Saturday, September 24, 2005
Dinner at Home
Jerked Pork (using our roadside Jamaican jerk sauce, of course) and steamed bok choy with ponzu drizzled over the top.
Snack at IKEA, Emeryville, CA
Though we prefer the swedish meatballs the cafeteria was a shitshow during lunch so we made due with the hotdogs.
Hot dog (duh) $0.50 each
Hot dog (duh) $0.50 each
This is no CostCo hotdog, not even in the same league. It's what you can expect for 4 bits, I guess.
Breakfast at Home
I just finished off the salmon salad before heading out to do errands.
Friday, September 23, 2005
Dinner at the Dining Room at Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, CA
Chef Ron Siegel has always been one of my favorite chefs, ever since I first eaten at Masa's, so I was eagerly awaiting eating at the Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton. As usual I put myself into his capable hands and ordered the nine course Chef's Tasting Menu for $115. Since there were two of us, with the extra cheese plate, and four intermezzo's it came out to 22 amazing looking and tasting dishes. It's hard to come up with superlative after superlative, but let's give it a try:
Chilled Watermelon Soup with Basil foam
We were greeted with this great palate cleanser, the watermelon was very muted, not as sweet as expected, and did not take over the palate. Very refreshing.
Sea Urchin Panna Cotta with Lobster and Vanilla Scented Oil
I was so eager to rip into this, that I couldn't take a good picture. The sea urchin panna cotta was very evocative of the ocean and was the perfect complement of the lobster.
Chilled Corn Soup with Cavier
Ron Siegal does wonders with corn soup. I had a variant of this one at Masa's and both were just delightful.
Foie Gras Ravioli with Mushroom Broth and Uzaki (???) Sorbet--Actually, this was probably the worst dish of all. Although, oddly, it was the sorbet that held it together.
Squid Sashimi served with jellies of light ponzu, dark ponzu and wasabi
Shrimp sashimi with fresh wasabi
Having never had real freshly grated wasabi, this was a real treat. I'm not sure how I'm going back to the fake stuff.
Powdered seal salt, salt with shesell (?) powder and lemon juice, for dipping the shrimp heads.
Seared Salmon (inside medium rare) covered in coconut sauce. The coconut sauce was poured directly over the fish in front of us. This was easily the best dish (for Alexis), despite its simple ingredients.
Seared bass with caviar, clams and peas in a clam reduction in fused with lemon. Outshined by the salmon, but good in its own right.
After eating the seared salmon, the waiter lifted the inner dish to reveal the surprise within: a salmon ravioli, braised leeks and comato confit, smothered in the same coconut sauce. Not as good as the salmon itself, but still pretty tasty.
Lobster in clarified butter, pork belly and chantarelles. The pork belly and mushroom flavors dominated the lobster, but it was still good.
Seared Foie Gras with pickled huckberries with a brioche crouton. Sweet, sour, fatty goodness.
Squab with squab liver mousse and corn pudding.
Ribeye with marrow tempura, beans and short ribs. Meaty and good.
Veal with crispy sweatbreads on a squash risotto finished with bolivian rock salt. Light in flavor, but full of it.
Strawberry sorbet with fresh fig.
Grape sorbet with grape slices. Better than grape soda or a grape popsicle.
Ginger cake with braised pear and pinot sorbet. Refreshing.
Chocolate mousse with a chocolate etoile and vanilla ice cream.
Finally, the cheese plate...I can't remember it all but there was a nice, creamy goat called "Goat's leap", a camembert, a cow's milk with cheddar and a great stilton.
Ratings:
Food: 3
Decor: 1
Service: 3
Website
Health Code Violations (or this, I'm not sure what it's called officially)
Chilled Watermelon Soup with Basil foam
We were greeted with this great palate cleanser, the watermelon was very muted, not as sweet as expected, and did not take over the palate. Very refreshing.
Sea Urchin Panna Cotta with Lobster and Vanilla Scented Oil
I was so eager to rip into this, that I couldn't take a good picture. The sea urchin panna cotta was very evocative of the ocean and was the perfect complement of the lobster.
Kanpachi Sashimi with Dried Beet and Iranian Cavier with Beet Reduction
The slick texture of the fish might turn off some, but for me this was just amazing.
The slick texture of the fish might turn off some, but for me this was just amazing.
Chilled Corn Soup with Cavier
Ron Siegal does wonders with corn soup. I had a variant of this one at Masa's and both were just delightful.
Foie Gras Ravioli with Mushroom Broth and Uzaki (???) Sorbet--Actually, this was probably the worst dish of all. Although, oddly, it was the sorbet that held it together.
Squid Sashimi served with jellies of light ponzu, dark ponzu and wasabi
Shrimp sashimi with fresh wasabi
Having never had real freshly grated wasabi, this was a real treat. I'm not sure how I'm going back to the fake stuff.
Deep Fried Shrimp Heads
Powdered seal salt, salt with shesell (?) powder and lemon juice, for dipping the shrimp heads.
Seared Salmon (inside medium rare) covered in coconut sauce. The coconut sauce was poured directly over the fish in front of us. This was easily the best dish (for Alexis), despite its simple ingredients.
Seared bass with caviar, clams and peas in a clam reduction in fused with lemon. Outshined by the salmon, but good in its own right.
After eating the seared salmon, the waiter lifted the inner dish to reveal the surprise within: a salmon ravioli, braised leeks and comato confit, smothered in the same coconut sauce. Not as good as the salmon itself, but still pretty tasty.
Lobster in clarified butter, pork belly and chantarelles. The pork belly and mushroom flavors dominated the lobster, but it was still good.
Lobster in clarified butter with hearts of palm and tomatos. Very nicely flavored.
Foie Gras torchon with fig jam, pinot jelly and candied walnut salad.
Seared Foie Gras with pickled huckberries with a brioche crouton. Sweet, sour, fatty goodness.
Paillard with bok choy in a duck consomme. Tender and tasty.
Squab with squab liver mousse and corn pudding.
Ribeye with marrow tempura, beans and short ribs. Meaty and good.
Veal with crispy sweatbreads on a squash risotto finished with bolivian rock salt. Light in flavor, but full of it.
Strawberry sorbet with fresh fig.
Grape sorbet with grape slices. Better than grape soda or a grape popsicle.
Ginger cake with braised pear and pinot sorbet. Refreshing.
Chocolate mousse with a chocolate etoile and vanilla ice cream.
Finally, the cheese plate...I can't remember it all but there was a nice, creamy goat called "Goat's leap", a camembert, a cow's milk with cheddar and a great stilton.
Ratings:
Food: 3
Decor: 1
Service: 3
Website
Health Code Violations (or this, I'm not sure what it's called officially)
Lunch at Work
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Dinner at Dragon Well, San Francisco, CA
Dragon Well promises healthier Chinese fare, with fresh ingredients and without all the grease. It delivers on that promise, though with a little white-washing of the 'heat' and smaller portions than you would get at Chinatown. The tastefully, Chinese themed decor is ruined by a unfortunately placed waiter station in the front of the resturant. The wait staff was efficient and easily able to accomodate our time restraints.
Hot and Sour Soup - $4 (both)
Not as gelatinous as most hot and sour soup (good news) but not as "hot" as most hot and sour soup (bad news).
Not as gelatinous as most hot and sour soup (good news) but not as "hot" as most hot and sour soup (bad news).
Sea Bass - $11 (Giao)
Nicely flavored, if a bit small in portion. The baby bok choy was steamed perfectly.
Nicely flavored, if a bit small in portion. The baby bok choy was steamed perfectly.
Dragon Beef - $9 (Alexis)
This satisfying dish was a spicy combo of sauteed beef, pressed tofu, garlic, chilis and chives. Oddly, the beef was more tender than the tofu, but that was a nice surprise.
Ratings:This satisfying dish was a spicy combo of sauteed beef, pressed tofu, garlic, chilis and chives. Oddly, the beef was more tender than the tofu, but that was a nice surprise.
Food: 1
Decor: 1
Service: 2
Website
Health Code Violations
Lunch at Work
Mish-mash mode. Egg salad and the stir fry from last night.
Breakfast at Home
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Dinner at Home
Stir fry with homemade turkey meatballs, tofu, snow peas, garlic, chives, enoki mushrooms and oyster mushrooms.
Lunch at Work
Mish-mash left overs. Broth from dinner last night and egg salad.
Breakfast at Home
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Dinner at Home
Oyster Mushrooms, Broccoli and Tofu Noodles. The tofu noodles were an experiment and not a bad approximation of noodles. They were more tender the longer they were boiled, despite the fact that they absorbed no water.
Shrimp and Steak
The whole spread for the Hot Pot that was tonight's dinner. Sauces included: wasabi mayo, tartar, sesame-chili-soy, rooster sauce, worcestershire sauce, and horseradish.
Lunch at Il Fornaio, San Francisco, CA
A higher end chain, Il Fornaio offers good Italian food at reasonable prices. The San Francisco location features a nice open kitchen where you can spy the busy cooking staff making ravioli and rolling pasta.
Burricotta con Prosciutto $7 (Giao)
That's a ricotta stuffed mozzarella ball, not a scoop of ice cream. With Arugula and proscuitto, dish was delicate, yet flavorful.
Carpaccio Tradizionale $9 (Alexis)
Shaved raw beef with arugula, capers, shaved parmasean and a spritz of lemon. Yum.
Grigliata Costa Smeralda $13 (Giao)
Sauteed spinach with an assorment of seafood (shrimp, scallops, squid). Good but not special.
Tonno con Cesarina $14 (Alexis)
This traditional caesar salad with shaved (rather than grated) parmasean was quite good. The seared tuna was fresh and tasty, but could ahve been drenched in more of the lemony sauce.
Burricotta con Prosciutto $7 (Giao)That's a ricotta stuffed mozzarella ball, not a scoop of ice cream. With Arugula and proscuitto, dish was delicate, yet flavorful.
Carpaccio Tradizionale $9 (Alexis)
Shaved raw beef with arugula, capers, shaved parmasean and a spritz of lemon. Yum.
Grigliata Costa Smeralda $13 (Giao)
Sauteed spinach with an assorment of seafood (shrimp, scallops, squid). Good but not special.
Tonno con Cesarina $14 (Alexis)
This traditional caesar salad with shaved (rather than grated) parmasean was quite good. The seared tuna was fresh and tasty, but could ahve been drenched in more of the lemony sauce.
Service Notes:
The waiter was adequate, if a bit brisk. They failed to fill up Alexis' water on several occasions, but to be fair she was the only one drinking tap water with the other seven of us drinking bottled. The waiter also had a cheat-sheet for the specials--not that this is supremely important, but it's nice to have a waiter who can memorize...
Ratings:
Food: 2
Service: 1
Decor: 2
Health Code Violations
Website
The waiter was adequate, if a bit brisk. They failed to fill up Alexis' water on several occasions, but to be fair she was the only one drinking tap water with the other seven of us drinking bottled. The waiter also had a cheat-sheet for the specials--not that this is supremely important, but it's nice to have a waiter who can memorize...
Ratings:
Food: 2
Service: 1
Decor: 2
Health Code Violations
Website
Breakfast at Home
Monday, September 19, 2005
Dinner at Home
Mixed Green Salad with a Vinagrette and Jamaican Inspired Baked Creamy Tilapia--Fish was baked in a sauce of sauteed bell peppers, onions, garlic, lemon juice, mayo and queso fresco, topped with fresh chopped cilantro.
Lunch at Work
Leftovers from last night and the party along with some egg salad.
Breakfast at Home
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Dinner at Home
We finally broke out the roadside jerk sauce that we acquired in a shady culinary deal involving three parties (a driver we had hired for the day, a cook who refused to talk to us, and us) while in Jamaica.
Jerk chicken and leftover green beans sauteed in garlic. The Jerk was a little spicy for my taste, but still good.
Lunch at Tony's House, San Mateo, CA
At Tony's this week we decided to grill. Alexis prepared some korean-inspired short ribs, while Tony deep fried some wings.
Deep fried chicken wings with buffalo wing sauce
Deep fried chicken wings with buffalo wing sauce
Short ribs marinated in soy sauce, garlic, ginger, rice vinegar, black pepper and Splenda. Then Barbequed.
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