lisa, to thank for bringing me here. Apparently it helps to know the chef or at least insist at sitting at the bar to ask what is special and fresh.
We started with the ubiquitous "Spoonfuls of Happiness" - two soup spoons, one filled with a tai-wrapped smoked ankimo dressed with a bit of truffle oil and tobiko, the other a preparation of uni with quail egg and house-made ponzu sauce. The spoonfuls are served with a specialty sake and being an ankimo fan, I thought I would prefer that bite, but the freshness of the uni and the subtlety of the ponzu made the uni the preferred bite.
Not wanting to get full on rice, we specifically requested sashimi -- with two slices each of maguro, tai aka, sake, hamachi, and and kanpachi. Note that the fresh, real wasabi is certainly a treat.
Indicating we were definitely interested in "unusual" offerings, the chef made us a salad of light mizuna greens, thinly sliced cucumber, and baby raw whole shrimp and squid. I don't recall ever having been served whole squid the size of my thumb. Incredibly tender and lightly dressed, this was an amazing offering.
As my client requested salmon, a special offering of crudo was presented -- thinly sliced white salmon, so tender and bright.
There was also an unagi course, but I'm not remembering exactly how it was offered.
We finished up with my one request of the evening; ama-ebi, as my good friend, Lance (visiting from London), had never had a fried shrimp head before. Perfectly fresh sweet shrimp and the fried heads were light and crunchy. Just perfect.
I brought a potential client and I'm sure we must have been given some deals as we drank a lot of sake, ate a lot of sushi, and the tab was only $300 for four.
