Friday, June 22, 2007

Jardiniere

We returned to Jardiniere for dinner to celebrate the Food Gal’s birthday. No I’m not telling you which one. (We also went to Las Vegas to celebrate the Food Gal’s birthday, but that’s a whole different story…short version, don’t; more to follow.)

This time, the Opera was in…so the place was jam-packed. Seriously, three deep at the bar packed. That was OK, though, because we just went right up to our table. Great spot on the railing overlooking the bar. The only downside was that we were right under a vent that was pumping out seriously cold air to keep up with all of the people packed into the restaurant. Once it thinned out a bit (about 20 minutes into our time there) the AC kicked off and we were comfortable the rest of the night. If it had kept blowing, I would have asked to move and I’m certain they’d have accommodated us.

We opened with cocktails given our wonderful experience the last time, I had a Pegu (gin, lime and Cointreau with two dashes of Angostura bitters) and the Food Gal had a “The Last Word” (gin, Maraska, Chartreuse and lime). The bartenders were just as good this time as last and we thoroughly enjoyed our drinks. I don’t mention enough the amazing bar scene in San Francisco. The restaurants and bartenders in this town take their drinks so seriously and construct them so carefully that it puts most other cities and towns I’ve been in or drunk in (ok, same thing) to shame. While we sipped the drinks, we discussed the options and decided against the tasting menu. We’d already basically figured that out before we got to the restaurant, but it was tempting and so we had to reconfirm. Instead, we went for the first course blitz. I don’t know about you, but I find (and the Food Gal emphatically agrees) that first courses on menus tend to be far more interesting that main courses. I think chefs feel freer to play and take some chances with smaller dishes at a lower price point. We often end up ordering many first courses and skipping the main course altogether. This was no exception.

We started the food portion of the evening with a couple of oysters each (the food portion not being strictly necessary...but we thought it polite). They had Kumamoto and Miyagi oysters and we had one of each each; a perfect way to start the meal. After a brief conversation with one of the two sommeliers they had working that night, I chose the Philippe Roty Marsannay "Champs Saint Etienne" 2004. We’ve been exploring “The Villages” region and this was an exceptional bottle. A Pinot Noir with more body than the ones I’m used to from the Pacific Northwest in the states. It did very nicely with the rest of our meal.

Next, I had the duck confit salad with candied kumquats; a very nicely balanced dish with plenty of sweetness, fattiness and salt. The Food Gal, though, chose even more wisely, opting for the warm bread salad with grilled baby artichokes. That was an amazing dish. An alchemical thing took place with the bread, the artichokes, the greens and the dressing and did what you hope for from food in such a restaurant…it became more than the sum of its parts.

For our next course, the Food Gal had the duck liver mousse; an impossibly airy mousse served with some spectacular bread and house made pickles. I liked it more than she did, but that was OK because she liked my foie gras terrine with Sauternes gelee and pickled apricots more than I did. Which is saying something because I was quite impressed with that dish. The gelee especially was lovely and really made the foie gras pop in terms of flavor.

For dessert, we had the Bonne Bouche platter that was brilliant with about ten or so different bite sized nibbles. They also had a peanut butter crème caramel, which was delicious. The decaf was excellent and super hot. Doesn’t hurt that they serve it from silver coffee pots tableside.

(We've been once before but I was negligent and haven't written about it yet...I'll post it shortly...ish.)

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Friday, June 08, 2007

From the Food Gal...on gustatory karma

So I'm looking back through the history of my gourmand adventures over the last year, as documented here by my erstwhile diner-in-crime, and I noticed something: every time we have a less than satisfactory experience in a restaurant, something rummy happens thereafter.

Example 1: on the way home from the infamous Inn at Little Washington, a deer plowed into the side of our car. People laugh when we say a deer hit us, but that's exactly what happened--we saw it, the F-G took evasive action, and the darn thing rammed the driver's side doors anyhow.

Example 2: at Bar Americain, I slipped on the way back from the restroom. I was wearing low heels and I'd only had 2 drinks with a good bit of food, so I really don't think it was my fault. (But I do have to point out, regarding that, that as a former resident of the Empire State I took great pride in the fact that several nearby diners immediately jumped up to see if I was alright. This would not likely have happened elsewhere. People think New Yorkers are rude--people are idiots.)

Example 3: post-Presidio Social Club, the F-G came down with something akin to a full-body migraine. In this case, I'll allow that he might just be allergic to bad service, but nonetheless a pattern emerges.

So, diner beware, I think. This may be a lesson in finish your drink and get the h*ll out while you still can, should things appear to be going south. I'm going to have to train the F-G in the cut and run, though, as he does embody the hope-springs-eternal philosophy about restaurants....

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Gialina - Take Out

We've already had to have the Atomica again. Its tomato, mushrooms, mozzarella, spicy chilies. How is that not something you want to eat all the time? I went for take out a few days ago on my way home from a late day at the office.

We also got their big big (big) salad again. This time it was arugula, cherries, cheese and another really good vinaigrette. I missed the apricots from the previous version and the arugula was a bit much in terms of the whole peppery thing. I still ate two big piles of it.

We tried a halibut ceviche which I thought had corn in it when I looked at it but it turned out that the things I thought were corn were actually amazingly yellow bits of totally delicious avocado. It was an alright dish; it could have used more seasoning. And, honestly, it could have used some corn.

The pizza was spectacular. I could eat this stuff probably 3 or 4 times a week. We also got some Bi-Rite ice cream which is stupidly expensive and totally worth it.

The large salad, halibut starter, pizza and ice cream came to just under $50 (thus confirming my hypothesis from the previous visit that 2 people could eat for about $50 and do so happily). No question we'll be back again.

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Thursday, June 07, 2007

Chenery Park

After last night's debacle at The Presidio Social Club we needed a fix/reminder that restaurants are, in fact, good and that service can be impeccable, food delicious, surroundings comfortable and prices reasonable. If you need to be reminded of all of that at one time, you go to Chenery Park. We do this a lot. Not always because we need a reminder; rather, usually because we just want a good meal.

Chenery Park is in Glen Park in San Francisco. The chefs used to work at Boulevard (which we haven't been to, but need to check out based on the work happening at Chenery Park). Its a two floor neighborhood restaurant of the highest order. (Can you tell we love this place?) We've been, I'm guessing, 8 or 10 times now and we've only lived here for 10 months and we didn't find Chenery Park until about 5 or 6 months into that time. We go a lot. The menu changes often enough that we always find something new and interesting and they do regular daily specials (ie, fried chicken on Tuesdays, Etouffe on Thursdays, and a scallop dish on Saturdays served with a salad of very thin, crispy fries, green beans and tomatoes....I think I'm going to pause and make a reservation for Saturday right now). They're on Open Table which makes the reservation process as easy as can be and we often make them the same day.

Their bar is excellent (not as good as at Absinthe...but the Absinthe folks have an unhealthy relationship with their cocktails, so there's a lot of room to not be as good as Absinthe and still be some of the best cocktails you've ever had) and we virtually always start with a cocktail. They do a killer Kir Royale (according to the Food Gal) and I enjoy their Sazerac and their Manhattans. Last time we were there they made a lovely French 75 for the lady. This night, the Food Gal had a "divine" drink; The Velvet Kiss, a lemony vodka drink with chambord on the bottom and a sugared rim. She was duly impressed (which isn't easy).

They also have a very nice selection of half bottles, which works out well with the cocktails. Tonight we had a Shug Pinot Noir...for a 2005 it was quite good.

We started with Arancini (little fried risotto balls stuffed with mozzerella) which they very nicely added one to so that we'd have 4 instead of 3 preventing one of us from stabbing the other with a fork. They were served with a roasted tomato sauce that could have used a bit more kick, but was darned tasty as the server could tell from the fact that I'd sopped it up with the bread (the not cold bread with the room temperature butter, I might add).

Then the Food Gal had some salmon (the Food Gal ordering salmon out and not at a sushi bar is high praise and speaks well for her faith in the kitchen) which she ordered rare...that lead to a rather humorous conversation with our server about how rare the chef likes to serve salmon and whether the Food Gal was really after some sushi. It came with some spinach and mashed potatoes and the Food Gal didn't say much while she was eating it, so I think she liked it. I got a taste and I was impressed.

I had the etouffe which they make with sausage that they make in house. Lots of crayfish and some really excellent rice made for a nice dish. Again, I'd have preferred a bit more kick, but the flavors were all there.

Desserts are always good at Chenery Park. For one thing, they have a rootbeer float on the menu all the time, so how can that be bad? The Food Gal had a blueberry rhubarb crumble and since rhubarb is one of the Food Gal's favorite things going, she was quite happy through dessert. I had a lemon pudding cake and a cup of coffee. It was tart and soft and very lemony and puddingy.

All of this (2 cocktails, half a bottle of wine, extra large starter, two entrees, two desserts, cup of coffee, bottle of sparkling water and tax) was $125 before tip. Any wonder we're there all the time?

Basically, Chenery Park feels like our dining room in our house but someone else does the dishes. Its everything you want in a neighborhood restaurant: gracious service, good food, excellent drinks and reasonable prices. We'll be back. Often.

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Bar Americain

Last Saturday night, while in New York the Food Gal and I met up with excellent friends to dine at Bar Americain. The company was spectacular. The restaurant, though not overtly failing at any particular thing was simply unimpressive across the board.

First, we ordered drinks (a French 75 for the lady) and our waiter came back a short time later to tell us that the bar was out of superfine sugar and, therefore, could not make the French 75 for the lady. While I will (and did) give the bartender credit for not trying to fake a drink and making something that just wouldn't have worked...how hard is it to stock superfine sugar in a bar? (We won't even get into the fact that you can make it by putting regular granulated sugar into a food processor for about 2 minutes...busy restaurant during service...blah blah.) So, we had to go to option two, or three or whatever. The drinks they did serve, were, on the whole quite good. I had an excellent Manhattan and was happy. (Later, I tried to order their "signature" old fashioned, made with their own cherry infused bourbon. They were out of their own cherry infused bourbon. I think, perhaps, a new bar manager might be in order.)

Happily, everyone at the table (5 of us) were happy to order up and share. So we tried an awful lot of the menu. Shrimp and grits were good, oysters were excellent, half a chilled lobster was half a chilled lobster. The standout of the first food that hit the table was the Crab-Coconut shellfish cocktail. Balanced, nuanced, great combination of flavors...that was a fine dish.

Next up was a whole handful of things...an asparagus chopped salad was uninteresting (and the asparagus wasn't chopped...odd); the fries americain were decent fries, the "hot potato chips" were good potato chips but no one could figure out the hot part...they weren't spicy and they weren't warm to the touch (and, honestly, they weren't worth $9...); the creamed corn was spectacular. This was the one dish that really seemed to me to capture what the whole Bobby Flay thing is supposed to be...bold, bright flavors in interesting combinations. It had some green chilis in it, was perfectly cooked, was the right temperature...really an outstanding dish. The only thing I'd be happy to go back for.

The entrees we got included a Skate (the fish was well cooked, but overpowered by a heavy sauce in far too great a volume); Smoked Chicken which was tasty, but utlimately still a chicken dish that didn't blow anyone's skirt up; duck, of which the breast was perfect and the wing totally over seasoned somehow...I expect it was brined and the salt level in the smaller part was just off the charts; and a rack of pork which while the most tender, juicy pork I think I may ever have eaten, was entirely lacking in flavor (a problem with many dishes, which I wasn't expecting given the executive chef).

For dessert, we again shared a lot. Two of us got the blackberry souffle...a perfect souffle which was too large and didn't hold interest. If it had been 2/3 the size it would have been better. There was also a deep dish chocolate pie...which while chocolate, wasn't deep and was just ok. The caramel whiskey eclairs...yum. Those were interesting...they had a solid caramel on the bottom and a glass of the whiskey sauce would have been just fine with me. I skipped an espresso because the double was $7...honestly. Come on.

Along the way, the Food Gal, on her way back from the restroom, slipped on a water spill in the hallway and tweaked her back, ending the meal in a not so fun way. The manager was gracious, but it had an effect.

As I said, the company was spectacular. None of the food was bad, but with the exception of the corn and the whiskey eclairs, nothing was truly special in a way that sticks with me. It wasn't unreasonably expensive (about $130 per person including tip) for all of the food and the drinks we got. If the flavors had been better, we'd have been very pleased with all of it. As is, we had a blast with our friends but I think we'd stick to the bar if we went back.

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Presidio Social Club

Oh well. The Food Gal and I got all gussied up to fit in with the decor at the Presidio Social Club last night. A very cool concept in the Presidio in San Francisco. In an old Army barracks, the place looks great. A wonderful job of an updated take on the classic 40s USO club.

Right from the start, though, we knew it was trouble. The hostess looked at us blankly and never did manage to offer a smile or even, really, recognition of our existence. Someone took us to our table and asked if we'd like to start with some water, we said yes and ask for sparkling. That took about 10 minutes to show up. A few minutes later our waitress came by and took a drink order (French 75 for the lady, a Pegu for me). Those took another 15 minutes or so (which, normally, no big deal but I was a bit suprised because we'd gotten there at 5:30, with a reservation, so the bar wasn't yet busy). Our waitress then demonstrated a lack of ability to juggle a few tables at a time running off to get other drink orders after telling us that there were specials, but not what the specials were. We were most of the way done with our drinks by the time we ordered. The bread they brought us was fairly tasty, but literally refrigerator cold, and the butter was rock solid (and not in a good way).

We started with "crab cupcakes" which is a cute name for little crab cakes. 3 bite sized ones, in fact. They were fairly tasty, though deep fried, and nothing special though nothing was wrong with them. Along with those we got the "PSC Seafood Cocktail" with those tiny cocktail shrimp and some scallops served in a tomato-y sauce. It was alright if a bit oily and not as tomato-y as I'd have thought given how it looked. Honestly, the oyster crackers were the best part of the dish.

We ordered a second round of drinks (all of which, by the way, were good) and my cocktail glass had quite a bit of lipstick on it...less than appetizing. They made another fairly quickly.

Because the starters list was far more interesting than the mains, we told our waitress that we were likely just going to order several rounds of starters. So, as we finished up the first course, we ordered the "tuna poke" and the "deli chopped liver" and some fries (its San Francisco, everyone has them, and you must order them for comparison's sake). The tuna was entirely uninteresting (though it came with some very good potato chips). Somehow, the tuna, cucumber, mango and maui onion combined to be entirely tasteless; I don't think there was any seasoning at all in the dish. The chopped liver was just what it should have been though it would have been better with some more salt and pepper and came with some completely fabulous toasted rye. Great bread, that. The fries were wonderful...on the thin side, nice seasoning blend on them and actually served with Heinz Ketchup. As we were finishing them up, we were discussing our next round of items and settling on splitting a main course that had caught our eye. Unfortunately, we never got there.

The amazing hovering bus person cleared everything off of our table, including the salt and pepper shakers, despite a couple of "um, I'm not..." but then he was gone. And, as the Food Gal said, "we've been dismissed." Clearly a complete breakdown in communication, but since we hadn't seen our waitress since ordering the second round of food, we had no hope.

So, we paid up and left. For the 4 starters, fries and 4 cocktails, it was a slightly suprising $90 tab. If we hadn't still been hungry (and that's not owing to large appetites...it just wasn't much food, really) it'd have been ok.

So, bottom line: we won't be back. If the service had been even decent, the atmosphere and the drinks would have made up for the mediocre food and we'd go back. As is, the service was abysmal and we can get good drinks and much, much better food elsewhere.

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