Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Dinner at Plumpjack Cafe, San Francisco, CA
Plumpjack Cafe has been on our list of restaurants to try since they got their new chef, James Syhabout, a 27 year old who has worked at Coi (our favorite restaurant so far this year) and El Bulli (where we've been trying to get a reservation for 2 years). The food was very good, although the service was spotty. The waiter mistook us for friends of the chef (we believe because Giao and the chef are similar in age and both Asian). In any case, before we could tell him that we were not, in fact, friends of the chef, we were offered a tasting menu that did not appear on the menu. We then told him about our non-friend status, but said we'd take the tasting menu anyway. After being served the tasting menu, which consisted entirely of normal sized portion dishes, we were quite certain that Plumpjack has no idea what a tasting menu is supposed to be. The food was great, but there was SO much of it. This restaurant definitely gets the back-for-your-buck award. The tasting menu was $90 per person, a steal for the amount of food we were served. The wine pairings (11 full sized pairings) was also a great deal at $40. In any case, we emerged from this meal stuffed to the gills and quite drunk, but, you know, in a good way.
Quince Smoothie
This was interesting in that it sparkled on your tongue, but all in all, it was a smoothie, albeit a very smooth one.
Foie Gras Nougatine on Quince Paste with Vanilla Salt
This was very interesting in flavor and had a nice crunch from the single hazelnut inside, although it was a bit too sweet. The finish was nice saltiness though.
Chilled Carrot Soup with Sea Beans, Edamame and Cherry Gelee
The soup itself was very smooth. The sea beans added a nice crunch and saltiness and the gelee complements the sweet tones in the soup. The edamame were superfluous and really didn't add much.
Blanched Asparagus with Ham Hock and Herbs Fine Paste and Mustard Oil
This dish was so simple and yet totally transcendant. The asparagus were the absolute perfect tenderness.
Tempered Foie Gras with Dates and Shaved Hazelnut
This dish was great because you usually only see two preparations of foie gras: torchon and seared. This one was cooked sous vide, then sauteed and served room temperature.
Sweetbreads with Curry Powder, Mustard Chlorophyll and Pomelo
We couldn't really tasty anything in the chlorophyll, but this dish was refreshing figuratively because you don't often see the use of curry in high-end (non-Indian) restaurants, and literally because the pomelo added a nice citrus kick.
Sea Bream with Baby Vegetables, Ver Jus and Seaweed
The fish has a nice crispy skin to contrast the tender veggies that tasted like the embodiment of Spring.
Stinging Nettle Risotto with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Yellowfoot Chantarelles and Parmasean
Very tasty. The rice had a perfect chew and the mushrooms added an earthiness that rounded out the dish.
Roasted Lamb Loin with Brussel Sprouts
This very straight forward dish was well executed and tasty, but what was amazing was that the lamb was not gamey at all.
Suckling Pig with Cabbage and Apples
This was actually the only stinker of the night. The flavor was nice, but the skin, which should have been crispy, was soft and stuck to our teeth, which was rather unpleasant.
Olive Oil and Pistachio Cake with Citrus Sorbet and Beet Soda
This was an inspired take on dessert, but it wasn't incredible. The beet soda was slightly sweet and very smooth, but the cake had a weird liquid center. The sorbet was, um, sorbet.
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Sour Cherried and Almond Sorbet
The sour cherries added a nice touch, since we are not that into super sweet desserts and the sorbet was delicious, but the cake itself was just ok.
Quince Smoothie
This was interesting in that it sparkled on your tongue, but all in all, it was a smoothie, albeit a very smooth one.
Foie Gras Nougatine on Quince Paste with Vanilla Salt
This was very interesting in flavor and had a nice crunch from the single hazelnut inside, although it was a bit too sweet. The finish was nice saltiness though.
Chilled Carrot Soup with Sea Beans, Edamame and Cherry Gelee
The soup itself was very smooth. The sea beans added a nice crunch and saltiness and the gelee complements the sweet tones in the soup. The edamame were superfluous and really didn't add much.
Blanched Asparagus with Ham Hock and Herbs Fine Paste and Mustard Oil
This dish was so simple and yet totally transcendant. The asparagus were the absolute perfect tenderness.
Tempered Foie Gras with Dates and Shaved Hazelnut
This dish was great because you usually only see two preparations of foie gras: torchon and seared. This one was cooked sous vide, then sauteed and served room temperature.
Sweetbreads with Curry Powder, Mustard Chlorophyll and Pomelo
We couldn't really tasty anything in the chlorophyll, but this dish was refreshing figuratively because you don't often see the use of curry in high-end (non-Indian) restaurants, and literally because the pomelo added a nice citrus kick.
Sea Bream with Baby Vegetables, Ver Jus and Seaweed
The fish has a nice crispy skin to contrast the tender veggies that tasted like the embodiment of Spring.
Stinging Nettle Risotto with Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Yellowfoot Chantarelles and Parmasean
Very tasty. The rice had a perfect chew and the mushrooms added an earthiness that rounded out the dish.
Roasted Lamb Loin with Brussel Sprouts
This very straight forward dish was well executed and tasty, but what was amazing was that the lamb was not gamey at all.
Suckling Pig with Cabbage and Apples
This was actually the only stinker of the night. The flavor was nice, but the skin, which should have been crispy, was soft and stuck to our teeth, which was rather unpleasant.
Olive Oil and Pistachio Cake with Citrus Sorbet and Beet Soda
This was an inspired take on dessert, but it wasn't incredible. The beet soda was slightly sweet and very smooth, but the cake had a weird liquid center. The sorbet was, um, sorbet.
Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Ganache, Sour Cherried and Almond Sorbet
The sour cherries added a nice touch, since we are not that into super sweet desserts and the sorbet was delicious, but the cake itself was just ok.
Labels: Decor: 1, Food: 2, nouveau American, restaurant, review, Service: 1
# posted by Giao and Alexis @ 7:17 PM 
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