See Us Eat: The StarChefs Rising Stars Revue, San Francisco, CA (Event Coverage)

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

The StarChefs Rising Stars Revue, San Francisco, CA (Event Coverage)

So, we went to the StarChefs Rising Stars Revue tonight and had a fabulous time. The food was plentiful and the drinks free-flowing. We got to try over a dozen dishes, some from chefs whose food we'd never eaten. We were impressed by some and underwhelmed by others, but overall, the food was of very high caliber. The standouts of the night for us were James Syhabout and Mark Dommel on the savory side, and Nicole Krasinski on the sweet side. Oddly enough, when it came time to vote for the favorite dishes of the night, our top few weren't even in the running. There were 3 dishes that were tied, when the tie was broken by a final vote. In the end the top 3 were Chef Lahlou's Cous Cous, Pastry Chef Leong's Pineapple and Blueberry Upsidedown Cake and Chef Dommen's Lightly Smoked Trout, with Dommen's Trout winning in the end. Our favorite dishes were Dommen's Stinging Nettle Ravioli and both of Syhabout's dishes, the Foie Gras and the Chicken Confit. On another note, Jonah Oakden of Blue Plate, the only chef/restaurant we had not previously heard of was not in attendance because he was getting married. That's a good enough reason for us, and now we have a good reason to go try out Blue Plate. Following is the rundown on everything we tasted.

From the host chef of the Westin St. Francis in the VIP Lounge before the event officially started:

Seared Scallop with Chili Oil, Truffles and Corn Sauce
The chili oil was nice, but there wasn't a lot going on here, and the scallop was a little too lukewarm for our taste.

Caviar Blini
How can you go wrong with fresh caviar.

Cheese Plate
Standard cheeses, but the fresh blackberry (we think) compote was very nice, and refreshing.

From Mark Dommen, the chef at One Market:
We'd eaten at One Market a few times before and were decidedly not impressed, however, I think we're gonna have to give them another shot. Mark Dommen totally blew us away with his Stinging Nettle Ravioli.

Wild Nettle Ravioli with Fresh California Snails
Alexis' favorite dish of the night. The pasta was light and delicate, and the flavors were earthy an briny and totally delicious.

Lightly Smoked Sea Trout "Mi Cuit"
Also very good, and the audience winner of the night, this dish was beautifully plated, topped with a nice sunny-side up quail egg.

From James Syhabout of Plumpjack Cafe:
We love chef Syhabout and his food and today was no exception.

Tempered Foie Gras with Dates in a Sweet Vermouth and Pepperberry Sauce
Velvety, rich and delicious. Giao loves foie gras; we'd had Syhabout's sous-vide foie before and were happy to have it again. However, after 3 dishes, it was even a bit rich for Giao.

Chicken Confit with Toasted Curry Spices and Mustard Chlorophyll
Everyone does duck confit, so chicken confit was a refreshing take on this preparation. This dish was pertectly tender and slipped right off the tiny bone. And the miniscule flower blossoms were a beautiful addition to the plate.

From Peter Rudolph, the ched at Campton Place:
We haven't eaten at Campton Place yet, but these were solid dishes and we'll probably give it a try in the future.

Striped Bass with Ginger-Foie Gras Sauce with Black Radish
This would have been very good, except that the interior was raw and we had no knife. It was very hard to eat this piece of fish without a cutting apparatus. But when we got it in our mouths, it was good.

Roast Lamb with Pistachio Puree
The lamb was juicy, tender and flavorful and the pistachio puree was utterly smooth and added a sweet nuttiness that went very well with the lamb.

From Nate Appleman, the chef of A16:
Having only recently eaten at A16 and having been blown away by his food, we thought his offering today was solid, but not his best. If we were him we would have served the tripe and the mozzerella.

Lamb and Ricotta Crespelle with Tomato and Pecorino
This was a tasty, solid dish, but it was not particularly inventive.

Ciccioli with Radishes and Salsa Verde
We had the ciccioli when we ate at A16, but without the radishes. The radishes and salsa verde were a nice touch and cut through the fattiness of this house-cured salumi quite nicely.

From Jennifer Biesty, the chef of COCO500:

We'd eaten at COCO500 once before, and we were not impressed the first time. However, we will be going back to give it another try, as these little bites were quite tasty.

Carmelized Goat Cheese with Baby Romano Beans and Minneola Tangerines
The flavors melded well in this bite-size morsel.

Bacon Wrapped Monkfish with Zesty Tomato Sauce and Brocolli Rabe.
Everything is better wrapped in bacon. And this was no different. It was a bit hard to eat with that little wooden stick. Very tasty.

From Mourad Lahlou, the chef of Aziza:

Giao isn't the biggest fan of Moroccan food, but Alexis ate at a Moroccan place every year on her birthday when she was growing up and considers herself a bit of a connossieur. Chef Lahlou's food was traditional and yet innovative and sophisticated.

Roasted Vegetables Cous Cous with Braised Beef Cheeks
The beef cheeks were so tender we could eat them with a spoon and the firm roasted veggies imparted great flavor.

Moroccan Spiced Carrot Soup with Blood Orange Foam
At first we were not that impressed with this soup, but as the flavors melded in our mouths, this interesting soup made our mouths happy.

From Seiji Wakabayashi, the chef from Bushi-Tei:

We had eaten once at Bushi-Tei before, and found the food good, if expensive. Tonight, however, we thought Chef Wakabayashi missed the mark. The ideas were good, but the execution failed.

Sauteed Sea Robin with Squid Risotto, Tomato Fondue and Saffron Vermouth Sauce
This was all a bit bland for what should have been a great combo. Also, it was a bit cold by the time we got it.

Quail Confit, Quail Egg, Mushroom Melange and Aged Balsamic
This was a great concept, but poor execution. The confit had an almost mealy texture that was very off-putting, and the hard-boiled egg was just sitting there and we weren't sure how to eat it all together.

From Nicole Krasinski, the pastry chef at Rubicon:

When we ate at Rubicon, we opted for the cheese plate rather than a sweet ending to our meal. Next time, we'll order dessert.

Aged Pecorino and Walnut Financier with Roasted Clementine Jam
The cheese added a savory flavor profile that made the other flavors pop.

Rose Petal-Pistachio Pave
This was Alexis' favorite of all of the desserts on offer tonight. The flavors of the rose petal and the pistachio were matched by a light lemon cream. The texture was half way between a fresh marshmallow and a cream. This this was ethereal.

From Belinda Leong, pastry chef at Gary Danko:
We'd eaten dessert at Gary Dank before and found the desserts to be huge in portion. I think we were able to enjoy them more this time, in smaller quantities.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake with Walnut Struesel and Burnt Caramel Ice Cream
This was our least favorite dessert because it was just too sweet. But it was the crowd favorite, so maybe it's just that our palette's can't handle the sweet as much as other people's.

Chocolate Fudge Cream with Coffee Soil and Condensed Milk Ice Cream
Yum. Firm, ultra-silky chocolate cream topped with little crumbles of coffee flavored crunch. The ice cream added a nice flavor/temperature contrast.

Full Disclosure: StarChefs was kind enough to give us press passes to this event.

Labels: event, restaurant, review