Friday, September 29, 2006
Dinner at Sparrow, San Francisco, CA
We decided to try out Sparrow, a restaurant that was participating in Dine Out San Francisco this month. As per usual, we didn't end up going with the Dine Out menu, but we were pleasantly surprised with our overall meal. The menu offered several appetizers and entrees, a tasting menu and "Kaiseki" menu, in which you let the chef choose a variety of small plates to serve you based on your preferences and choice of wine. We chose the kaiseki menu ($80 per person) and chose a dry Reisling from Oregon, which was very good. Sparrow had a great wine list on the inexpensive side.
Homemade Focaccia
These seemed more like quickbreads than yeast breads, but they were pretty good. They could have been served warm though...
Poached Beet with Creme Fraiche and Roe on an Udon Cracker
Simple flavors and a nice texture profile.
Seared Ahi with Avocade and Pine Nuts in a Spicy Beet Sauce and Carrot Sauce
The sauces were pleasantly spicy (they weren't afraid) and had a hint of truffle oil. The ahi was very fresh and barely seared. Overal this dish was more than the sum of its parts.
Tempura of Himeji Mushroom with Saffron Risotto in a Truffle Ponzu Sauce
The tempura was great, the mushroom very meaty. Even Giao, who isn't a tempura fan, enjoyed this dish. The trouble with the risotto was that it contained so much citrus that we couldn't taste the saffrom or the truffle oil.
Butter Poached Lobster with Sturgeon Caviar and Udon with a Tomato and Tarrogon Compote
If the tomato tarragon compote had been left out, this dish would have been much better. The flavor of tarragon just didn't meld well with the other flavors and was totally unnecessary. The lobster was also not as tender as it could have been. The star of the dish was certainly the generous mound of caviar.
Watercress, Frisee and Watermelon Salad with Ginger Lime Vinagrette
This was good, but not special. Watermelon seems to be the IT ingredient this season, so what once was original is now a bit mundane.
Venison with Watercress Salad
This was amazing--the best venison we've ever had. It was as tender as any meat I've ever had. It was cooked perfectly and was very flavorful. The watercress was beside the point.
Sweetbreads with Cucumber Salad
We ordered these after the rest of the meal because they were on the menu and we had wanted to try them. The chef had good reason to leave them off our kaiseki menu, as they were nothing special at all. They were ok, but we've certainly had better.
Sesame Chocolate Truffles with Honey
These gratuit petit fours were quite delicious. The sesame was a nice twist to the standard truffle.
Flowering White Tea
This tea was quite beautiful, in addition to being tasty.
Ratings:
Food: 2
Decor: 1
Service: 2
Website
Health Code Violations
Homemade Focaccia
These seemed more like quickbreads than yeast breads, but they were pretty good. They could have been served warm though...
Poached Beet with Creme Fraiche and Roe on an Udon Cracker
Simple flavors and a nice texture profile.
Seared Ahi with Avocade and Pine Nuts in a Spicy Beet Sauce and Carrot Sauce
The sauces were pleasantly spicy (they weren't afraid) and had a hint of truffle oil. The ahi was very fresh and barely seared. Overal this dish was more than the sum of its parts.
Tempura of Himeji Mushroom with Saffron Risotto in a Truffle Ponzu Sauce
The tempura was great, the mushroom very meaty. Even Giao, who isn't a tempura fan, enjoyed this dish. The trouble with the risotto was that it contained so much citrus that we couldn't taste the saffrom or the truffle oil.
Butter Poached Lobster with Sturgeon Caviar and Udon with a Tomato and Tarrogon Compote
If the tomato tarragon compote had been left out, this dish would have been much better. The flavor of tarragon just didn't meld well with the other flavors and was totally unnecessary. The lobster was also not as tender as it could have been. The star of the dish was certainly the generous mound of caviar.
Watercress, Frisee and Watermelon Salad with Ginger Lime Vinagrette
This was good, but not special. Watermelon seems to be the IT ingredient this season, so what once was original is now a bit mundane.
Venison with Watercress Salad
This was amazing--the best venison we've ever had. It was as tender as any meat I've ever had. It was cooked perfectly and was very flavorful. The watercress was beside the point.
Sweetbreads with Cucumber Salad
We ordered these after the rest of the meal because they were on the menu and we had wanted to try them. The chef had good reason to leave them off our kaiseki menu, as they were nothing special at all. They were ok, but we've certainly had better.
Sesame Chocolate Truffles with Honey
These gratuit petit fours were quite delicious. The sesame was a nice twist to the standard truffle.
Flowering White Tea
This tea was quite beautiful, in addition to being tasty.
Ratings:
Food: 2
Decor: 1
Service: 2
Website
Health Code Violations
# posted by Giao and Alexis @ 7:44 PM 
Features:
Alexis' Cookbook
Our Favorite Kitchen Tools
More Useful Kitchen Tools
SeeUsEat 2006 Awards
Roti Round-Up
Burger Battle
Fried Chicken Challenge
Video: Chupaqueso
Video: Zuchinni Lasagna
Cuisine:
Austrian
Chinese
Cuban
Dim Sum
Ethiopian
French
German
Indian
Japanese
Mexican
Middle Eastern
Noveau American
Nueva Latino
Pub Food
Regional American
Singaporean
Spanish
Turkish
Ukrainian
Vietnamese
