See Us Eat: Dinner at Coi, San Francisco, CA

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Dinner at Coi, San Francisco, CA

For Giao's birthday we had dinner at Coi, a place that neither of us had been to. It is the new offering of D. Patterson of Frisson and Elizabeth Daniels. It was a great find. The food was truly amazing and the decor was cozy and chic at the same time. There were a few mis-steps with regards to service, but that shouldn't deter you from making a reservation. The food is worth it. The 11 course tasting menu was $105 per person, which was expensive for sure. But again, the food was sooo good. Back to the service: the waiters were friendly, but they made a few glaring mistakes. Firstly, they forgot to bring Giao's sparkling water and we had to ask again 10 minutes later. Then they accidentally poured some of Giao's sparkling water into Alexis' tap. This would have been fine had they simply replaced the glass, however, they laughed it off, didn't apologize and left the partially sparkling/partially tap water on the table for her to drink. For a restaurant this expensive, that error was unacceptable.

Porcini Gelee with Pickled Watermelon
The gelee was a bit too firm in texture, but the watermelon pickle was interesting, and the plating was beautiful.

Pink Grapefruit with Ginger, Tarragon and Black Pepper
This was served with a dot of the house scent (strange, yes) that you dab on your wrist and inhale as you eat. This dish was interesting: salty, sweet, sour and bitter all at once, but it was not particularly enjoyable.

Desietra Caviar with Sauteed Bone Marrow and Beet Puree
This was salty an sweet, surprisingly warm and contained the perfect interplay of crunchy and soft textures. Delicious.

Sea Bream Sashimi with White Soy, Yuzu and Chives
This was simple, elegant, incredibly fresh and oddly meaty. Very, very good.

Soft Cooked Egg Yolk, Bacon, Spicy Onion relish and Parmasean Foam
The best dish of the night and easily the best dish we've had so far this year. This dish was so amazing. It sounds simple, but the flavors were indescribably good. I don't know how they make a foam that is the pure essense of parmasean, but it was ethereal.

Turnip Apple Soup with Black Tea Gelee and Shiso
We could clearly taste the apple and turnip components of this very smooth soup. The tiny apple pieces added a nice crunch and burst of flavor.

Yuba (tofu skins) Pappardelle with Curry Coconut Milk Sauce
This was good, certainly, and an interesting use of tofu skins, but it wasn't particularly memorable.

Hokkaido Scallop in Mousseline with Butter Poached Oyster and Peppercress Sauce
The scallop was barely steamed and v ery tender and Alexis even liked the oyster. The sauce was subtle and lent itself well to the fish flavors.

Foie Gras Poached Squad with Endive, Hibiscus and Vanilla Sauce
There was no actual foie gras in this dish, and the strong flavors of the sauce sort of overpowered any trace of foie flavor, but this bold dish was bright and rich at the same time.

Venison Loin with Cabbage, Peppercorn Sauce and Mashed Potatos
The venison was very tender and the sauce and cabbage went nicely with the meat. It was very good, but not very innovative. The potatos, which were usually don't like, were certainly palatable.

Stilton Panna Cotta with Toasted Walnuts and Black Pepper Gastrique
This was a very inspired take on the cheese course. The texture was a bit off (a bit gritty) but the flavors were strong and delicious.

Blood Orange-Juniper Berry Soda
These sodas are usually too sweet, but this one was rustic and not artificially sweetened. It was also only slightl carbonated. It was a surprising pleasure to imbibe.

Warm Chocolate-Tea Brioche Pudding wth Pickled Mango and Coconut Ice Cream
This was truly a joy to eat. Giao has never eaten more than a bite or so of a dessert and he ate every bite of this one. The dessert was not too sweet and the pickled mango added a great texture and sourness to offset the sweetness. Wow.