Thursday, March 29, 2007
Dinner at Wine Enthusiast Magazine's Taste of the Town Event, San Francisco, CA
Giao found out about this great event hosted by Wine Enthusiast magazine. It was held in the Opera House and was 4 full floors of wine and food, which 500 wines and 30 restaurants. The ticket was a rather pricey $95, but we think we got our money's worth. Most of the food was amazing, the wine was plentiful and the event was just a lot of fun.
A little beef bite on a crispy cracker from Rivoli in Berkeley.
This was tasty, but not particularly memorable.
Shrimp and Grits from The General's Daughter in Solano, CA
The shrimp was overcooked, but the flavors were nice and the grits were creamy.
Some sort of sashimi bite from Fringale in San Francisco, CA
Fringale is one of our favorite places in the city, and they provided an out of character taste for us here. The chef also remembered that we sent him our SeeUsEat Award for 2006's Best Condiment.
Crab Cake
This was standard. Apparently we were more focused on the wine at this point than trying to note where the food was from.
Turtle Cheesecake Fudge
Very, very, sweet, but tasty if you eat a very small bite.
Lemon Verbena Chocolates from Recchiuti Confections in San Francisco
The lemon verbena was not very present on the palate, but the chocolates were very smooth.
Orange Creme Brulee from Etoile at Domaine Chandon in Yountville, CA
The brulee had an unpleasant chunky texture and was difficult to eat out of these soup spoons, but the pairing with the champagne was nice.
Preserves from June Taylor Jams in Berkeley, CA
These jams were complex in flavor, not too sweet and inspired in origin. The blood-orange marmalade was particularly noteworthy.
Campache Sashimi with Pomello, Peanut Brittle and Pickled Shitake from Postrio in San Francisco.
The odd addition of peanut brittle really made this dish into somethiing unexpected and truly delicious. The salty-sweet crunch was a perfect juxtaposition to the silky fish.
Duck Confit with Frisee and Rhubarb Gelee from Brix Restaurant in Napa, CA
This was ok, but the gelee, which seems to be so popular these days, was unnecessary.
Lamb Stew and Polenta from Bistro Don Giovanni, in Napa, CA
This was ok. A bit flavorless and there was no texture contrast, just mush.
Black Rice Crepes with Vietnamese Ham, Pickled Vegetables and Wasabi Mayo from Ana Mandara in San Francisco, CA
The black rice crepes were earthy in flavor and created a nice little package for the fillings.
Quail Egg, Pork Belly and Celery Root Puree from Pacific's Edge Restaurant in Carmel, CA
This was by far the best thing we had all night. It was perfect. Simple, beautifully plated and absolutely delicious. The pork belly was tender, the puree unbeleiveably creamy and the fried quail egg delicate. A wonderful play on "Bacon and Eggs".
Pork and Polenta from Joe DiMaggio's Italian Chophouse in San Francisco, CA
This was mediocre and not interesting at all.
Peanuts, Coconut, Red Onion and Tamarind in Spinach Leaves
This was an intersting little bite, bursting with flavor.
Fried Tofu and Chicken-Eggplant Curry with Rice Noodles
The curry was nicely spicy and quite tasty. The fried tofu was a little sweet, but had a nice texture.
Abalone Mushroom Ceviche on a Sesame Wonton with Avocado and Grapefruit Salad and Sea Vegetable Caviar from Millenium Restaurant in San Francisco, CA
This was citrusy and crunchy, and better than we expected vegetarian fare to be. Millennium is the only high-end vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco.
Yellowfin Tuna Tartare with Foie Gras, Meyer Lemon Confit and Black Truffle from Marinus Restaurant in Carmel Valley, CA
Giao liked this quite a bit, most likely because he LOVES foie gras. Alexis found the super-soft mono-texture to be a bit off-putting.
Savory Cream Puff and Avocado Chilled Soup
Giao liked this, while Alexis found it to be nothing special.
Lemon Bars
These were the best lemon bars Alexis has ever tasted. They were creamy and intensely lemony, and topped with a slightly bitter kumquat slice.
This glorified california roll was uncharacteristically uninspired for this top-rated Japanese restaurant at which we have previously had very good experiences.
Cold Fish with Daikon
This dish was interesting and very simple, although it made the whole room smell a bit like fermenting daikon/kim-chee.
Wawa Cookie from Little Laura's Sweets in Sausalito, CA
This was kind of a mallomar that was trying to be high-end, but missed the boat. It wasn't very good, fairly dry and not at all innovative.
Lamb Tartare Crostini
You rarely ever see lamb raw, so this was interesting and surprisingly un-gamey.
Spring Pea Shooter with Asparagus Froth
This was smooth, frothy and very tasty for a chilled soup.
Rabbit Rillette with Spiced Plums from Myth in San Francisco, CA
The plums were a bit sweet, but the rabbit was nice.
Duck Confit and Lentil Salad with Bacon Vinagrette on a Lavoush "Tart" from Angele Bar and Restaurant in Napa, CA
Can't go wrong with duck confit.
Steak Sandwich from Cole's Chop House in Napa, CA
The ratio of meat to bread was off, but the horseradish cream provided a nice kick.
A little beef bite on a crispy cracker from Rivoli in Berkeley.
This was tasty, but not particularly memorable.
Shrimp and Grits from The General's Daughter in Solano, CA
The shrimp was overcooked, but the flavors were nice and the grits were creamy.
Some sort of sashimi bite from Fringale in San Francisco, CA
Fringale is one of our favorite places in the city, and they provided an out of character taste for us here. The chef also remembered that we sent him our SeeUsEat Award for 2006's Best Condiment.
Crab Cake
This was standard. Apparently we were more focused on the wine at this point than trying to note where the food was from.
Turtle Cheesecake Fudge
Very, very, sweet, but tasty if you eat a very small bite.
Lemon Verbena Chocolates from Recchiuti Confections in San Francisco
The lemon verbena was not very present on the palate, but the chocolates were very smooth.
Orange Creme Brulee from Etoile at Domaine Chandon in Yountville, CA
The brulee had an unpleasant chunky texture and was difficult to eat out of these soup spoons, but the pairing with the champagne was nice.
Preserves from June Taylor Jams in Berkeley, CA
These jams were complex in flavor, not too sweet and inspired in origin. The blood-orange marmalade was particularly noteworthy.
Campache Sashimi with Pomello, Peanut Brittle and Pickled Shitake from Postrio in San Francisco.
The odd addition of peanut brittle really made this dish into somethiing unexpected and truly delicious. The salty-sweet crunch was a perfect juxtaposition to the silky fish.
Duck Confit with Frisee and Rhubarb Gelee from Brix Restaurant in Napa, CA
This was ok, but the gelee, which seems to be so popular these days, was unnecessary.
Lamb Stew and Polenta from Bistro Don Giovanni, in Napa, CA
This was ok. A bit flavorless and there was no texture contrast, just mush.
Black Rice Crepes with Vietnamese Ham, Pickled Vegetables and Wasabi Mayo from Ana Mandara in San Francisco, CA
The black rice crepes were earthy in flavor and created a nice little package for the fillings.
Quail Egg, Pork Belly and Celery Root Puree from Pacific's Edge Restaurant in Carmel, CA
This was by far the best thing we had all night. It was perfect. Simple, beautifully plated and absolutely delicious. The pork belly was tender, the puree unbeleiveably creamy and the fried quail egg delicate. A wonderful play on "Bacon and Eggs".
Pork and Polenta from Joe DiMaggio's Italian Chophouse in San Francisco, CA
This was mediocre and not interesting at all.
The following 2 dishes were from Marnee Thai in San Francisco, CA:
Peanuts, Coconut, Red Onion and Tamarind in Spinach Leaves
This was an intersting little bite, bursting with flavor.
Fried Tofu and Chicken-Eggplant Curry with Rice Noodles
The curry was nicely spicy and quite tasty. The fried tofu was a little sweet, but had a nice texture.
Abalone Mushroom Ceviche on a Sesame Wonton with Avocado and Grapefruit Salad and Sea Vegetable Caviar from Millenium Restaurant in San Francisco, CA
This was citrusy and crunchy, and better than we expected vegetarian fare to be. Millennium is the only high-end vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco.
Yellowfin Tuna Tartare with Foie Gras, Meyer Lemon Confit and Black Truffle from Marinus Restaurant in Carmel Valley, CA
Giao liked this quite a bit, most likely because he LOVES foie gras. Alexis found the super-soft mono-texture to be a bit off-putting.
Savory Cream Puff and Avocado Chilled Soup
Giao liked this, while Alexis found it to be nothing special.
Lemon Bars
These were the best lemon bars Alexis has ever tasted. They were creamy and intensely lemony, and topped with a slightly bitter kumquat slice.
The following 2 images are from Kyo-Ya in San Francisco, CA:
This glorified california roll was uncharacteristically uninspired for this top-rated Japanese restaurant at which we have previously had very good experiences.
Cold Fish with Daikon
This dish was interesting and very simple, although it made the whole room smell a bit like fermenting daikon/kim-chee.
Wawa Cookie from Little Laura's Sweets in Sausalito, CA
This was kind of a mallomar that was trying to be high-end, but missed the boat. It wasn't very good, fairly dry and not at all innovative.
The following 2 images are from Mezze in Oakland, CA:
Lamb Tartare Crostini
You rarely ever see lamb raw, so this was interesting and surprisingly un-gamey.
Spring Pea Shooter with Asparagus Froth
This was smooth, frothy and very tasty for a chilled soup.
Rabbit Rillette with Spiced Plums from Myth in San Francisco, CA
The plums were a bit sweet, but the rabbit was nice.
Duck Confit and Lentil Salad with Bacon Vinagrette on a Lavoush "Tart" from Angele Bar and Restaurant in Napa, CA
Can't go wrong with duck confit.
Steak Sandwich from Cole's Chop House in Napa, CA
The ratio of meat to bread was off, but the horseradish cream provided a nice kick.
Labels: restaurant, review
# posted by Giao and Alexis @ 7:30 PM 
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