After driving in endless circles to find parking, and then waiting in line to enter, I was cutting it very close to make my flight. I forgot to take a photo of the menu and pretty much inhaled my lunch. But it was absolutely fantastic and should be your go-to spot if you don’t need to deal with parking and especially if you live in the neighborhood. The salad contained all of my favorite ingredients and even when I was full I could not bear to leave any of the delicious bread.
Monthly Archives: December 2016
Napa – 9/7/16 – Meadowood
I had no idea that a 3 Michelin star restaurant could be so polarizing. I dined at Meadowood in close proximity to several friends whose opinions I trust and had most to all of the same dishes I had. They loved it, yet I was completely disappointed. I utterly disliked many of the dishes and the menu as a whole. To start with the positives, the eggplant foster was absolutely amazing. And the squab and pasta courses I wished were 3 times as large. But the menu overall was just too many soft textures with no contrast. A few things like this may have been fine, but far too many dishes could have qualified as baby food. Teeth not necessary. The braised cucumber in a damp rye is definitely the worst bread course I have had this year. I suppose I just didn’t get it but nothing about this was a good idea. Fermented squash juice squeezed over halibut sounded somewhat awful but was just completely flavorless. And broth has to be the worst trend of the past few years. I was so excited when lamb arrived but it was so fatty that I couldn’t find one decent bite of meat. Not even a final bite of babka could save this dinner. I wanted to love it and I will note that service was impeccable but I guess its just not for me.
okra flower
oyster okra seed caviar
eel smoked over cabernet staves beef tongue
braised cucumber rye dried albacore
tomato clam caviar
roasted gwen avocado walnut oil
sunflower pasta spot prawn chanterelle
halibut fermented squash
steamed potato cod purslane brandade
coal seared squab berries mustard
lamb broth
lamb plum pestled marigold
buffalo milk yogurt cultured with rose overripe melon
eggplant foster
candied peaches
chocolate babka
Napa – 9/6/16 – The French Laundry
With apologies to my still single friends and family, I fear that any wedding I attend in the future will be a disappointment. This was exactly what I would want for my own wedding, but since it has already been done I suppose I will have to stick to my Carrie Bradshaw city hall plan. Everything about this day was completely perfect from the weather to the ceremony in the courtyard, to the salmon cornets that I sadly have no photos of. And of course being lucky enough to have such amazing friends who let me be a part of their wedding party. While I had high expectations, serving an entire restaurant at once is challenging and I anticipated some service hiccups. However I could not have been more impressed. I would never have known that this was a wedding and not just a regular dinner or lunch service. Service was just completely impeccable. The food certainly was as well, so much so that I still cannot pick my favorite course. The classics are classics for a reason. Oysters and pearls, the hen egg custard and coffee & donuts will never ever get old. The others were equally as good. And when was the last time anybody had a memorable wedding cake? After two decades TFL is as good as ever and is further evidence that so many ‘best’ restaurant lists are pretty useless.
“Oysters and Pearls”
“Sabayon” of pearl tapioca with island creek oysters and white sturgeon caviar
Hen Egg Custard
with a ragout of Perigord truffles
Hudson Valley Moulard Duck Foie Gras “Rillette”
piedmont hazelnut “Genoise,” Yountville figs, watercress and concord grape jelly
Extra Virgin Olive Oil Poached Gulf Coast Cobia
stewed garden squash, fino verde basil, nicoise olives and french vermouth
“Beets and Leeks”
Alaskan king crab, slow roasted beets, horseradish scented leek “mousseline” and garden sorrel
Cornbread Stuffed Thomas Farm Squab
brentwood corn, hominy, applewood smoked bacon, black winter truffle and “sauce mignonette”
Charcoal Grilled Snake River Farms “Calotte de Boeuf”
roasted garden eggplant, lobster mushrooms, ginger scented broccoli pure, crispy barley and miso “hollandaise”
“Manchego”
Schmitt family farm apples, marcona almonds and buttered shortbread
Lemon Coconut Cake
K&J Orchards peaches and nectarine sorbet
Coffee and Donuts
Napa – 9/5/16 – Two Birds One Stone
A completely fantastic first night in Napa. A unique concept for the area, gorgeous space and fantastic company.
iberico de bellota pork, spiced vietnamese caramel, kimchee
head on prawns, charred lime, sudachi salt
fried forbidden rice, lap cheong, sunny side up egg, chili oil
chicken meatballs, green onions, hoisin
savory japanese pancake, green onion, sambal mayo
barely cooked king salmon, myoga, pickled negi, chilled dashi gel
“chips n dip” pickled plum kewpie mayo
“radishes and butter” dashi compressed radishes, roasted nori goat milk butter
lotus root kimchee
hirame sashimi, cucumber, compressed melon
japanese green tea soft serve ice cream, ginger crumbles
black sesame soft serve ice cream, roasted plum
San Francisco – 9/4/16 – Kin Khao and the Progress
Kin Khao
Months later I wish I could rewind and do over this day. I love everything about Kin Khao and would be quite happy to eat here on every single trip to San Francisco. There are few places where I eat past the point of being full because I literally cannot stop.
Pak Pow – lager, appleton reserve rum, allspice dram, ginger, lemon, nutmeg
Nam Tok Beans – ayocote morado beans tossed isaan-style with lime, chili, rice powder, light soy, shallots, scallions, mint, cilantro
Som Tum Papaya Salad – spicy chili lime fish sauce dressing, green beans, cherry tomatoes, dried shrimp, peanuts
Pad Kee Mao – spicy stir-fried drunken noodles with ground pork, rice noodles, garlic, birds eye chili, onions, bell peppers, holy basil
Khao Mun Gai – chicken fat rice, ginger-poached chicken, served with pim’s secret sauce and a cup of chicken broth
The Progress
It took me far too long to get to the Progress. As I knew I would, I loved everything about it. The space is gorgeous, service is fantastic, and all of the food as excellent as expected. But now I a torn and I see Progress/State Bird double dinners in my future.
(Apologies for the caption-less photos which is what happens when it takes me too long to update this blog.)
melon with sesame & dukkah, zucchini bread with pickled carrot creme fraiche, fried pickles with buttermilk & smoked hot sauce, claim cocktail with avocado & seven pepper cracker
pig’s head charcuterie, korean melon, fish sauce & chiles
hog island sweetwaters, yuzu pickled local nori
San Francisco – 9/3/16 – in Situ, Aaxte, Louie’s Gen-Gen Room and Lord Stanley
In Situ
I have to admit that when I first read about in Situ I didn’t get the concept at all and I really had no interest in going. A restaurant based on reproducing dishes of various chefs from around the world seemed almost like a fad. But I wasn’t considering the setting and when I finally visited it all made perfect sense. In Situ is located in the SF Museum of Modern Art and it is actually the absolute perfect museum restaurant as it is own museum of rotating dishes from famous chefs and restaurants around the world spanning decades. The dishes themselves are classic and are faithfully reproduced. Now I just need to dig back to that old photo of the Clove Club chicken.
Buttermilk fried chicken & pine salt – Isaac McHale, The Clove Club
Summery warm tomato & basil tart – Michel Guerard, Les Pres d’Eugenie
Ketchup fried rice – Roy Choi, LA Son
Aaxte
As our first stop of the evening we sadly had to limit what we ordered. But I will definitely be back for a full dinner. An adorable place, excellent service, and some shrimp that I could eat everyday.
Louie’s Gen Gen Room
I didn’t have time to try Lilhio Yacht Club on this trip unfortunately but did have a chance to check out this recently opened subterranean cocktail spot below it. The space is adorable and the drinks bright and refreshing. The abbreviated food menu contains a large number of waffle options. A strange choice I initially thought but they were far better than I expected.
Lord Stanley
It was quite late by San Fran standards by the time we reached Lord Stanley and I felt badly that they allowed such a late reservation as we were the last table seated. I don’t think I really appreciated how good this dinner was until the next day. The vegetable preparations are really fantastic and refreshingly different. The eggplant accompanying my lamb was hands down the best I have ever had. It has never been one of my favorites and was completely transformed. I”m looking forward to a return trip for the tasting menu. Indeed one of the best new restaurants in America!
Onion petals with sherry vinegar
Grilled trumpet mushrooms, garlic and almond
Wagyu beef tartar with chanterelle and summer truffle
Sweet potato with shemeji, horseradish creme fraiche and nasturtium
Lamb loin and belly with charred eggplant, black olive and lemon
iwillmakeualist 