RICH TABLE (SF) - Follow the Yellow Brick Bridge

Chicken Lasagna & Popcorn?
Hell Yes.

I have lived across the Bay from San Francisco my entire life.  As a child, a visit to “the City” was a magical trip to the faraway land of Oz at the end of a winding road of yellow brick.   It was a place outside of reality that lay well beyond the boundaries of my childish imagination.  I remember my Great Aunt Susan taking me there for extra-special excursions.  The day to end all days, we would put on a fancy dress, don our best hats and gloves, and board the bus that would take us across the bridge.  Once there, in this place where magic was possible, we would ride the trolley car to the City of Paris with its sparkling crystal dome, to spend the day shopping; or perhaps during the holidays there would be a visit to Santa for photos.  For years, San Francisco was as far as I ever traveled away from home and it felt a journey to the Moon itself.  Looking forward to a trip to the city was the most exciting thing in the world.

Fried Squash Balls with pumpkin seeds

To my Italian grandparents, North Beach was a second home.  My grandfather was the reigning bocce ball champion for several years running.  They knew everyone in the City.  I remember the dinner shows at Bimbos 365, a place where they mingled with luminaries like Rocky Marciano and Earl Warren, while I tried to figure out how they got that tiny naked lady into the magical fishbowl.

Much of that youthful fascination still lingers when I find myself in this City by the Bay, and she remains a place outside the boundaries of the familiar, having never lost her alluring sense of adventure.  As I traverse her often foggy confines, wandering beneath the landscape of towering buildings that scrape the sky, I feel as though I have been transported to Wonderland.  There is even a hint of danger — perhaps I will soon be snatched away by the Red Queen and forced to play games for my life.  The otherworldliness that bewitched me as a child is a lingering thread of connection that compels me back as often as I can manage.  Though vastly changed in architecture and culture, she is now, as she was in my childhood, a large part of the East Bay experience.

THE RESTAURANT

Wagyu Tartare

When the reviews began to come in on RICH TABLE, the delightfully inviting new effort from Evan & Sarah Rich, located at the corner of Gough and Oak, I made our reservations immediately.  RICH TABLE is one of those places that is difficult to describe, its decor all at once comforting, inventive, and classy, but without a hint of pretension.  It’s community seating is European in atmosphere and yet somehow completely embodying the feel of the current San Francisco, with lovely planters provided to “divide” the seated parties into a slightly more private community feel.  Brilliant.

RICH TABLE is laid out in such a way as to be incredibly inviting for such a small space.  Diners arrive to feel immediately embraced within its walls. Elbowing through crowds is not something I relish when I want to enjoy a meal, so kudos to management for understanding this and setting it up so smoothly.  Quite an accomplishment.

THE MEAL

We lucked out in our seating assignment, being placed directly adjacent to the kitchen.  I’m always a fan of watching them do their magic and this group was particularly lively and obviously enjoying what they do.  After a few moments chatting with the expediter, I was informed he was Evan Rich, chef, (co)owner and proprietor of this lovely new addition to the SF dining scene.  He is a delightful young man who absolutely gets it.  His food was spot on and his attitude for feeding people is undoubtedly the reason.  Well, that, along with his significant talent for inventive cuisine.

Sardine (stuffed) Chips

The menu here is seasonal, so you may find that the dishes I have listed here will be off the menu by the time you read this.  The good news is that whatever Evan & Sarah have invented in the meantime is likely to be just as tasty, if not more so.  When a restaurant starts out this well, the possibilities are endless.

We began with cocktails, all of which were delicious.  Mine was a concoction of mezcal, my favorite new alcoholic beverage.  The modern cocktail, with it’s tinctures of fresh produce, essences of fruit and the occasional spice, is a journey all its own—  and their cocktails rival the the standards of the best in the business.  Scott Beattie could order a drink here and come away pleased.  They were just that good.

The appetizers and “bites” were intriguing, so we ordered several.  The Fried Squash Balls had a nice topping of crunchy (I believe) daikon and a smattering of pumpkin seeds, and the Wagyu Tartare was magnificent.  Beautiful fatty meat seasoned to perfection.  The “Sardine Chips” are house made potato chips literally stuffed with a sardine.  They were the crispiest house chips I have ever had.  Still warm and not at all soft.  I love house chips, but often miss the crunch that a mass prepped chip generally has and have found house made chips a little soft for my tastes.  Not true here, as these chips had the freshness without sacrificing the appropriate toothsome bite, add the salty goodness in the middle and one has a really inviting “bite.”   Kudos.

Flatbread with perfect poached eggs....

Another favorite at the table was the chicken lasagna.  How Chefs Rich thought to add popcorn to the dish remains a mystery, but the crunchy puffed corn topping gave it a texture and interest that was both unique and magnificently satisfying.  The waiter recommended we try the spicy pasta dish, (I believe it was a tagliatelle) and it was perfectly al dente and completely engaging.   I devoured mine.   My daughter loved her ribeye steak as well, and the bottle of Barbera from the solid wine list was a perfect compliment to everything.

THE TAKE AWAY

RICH TABLE is one of those hot places you have to visit.  But it is more than that.  It was instantly one of those places I must return to, and often.  Dining is about more than just good food, and while Chefs Evan & Sarah Rich serve blissful fare, they also know how to invite you to their table in such a way that you want to return.  Like dinner at a favorite relative’s house, a meal there is something to be anticipate, enjoyed, and then, once digested, experienced again and again.

Brava.

Chocolate Magic (dessert is a must here)

Check it out for yourself, and make a memory.  I can guarantee it will be a pleasant one.

RICH TABLE
Chef Evan Rich
Chef Sara Rich
199 Gough St (at Oak St)
San Francisco, CA 94102
Phone: (415) 355-9085
www.richtablesf.com

COTOGNA: Strawberry Fields Forever

Strawberry Specialty Cocktail

About three weeks ago while checking my email, I found an invitation to attend an event celebrating the California Strawberry.  The event was hosted by the California Strawberry Commission, designed to educate the public about just what it takes to bring these summer delicacies from farm to table.  Each course of the meal was to feature strawberries, and the Chef preparing the meal was (Score!) the renowned Michael Tusk of Quince.  That was the icing on the cake, but if I’m honest, they had me at strawberries.

The event was held at Cotogna, Chef Tusk’s most recent entry on the San Francisco dining scene.  It presents as a modern Italian Pizzeria-slash-Bistro, and is a beautifully tricked out space, complete with giant wood ovens and a gorgeous bar.  Though not quite the pizzeria of my childhood, it manages to maintain the familial inviting atmosphere I recall from days spent watching my uncle toss the stretchy dough, flatten it tenderly, slather it with his special tomato sauce, finishing off the pie by covering it with all manner of toppings to order.  Cotugno had the effortless ease down pat, while updating it to a slick and modern interior.  This was a place I’d want to hang out even if I hadn’t been mesmerized into attendance by the promise of strawberry delights.

Strawberries & Prosciutto

The FOOD

Guests were treated to a menu designed by Chef Tusk specifically for the event.  Beginning with a specialty cocktail: a mixture of pureed strawberries with a bit of campari, a hint of anise and enough selzer to bubble it up nicely.  It was an intoxicating and refreshing beverage.  The hors d’oeuvres were a cacophony of strawberry surprises.  Among them: tiny arancini of fried strawberry goodness, a perfect fresh strawberry wrapped in a blanket of prosciutto and drizzled with a hint of balsamic.

But the magnificent strawberry and burrata pizzas that emerged from those wood burning ovens were the pièce de résistance: the creamy burrata melting into each perfect berry, the familiar toothsome crunch of the perfectly baked pizza dough—  they were a culinary treat I will remember for some time to come.  This was the kind of food that is so tasty you can’t stop consuming it because your brain wants your mouth to experience that thrill just one more time.  At least that’s what my brain was telling me as I consumed almost an entire pizza.  It seemed that over the course of the evening those ovens continued to produce the delectable treat on tray after tray; they came at me as relentlessly as circus performers exiting a clown car.

The BERRY

Pizza Magica!
Just EAT it!

The evening was coordinated for the California Strawberry Commission by Golin Harris, a company whose expertise at putting together a delightful evening while keeping the focus of the gathering front and center is impressive. And that is an understatement.  Among those present was Tom Jones (no, not that Tom Jones, but I imagine he hears it quite a bit) of the Tom Jones Farms in Monterey.  A strawberry farmer for decades, Mr. Jones told those present a great deal of fun facts about the strawberry.  The highlights for the health conscious are that strawberries are surprisingly low in calories (this I knew from my years of Weight Watchers, their Strawberry Shake, which, if memory serves, consists of a cup of strawberries and about two cups of cracked ice and comes in at under 100 calories). They contain enormous amounts of antioxidants, more Vitamin C than an orange and high amounts of folic acid and fiber.

The EXPERIENCE

We wrapped up our evening with several delectable desserts during the seated portion of the presentation.  Strawberries atop a creamy panacotta, a beautiful pistachio ice cream, with a light strawberry garnish over an airy meringue (like eating strawberry pistachio clouds).  By now I was stuffed, yet my table mates and I managed a final slice of the last pizza making its way around the room.  That pizza was one for the record books.

All in all, this was the kind of educational evening I’d love to repeat.  A far cry from the sterile classroom of my youth.  Perhaps that’s the solution for our schools. Serve up that knowledge with a platter of sweet, simple California strawberries.   Too bad they’re only in season from April to October. (Though this is peak strawberry season in California, a reader points out that these days strawberries are harvested and available year-round from growers in Oxnard, Santa Maria and Orange County.)

Cotogna is a lovely restaurant.  While my particular experience isn’t one that can be repeated, I can honestly suggest you check it out for yourself.  Make some memories of your own.  And do try the pizza.

Cotogna (Michael Tusk)
490 Pacific Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 775-8508
www.cotognasf.com

And for more info on the California Strawberry - the California Strawberry Commission’s website can be found here:

http://www.californiastrawberries.com/

LA FOLIE - Countdown to Foie-hibition...



It begins...

 
When it became increasingly apparent that the forces determined to outlaw the sale of the fantastically decadent "fatted liver of the goose," otherwise known as foie gras, were going to be successful, we made a series of reservations for as many meals as we could afford (and digest) in the months leading up to the fateful date: July 1, 2012.

The Upside:

The impending legislation did have some unanticipated benefits. Chefs were up in arms and madly preparing their best versions of this delicacy in countless special menus. There were dishes of seared foie, chilled torchons and country patés. The precious lobes had been grilled, seared, baked, frozen, flaked and liquified. These months we spent eating before the spectre of the long arm of the law and it’s restrictions on commerce, were a whirlwind of foie, in a cornucopia of flavors, textures and presentations.

The Downside:

Foie, truffles, and some other delicacy
(who notices after the foie?)



Months later, I find myself reminiscing about these meals, missing the spectacular and inventive preparations of this fatty delicacy, and wishing foie were more readily available. It’s hard to say how long the eagerly misinformed will continue to prevail. I know that while they have succeeded in shutting down one major California foie producer, (a small tragedy in this economy), they have not succeeded in turning anyone away from it who is so inclined. Foie will continue to be raised and to be eaten. While it may have to be purchased by the consumer before the Chef can prepare it, or given away by some establishments, it will not disappear. Prohibitions don’t work, they simply force people around the rules. That which comes from imposing one’s will on another without real purpose, always falls away in the end.

The Meals:

Of our many excursions (or as one waiter called them Sa-FOIE-ris), the one at which we almost cried uncle was one of the early outings. When one is looking to experience a true French delicacy, one has to head to the French,, and Chef Roland Passot was accommodating. He was more than accommodating, he just about buried us in foie.



The piece de resistance

 We thought we were badasses. We were "ready" for what he had to offer up. The man who was flitting about his kitchen like a whirling dervish in the kitchen had nothing on us. We had appetites for foie that could never be sated. The waitress warned us. We laughed. "Ha ha, we thought, we can eat all the foie you can throw at us." And we began. Appetizers of foie gras. Mains of foie gras. Foie gras specialities. There were only three of us, and the fact was I have never seen such large servings of foie. It was like this man had decided to feed the world, not just our little table of three. We powered through the appetizers, sailed through the first and second courses of foie laden delights, but by the time we hit the giant lobes of seared foie in a sea of tart summer cherries, the best among us were beginning to slow down. 

Foie Sliders



The plates kept coming, and we kept eating, but it was slow-going toward the end of our meal. We’d been beaten into sleepy comas of bliss, having been served mounds of the most delectable dishes I’ve ever eaten. Forced to admit to our waitress that we’d maybe, just maybe, had eyes a tiny bit bigger than our stomachs. But only a bit.

 The portions were massive compared to other fine dining establishments, but I can’t say we were sorry. Looking back, I’m delighted Chef Passot indulged our cravings so thoroughly. With no immediate foie on my horizon, I can at least, remember that night of bliss.

Chef Passot skills are legendary for a reason. Check it out for yourself, make a lasting memory of your own.

La Folie
2316 Polk Street
San Francisco, CA 94109
1-415-776-5577
http://www.lafolie.com





ATELIER CRENN: An Evening of Art and Alchemy

Opening Notes, Foie & Pumpkin caviar...

Some people are born possessed of a boundless desire to make beautiful things and to share that beauty with the world around them.  It is how they communicate.  I have always identified myself as an artist.  When I was younger I envisioned my future self living in a dark and barren garret, filling canvas after canvas with mood, beauty and emotions — my world view would be realized in oil paint.  I imagined I would sell these paintings to earn my way in the world.  I took every class offered in high school and applied to be accepted at what was then the California College of Arts & Crafts.  For a young painter, it seemed the Julliard of its time.  Though I was accepted, I never made it to art school.  When it came time to put down the deposit, my father casually informed me that he could no longer afford it.  He’d paid an overdue bar tab with the monies in a trust account reserved for my tuition.  Visions of my garret faded as life took me on another journey.

Crackling fish skin
and bits of caviar

Although my imagined successes in art school failed to materialize, the need to express myself artistically never diminished.   I continued to interpret life via my muse, and the mission to create  tangible beauty fueled many youthful decisions. It shaped who I became.  Born with an artist’s brain, I struggled with math, yet could focus for hours on a pencil sketch in an attempt to capture the shadowed minutia of a human hand; the gentle slope at the nape of a neck.  A free-spirited child of the seventies, the only college classes I never missed were art-related.

A tiny bubble of chocolate,
more fragile than an eggshell,
meant to be lifted to the mouth
where it exploded in a burst
of liquid ambrosia
spilling across the palate

Once I started working there was less time for painting, but I always managed to find some outlet, eventually becoming a professional designer of theatrical costume.  Manipulating the fluid and dramatic lines of fabrics and millinery to enhance an actor’s performance on the stage was a rewarding pursuit indeed.  There were moments of personal and professional triumph that will last me a lifetime.  Before retiring several years ago, I was fortunate to find myself mentoring the next generation of talented young designers.  Watching these gifted young women flourish as they expressed themselves in the creation of beauty was inspirational.  We experimented together.  We shared successes and failures.  We grew.  We spoke the language of art, and it was good.

Unable to live a life absent some artistic endeavor, I now use language.  My labor of love is to craft a sentence precisely, to capture the essence of the emotional flavor of everything I experience,  and to share that joy with others.  There is no success greater than having made the effort.  No matter the medium, the process of translating life to art has always felt familiar, coming to me as naturally as I breathe.  I am connected to it, and it to me.

The infamous Foie Gras Log.  Nuff said

When I stepped into Atelier Crenn in San Francisco for a holiday meal with my visiting daughter, the Wandering Lawyer,  I was flooded with a palpable sense of connection to Chef Dominique Crenn's sensibilities.  It was clear we shared a kindred spirit.   Atelier is French for “workshop,” but I believe its usage in this context more closely resembles what we would term an “art studio”.  Her father was an artist, his Atelier Papa Crenn providing the inspiration for the name of her own establishment, which is decorated throughout its minimalist interior with an artist’s eye for detail.  The furnishings are precise, there is no doubt that a great deal of thought went into its layout. Sprinkled with sleek, amber tables whose wood glows beside soft green walls, the back wall is glass and provides a view into the kitchen, where Chef Crenn can be seen darting about, working her magic.  Occasionally one can hear a vibrant voice shout something in French.  The frenetic activity behind the glass is mesmerizing.    The restaurant manages to be clean and modern without being cold or dispassionate.  One wall is lined with elaborate lamps, sconce-less crystal spirals in appearance more fuse than lightbulb—  they are intriguingly beautiful.  There are personal touches— a small oil painting of a sailboat that hung on the wall just by our table.  Signed only “D. Crenn, 1973.”

Magic Mushrooms.  Flavors varied from woodsy
to something perhaps reminiscent of marshmallow
then to an herbal acidity... mind-boggling
in its complexity

I recognized something of myself in that simple little painting.  I have small canvases tucked away in corners of my home, recalling a time when I sat in my mother’s house and created for creation’s sake.  It is easy to imagine a young Dominique standing at an easel in her father’s atelier, painting to pass the time, sharing a passion with a parent.  My mother was a painter.  That’s how it starts.  If one is inclined, any exposure to art leads to that self-awareness: the knowledge that this is what one was born to do.  Starting a fire that burns for a lifetime.  I smiled in the realization that she’d been born to it, too.

The Alchemy Machine
prepares a warm concoction
of cinnamon and citrus

That Chef Crenn’s world view is that of an artist is unmistakable in everything she does. Throughout our meal we were presented with one remarkably expressive dish after another, each stunningly beautiful.  It was December, so her visuals on this visit recreated a lengthy foray into a dark and wint’ry forest.  My palate was tantalized as the various combinations of flavor danced on my tongue, daring me to experience them, to give myself over and succumb entirely.  Often these flavors seemed to me to defy any single identity of taste.  A plate of mushrooms, tasted at one moment of umami and earth; the next bite of the same dish gently sweet and effervescent.  It was a little like listening to a carefully orchestrated piece of music, the melody pleasing to all but each of us hearing a slightly different song.  Sirens performing variations on a forest.

Chef Crenn succeeds on a grand scale.  The thoughtfulness in her dishes dares her diners to travel down that forest road beside her.  I could hear the wind in the trees.  I felt the roar of a campfire.  I experienced this meal with a sense of wonder, at her almost alchemic skill with ingredients.  Maybe her mushrooms were, indeed, magic.

Re-purposed Pear... in appearance a faux fruit,
in taste a heavenly ice cream
in a bed of powdery goodness

Her website says it beautifully: “Atelier Crenn, a painting.  An empty white canvas.  With tools... a brush, paint and a vision, creativity is given its breath.  Here from this place, the artist can suggest emotions.  A lasting moment from childhood... little drawers of heartbeats.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

Go.  Treat yourself to an experience that will last a lifetime.  For myself, I can’t wait to see where she’ll take her diners in the Spring.  A budding garden?  The French countryside?  Wherever it will be, it will be an adventure not to be missed.

Atelier Crenn - Poetic Culinaria
3127 Fillmore
San Francisco, CA
415-440-0460

Note: Parking is non-existent, so the restaurant shares valet services with the Balboa Café at Filbert and Fillmore for $16.

Service: Excellent
Noise level: Perfect for conversation
Price: $125/pp for pris fixe - excluding wine

FALL CHOCOLATE SALON - San Francisco - November 13, 2011

As the seasons change and we approach the holidays, I’m usually not thinking about Christmas.  The first Halloween pumpkins and water-cooler chatter of the possibilities of who can make the most inventive costumes doesn’t bring me straight to Christmas trees and sugar plums.  But my thoughts do turn to something sugary.  Here in the Bay the approaching year’s end can mean only one thing: the Fall Chocolate Salon put on by Taste TV at Fort Mason.  Cause they, well, they have chocolate.

And not just any chocolate.  TASTE TV’s Fall Chocolate Salon is the Willie Wonka of chocolate experiences.  The World Cup of Chocolate Salons.  Held at Fort Mason, artisans from all over  arrive with all manner of magical concoctions and set up their wares to be tasted.  They are there to be experienced, to be promoted and to be judged.  Since it’s a competition of sorts, these artisans have delivered the best of their best, in the hopes of being among the chosen. But they are also there to expose us to the unimaginable variety of choice that is the face of modern chocolate manufacturing.

In this big sprawling room can be found an array of the best chocolates available in the world today.   Concoctions featuring sourced cacao from places like Bolivia, Venezuela, and Trinidad; some even from the hidden forests of the Amazon.   These beans have been harvested from across the globe and have been processed to make a myriad of chocolate treats:  raw, milk, dark, light, soft, crunchy, even sweet and savory.

I was not surprised to discover that many of these chocolate companies are family run, and their pride is palpable.  Treasured family recipes have been perfected for generations.  Elite events like this are the perfect opportunity for these proud descendants of pioneer chocolatiers to share their bounty with the world.  They offer their confections with such genuine enthusiasm.  They are not merely selling, they are aglow with the joy of what they offer.  They are inspiring.  Some have developed new or perfected versions of beloved childhood favorites, some have invented completely new recipes.  Siblings, cousins, couples and friends have come together to collaborate and along their journey have discovered much, and all of it should be shared.

These are magnificent artists.  They have discovered ways to incorporate more brilliant color in the shell of a truffle.  These are inventive and inspired chefs who have found flavor combinations as yet untasted.  And they will often be presented here at the Chocolate Salon.  Among the vendors can also be found a new generation of earth-conscious entrepreneurs who inspire us by their insistence on using beans from free-trade farms, and green technologies, ensuring that the populations of those source countries will also share in the profits.  They want in their own way to help the world benefit from our global delight in chocolate.

This fair is more than merely a contest or a “candy” extravaganza.  It is a giant tent of love, full of amazing expressions of human inventiveness manifested in chocolate.  Truffles in every color of the rainbow.  Bars of every shape and size.  Flavors spicy, sweet and savory.  The palate is assaulted with it all —   coconut, ginger, jalapeno, pineapple, mango, coffee— and it just goes on from there.  This is a room chock-full of chocolate, but it is also a place where the air is laden with the scent of cacao, and the artisans who have found their muse in this mythical substance of history, have outdone themselves to come up with a new and intriguing variation on ways to reinvent it for the world.

More information can be found at http://www.fallchocolatesalon.com.  I suggest you go and check it out.  Make a few memories of your own.

Postscript: It’s a great place to shop for the holidays, if you can think about them while overwhelmed with the glory of all the chocolate.  The packaging is gorgeous, sexy, pretty and inventive.  A little something for everyone.

Among the participants this Fall are  Amano Artisan Chocolate, CocoTutti, ChoclatiQue, Snake & Butterfly, Permano, Willet's Mini Creations, Leonidas Fresh Belgian Chocolate, Saratoga Chocolates, Victoria Chocolatier, Nicole Lee Fine Chocolates, Sterling Truffle Bar, Toffeeology, The TeaRoom Chocolate Company, Monterey Chocolate Company, Marich Confectionery, Sixthcourse Artisan Confections, Toffee Talk, Dandelion Chocolate, MDP Signature Chocolates, Au Coeur Des Chocolats, Seattle Chocolate Company, Butterfly Brittle, Be A Gourmet, Jack & Jason's Pancakes & Waffles, Urban Legend Cellars, The Winery SF, Jerk'NPickle, TasteTV, and more.

More information can be found at http://www.fallchocolatesalon.com.  I suggest you go and check it out.  Make a few memories of your own.

BOULEVARD SF - Old World San Francisco & Modern Class

Um, so I swear I had them.  My notes on the evening, but they haven't yet turned up and the meal was just too good not to report.  So instead of turning to details on paper, I'm using the lingering memory of a delightful evening with good friends at a great restaurant.  I'm generally all about the words, but the food was so good and the pictures came out so nice I thought just this once, I'd try something new.  I'd let the photos speak for themselves as much as possible.  Since the meal was some time ago, the details of what can be ordered on the menu have become somewhat irrelevant, as many of the options they were serving at Boulevard last fall have been swapped out for Spring Fare.  Nevertheless you'll get the gist of the idea that Boulevard can be a lovely spot to eat. 

Let's begin with the cocktails.

Sazerac, anyone?

  Whenever I'm pressed to pick a drink "on the spot" I go for a sazzy.  The Sazerac is the original cocktail, an old New Orleans variation of an old-fashioned cognac or whiskey drink, named for the Sazerac de Forge et Fils brand of cognac that was its original prime ingredient. 

The drink is always some combination of cognac, rye whiskey, absinthe or Herbsaint, and Peychaud's Bitters and distinguished by its preparation method.  Most use the absinthe to "rinse the glass" leaving just a hint of the licorice based spirit.  Others use it as an ingredient.  This historic cocktail actually predates the Civil War.  As such, it makes me feel young to order one....




Day Boat Scallops

 When I find dining companions who will order with the intent to share it all, in order that we might experience as much as possible in the way of flavor.  This sort of openness to the experience as ritual always enhances.

One of the items we sampled were some glorious Day Boat Scallops, sprinkled with what may have been currants...

Scallops are an interesting phenomenon.  They are uniform, sweet, succulent little mouthfuls of crustacean that when prepared correctly can be relied upon to be familiar.  Not exactly the same, mind you, but like bacon, there are qualities one comes to expect, if they are done properly, which there were.  So it's often going to be about the "trimmings" and though I don't remember the specifics, I do remember that the mouthfeel of each mouthfull, was sensational.  Crunch, acid, texture and seasoning.  All present.

At this point we are all pretty blissed out, munching and chatting.  Drinking and chatting.  The couple we were dining with were spectacular dining partners, as they enjoy sharing and tasting as much as the BH and I do.  We had joined a long time friend (who just so happens to be our Dentist, so her nickname is easy).  Her husband joined in the fun, a delightful fellow who is a really bright guy and a camera expert who tried valiantly to teach me a little bit about how to use (as opposed to abuse) my fancy equipment.   He didn't exactly fail, but I seem to be fancy camera equipment challenged.  I have a good eye, so when I'm actually successful at getting the equipment to capture the image I've framed, well at least you can see what I saw. 

The Dentist and the Silicon Valley Executive were delightful company.  I think we had smiles on our faces all evening.  We enjoyed the most stimulating of conversation.  We ate the best food that can be had and we drank some really amazing wines, as it turns out the SVE being as knowledgeable about wine as he is about cameras.  I need to bring him with me when we eat out more often, as it's like having a world class sommelier in my pocket.  Although I love wine, I'm not able to internalize enough information to really select a bottle confidently, unless it's a specific year and vintner I'm already familiar with.   The SVE just went to town with the wine list.  And if you are forming a mental image of  one of "those" wine guys, don't.  SVE was eloquent in his selections without pretension.  He treated the staff and the balance of the company at his table as though we were equally expert at wine selection.  My kind of people.  What he knows (and it's just about everything) he expresses with a gentle and thoughtful confidence.  I have a bias.  I like smart people who are also nice.

Abalone, buttery, soft and delicious



Another dish that stood out was the Abalone.  The abalone was prepared perfectly.  Not sure if many of my readers are familiar with this cantankerous sea urchin, but it can be rubbery and foul if not done just so.  This was buttery and soft, just the way it should be prepared.  My childhood was spent eating varieties of fresh abalone pounded and laden with butter, it is one of the reasons I am so fond of the dish, it is wrapped forever in the distant memories of childhood and visits with my father.  This was a memorable sampling from my favorite time warp, with a fresh new take on it.



Duck

 I am gazing at these pictures and remembering what a great meal we had.  The duck was rich and fatty, its skin perfectly crisped, the meat moist and tender and toothsome with every bite.

This was a masterful meal.  The chef at Boulevard is Nancy Oakes, and she knows her food.  We wrapped up our meal with several delicious desserts.  Beautifully plated, and just the right amount of sweet to reset the palate and close out the evening. 

Dining out with friends is a social convention that goes back to the ages.  A tradition experienced and carried on for centuries, if not millennia.  From the banquets of Ancient Rome to modern day anywhere, we humans seem to love experiencing flavor together.  Experiencing life together.  I often wonder if it is because it is one of the ways we can feel connected.  As separate beings, we are always alone.  When we experience the same flavors and foods, we momentarily breach that separation as our palates share the same sensations.  Even though we experience some tastes differently, we are sharing an experience in a unique and powerful way.

We are adding something together to that memory bank we carry with us, bridging the gap that isolates. Whatever the reasons, the ritual persists because it is both basic and pleasurable.  It is as essential to our existence as breathing.

I suggest that the next time you seek a place in San Francisco, you consider Boulevard. I believe your experience will be memorable.  So drop by, and check it out.  They still have Abalone on the menu, so you are in luck!  Bon Appetit!



Boulevard Restaurant

One Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 543-6084
http://www.boulevardrestaurant.com/

Table size: adequate (not an issue)
Ambiance:  quiet easy to hear
Chef:  Nancy Oakes
Price: expensive

FRANCES - Tiny Neighborhood Gem Sparkles with Flavor



Chick pea fritter "sticks" w/ Chile Aioli

FRANCES is exactly what one would expect. It is a quaint and unassuming little neighborhood bistro tucked behind a fairly nondescript storefront. Barely visible from the street, Frances would seem to be the kind of restaurant that survives only on word of mouth; a local secret patronized primarily by those who can get there without a car of a more pleasant evening, one when San Francisco isn’t blanketed by layers of chilly fog keeping people indoors. Except that it’s not.



Bacon Beignets with Creme Fraiche

  The secret is out. Melissa Perello’s tiny little wine bar and eatery is a neighborhood gem that has blossomed rapidly into a happening. And in San Francisco, the birthplace of the first “happening,” there is something truly serendipitous about so many hungry diners apparently all finding FRANCES pretty much in unison, causing a conflux of great food and hard-to-secure reservations. It seems uniformly agreed upon that FRANCES, this little bistro-that-could in the Castro— is the new place to eat— to see and be seen, in San Francisco. As an Oakland native and budding Oak-o-phile, I don’t get into San Fran all that much. When I do venture across the Bridge, I’m a flutter trying to work through a long list of “to-do’s” — places I must eat, all representing my top “can’t miss” foodie experiences. They accumulate over the weeks I spend on the other side of that less famous Bridge, the one the quake of ‘89 almost toppled into the Bay.



The occasion for this particular jaunt was the arrival of two long-time friends from Indiana. One was a Former Associate of our law firm, accompanied by her husband, a Successful Software Executive. The pair had moved away from SF several years ago to raise their young children closer to family. The FA was originally from Indiana, and we would eat out and discuss the culinary advantages of living in or near San Francisco. At the time our FA lived here in SF, she worked with us in Oakland, but it was barely a whisper in the local foodie vocabulary. She was excited to be back and to try new places in both cities. Returning to visit old haunts and old friends, catching up on our lives apart over wine and conversation and good food. We were gathering to celebrate the simple beauty of life itself.



Duck Pate



It so happens that the Former Associate was one of the first people to teach me the “ropes” of fine dining. She has always understood and appreciated a good meal. A food writer herself, she inspired me to take on the mantle of culinary correspondent I now wear as a second skin. We share a love of all that is edible, and a passion for those among us who are passionate about eating (and cooking) well.

When she asked me to come up with an adventure fit for our reunion, I felt a need to do some research, to rise to this occasion and show the mentor the student has learned a thing or two. This opportunity to repay her in kind for her many great recommendations required that I come through with only the very best choices for dining in the City. Fortunately, I knew exactly where (and to whom) to turn. I turned to one of my “go to” sources: @TheDapperDiner. I know if he liked his meal, normal humans will reel at the experience. He recommended Frances (which the FA had heard of all the way in Indiana, since she keeps abreast of dining news for her column) and we were on the hunt for a reservation. I had to calendar myself an alert to call exactly two months ahead of time to obtain a reservation, but was successful immediately. Come March, we would be guests of Chef Perello, experiencing for ourselves all that she had to offer.


Little Gem Salad

 Nothing worth doing is effortless, and there really is something to be said for anticipation. Things that come too easily are never quite appreciated. Once the date rolled around, all the snags along the way faded to dim memories, and we arrived with our appetites in tow.

@TheDapperDiner had suggested we check in with @Bobiwithani (the resident sommelier at FRANCES) and as luck would have it, our primary waiter for the evening. A charming guy and a knowledgeable server, Bobi took us through the various refreshments with an ease and affable charm that I find enhances my appetite for the experience, as well as the food. The BH and I were just recently discussing the significant rise in the talents of wait staff with the advent of so much competition. Simply put, servers are getting better and better at the art of serving. In me they will find an appreciative diner.

After Bobi took us through the evening’s drink options, the others opted to begin by sharing a carafe of the FRANCES house white wine, which was crisp and refreshing. Always a contrary type, I began with a different beverage, titled simply the “Market Shot.” This option was presented as a tiny cup of an elixir that I believe consisted of pear beer (or pear and beer) and something bubbly that tickled my nose. Bobi had billed it as the perfect palate cleanser with which to begin a meal. I have to agree that it was.



Bass w/ Risotto

 My friend had warned me not to miss the Duck Paté. Fortunately for us, though it was not on the regular menu, Chef Perello was offering the dish as a special that evening. Officially titled Quenelle of Duck Paté the dish was plated as a lovely soft egg-shaped serving of paté, accompanied by lovely slices of thick, toasted bread slathered with a generous coating of delectable fig jam. Along with the duck paté were served our two other appetizers, one a small dish of Crispy Chickpea Fritters and a Calabrese Chili Aioli. They manifested in the shape of lovely square tubes of fried cheese sticks, the exterior covered in a light, crunchy crust and the center soft and barely resistant, a little like melted butter, but with the flavor of the chickpeas balancing nicely with the heat of the aioli. The second appi was an Applewood Smoked Bacon Beignets with Maple Creme Fraiche & Chives, which took the form of heavenly dumplings of bacon flavored dough, that retained the rich bacon flavor even when blanketed in the sweet creme fraiche dip that came with. The beignets were a savory dough, but the creme fraiche sweetened the flavor profile nicely. I thought Chef did a perfect tightrope act of straddling just the right amount of sweet and savory in this dish.

For my soup / salad course I chose the Little Gem Salad - of Tarragon Vinaigrette, Fennel, Kumquat, Mandarin, Haas Avocado. Simple but delicious, this salad had a lovely texture to it, the crunch of the vaguely bitter kumquat and the sweet of the mandarin really played well together. Each popping off the other in a lovely little garden dance of happy in the mouth.



Duck w/ Butter Beans

 My main was a duck preparation, which for some reason has been foodie gold for me lately. Chef Perello’s Liberty Farm Duck Breast, Italian Butter Beans, Sicilian Olive, Braised Escarole was no exception. Something about duck lately. The last several times I have ordered it, the presentation has been an epiphany — either I have seriously fallen for duck, or duck is getting better lately. Either way, it’s clear that the chefs really know what they are doing. In this case, the fat was rendered perfectly and the flavor profile was stunning. There was a gentle background of a bacony flavor to the duck meat, as though it had been gently smoked over a hickory wood fire. The butter beans were perfectly done, each bite toothsome, rendering a salted buttery flavor all their own. I really enjoyed this dish. The escarole was a nice texture additive to the soft butter beans, giving another level of flavor and earthy taste to the mix. Along with the duck I ordered a glass of wine, an Anoro Malbec recommended by Bobi with an “I”. It was perfection in a glass. Clean, fruity, not at all heavy, this wine really balanced out the richness of the duck.

Caramelized Scallops

BH had the Caramelized Atlantic Scallops which lay neatly gilded on a bed of sunchoke puree, melded beautifully with roasted fennel, a few nicoise olives. These were some beautiful scallops, caramelized to perfection, the flavors rich and savory, the crisp of the fish giving way to the moist flesh within. Just beautifully done. Another of us tried the Bass with Roasted Spring Onion, Carnaroli Risotto, & Cipollinni Onion Soubisse. Another dish recommended as a can’t miss by my friend @TheDapperDiner, Perello’s bass was a fluffy white piece of fish on a bed of creamy onions cooked into the consistency of a marmelade. The two forms of cooked onion atop a creamy risotto, made a lovely bed for another perfectly done slab of fish.

For dessert we shared three choices. The first a Lumberjack Cake - Pink Lady Apple, Medjool Dates, Maple Walnut Ice Cream. The cake had a nice body to it, and the ice cream with hidden bits of date inside it was surprisingly good. The frozen maple treat kept them chewy and cold so they melted when they hit the tongue and began to warm.

The second was a Chocolate ‘Clafoutis’ with Candied Kumquats, Burnt Caramel, and Creme Chantilly (Bobi with an “I” says that’s Basque for bowl of gooey wonderful heavenly chocolate-y goodness and indeed it was). This dish was a massive chocolate goo orgy. The “clafoutis” tasted like a chewy brownie soaked in caramel, and then there was additional caramel sauce meant to be added. This one was as mind-blowing as chocolate desserts go. If you love caramel or chocolate, it’s a guaranteed high.

We completed the meal with a Chicory Root Panna Cotta, Page Mandarin, Espresso Gelee, Chocolate Sea Salt Cookies. The panna cotta was creamy, but the chocolate cookies were perfect. With a nice chewy texture, the little burst of salt crust on the top provided another sweet salty contrast, one of my new favorite things about the modern cookie.

FRANCES was a delight. The food was excellent, and the service was amazing. Really professional, a lovely evening spent with my favorite kind of people. Good ones. I say you must check it out.

FRANCES
3870 17th St
(between Pond St & Noe St)
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415) 621-3870
http://www.frances-sf.com/

Tables: adequate
Noise level: boisterous
Cost: Moderately Expensive

CHOCOLATE~ Food of Mystery, Myth and Magic



Amano Artisan hot chocolate drink



Is there anything we can’t imagine when we think of chocolate? Its taste is transformative. Its presence on the tongue intrigues, the familiar slow melt from solid to liquid somehow reassures. This is a substance perfect in its texture and flavor. Dark and bitter or milky and sweet — there is something completely intoxicating about chocolate.

Its origin is the stuff of legend. Mired in mythology and a complex history of ritual, superstition and intrigue that brought the substance from the jungles of Mesoamerica to the tables of Spanish Kings. The earliest Mayans enjoyed “xocolatl” and believed the tiny beads found within the cacao pods to have restorative powers. The bitter brew made from grinding the seeds and mingling heated water, chile peppers, and cornmeal was a frothy ambrosia considered too precious for anyone but the tribal rulers and priests to consume. Eventually the spicy drink concoction evolved with the inclusion of vanilla or achiote, but no early version was sweetened, as sugar was unavailable in ancient Mesoamerican culture.

Drinking chocolate was an important ritual of early Mayan and Aztec life. In Mayan culture it was the beverage of kings. But in Aztec society, consumption expanded to various levels of that society’s upper echelon: rulers, priests, successful merchants, victorious soldiers, many such notables could partake of this sacred brew. Cacao seeds themselves were offered to the gods for favors and chocolate drinks were served during sacred ceremonies.

Columbus brought a sample of the first cocoa beans to Europe some time between the year 1502 and 1504, after his fourth visit to the 'New World'. But its value went unrecognized, despite his claims that it could produce a beverage that “builds resistance and fights fatigue.”



Saratoga Chocolates
http://saratogachocolates.com/

 Some time later in 1528, Cortèz presented the Spanish King with cacao beans, preparing some of the beverage called chocolatl for him to taste. Cortèz’ royal version now had a major twist, the addition of sugar to the brew. When this sweetened mixture of cacao beans, vanilla, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and cinnamon was experienced by the Spaniards, the reception was universally positive. Chocolate soon became a coveted taste sensation, drinking it was fashionable and reserved for the Spanish nobility, and others who could afford the pricy import. Demand rapidly grew throughout Europe — the fruits of this tree from an Indian forest far away were coveted by everyone in Spain. Yet for the next one hundred years, chocolate was a secret that Spain managed to keep from the rest of the world.

But it couldn’t be contained forever. This water-based form of spiced and sweetened hot chocolate eventually began to make its way across the continent and throughout Europe. The sweetened mixture was soon improved further by the addition of milk, and in most versions removal of the chile pepper (though given some of the variations of chocolate and chile I have tasted recently, I remain unconvinced that this is necessarily an improvement). This newly evolved version of liquid chocolate was wildly popular, and began to be enjoyed by all levels of society that could afford such delicacies for another hundred years or so.

For centuries, a liquid form remained the only way to enjoy the fruits of the cacao bean, until in 1847 Joseph Fry discovered a process to re-solidify powdered chocolate. His discovery is accepted by most as the ancestor to all versions of the modern chocolate bar. Fry developed a process by which melted cacao butter could be reintroduced gradually back into the de-fatted cocoa powder base. This method returned the “Dutched” chocolate to a more solid form, creating a paste that could be pressed into a mold. Add a little sugar to the mix, and voila! The resulting bar was such a hit that people soon began to think of eating chocolate as much as they did drinking it. The chocolate bar was born.



Plumeria Flours

 Even the genesis of the word “chocolate” itself is shrouded in mystery. Most believe the term originates from the Aztec “xocolatl” which meant something like “bitter drink.” The tree's botanical name, Theobroma cacao, pays homage to its mythical origins. Translated from the Greek, "theobroma" means loosely "food of the gods.” The Aztecs believed that ancient prophets had brought the cacao beans to them, imbuing the tree itself with mystical qualities.

The substance is more than just luxurious and tasty. Chocolate has been found to posess chemicals that actually strengthen the enamel on our teeth. Small quantities of dark chocolate have been found to lower blood pressure in humans. Many believe chocolate is an aphrodisiac and while there may not be any scientific evidence to support that theory, eating it certainly can stimulate those pleasure endorphins. Chocolate is naturally dark, satiny on the tongue, rich and creamy. Chocolate is the food of the gods, the stuff of dreams. A substance almost sinfully good, chocolate is — magic.

With that kind of history, how does one fail to attend a prestigious Chocolate Salon when invited? The answer is you don’t! TASTE TV’s Fall Chocolate Salon was held at Fort Mason on a gorgeous November day. The two rooms were chock full — not merely of delicious samplings of chocolate treats, but of artisans who have dedicated their lives to discovering every nuance, every variation on a theme of flavor that this legendary substance can provide. Some of the Participants and a few taste highlights are listed below.

One of the first things we tasted were the Salt Side Down (http://www.saltsidedownchocolates.com/ ) truffles, a lovely truffle creation intended to be eaten upside down in order to allow the salt to preface its flavor profile; TCHO (http://www.tcho.com/) offered samples in the form of tiny discs of dark bittersweet chocolate, one particularly successful variety was flavored with citrus; the fall pallette of the hand-painted shells of Landru’s (http://landruchocolates.com/ ) marvelously crafted truffles were eye-catching.



Socola's Sister Act produces amazing wares
http://www.socolachocolates.com/

 A particularly enjoyable stop was the ChocolatiQue (http://www.choclatique.com/blog/) table. Their traditional family recipes combined with amazing flavor combinations were just outstanding. A truffle designed to warm in the mouth and recreate the sensations of Hot Cocoa was fairly successful at the trickery, and another that when eaten collapsed upon itself to recreate the flavors of a Root Beer Float was a hoot. The owner, quite proud of his family recipes for both toffee and fudge had every reason to be so, his grandfather & grandmother had left behind some fabulous road maps to confection heaven. So many creations, so little time.

Moving on to the Tea Room Chocolates (http://www.thetearoom.biz/)-- their chocolate bars were perhaps the most memorable. I tasted their Milk Chocolate Bar Infused with Black Masala Chai Tea which simply put was one of the most transformative taste experiences I’ve had. Their tea-infused dark chocolates were creamy and flavorful and the pleasant sensation of eating them lingered with me for the balance of the afternoon. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the surprising combination of chai and chocolate in particular. Another extraordinarily memorable chocolatier proved to be Sterling Confections (http://sterlingconfections.com/) whose triangular truffle bars of a colorful fondant-like shell filled with delectable ganache were as stunningly lovely and creative as they were delicious. The soft consistency of the bar is designed to make slicing it a breeze.

Clarine's Florentines
http://clarinesflorentines.com/

Snake & Butterfly’s(http://www.snakeandbutterfly.com/) wares are Organic & Fair Trade which for many is the only way to purchase. Good news for them, S&B’s treats suffer no loss in quality for being green. The thoughtfulness in their preparation shines through to the flavors delivered — all were just perfection. Same holds true of the chocolate offerings at Carlos Mann Nicaraguan Artisan Chocolates (http://www.ometeote.com/) & Au Coeur Des Chocolats (http://www.heartofchocolates.com/).  So many impressive artists in the house.

Another creative presentation were the chocolate covered Oreos delivered at Plumeria Flours (http://www.plumeriaflours.com/). Fun, fanciful and original, the cookies are covered in a creamy chocolate sensation and then decorated like flowers, baseballs, all manner and variety of artistically rendered themes. Jade Chocolates (http://www.jadechocolates.com/) presented a Dragon’s Breath Bar which came near the end of my day, but tasting it knocked my socks off. The flavor profile was extremely complex. The bar is at first the sensation of a delicate crunch as the toasted sesame releases into the mouth in gentle pops, immediately the smoky tea-infused chocolate fills the mouth with that languine, creaminess that only well-developed chocolate can provide. Just as the chocolate begins to fade, the bar finishes with a subtle kick of chili in the back of the throat. SPEC tacular!

Vice Chocolates (http://www.vicechocolates.com/) had easily the most decadent and eye-catching packaging I’ve seen in years. If chocolate is an aphrodisiac, then this is definitely how it should look! Christopher Michael Chocolates (http://www.chrischocolates.com/) were passing out bits of bacon truffle toward the end of my day which I found intriguing.

They say we save the best for last, and perhaps that may be Amano Artisan Chocolates (http://www.amanochocolate.com/). After so many tastings and so many many good flavors, we came upon Amano fairly late in the day. Almost at the point where my tastebuds were tuckered to the point of numbness. But not so once I tasted their offerings. The first item presented was a hot chocolate drink that could easily been a cup of the brew that first knocked the socks off of the King of Spain. A heavenly form of chocolate this liquid ambrosia. Every other item at their table that I tasted was some form of superlative artistry. This is an outfit that clearly has mastered the preparation and service of chocolate. Transformative stuff.

These artisans and more can be found at http://www.fallchocolatesalon.com/. I suggest you visit a few of the ones that appeal to you for some decadent Holiday shopping. This was a delightful event, and I look forward to making it an annual treat.

Check them ALL out, and Bon appetit!

For info on Taste TV’s upcoming Salong: http://www.tastetv.com/sfchocolatesalon_index.html
Full list of participants - http://www.tastetv.com/sf-fallsalon_partners.html