13 posts tagged “food”
Last month I celebrated a friend's birthday at Michael Mina. It's been on my list of 'must try places" for the last two years but has been slipping down the charts in favor of more affordable restaurants. The benefits of eating with a large group (there were 12 of us) are the number of dishes that you can try. But large sittings generally mean larger bills. My grand total was $260, which was thankfully less than my meal at French Laundry.
Located in the Westin St. Francis hotel across from Union Square, you can ride the hotel's glass elevator to the top floor and look over all of downtown. Or well, at least one side of downtown. The atmosphere at MM isn't as stuffy as French Laundry, in fact the noise level can get pretty high in the open areas. Men aren't required to wear jackets but you can always find a few suits that have come in after work. It's the type of place where men talk business, couples celebrate anniversaries, and girls get way too dolled up in organza skirts.
They serve a three course prix-fixe menu as well as a chef's selection tasting menu. The tasting menu is easier for those that hate making decisions. But when you're paying a hefty price for it, might as well do the work yourself. Within each course there are several selections, of which you can choose only one. Each selection has one core ingredient and is prepared in three different ways. There are also "classics" to choose from, which are dishes that the chef is known for but those are only prepared in one way.
Confused? So was I.
For my first course, I chose the the Hudson Valley foie gras served hot to cold with huckleberry gastique, pickled strawberries, poached rhubarb and pistachio crumble. It was amazing but there was so much of it. I ate half and gave the rest to Katie who proceeded to wipe down two other plates of extra foie gras.
The dishes came out so slowly that by the time course number two arrived, most of us were kind of full. Eep. This was disappointing since my trio of premium beef was so, so good and I couldn't really enjoy it. The first preparation was grass-fed rib-eye in a sauce au povre with creamed spinach, second was American Kobe short-rib with horseradish whipped potatoes, and the last was Misami Kobe sirloin in a bordelaise sauce with marinated mushrooms.
Dessert wasn't really memorable except for the caramel flan and green tea bon bons served with toothpicks. By the time the bill came, it was almost midnight and I was falling asleep at the table. No better way to end the meal I suppose.
Annie treated me out to a wonderful evening at Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant on 1st & Folsom Street. She's one of the few people I know that is always on top of new restaurants in and around the city. Open just four months now, the restaurant packs it in even for a weeknight. Hidden between large gray condos and a brick office building, I drove by twice without seeing it. It's nondescript steel and glass doors reminded me of a supermarket or...um, a raw foods cafe. But once inside, the place was warm and inviting with low lighting and dark wood tables. And noisy. Really noisy.
But I dismissed the part where I was yelling at the top of my lungs for three hours after seeing the prices on the menu. Nothing over $20 and the small plates are between $8-12. How refreshing is that? The food was so tasty too. I highly recommend the onion jam and blue cheese pizza. Our bill came out to $100 in champagne (they had Henriot by the glass) and only $32 in food. A bit embarrassing but the owner was pleased that we enjoyed the drinks and gave us additional wines to taste for free. I found out our gracious host was Mark Bright, the previous sommelier from Michael Mina. He's one of the youngest sommeliers in the industry, starting his training at just 17 years old under the master sommeliers at Aqua in the Bellagio hotel. Now at only 25, he's running his first restaurant.
I was surprised that this came out as one large sardine, instead of several small sardines. It was delish nonetheless. We probably enjoyed this part of the meal more than the sushi. Kind of disappointing but Kirala's sushi really hasn't been as good as it was in the past. We had grilled sardine marinated in spicy roe with lemon and radish, alongside stuffed mushrooms and shiso wrapped chicken in a teriyaki glaze. I finished off the roasted scallops before we could take this picture. Those were way yummy too.
House of Prime Rib is one of those restaurants in San Francisco that I come back to time and time again. It's a good place to take family or friends, with solid service and not a lot of frills. It's almost always guaranteed to be packed even on a Monday night like tonight. While you can order a la carte, getting the main entree will give you everything from the salad, to the yorkshire pudding, to a specific cut of meat. And they have a fantastic pure horseradish (you have to special request it from the server) that really knocks your socks off. No joke, that horseradish made me cry the first time I tried it. I've been coming here for years to celebrate birthdays, holidays and promotions at work. It brings a smile to my face each time I step foot inside. (Hrm, just noticed how the meat looks really bloody in this photo. Kinda gross.)
My mom has visited my apartment about half a dozen times in the last..um, ten years. I suppose there really isn't a need since I try to make it home every two weeks for brunch. Sometimes I'll stay the weekend if it's been a long time since I've seen my parents. It makes her happy and I feel like the good daughter, despite the fact that we have a really distant relationship in comparison to others. We don't discuss work, travels, finances, friends or relationships...we mostly just talk about food and and her latest trips to the Buddhist temples. Food to my mother is the cure all for life's ailments. Having a bad day at work? Eat more meat. Feeling down lately? Eat more fruits. Energy levels low? Don't forget to drink your milk.
I'm a bit surprised that already this year she's been to my place twice. She came this morning to bring me pho (Vietnamese beef noodles) because I've been so sick. Pronounced fuh not foe. The chilis in the soup really clear up your sinuses. I greeted her at the door in a tank top and she asked why I wasn't wearing a sweater. "Tsk, tsk. This is how you sick. Why throat not covered? You have to stay warm all time to get better."
Awesome.
She also brought cured meats, bbq pork buns, vegetables and beef bones to make soup, oranges and banh cuon. Obviously she thinks I'm not eating well or doing any grocery shopping. And not drinking enough hot water either because she then pulled out a electric water heater. Is she serious?
"Keep warm. Drink warm water all day, you get better."
Yes. Very serious. I asked her take a breather after she ran around my kitchen like a mad woman. She obliged but sat at perched at the edge of the couch looking slightly uncomfortable at the possibility of relaxing. "This nice honey but I go now. Need to make tofu for the temple before too late today."
"No stay... have lunch with me. You just arrived and it's silly to drive back so soon."
But there was no convincing her and in ten minutes she was off.
I love leeks. I love them in dumplings, in soups, grilled and eaten whole in the summertime with BBQ chicken. Apparently they make great onion rings too. But I have a confession to make, I've never actually cooked with them. Thankfully these days finding a recipe online takes only seconds. And cooking them was even faster:
4 large leeks
2 tablespoons bacon drippings (alt. use 1 tablespoon olive oil)
Heavy pinch kosher salt
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Crumbled bacon and goat cheese (optional)Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove the green sections of the leeks by cutting an inch above where the leaves begin to turn green. Keep the root intact but do cleanup the fibrous ends. Cut each leek in half lengthwise and rinse thoroughly to remove dirt and sand. Brush leeks with the bacon drippings and sprinkle with kosher salt. Grill on a cool pan over med-high heat, approximately 3 to 5 minutes, turning so that both sides are slightly browned. Remove the leeks to a sheet of aluminum foil and lay cut side up. Brush the leeks with balsamic vinegar. Reassemble the leek halves together, wrap loosely in foil, leaving an opening at the top and place in oven for 5 to 8 minutes.
Remove the leeks from the foil, cut off the roots, and serve as is or with crumbled bacon and goat cheese. It's delicious alone but I love bacon so I couldn't resist. You can also substitue the balsamic vinegar with dijon mustard.
The wait was over an hour long, they ran out of the mac&cheese pie (*whine*), the fried chicken was dry and flavorless, but the atmosphere was wonderful and I adored the stamped tin ceilings. Plus we got to drink wine out of a box and champagne from vintage glasses.
I surpised Nick with Sunday Jazz brunch at the Ritz Carlton. At about $100 per person including tax and tip, it's best saved for special occasions. But the relaxed atmosphere and friendly wait staff turns the meal into something you'll want to do again and again.
They serve a full buffet brunch including complimentary champagne (along with refills!). There's a great selection of seafood prepared both chilled and warm including lobster, crab, oysters, scallops and shrimp. The grilled dishes might differ from week to week but the chilled selection is always consistent. There's a caviar stand with three different varieties served alongside diced herbs, red onions, capers, and creme fraiche.
The breads and pastries were plentiful but I saved myself for the savory and sweet crepes made on the spot. Yummy. All with a choice of toppings and sauces. I tried the cheeses, truffled pate, roasted chicken and rack of lamb. Not sure how I packed it all in but I definitely did. I went back for the lamb twice even. If you're vegetarian, you probably won't be satisfied by the food unless you spend most of the time at the dessert stand. The desserts were heavenly. The tiramisu actually tasted like rum. Enough said.
I just had a wonderful dinner with Ada at Farina in the Mission. Reviews on the place are lukewarm and a bit all over the place. But I like the restaurant regardless of what others say about the overpriced Italian dishes. I'm a sucker for trendy decor and fattening foods.
They make the walnut bread and fresh pasta in house. The cream sauces, especially the black truffle sauce, are delish. Plus if you're without reservations, there's walk-in seating on the red stools by the kitchen, where the chefs will hand you slices of warm foccacia just out of the oven.
I was doing research on the StumbleUpon site, when I actually came across something interesting in their list of popular websites. It was a photo of..*gasp*..does that say 'bacon'? Bacon oil? Essence of bacon??
No. Bacon. Vodka.
It's quite brilliant and delicious sounding.
