In Search of Perfection

Saison Winter 2011

2011-12-29T14:00:00.000-08:00

Saison Winter 2011

2 of my 3 perfect meals ever are at Saison. Joshua presented purity of all the best ingredients of the day, the way dinning should be.

eggs - white sturgeon

Thomas Keller's last mind-blowing meal he had.

eggs - golden trout

egg - chicken

CRU - shigoku oyster, in its ember roasted juices

shrimp chip

bluefin - torn w/ scallop shell

bluefin head cheese, tonnatto, beach herbs

bluefin spine

(purity of ocean flavor)

brassicas 3.0

(perfection)

wood-fire oven baked olive bread

crustaceans - lobster tail grilled over a bed of seaweeds & wild fennel

foie, white chocolate, olive, bread, beer - the texture

wood pigeon, 38 days, fall fruits, chili, olive

crispy skin, tender juicy meat, even the fat between skin and meat was perfect in flavor

four story hills BEEF 109 cut, 30 days, beef fat vinaigrette

just right amount of acidity to bring out the prime rib

Nid d'abeille

always our fav. miss Matt

Lemon 1:27

NAWLINS - coffee and beignets

sorry miss beignets pix. too good to wait

popcorn ice cream 4.0

always my fav but I never knew this can be improved with a hint of salt

chef made a menu for us afterwards.

Saison Nov 2011

2011-11-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

In the process of perfecting purity
We are glad to do the early tasting as always.

Egg, perfect

Cru

Oyster, pure ocean

Tuna torn with scallop shell

head of tuna

Tuna spin, purity of ocean flavor

bluefin head cheese

brassicas 3.0, perfection

crustaceans

poached egg w certified white truffle

wild spotted deer

four story hills BEEF, 30 days, beef fat vinaigrette

salad

Matt's id d'abeille is our fav cheese/ dessert

New pastry chef's NAWLINS is great addition to a beautiful line up of desserts.

Lemon 1:27 Matt's popcorn ice cream deserve an ice cream shop

SaisonSF March 2011

2011-05-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

coconut and white chocolate mousse

Matt Tinder's dual texture coconut mousse and white chocolate mousse playfully tease the roof of your mouth and tongue

SaisonSF Jan 2011

2011-02-13T16:39:00.000-08:00

I love Josh's delicate creation. Beautiful and harmonic flavors give us enjoyment every bite. Well designed courses surprise us all the time. Plus Matt's delightful desserts, Saison is my favorite place in SF Bay area.

wild fluke

river vegetable, olive oil, citrus

brassicas various ways

toasted grains, bonito

sea urchin

potato, chestnut, coffee

liver mousseline

winter fruits, hibiscus

crushed beet raviolo

bone marrow, walnut, vinegar, honey

Josh's special foie gras

petaluma chicken

artichoke olive lemon

hand-chopped roasted chicken with foie gras was perfectly rolled in green leaf and steamed. Josh outdo his previous perfection of roasted milk-fed chicken.

citron salad

green tea, smoked sesame

Matt continue to roll out surprises every dinner. The only thing repeated is my favorite popcorn ice cream.

lemon sorbet

green tea, basil, milk

nid d'abeille

brillat savarin, vanilla milk

Osteria Coppa

2011-02-05T23:24:00.000-08:00

Executive Chef Chanan Kamen creates beautiful pizza and pasta.

We were really lucky that Michael the manager served us at our first visit. Best dishes and outstanding wine service! COPPA, our Thursday restaurant.

Fritto of shrimp, calamari, fennel and meyer lemon

House cured salumi platter

Best pizza! Thin chewy crust with beautiful flavors of pancetta, braised radicchio, parmesan fonduta, aged balsamico.

Took a lot of convincing for me to try Italian wine. '97 Monprivato is good stuff.

Special from the chef

the cheese and wild honey enhanced the texture of fresh pasta

Agnolotti dal plin, traditional piemontese meat filled envelopes

Tajarin with black truffles

Petrale sole, savory cabbage, black trumpet mushrooms, preserved lemon

Chicken al mattone, farro and brussel sprouts

Roasted ribeye with patato puree, kale and fresh horseredish

Incanto

2011-02-05T11:14:00.000-08:00

incanto uses every part of the animal. many kids come here for a daring experience ;-) Boccalone salumi platter was excellent.

Boccalone salumi platter

porchetta di testa

Tripe, clams, citron & chillis

blood sausage and claims

Spaghettini, sardinian cured tuna heart, egg yolk & parsley

Duck, root vegetables & salsa verde

Pork cheeks, cippolini & polenta

Oxtail, sweetbreads, rutabaga & pickled green walnuts

Frances

2011-02-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

Frances, a cozy neighborhood restaurant with friendly service. I was especially impressed with the house wine service by the oz. It encourages wine culture. Every table had at least a carafe of the easy drinking house wine on the table. Wine list is perfect for Frances' cousine with Anne Gros white burgundy by the glass and Anne Gros Richebourgs.

Roasted Beet & Rainbow Carrot Salad

sauce gribiche & wild argula

Grilled Calamari

preserved lemon, shaved fennel, radish & wild argula

Apple wood Smoked Bacon Beignets

maple creme fraiche & chive

Panisse Frites

crispy chickpea fritters & calabrese chili aioli

Thin crispy crust with moist tender chickpea. So good that I did not want the aioli sauce to ruine the texture. I had the whole plate for myself.

Chicory Lettuce Salad

persimmon sunchoke fennel olives & ricotta stagionata

Dungeness Crab Salad

little gems, tarragon vinaigrette, owari satsuma mandarin

Roasted Chestnut Soup

pearl onion, lacinato kale & bacon

Spugnole Pasta & Cotechino Sausage

black trumpets & moliterno pecorino

Five Dot Ranch Bavette Steak

toasted farro ragout, maitakes & fava greens

Liberty Farm Duck Breast

Italian butter beans, braised endive & sicilian olives

Chicory Root Panna Cotta

satsuma mandarin, espresso gelee, chocolate sea salt cookies

'Lumberjack' Cake

sierra beauty apple, medjool dates, maple-walnut ice cream

SaisonSF & Meadowood

2011-01-23T15:45:00.000-08:00

Joshua + Christopher!!! Yearning for Meadowood for years. I made the reservation on the spot when dine Saison's Fire Dinner with Jeremy Fox. The counter in kitchen! Of course.

Pei, Chris, and I had a great time recording the wonderful experience with three SLR cameras while Milton captured us recording the night.

little kennebec potato wild trout roe

sand dabs ember roasted leeks, sweetwater oyster jus

monterey abalone white crane herbs, leaves & flowers

pumpkin roasted in the embers, pumpkin milk, seed spices & redwood clover

four story hills 30-day beef smoked tomato juices

The best beef I've ever tasted. "Four Story Hills, torched seared 24-hour steak, and tomato juices are the must have. No more compromise." and we did later at home. The result of 4 lb roast and 40 lb roast made a big difference in texture. Will keep trying.

sheep's cheese buried in ash, buckwheat honey & toasted grains

champagne sorbet ember roasted adriatic figs

angiun strawberries fire-roasted hyssop marshmallow, popcorn ice cream

My childhood dream came true! Matt Tinder of Meadowood then, Saison now, is my hero.

I'd been watching Matt presented dozens of this dessert in front of us. No wonder our appetite is quite good thru out the night. The most amazing part is the silky buttery popcorn ice cream infused with aroma of pounds of vacuum packed pop corn without any of the popcorn coarse texture. The vacuum packed dry strawberry has intense strawberry flavor with just a slight hint of sweetness, taste like the perfect Chinese mountain berry. The dessert I'd been looking for my whole life all came true in one. Matt gave me a big chunk of dry strawberry. Sorry no sharing.

Nami Nami winter 2010

2011-01-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

Shoichi Shiono, Executive Chef of Nami Nami, let me design my own birthday menu, one course for each guest. As for wine pairing, George and I brought 2 dozens of wine for pairing ;-P

Started the night with 1996 Lenoble Gentilhomme, one of my favor champagne, an extraordinay vintage and beautifully aged in the cave. Fully body, smooth, and yeasty. Following by 1999 Dom Perignon which was still young when open but developed an hour later.

Nami Nami tofu w/ crab for Sue-min

Shoichi made this for me once in 2009. It took me a whole year to finally get him to make it again. Home made sesame tofu with fresh crab and crab butter. Yummy!

Snapper sashumi for George

Fish melt with Daikon for Milton

Uni risotto for me

The use of dashi makes this risotto refreshing and show case all the ocean flavor within.

Agedashi duck, eggplant, tofu for Shinji

This is an Atherton Wine Import dish. A burgundy lover's invention. I can see this at Nami Nami Taipei.

Quail Peking duck style

my request but Shoichi's genius invention

All I asked for was quail with tender juicy meat and crispy skin like Peking duck. Shoichi's Peking quail roll mirrors Cory Lee's "thousand-year-old quail egg. This should be the first dish of our restaurant.

As usual, George carefully decants old Bordeaux.

Lamb for Peiching and his love for Bordeaux

Commonwealth SF

2010-12-23T01:25:00.000-08:00

Jason Fox showcases diverse culinary approaches in casual modern Commonwealth. Small place with apporximately 40 seats including a few counter seats creates a perfect cozy ambiance. Appetizers are the weakest dishes; salads, good; seafood course, great; pork belly and duck are outstanding; lamb cheeks and pork, juicy and tender; desserts, subtle. Yes, we had the whole menu as usual... and repeated olive oil cake. Amazing experience. Next reservation is coming Tuesday :p

Dec-28,2010: Ian Muntzert, Chef de Cuisine, ran a great operation tonight when Jason Fox was trapped in east coast due to the snow storm. I love Ian's olive oil cake.

procini churros

thyme, huckleberry jam

grilled chicken livers

brown rice-black pepper cracker, saba

asian pear, chicories, pomegranate,

cured ham, idiazabal cheese, long pepper

baby beets
fresh goat cheese, spicy greens, black olive, hazelnut

slow cooked farm egg
matsutake mushrooms, jerusalem artichoke, barley, yuzu

kabocha pumpkin
black kale, yuba, sprouting broccoli, coconut milk, peanut

ocean trout crudo
funnel, hibiscus, dill, horseradish, seaweed paper

sea urchin
sweet potato tempura, chrysanthemum leaf, shiso, scallion, yuzu kosho

Sierra mackerel on the plancha
smoked potatoes, avocado, meyer lemon, fresh wasabi

squid and pork belly
jidori egg salad, potato croutons, herb vinaigrette

duck confit crepe
persimmons, walnut, fresee, mint, pomegranate

grilled lamb cheeks
chanterelles, cauliflower, almond crumble, douglas fir

pork
mustard greens, turnips, onion soubise, mustard caviar, juniper jus

yuzu curd, olive oil cake

huckleberries, pine nut brittle, creme fraiche ice cream

frozen sabayon

persimmons, pomegranate, candied walnuts, spiced brioche croutons

cinnamon mille-feuille

cardamom marshmallow, chocolate ganache, burnt honey ice cream

Andante Dairy Etude, date-sherry relish, spicy greens, crostini

Candy Deco

2010-12-03T23:22:00.000-08:00

Benu special Oct 30, 2010

2010-11-22T02:19:00.000-08:00

So impressed with Cory Lee's bold flavor and intriguing textures. We pre-ordered poularde cooked en vessie our last visit three weeks ago. The only plan I had was to order something from a-la-carte menu since we had tasting menu last time.

Surprisingly, Cory Lee called me early afternoon that day and asked what was my dinner plan beside poularde en vessie. I of course asked for everything possible on the a-la-carte menu, and Jin-Hua ham consome that I falled in love with.

thousand-year-old quail egg

celery, chestnut, orange, celery root ice-cream, ginger

this bottle of riesling had distinct flavor that intrigued us through the whole dinner.
a strong nose of bitter yuzu and its silky texture on the tone pair with the crab/ foie gras custard extremely well.

the green stem accentuates the scent of green yuzu from this wonderful pairing of riesling and crab/ foie gras custard. beautiful memory.

matsutaki mushroom, crab and foie gras custard, ginko nut, green yuzu

rigatoni, squid and ink, karasumi, artichoke, spicy sausage

spanish mackerel, pain de mie, parsley root, carrot, preserved ramps

white truffle risotto

talented Yoon Ha made magical pairing for Cory's bold flavors.

"shark fin", jin-hua ham consome, truffle custard

Savory ji-hua ham consome with ocean scent from crab shell. Truffle custard gave this dish a soul. I falled in love again.

poularde cooked en vessie

breast

The tenderness of this chicken breast is unbelievable. Juicy, soft, yet retain a little of elasticity. Sous vide changed me to eat chicken. Cory's poularde cooked en vessie transformed me to love chicken.

leg in daikon

sea cucumber, pork belly, lettuce, wood ear mushroom, fermented pepper

duck, duck mousse

Duck mousse was used to replaced the fat while the skin was intact with pressure applied on the re-assembled duck breast. This created a exotic springy chewy QQ texture. Cherry orange sweet tarte flavor.

red deer, bacon, five spice

Another joy of texture, crispy bacon with bouncy venison. Red meat texture extravaganza !!!

We finished after the cleaning crew finishing up and locked us in the restaurant.

Spruce Nov 2010

2010-11-12T23:14:00.000-08:00

Spruce, an elegant neighborhood restaurant

Milton got tired of my usual Chez TJ, Commis, Saison, and Nami Nami. We wondered to far side of San Francisco on a Saturday afternoon. Really, the only reservation we could get at Spruce is 5:00 pm. At least street parking was easy, right in front of Spruce.

Beautiful entrance with high ceiling. Kind of cold though. I was glad that I kept my shawl. Simple and elegant menu. Extensive wine list where I got lost and almost ordered a 90's DRC. Service was wonderfully effective, flexible, and polite.

Well executed French cooking but we made a strategic mistake by not ording the halibat. The whole dinning experience would have been great if we've done our usual and ordered the whole menu.

charcuterie selection

Chicken mouse is beautifully smooth. Savory prosciutto is thin, dense, and flavorful. A great starter. Toasted walnut bread pairs well with charcuterie.

sweetbread lyonnaise

Sweetbread is well executed. Perfect tenderness. Pasta is too soft.

red pumpkin soup

Nicely done. Like Alain Ducasse's pumpkin soup with nice herbal twist.

foie gras two kinds

Foie gras two kinds. There is no need to make tough choice. This is a real treat.

rabbit: ribs, breast, and leg

Beautiful savory rabbit, well done yet tender. Heavy lentil soup gave rabbit flavor.

honey lacquered duck breast

foie gras, poached apple

Duck breast swim in sweet honey sauce.... I moved the duck breast in my bread plate. Would have work much better without the heavy sauce.

beignets

Nothing beats freshly fried beignets. Vanilla sugar coating gave it just the right flavor. I had to order another one without sugar for comparison. Both are great!

Benu Oct 2010

2010-10-12T01:13:00.000-07:00

Innovation, astonishing yet elegant
Savoriness, surprising yet impeccable

Service, invisible yet perfect

Had not been back to French Laundry for ages until Halloween 2009, the week right after Cory Lee left. Waited for almost one year, we finally got a chance to try Cory Lee's creation.

We love almost everything. The enjoyment of benu is at the same level of L'Astrance. Outstanding !

thousand-year-old quail egg, lonsdale

Unfortunately, I am extremely picky about my thousand-year-old egg, Pei Pei too. Only the best brand from Taiwan can satisfy my plate. The texture is a miss. Not bad for a home made. Lonsdale, cocktail, is beautiful and subtle in flavor.

sea urchin and almond tofu, caviar, sparkling grape

Impaging mix a bit of savory caviar, bitter sweet sea urchin, and bitter sour sparkling grape. Firecracker in the mouth. Almond tofu gives this dish a beautiful presentation but a bit tougher.

abalone grenobloise, cauliflower, caper, lemon

Baby abalone is warm and just the right slight chew texture. Lemon and caper enhance the flavor even more.

eel, feuille de brick, creme fraiche

caramelized anchovy, peanut, lily bulb

mountain yam and shrimp souffle

How I love this course. Perfectly fried crispy eel with soft and light creme fraiche. Caramelized anchovy, peanut, lily bulb clean palate and trick your mind to get ready for mountain yam souffle, moist and soft yet retain some of mountain yam's smooth sticky texture. Yum.

monkfish liver torchon, turnip, pear, mustard, brioche

"Is the brioche better than L'Ambroisie?" Milton asked. Definitely not with 8 sticks of butter but well executed. Maybe a bit of corn to give it a nice flaky texture without too much butter. I enjoyed the brioche alone before trying the monkfish liver, another impeccable effort in both flavor and texture again.

crispy cod milt, beet, yuzu, romaine, horseradish creme fraiche

Silly us trying the milt alone and shocked by the texture. OK, shocked by literally the "milt" itself. Beet, yuzu, romaine, and horseradish creme fraiche (wait. Jeremy Fox's beet salad) compliment well with the crispy cod milt. This is how Cory defines a great design.

"shark's fin" soup, dungeness crab, cabbage, Jinhua ham, black truffle custard

OMG. The Jinhua consomme is full of savory flavor. Creamy black truffle custard at the base give this consomme its soul. I will be back in two weeks just for this.

pumpkin porridge, lobster, black truffle

Lobster pumpkin porridge? What a great idea to avoid the creamy butter cream yet preserve the texture of lobster bisque!

my cookie iPhone4 cover became the talk of the night. Waiters can help smiling at this silly thing on the table. Heh, I wouldn't put a cell phone on the dinning table but this one is too cute and deserve its own seat.

eight treasure duck

A bold move, putting Chinese herb medicine in the dish. I ate them like raisins when I was kid. Love this eight treasure.

beef rib cap, matsutake mushroom, pine nut, pine needle honey, mitsuba

.......... I do this at home. Sorry, I made Milton make this at home. After the Jinhua consomme and eight treasure duck, we can't taste the subtle flavor of this beef except the honey. It would be nice that this dish was served before Jinhua and duck.

huckleberry sorbet, yogurt, lemon curd, vanilla sponge

chestnut custard, cranberry, mace ice cream, arlette

On the way out, we heard this loud engine noise. Valet is parking a Ferrari and let the key next to the kitchen. Mine!

Commis Sept 2010

2010-10-07T01:14:00.000-07:00

Commis, a jewel in bay area, is always our top choice.

James Syhabout who worked at Fat Duck and El Bulli, prepares unique flavors that I have never taste before. Fresh local produces mix with flavors that is opposite yet harmonic. A slightly hint of sweetness and sour, Thai or Shanghai? It is definitely not fusion but just Commis. We always bring Pierre-Yves and Anne Gros to Commis. Still can't resist a taste of wine pairing that enhanced the courses with extra excitement. Dinning experience definitely reminds me L'Astrance where we have our most memorable food and wine pairing.

With limited 31 seats, Commis does not offer much choice when it come to reservation. For eight months, our only choice has always been 9:30pm Sunday. But, work can wait. We will be back soon.

Poached york

dry farmed tomato, dried bread

heirloom pepper with lime peel, yogurt

natural sweet corn cereal

cucumber, radish and fennel with lemon

grilled hake

squash spiced with nasturtium leaves, chanterelles and crisp okra

breast of duck, tongue confit

wild lafayette elderberries, russian varietal kale with ginger

beef sirloin, slowly cooked

veal cheek, eggplant with ash of the skins, chervil and capers

refreshing melon soda to clean palate

selection of american artisan cheeses

fig-olive jam, oakland honey, our hazelnut bread

smoke & apples

apple & huckleberry tart with thyme, smoked buttermilk ice cream

SaisonSF & Jeremy Fox

2010-09-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

We have been waiting for Patterson and Jeremy Fox's Plum to open for months. Under extreme desperation when found out Jeremy was not joining Plum, I called on George of Atherton Wine Import for help get a table of Joshua and Jeremy's Fired Dinner at Saison. Lucky us get confirmation for a table in that morning. George the man!!!

Fired Vegetables, what a great way to celebrate the open oven in the court yard. Sitting next to the oven, we get a great view of Jeremy's cooking and the warm of the fire in a cold San Francisco summer night.

We went with the Mark Bright's wine pairing of course. Nice pairing with Jeremy's and Joshua's delicate courses.

tomato different ways

polka corn & okra

variety of carrots

Joshua went back to kitchen preparing his famous sweet bread.

merlin beets

Two hot chefs' Fire Dinner attracted SFFD. Joshua was called out to explain the sparks all over Saison while fire trucks stand by outside.

sweetbreads

Mala Maui, Nov 2009

2010-08-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

Recommended by Acquerello. Ocean side dinning with casual and fun service staff.

Pleasantly surprised to find Sauzet, my favorite white, at Maui.

Split a burger & keep my artery functioning

Plumed Horse, April 2010

2010-08-12T23:49:00.000-07:00

Best service, beautiful decorated dinning room, and knowledgeable staff remind me Ritz Carlton Dinning room. We love the wine collection, wine cellar, wine service, and the one of the two beta site for iPhone wine list (the other is French Laundry).

Had so much fun and only took pix of three out of the nine bottles; Notes, sorry Nick.

1998 Taittinger Comte Champagne

Lightly Cooked Japanese Hamachi
Tsar Nicoulai caviar, pickled cucumber

Chilled Foie Gras "Au Poivre" Terrine
spicy peanut pistou, tiny greens, tamarind

2007 Corton Charlemagne Bouchard delicious nice rich fruit and balance
2005 Corton Charlemagne P-Y Colin Morey – corked

Local Dungeness Crab Wontons
breakfast radish, shellfish consomme

2007 Puligny Folatieres Le Moine older color, and seems advanced

2007 Chassagne Caillerets PY Colin-Morey fantastic wine, bright rich and great balance

Walu

smoked asparagus salad, tempura enoki mushroom, dashi nage

1999 Ruchottes Chambertin Rousseau form the wine list, excellent, quite rich, aromatically great

Roast California Squab

farm egg, braised field greens, brown butter vinaigrette

1990 Grands Echezeaux Mongeard-Mugneret advanced bottle somewhat oxidized

1996 Grands Echezeaux Mongeard Mugneret from the wine list excellent bottle

1990 Gevrey Estournelles St-Jacques Esmonin not bad even in this company of great wines

Guinea Hen

house cured bacon, braised field greens, whole grain mustard vinaigrette

our table

Nick stood on the chair to take this shot. After 9 bottles, we were a rowdy bunch.

Mishima Ranch Kobe Beef

creamed spinach & green garlic, beef cheek, potato fondant

Mt. Tam triple cream Cheese
white truffle honey, fruit bread

1998 Yquem half bottle good but tight and not in the league of the 1997

Strawberry sorbet

Valrhona Chocolate Souffle
praline anglaise, cocoa nibs

Contigo Kitchen + Cava

2010-08-12T23:23:00.000-07:00

Always my first choice at Castro. Cozy, friendly, great meats, and a beautiful blind date w/ Yelp friends.

Evan's

2010-08-12T23:15:00.000-07:00

Evan's, Zagat highest rated in bay area, is good and hearty but too much sauce.

Acquerello, Nov 2009

2010-05-01T12:20:00.000-07:00

A charming church converted to the best Italian restaurant in San Francisco. We were here for the Novemenber white truffle menu which George had it 3 times in one month. He loves it so much and had to take us here.

Acquerello has warm and family-like service. No wonder George kept coming back.

Blood Orange Soda

2001 Batard Montrachet Ramonet

Stated with tropical and minty basil nose and changed into rosemary, orange peel, with hint of Indian spice half an hour later. Beautiful.

Beef Carpaccio

Black Truffle Potato Ball

high acidity, typical of 1996 vintage. It was too cold and open up 1/2 hour later, Caramel nose showed up. After another hour, the nose turn sweet basil. Best Paul Pernot we've tasted.

2000 Leflaive, unfortunately it was corked. George's last bottle.

Grilled Walu over braised celery

clams and mussels in 'Acqua Pazza'

A wonderful butter fish with just the right thickness to bring out Walu's texture. Hint of acidity went well with Ramonet. Definitely avoid the ragu base though.

White truffle budino al parmigiano

White truffle tajarin

White truffle gnocchi

I love gnocchi and made my own special white truffle gnocchi.

Aged Carnaroli risotto with port belly and Rome Beauty apples

Best wine service in town, no limit, the way we like it.

Ponsot does not use new oak for Clos de La Roche. Interesting citrus candy nose.

Veal loin over creamy polenta

chanterelles and veal sweetbreads

Breast of Grimaud Farms duck

with red wine pear mostarda, orange lentil and almond coated foie gras

Anise, cassis, jammy berry. Haut-Brion is warmer than Medoc. With 40% merlot, a smooth wine indeed.

We were adventurous and ordered a great bottle of Barolo.
Five months later, I still remember the experience. The nose of Band-Aid got stronger. We felt like back to high school at nurse station after a PE accident. Very interesting.

Our first impression is 2005 Mouton is not yet closed, high alcohol with plenty of berry. But it closed 3 hours later and turn tanin, acidity, and bitter. An expansive lesson.
.

Brasato of America Kobe beef short ribs in Barolo

root vegetables

Grilled lamb's tongue

celery, salsa verde and black Gaeta olive oil

Aziza

2010-03-27T01:39:00.000-07:00

Modern Maroccan Classics

Organic and locally produced ingredients are prominently featured on the menu that portrays Mourad Lahlou’s unique creations & modern versions of moroccan classics.

Romantic amersphere gives the restaurant a classic feeling but hard for the camera for nice pictures. Great food, great company.

almond, cumin, cayennne

Sunchoke soup
Sunchock is also called Jerusalem artichoke, learned something new from Cory who has amazing palate for vegetables.

beet

bibb lettuce, shallots, citrus, tarragon

chicken wing

brussel sprouts, rosemary, almond, apple

meatballs

grape, jacama, herb vinaigrette

Hot and spicy with plenty of coriander. Open our appetite.

Mussaka w/ lamb

basteeya, chicken almond

Custom size for the whole table. Soft, light, flaky crust. A light entre.

wagyu beef

la ratte potato, beef cheek, abalone mushroom, cumin

Good flavor but not the soft fatty Wagu I expected.

duck

cauliflower, garlic chive, capers, dried cherries

Texture is bit mushy like duck liver. Cherry sauce is interesting.

lamb shank

barley, prune, cranberry, scallion

quail

quince swiss chard cipollini, sunchoke

Quail is firm with crispy skin. Good stuff.

dessert

LUCE

2010-03-27T00:48:00.000-07:00

Innovation like Ubuntu + Commis

Perfect execution like L'Amborisie

Variety like Jean-Georges

Service and wine list has plenty of room for improvement but the food made up for everything.

L'Hiver

Winter day rise and shine,

life awakes to morning light until the sunset glow

After 2010 La Paulee Grand Tasting with appetizers prepared by Boulevard, Acquerella, Jardiniere RN74, Slanted Door, Quince... , we were a tough crowd to please. Chef Dominique excelled and surprised us with the creativity, beauty, texture, and flavor. We LOVE Luce and vow to return for the spring menu.

Dawn”

Oysters, Beet, Passion fruit

“Soil”

Root and Baby Vegetable, Olive

Winter root vege with dirt fixed my misery of Jeremy Fox leaving Ubuntu. Of course, meeting Jeremy Fox this afternoon at La Paulee helps ;-)

“Herbs Garden”

Celery and Others

“Wilderness”

Venison, Cranberries and Rye

Venison capaccio is tender and mild like tuna, not a single trace of game.

“Trou Normand”

Guava

“Sea”

Lobster, Sea Urchin and Foie Gras

Long Bailey Farm Suckling Pig, Pork Cheek, Eggplant Caviar and Roasted Apple

This dish is amazing in texture and flavor. Milton and I had to discuss whether Luce's lobster is better or the langoustines of L'Amboriesee Chef Dominique is extremely talented.

Pork Tenderloin

“Poisson Du Jour,” Catch Of The Day

“Farm “

Beef, Ajwain-Chestnut and Citrus Reticulata

“12 Hours” Lamb Belly, Lamb Loin

Sweet Potato, Sicilian Pistachio and “Pillow,” Baby Turnips

“Winter sky”

Pearls and Snow

“Fromage”

Epoisse, Sable Breton and Vanilla-Kumquat Compote

(missing picture, sorry)

“Cacao”

Chocolate and More Chocolate

“Dusk”

A Surprise

(a surprise of Zen. no surprise)

Chez TJ 2010

2010-02-22T00:11:00.000-08:00

Still not used to the old house smell, the first thing I noticed when I walked in to Chez TJ all the times. Neither the wall covering nor the painting on the wall compliments this charming old house. The squeeky floor, small table, and 2-hour chair, give me the chill till I seat down and start my first glass of wine.
However, I admire the owner George Aviet's choice of chefs. The previous 2-star chef Christopher Kostow who is at St Helena's Meadowood 2*, ex-chef Bruno Chemel who currently open Baume at Palo Alto, and current Scott Nishiyama from French Laundry are talented and give South Bay a rare choice of fine dinning experience. I am always a huge fan of Chez TJ.

Velout'e of Golden Turnip and Hosoi Pear

Ris de Veau, Burgundy Truffle, Savoy Cabbage

Velout'e is done perfectly. The soup is so velvety and fluffy that our tongue reach the maximum sensation, like our finger trip stroking the foots of teddy bear. And golden trunip and pear gave velout's a light refreshing sweetness. French Laundry's 3-star quality. We licked the bowl clean.

Moulard Duck Foie Gras "Neige"

Banana, Jerusalem Artichoke, Cashew

Snowing foie gras, another amazing dish! Frozen foie gras shaving matches well with soft sweet banana and Jerusalem Artichoke. I learn something new and wonderful today.

Grilled Japanese Octopus
Russet potato gnocchi, bone marrow, sorrel

Loved the gnocchi and bone marrow. Not sure how grilled octopus fits in but does give the 10-course meal an interesting twist in the middle.

Morro Bay Sablefish "Cuit en Sous Vide"

Yukon gold potato, Manila clams, Perigord black truffle, parsley, smoky ocean broth

I don't like to have a crunchy greasy potato chip with my silky light fish. I picked up the crunchy Yukon gold potato chip and ate them by themselves, which turns out to a smart move. I got to enjoy the flavor of light ocean broth, clams, black truffle, and sablefish.

Pomogrante sorbet and tarragon jelly

(I will have to update my red Burgundy and Bordeaux later. Missed pix)

Liberty Farms Duck Breast
Date, young parsnip, michicoy honey coffee jus

Roasted Sanke River Farms Beef Ribeye

petite broccoli, cippolini onion, Maitake mushroom, caramelized garlic tamari jus

Sounds like a lot of flavors. They work well together. Great!

Cowgirl creamery, Mt Tam, Petaluma, California

cornbread, truffle honey

Cowgirl creamery, my favorite cheese shop, presented its signature cheese, creamy smooth buttery, works well with a hint of truffle honey. Yummy!

"Chocolate, Mint, and Tea"

minted ganache, malted milk, Thai tea ice cream

Loved every element of this dessert. Thai tea ice cream and minted ganache, so intriguing.

Mignardises

Caramel is sweet and sticky, giving me a toothache.
Chocolate is strong, dark, and bitter.
Marshmallow is soft and fluffy.
Passion fruit candy is so sour that we were taking pictures of our own funny faces. What a great way to end a wonderful meal.

Baume

2010-02-18T17:34:00.000-08:00

~ West meets East ~

Modern meets Classic

Our own molecular gastronomy in South Bay, foam, sous vide, liquid nitrogen, and caviars. Bruno Chemel creates modern American cuisine with traditional Japanese techniques. With Baume, Bruno's modern cuisine finally has a place it deserves.

We fall in love with Bruno's slow poached farm egg and squab (see Chez TJ) so much that we bought a Polyscience sous vide machine, and live happily ever after. Sous vide perfects texture of fish, chicken, and pork. We eat much healthier with more white meat. Thanks to Bruno.

Hamachi sashimi

Bread w/ tofu spread

Beet salad and goat cheese

Slow poached farm egg

We bought Polyscience sous vide machine in order to have this egg dish every weekend. It was sooooooo good that we had made this farm egg dish 20 times in two months, dinners, lunches, weekends, weeknights.

Sous vide foie gras

Perfect translation of foie gras, pink, firm at the center with seared sides, not a single bit of grease on the plate. Now I know why sous vide cooking is invented for foie gras. The sponge cake has exactly the texture like real sponge, not cake at all. It was so intriguing that I love it the third time around.

Poached fish daikon panna cotta

Love daikon and panna cotta. Never thought they can be combined. Another texture and flavor harmony from Bruno.

Liquid nitrogent sour

Like a piece of modern art, I did not get it.

Bruno's Chinese food

For someone who avoid Chinese food, I surprised Milton and finished this dish.

Regret that I did not buy enough Anne Gros Echezeaux. I have 1 bottle left and George sold out all.

Litchi, mint, orange, huckleberry

All my favorite fruits in one bite. Great but not enough.

Beef, truffles, chanterelle mushrooms

Cheese

caramel donut

Chocolate sponge cake, chocolate caviar, ice cream, candied orange

Cappuccino

Green tea eclairs

Strong greet tea flavor. Greaaaat !

Coi + Manresa

2010-02-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

The Story of Tonight's Dinner

This dinner will benefit the Bocuse D'or USA foundation, an organzization comitted to inspiring excellence in American Cuisine, the foundation enables young culinary professionals to continue their education through stage in France. It also recruits and trains a qualified American chef to represent the United States at the Boucuse D'or culinary competition in Lyon, which takes place every two years. At next year's competition, America will be represented by James Kent, Sous Chef of Eleven Madison Park in NYC.

To emphasize the foundation's commitment to sustainability and great American products, they asked us to crate a menu utilizing American heritage poultry, inspired by the influence of chef Paul Boucuse. We chose to use Chicken and eggs from soul Soul Food Farm in Vacaville, which we think are the best birds in the country. I am thrilled that my friend David Kinch from Manresa restaurant in Los Gatos agreed to cook tonight's dinner with me. I think that his cuisine is incredibly exciting. For those who haven't eaten at his restaurant (which you should), I am pleased to introduced his cooking to you.

Thanks for coming in - we hope that you have a great time!

Warmly,

Daniel and the staff at Coi

Daniel Patterson and Bill Corbett, Coi

Firethorn Soda

Birds eat it - get drunk - fall off the bush - get eaten by the cat. In that respect the berries are very fatal. The Center for Poisen Control says the berries are "mildly" toxic and cause gastric upset in some people. So - unless you are a cat looking for a bird that has eaten too much - or unless you are a Texas Aggie with a taste for adventure - its probably best to avoid eating the berries.

I guess we were adventurous as long as the Center for Poisen Control says OK.

Mandarin Sour

Satsuma ice, kumquat, angostura bitters

The kumquat gave Satsuma ice a kick. Unfortunately, we only had one bite each.

an elemental oyster

Nice oyster with kombu 昆布 dashi yields sea water flavor. So Zen !

Shellfish with radish and apple

a seawater of unripe tomato

Very traditional Japanese cooking. Simple and elegant.

Home made butter and whole wheat bread

Beet and goat cheese tart, broken, inverted

rye , dill

I loved beet salad and goat cheese at Baume and Ubuntu. I made Ubuntu's beet salad with Greek yogurt all the time. Patterson's broken beet salad is delicate, interesting, creative, and with improved flavor.

steelhead trout with onion and marrow "tears"

chervil cream

Steelhead trout is semi-cooked and give it a interesting texture, alone with marrow "tear" and chervil cream, total harmony of texture and flavor.

Winter, Pastoral

young carrots roasted in Hay, radish power, shaved pecorino

Crispy chicken and egg confit

a roasted chicken "dashi"

Roasted chicken dashi was a bit salty but the egg york blends well with it.

Boneless, skinless chicken breast

wild mushroom porridge, garlic confit, wood sorrel

Chicken or not chicken. The fake chicken skin made from chicken mouse and dashi gives great texture. Best "non-chicken".

Parmesan Donuts

black pepper, quince

Peppery spicy quince was so good. I drank for four, and licked the plates clean.

It's almost it

chocolate, oatmeal, orange

Orange and chocolate, my favorite combination. Wish the ice cream center was solid though.

whoops... I forgot pix of Firethorn jellies before I popped it in my mouth.

Open Kitchen with Patterson and Kinch