No salad as a meal – Eat vicariously

La Mar, San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 01:44:00 +0000

You may not have heard of Gastón Acurio, but in his homeland the celebrity chef is a mix of George Clooney and Emeril Lagasse. His popularity is enough to draw cameras and handshakes everywhere he goes. The 41-year-old chef has 29 restaurants worldwide, over 20 books and several TV shows with his name. He is doing for Peruvian food what Paul Bocuse did for French cuisine–evolving it in the kitchen and changing its role to the rest of the world. But curiously, it all happened by chance.

Son of a prominent Peruvian politician, Gastón was sent to Madrid to attend law school. It was a few hours drive from the capital, in the small town of San Sebastian, that one dinner changed his life forever. A meal that pushed Gastón to embrace his lifelong passion, drop out of law school and enroll at the Cordon Bleu in Paris. A meal cooked by Juan Mari Arzak; a Spanish chef that, like Bocuse, redefined his homeland cuisine and gave it worldwide appeal.

La Mar is Acurio’s first step in turning Peruvian food into an international sensation. Fifteen years after opening his first restaurant, the chef has taken his new franchise to Brazil, Chile, Mexico and US. San Francisco was selected as his first North American address and New York, Dallas and Las Vegas are in the planning stage. Assuming all goes well, Gastón is destined to put Peruvian gastronomy in Uncle Sam’s map.

Located at Pier 1 ½, just a few steps from the Ferry Building, La Mar has one of the most enviable spaces in San Francisco. Flooded with natural light, the ample dining room is complemented by a lively bar, a lounge and a coveted patio with views of the bay.

The interior design is simple, combining earthy colors with a bright beach-like palette of cyan, orange and green. The colorful theme is repeated on menus and paper placemats printed with La Mar’s logo–a design choice normally associated with large restaurant chains, something that I believe cheapens its image. The atmosphere is informal and welcoming albeit with a slight touristic flair.

Almost as big as the dining room is the open kitchen equipped to serve about 200 diners.

The good-looking wait staff is attentive and well trained. In my two visits, curiously the female servers seemed more enthusiastic than their male counterparts.

The menu

La Mar’s menu offers an appetizing selection of revisited Peruvian classics prepared with great technique and fresh, seasonal ingredients. Ceviches are a must. There are 6 types (priced around $17 or $10 for a smaller portion during lunchtime). A ceviche tasting ($28) gives diners the option to try 4 of them. Other specialties include about 30 appetizer-sized dishes ($9 to $16) and main courses ($17 to $29). Sharing is highly recommended, mostly so you can try multiple things.

The meal

Crispy potato, sweet potato and plantain chips served with 3 dipping sauces color coded by heat level. Green for mild, yellow for medium and red for spicy. Each one made with a different Peruvian chili pepper, spices, queso fresco, milk, olive oil and thickened with ground crackers.

Some signature ingredients in Acurio’s Peruvian cuisine make an appearance in several of his dishes. These 3 sauces are among them.

You can’t leave La Mar without trying a ceviche (called on the menu as cebiches). They are unlike most ceviches in San Francisco in which the acidity of the lime completely overpowers all other flavors. Gastón’s are made with leche de tigre (tiger’s milk), a light marinate of lime juice and chili peppers. The liquid from the ceviche is so flavorful that the restaurant offers a tasting of 5 leches de tigre shots–said but not guaranteed to have aphrodisiac properties.

Cebiche clásico. California Halibut and red onions in habanero pepper leche de tigre with Peruvian corn and yam. Simple and delicious.

Cebiche chipotle. Scallops, calamari, shrimp, red onion, cilantro, habanero, in a chipotle leche de tigre with Peruvian corn and yam. Beware, as the red color suggests, this one is flavorful but very spicy.

Empanadas de lomo saltado. Stuffed with beef tenderloin, red onions and tomato. The classic Latin American pastry turnover is filled with chopped grass fed beef and baked until crispy. A tasty appetizer.

Anticuchos de pulpo. Grilled octopus skewers, herbed mashed potato with chimichurri sauce and ají panca. La Mar offers a variety of anticuchos–barbecued skewers similar to kebabs. The octopus is tender and smoky but the herbed mashed potatoes is a bit on the dry side.

Anticuchos de lomo. Grilled marinated skirt steak served with shaved red onions and Peruvian corn. Flavorful and tender, the meat is simply exceptional.

Arroz Norteño. North Peruvian seafood combination with mussels, shrimp, octopus, clams, and fried rice with cilantro and Huancaína sauce. The majority of La Mar’s menu is made of appetizer-size dishes perfect for sharing. A few main courses are available like this Peruvian version of a Paella in which cilantro is used instead of saffron to give the rice a rich color and flavor.

Picarones. Traditional warm pumpkin and sweet potato fritters with spiced Chancaca honey. Desserts at La Mar are generously portioned. Denser than the traditional American doughnut, the Picarones have a pronounced pumpkin flavor and can be easily shared by 2 or 3 diners.

Suspiro limeño. Classic dulce de leche mousse with port wine meringue. This dessert is more like a runny pudding than a mousse but, consistency aside, it’s tasty and sweet.

In short

Beyond its impressive looks, La Mar is the best Peruvian restaurant in San Francisco. Gastón Acurio’s food brings a contemporary flair to classic dishes. His cuisine is at the same time authentic and highly approachable. Go to La Mar if you love Peruvian fare and if you don’t think you do. The accidental chef may change how you see his hometown cuisine after all.

La Mar is at Pier 1 ½
Online reservations

Borough Market, London

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 05:11:00 +0000

Let’s admit it, England is not a country known for its epicurean heritage. Yes, there are some notable exceptions like The Fat Duck; but overall, you’ll likely find more appetizing cuisines in other European countries. Maybe for that reason, the one place in London where food can be exciting is where Europe comes together under one roof. Welcome to Borough Market.

Started by the Romans about 1000 years back, the oldest food market in the city is also recognized as the best. Here you’ll find a maze of about 150 food stalls selling specialty products from every corner in Europe. Fresh Mozzarella di Bufala Campana from Italy, canned escargots from France, dried chilies from Spain and, of course, Her Majesty’s meat pies.

Like popular markets in Europe or Asia, early hours are preferred if you want to avoid the flock of tourists that flood the place. By noon, when visitors are joined by the local lunch crowd, the sight is closer to a theme park than a food market. Busy enough that you may miss the ubiquitous “High risk pickpocket area” signs. But if you are a food enthusiast like I am, no matter what time you arrive you are sure to have a blast. And maybe, just maybe, change the way they think of London after all.

Flour + Water, San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 20:38:00 +0000

In San Francisco, the city with the highest count of declared foodies and food critics per capita, restaurant openings are akin to blockbuster movie premieres. With much anticipation, they command great buzz, long lines and instant hip status. At least until the dust settles. In the end, few places endure through the fad to become a favorite. Flour + Water is sure to be one of them.

Inside the new Mission district restaurant, the ample high-ceilings space features a bar, a communal table and solid wood 2 and 4-tops crafted with recycled redwood from old wine fermentation tanks. The walls are painted in muted shades of green and, at the end of the room, colored glass tiles and a large mural painting create a surreal natural sciences backdrop. The interior design is straightforward and contemporary; call it urban chic barn.

A few curious macabre artifacts are peppered around the restaurant; like in the restroom, where skulls and seashells are found neatly displayed in a cabinet of curiosities. They come from the Flour + Water’s designer, Sean Quigley, who also owns one of San Francisco’s most authentic stores; Paxton Gate.

Bustling with locals, the atmosphere is inviting and unfussy. Friendly servers dressed in civilian clothes make sure you feel right at home. Service was a little out of sync on my first visit–main courses arrived while we were still working on our appetizers; but things seemed better the second time around.

All in all, the main attraction here is definitely the food. Chef Thomas McNaughton (Gary Danko, La Folie, Quince) brings his sophisticated cuisine background to a welcoming homey fare.

The menu

Flour + Water specializes in fresh house made pastas, cured meats and thin crust Neapolitan pizzas. The chef has imported from Italy an enviable wood-burning oven capable of achieving 800ºF–according to the restaurant, about the same temperature as hell. The one-page menu also features flavorful meat entrées that benefit from McNaughton’s Franco-Italian techniques. Appetizers are priced around $10 and main courses range from $12 to $22.

The meal

To start, a nice house baked rosemary foccaccia served solo.

House cured salumi – chili Toscana, cacciatore, finnochiona. McNaughton’s charcuterie is tasty, I’d say on par with Boccalone’s.

Shaved asparagus & arugula salad with quail egg & a pancetta-caper vinaigrette. A fresh salad with crunchy vegetables and rich, carefully poached quail eggs.

Margherita pizza - tomato, basil, fior di latte, extra virgin olive oil. There are only 4 options for toppings and arguably less inventive combinations than Gialina and Delfina. But at Flour + Water, only 2 minutes in the wood-burning oven produces an unparallel crust with a nice balance of chewy and crisp and aromatics from the wood. Worthy every bite.

Corzetti stampati with braised monterey squid & castelvetrano olives. The pastas are made fresh every day. In this dish, flat pasta discs are served with a flavorful sauce and the coveted mild Italian olives that seem to have taken San Francisco’s epicurean scene by storm. I just wish there was an option for a bigger portion.

Braised pork cheek with sweet pea & erbette chard. The best dish I had. Tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork served with a flavorful wine reduction and nicely balanced by the slight bitterness of chard.

Roast leg & loin of lamb with spring shallot, rabe leaves & green olives jus. Also very tender, the leg is thinly sliced and served with sweet roasted onions and a tasty reduction.

The desserts at Flour + Water are anything but afterthoughts. The 3 options on the menu are all very good.

Chocolate budino with espresso-caramel cream & sea salt. With a consistency between a pot de crème and a mousse, the rich chocolate budino is complemented beautifully by the flavored whipped cream and highlighted by sea salt crystals. An outstanding dessert.

Olive oil cake with macerated strawberries, honey thyme ice cream and candied fennel. Another great combination of fluffy, moist cake and creamy Humphry Slocombe ice cream.

Cherry ricotta tart with saba and torn mint. A delicate tart with fresh cherries on a crunchy crust, served with grape syrup.

In short

With a warm atmosphere and a flavorful cuisine that I’d compare to Delfina and its pizzeria all under one roof, this brand new Mission spot is worth trying and going back to. Opened less than a month ago, Flour + Water is already the most exciting new restaurant in the city. One that this foodie and food critic hopes is here to stay.

Flour + Water is at 2401 Harrison Street
Online reservations

Brenda's, San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 23:27:00 +0000

It was 9:30am when I arrived at the small eatery in the Tenderloin. Early enough to avoid the vagrant crowd that makes the neighborhood not so family-friendly but clearly not early enough to beat the family brunch crowd. About 30 people already stood in front of the building; a façade tightly squeezed between a Laundromat and a KFC/Taco Bell combo. And while it was Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial kickoff of summer, the prospective diners stood shivering outside under overcast skies and 44 degrees. Mark Twain was right.

At every gust of wind, people walked towards the door, checked their place on the clipboard and peaked inside the dining room. A helpless gesture repeated over and over akin to an anxious father to be, pacing outside the delivery room. Watched pot never boils.

And while the frequency in which names were crossed was painfully slow, the number of new ones added seemed to grow at full speed. Soon enough it was up to 3 pages long. “It must be worth it”, I kept repeating to myself as I battled the half of my mind trying to convince me otherwise. With few exceptions, I rarely wait long for a table. Curiously, it was the excessive wait time that compelled me to stay.

As I jumped up and down to keep my body temperature up, the stubborn optimistic in me kept thinking it would be any minute now. But it took one and a half hours for me to see my name crossed from that pesky list. I rushed inside like that anxious father, finally allowed to see his newborn son.

The dining room is packed with glass-covered tables, squeezing the maximum number of people in the tiny space; 30 in total. The room that already looks small from the outside reveals itself as half the perceived size once you get inside and realize a wall-to-wall mirror gives it a false sense of scale. Seating at the counter puts you about 10 inches from that very mirror–not recommended for diners with low self-esteem.

The atmosphere is cozy, like a small town diner. Service is friendly and fast; turning tables here is a must.

The menu

Brenda’s takes pride in offering a Creole-inspired menu in which no item sells for over ten bucks. In addition to the à la carte selection of beignets, egg plates and off the griddle dishes; daily specials are written on the mirror wall. The restaurant brings together New Orleans soul with refined French technique. There are plenty of options to choose from and some room for customization.

The meal

Brenda’s serves the traditional New Orleans blend of coffee and Chicory from Community Coffee. Full bodied and very rich, it has a bittersweet flavor that, although smooth, can be too bold for diners with a lighter palate.

If you like beignets, there is no shortage of options. Plain, filled with Ghirardelli chocolate, Granny Smith apple or Crawfish. If in doubt, the Beignet flight will guarantee you a taste of each.

Unlike the lighter, hollow plain beignets; their filled counterparts are as hearty as a small meal. The apple filling above is nicely spiced with cinnamon, honey and butter.

Daily specials often include Eggs benedict prepared 3 different ways; with molasses ham, florentine (spinach) or fried catfish. Instead of the classic English muffin, Brenda’s serves their benedicts on incredibly flaky, melt-in-your-mouth biscuits. The combination of perfectly cooked eggs topped with a lightly spicy Creole hollandaise and biscuits is delicious.

While the molasses ham is tasty, it’s a little too sweet. The fried catfish on the other hand makes for a great complement adding a crispy texture and an additional southern flair.

Andouille and Cheddar Omelette. Filled with spicy sausage, cheddar, mushrooms, scallions and topped with sauce piquant. Served with soft hash browns or grits and a baseball-size biscuit.

Banana’s Foster French Toast. Thick slices of brioche served with caramelized bananas, butter rum sauce and whipped cream. Tasty but very sweet.

In short

Breanda’s French soul food brings a fresh angle to the San Francisco brunch scene. The appetizing menu offers flavorful, hearty dishes at more than fair prices. No wonder its popularity. You may consider getting off bed earlier and arriving before 9am, it will shave one hour or so of wait time. You’ll still have to hang outside a good 30 or 40 minutes–enough to wake you up in the cold morning breeze.

Brenda's is at 652 Polk St
No reservations are taken for brunch

Follow that taco truck!

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Sun, 31 May 2009 22:06:00 +0000

Mobile eateries have been around for generations feeding blue-collar workers who crave a filling meal on a limited time and budget. On the west coast, the iconic taco trucks are sure to be found at lunchtime near any construction site. But beyond white-collars with the late night munchies and more open-minded foodies, few considered them as epicurean destinations. Now, what happened to other American classics like cupcakes and doughnuts, is happening to the taco truck. Gourmetization by gentrification.

In LA, the media darling Kogi BBQ serves handheld Korean-Mexican fare with a fine dining pedigree. Behind the wheels is Roy Choi, a chef who started out cooking at Le Bernardin in NY and more recently ran the kitchen at the 4-star Beverly Hilton restaurant in LA. Choi’s mobile menu includes Korean short ribs, spicy pork and tofu tacos prepared with high-end ingredients and packed with the flavor of carefully created marinates. But the food quality is responsible for only half of Kogi’s astronomical popularity–the truck commands lines of over one-hour wait and serves up to 600 customers a night. The other half comes from its 140-character marketing strategy.

In a curious twist on business economics, the one service that is yet to find its business model is empowering Kogi’s business to thrive. The truck has over 26 thousand Twitter followers that signed up to receive updates on where it will show up next. There’s no set agenda, locations are announced on the day; sometimes only a few hours ahead. Foodies and fans flock to tweeted addresses from all over town. Chasing the chef’s 2 trucks feels like the quest for “Where’s Fluffy” from “Nick and Norah’s infinite playlist”.

Kogi’s cult success inspired a myriad of copycats ranging from pure plagiarism to more original interpretations, kicking off a gastromobile trend.

In San Francisco, the Crème Brûlée Cart roams around the Mission district at night serving à la minute caramelized custards. Boccalone, purveyor of “tasty salted pig parts”, is sending its Salumi-Cycle to the Financial District during lunch hours. In its inaugural trip last week, the full load of 25 prosciutto paninis sold out in just 2 minutes–leaving dozens of hungry customers empty-handed. Other roaming food carts in the city include Sexy Soup Lady, Magic Curry Man and Mobile Pho Truck. Like Kogi, they all use Twitter to broadcast their locations, albeit to a much smaller audience.

Even Chez Spencer, the renowned French restaurant in the city, has launched a takeaway spin off in a converted taco truck. The concept follows the same gentrified gourmetization but isn’t quite as successful–the menu doesn’t have much of a street food flair and orders are said to take up to 45 minutes to be done.

This week in New York a converted pizza truck is hitting the road as Cupcake Stop. The owner is a law school dropout who put his bar exam on hold to sell cupcakes. He guarantees the confections are baked from scratch daily and expects to sell about 1,500 a day. Beyond announcing the truck’s location on Twitter, he is also using the social network to ask his followers for flavor suggestions. Over 500 submissions have already been sent.

But the idea of mobile eateries has always spurred some controversy. Neighborhood associations and local restaurants often see them as nuisances or threats. In mid 2008, Los Angeles passed an ordinance that required taco trucks to change location every hour (30 minutes in residential areas). A few weeks later a judge ruled the law unconstitutional allowing the trucks to conduct business in set locations. No shuffle required. The city of San Francisco, which has strict polices about street food, is constantly threatening to shut down unlicensed trucks and carts. Twitter is allowing mobile businesses to cultivate an ever-growing customer base while constantly changing their location.

But in the end, this is still restaurant business. A few months from now, many of these ventures will likely go out of business as fast as they hit the road. Diners will grow tired of niche menus and realize the long lines are not always worth braving. Unlike restaurants though, mobile eateries have the advantage of easily moving to a new spot and taking their fare to new fans. The most loyal Twitter fans will follow.

For now, until the fad goes out of fashion or legislators discover the wonders of 140-character social networking, we can enjoy the creativity and convenience of technology-powered gourmet street food. So get on Twitter and follow that truck.

Where to find?

In LA
@kogiBBQ

In NY
@CupcakeStop

In SF
@cremebruleecart
@sexysoupcart
@magiccurrykart
@boccalone
@whatthepho
@chezspencergo

The Moss Room, San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:17:00 +0000

The Moss Room was inaugurated as part of the ambitious Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. A groundbreaking architectural project featuring a living roof that was praised by design publications all around the globe. The restaurant occupies an underground space accessible through the building’s northwest corner. Make a note of that because at night, when the museum is closed, there’s little indication of where to go. With not a single person at sight, you may feel like in teenager horror movie, getting inside the deserted museum after hours when clearly something is about to go wrong. Cut to black.

Even inside, as you walk through the ground floor where the Academy Café unoccupied dining room rests quietly during closed hours, it makes you wonder if this is where you should be.

But keep walking and you’ll see the imposing living wall of stone, fern and moss that frames a sleek staircase leading one floor down.

Underneath it, a large pond refracts shimmering rays of light onto the room. A collection of beautiful Asian river fish swimming slowly.

As you walk downstairs, a modern dining room is revealed on your left. Handmade Douglas fir tables and diner booths well spaced under hand-blown glass pendants that appear to float in the air.

At the bar, a Carrara marble countertop is set over a red backlit frame. To its left, a glass-enclosed private dining room. The fish on the other side call it an aquarium for the human kind.

Lighting design is carefully laid out. Beyond the delicate pendants, spherical sconces pepper the walls in an organic sculpture that gives movement and depth to the space. The dimly lit room is intimate and warm. The atmosphere has an unfussy elegance only broken by the somewhat dysfunctional soundtrack–featuring anachronistic classics like Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Born to be Wild and California Dreaming.

The only two drawbacks are the office-like carpet and tall concrete columns that, despite adding a modern coolness to the space, dining at the small 2-top next to one of them makes you feel like eating in a parking garage. But overall, the interior design at The Moss Room is definitely something to be experienced and celebrated. Especially in San Francisco.

The menu

The Californian-Mediterranean fare is the work of Loretta Keller, the chef behind Coco500. By her side is Justin Simoneaux, a Louisiana-born chef who she brought with her from her SoMa restaurant. The seasonal menu is based on organic, sustainable ingredients and features about 22 items including starts (to share), appetizers, entrées and sides. Prices range from $8 to $14 for appetizers and $20 to $28 for main courses.

The meal

Sliced sourdough bread and soft butter kick off the meal. The small open kitchen works busily preparing all dishes but front of the house service still needs improvement.

To start, Crispy Squash Blossoms, salt cod, piquillo peppers, frisée. The salt cod brandade filling is tasty but the batter on the fried blossoms could be lighter and, honestly, crispier. You can barely notice the flower.

As an appetizer, Monterey Squid Spaghetti, squid ink, oven dried tomatoes, chilis, herbs. Without a doubt the best dish I had. Flavorful and lightly spicy, it has a nice balance of sweetness from the tomatoes and heat from the chilis. The presentation though is somewhat sloppy as the dish is covered in way too many parsley leaves.

Soup of the day: Potatoes and leeks. Lighter than a classic vichyssoise, the creamy soup is complemented with the two, diced vegetables for texture.

For entrée, Liberty Farms Duck Breast, “dirty” farro, pecans, cherries, balsamic. Tender, with a nice crispy skin, the duck outshines its accompaniment. Although the farro is done well, it does make you feel like eating something for its health benefits more than for its flavor. To be fair, farro is a popular Mediterranean ingredient that also happens to be good for your health.

Devil’s Gulch Rabbit Ravioli English peas, morel mushrooms, spring onions, pecorino. In this case, the accompaniments outshine the main ingredient. Morels and peas were great; the ravioli, okay at best.

To finish, Vacherin. Swiss meringue, coffee gelato, candied almonds, chocolate sauce. A rich dessert that despite the expected flavor combination is tasty and well made.

Chocolate Cherry Tart. Chocolate custard, brooks cherries, crème fraîche. Here, a must needed ice cream is absent. The tart is rich and tasty but is dry by itself. The crème fraîche refered on the name is nothing more than a ¼ of a teaspoon.

In short

The Moss Room has, hands down, the most original interior design in San Francisco. Arguably the first one to be excited about. Service and food still need maturing; while the restaurant is on par with the best designs in NY and LA, its fare is not quite there with the best of San Francisco. Places like Range, Town Hall and Spruce that also use sustainable ingredients are far more satisfying when it comes to the food. I often complaint about the lack of originality in San Francisco’s restaurant designs. Finally, for once, I stand corrected.

The Moss Room is at 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park
(Also unlike most SF restaurants, parking is abundant).
Online reservations

Asador Etxebarri, Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Mon, 18 May 2009 00:02:00 +0000

“After 4 kms, you will pass through Abadino, and should look out for a sign on the right marked "ATXONDO" and "Axpe". Taking this road, you will pass through Apatamonasterio and after 1 km, you will notice another turning for "Axpe" on your right. Following this winding road for another 1 km, you will arrive into the village.”

The trip to Asador Etxebarri is an experience on itself. Sometimes, even turn-by-turn GPS doesn’t seem to find its way. But with a bit of patience (and luck), you’ll spot the 70 people village of Axpe; and right in the main square–between the church and the bocce ball court, stands the one of the 50 best restaurants in the world. Number 39 in fact, ahead of NYC’s Daniel and Paris’ Louis XV.

The quaint 18th century building blends in with the peaceful scenery of green pasture and Basque mountains around it. From outside, you hear the sound of sheep and running spring water. As you get closer, you notice the crackle hiss and aromas of the restaurant’s signature charcoal grill.

It’s said that nowhere else in the world you can experience such sophistication in what is the oldest form of cooking. Thanks to Victor Arguinzoniz, who since 1989 commands the kitchen at Etxebarri.

By his side is a personable Australian sous chef who built his career in Michelin starred restaurants before moving to Axpe for 6 moths and never leaving. Lennox is as passionate about his craft as his mentor. With scorched hands, he speaks about their culinary innovations with great excitement; and for a good reason. Victor has not only redefined charcoal grilling, he has reinvented it. He designed and built from scratch a state of the art kitchen, complete with 2 wood-fired ovens and a sleek customizable grill.

Only the 2 chefs run the grill during service hours giving each order their undivided attention. There’s a small prep kitchen in the back where a tank provides them with fresh oysters, prawns, eels, lobsters and other live seafood ingredients. And this is really what it’s all about; the ingredients.

Fresh seafood, local meat from neighborhood farms, eggs from passersby chicken; even the water comes from the local springs. Each ingredient is treated with utmost respect and prepared on the grill until just cooked. The chef uses different types of wood for each protein and each order gets its own batch of charcoal. It takes the concept of “grilled to perfection” to a whole new level.

The chef has designed custom tools that allow him to grill things not usually put over charcoal. Caviar and risotto come to mind. And the result will blow you away (more on that later).

In the main dining room, about 10 well-spaced tables dressed in pristine white linens fill the quaint, minimalist space. A few scattered plants and that's it for interior design. The atmosphere reflects the simplicity of the restaurant’s cuisine. Through the windows, you can see the pastures outside. Victor’s wife runs the front of the house. The feeling is of eating in a rustic home in a small Basque village. Very different from Arzak's sleek atmosphere. To complete, no English is spoken by the wait staff.

The menu

The wood bound menu is presented in Spanish, Euskara and English. It is printed every morning based on what’s available that day. Twenty dishes are listed with no categorization of appetizers or entrées. Descriptions are brief, often just pointing out the main ingredient. The prices may intimidate the unadvised tourist that stopped here without knowing what to expect. One curious thing is that, of all the items on the menu, there’s not a single vegetable dish, not even a side dish. But this is Spain after all.

The meal

To start, house made Chorizo. Delicate and buttery, the deep red of pimentón bleeding on the plate.

Next, Caviar Assado. Etxebarri’s signature dish is a result of several years of experience on the grill. A special pan was designed with a thin wire mesh as the base where the roe is carefully laid. The pan is placed over seaweed and grilled on applewood charcoal. It took some trial and error to find the ideal caviar as it requires a higher natural fat content to survive the grilling process. The answer came from Iran. Every other week, a fresh batch of unpasteurized organic beluga comes from the Middle East and stays on the menu just for a few days thereafter.

The grilled caviar is simply served on a white porcelain dish. The appearance doesn’t differ much from its raw state but when you put it in your mouth, the flavor is jaw dropping. Warm, lightly smoky, sweet and buttery. Fantastic, unlike anything I ever had. About a tablespoon of it goes for 50 Euros; it’s worth every cent.

As an appetizer, Grilled baby octopus. Perfectly cooked, moist and tasty.

For entrée, Grilled salt-cod. A generous cut of cod grilled until just cooked to keep the flesh moist and tender. Served with roasted sweet onions, red peppers and a dash of pil pil sauce–an emulsion of fish juices, olive oil and garlic.

Desserts at Etxebarri are also surprisingly good. Curiously, the dessert menu is not available in English so some deciphering may be necessary. If in doubt, let the wait staff choose or you.

Flan de queso fresco. A delicious custard made with fresh cheese and local eggs. Creamy and lightly tart.

Rulo crujiente relleno de helado de queso Idiazabal granizado de txakolí. Like a canolli, but thinner, it’s filled with sheep’s cheese ice cream, topped with sparkling white wine granita and served with whipped cream.

To finish, house made milk and honey muffins.

In short

In one of the most inventive culinary regions in the world, at a time where avant garde cooking is more popular than ever, there’s something to be said about Victor Arguinzoniz’s choice to perfect to the simplest form of cooking. The chef is a friend of Ferran Adrià who often comes here to enjoy the simplicity of “la brasa” cuisine. Etxebarri’s innovations are focused on making the most out of each ingredient with respect and perfectionism. Even though spheres, foams and airs won’t be found here, Etxebarri’s sophisticated simplicity will likely take you by surprise.

Asador Etxebarri is at Plaza San Juan, 48291 Axpe
Online reservations

Arzak, Spain

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Sun, 10 May 2009 20:12:00 +0000

Arzak’s 1897 building blends in with most taverns in the Basque country; a simple structure that while some would say bears little reference to modern fine dining, is just like many outstanding Relais & Châteaux restaurants in Europe; authentic and discreet. But I have to admit I was somewhat suspicious when I first saw the nondescript building and its quirky sign depicting a food tray in its still life glory. Can this be the address of one of the most celebrated Michelin 3-stars restaurants of all time; number 8 in the Worlds’ 50 Best Restaurants list? But somehow it all made sense; after all, I was in San Sebastian.

The seaside resort town of San Sebastian is, if not the gastronomical capital of the world, one of the most sought after epicurean destinations. Donostia, how it’s called in the Basque language, has the highest number of Michelin stars per capita and over 30 gastronomic clubs–curiously, all for men only. About 100km east of Bilbao, this small town attracts foodies from all around the planet that come here to experience gastronomy like nowhere else. That’s exactly why I came.

Inside Arzak’s building, the experience is anything but nondescript. As you walk in, you see a small waiting room with a hotel-like front desk. Check in and “Swoosh!” Two sleek frosted glass doors slid open automatically revealing a modern dining room in stark contrast to what you had seen so far. One step forward and you’re a century ahead.

The dining room expands 2 floors with a circular staircase in the middle, about 20 well-spaced tables in total. Their pristine linen tablecloth glowing white against the dark palette with minimalist flower arrangements adding subtle warmth. Close-up photos of pots and pans blown up in black and white on the walls.

The atmosphere is elegant, modern and intimate. And even though this is fine dining at its best, it’s not overly formal; jackets are not required, the lighting is brighter than usual and you’ll find salt and pepper on the table.

The most popular table in the restaurant though is not in the fancy dining room but right in the kitchen. The chef’s table is where personalities, friends and family come to experience Arzak’s cuisine right where it all happens. If you watched Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations in Spain, this is where he ate.

Back in the dining room, service is sharp but approachable; the wait staff is courteous and efficient yet there’s no excessive formality. But here too innovation and tradition come together flawlessly. Dressed in modern titanium-colored aprons, the servers take an active role in each dish’s presentation; many times finishing the preparation by pouring the sauces at the table. The chef himself makes sure his guests are happy coming to each table at the beginning and end of the meal and talking to English-speaking diners with the help of an interpreter. He is personable and enthusiastic, a man you can’t help but want to meet, even if you don’t know who he is. But in Spain and in epicurean circles, it seems everyone knows Juan Mari Arzak.

The 66-year-old chef is credited for creating the modern Spanish cuisine. In 1976, after being exposed to the French Nouvelle Cuisine at a roundtable that included luminaries like Paul Bocuse, Juan Mari returned to San Sebastian determined to change the path of his cuisine–and with that he changed the whole culinary world. The New Basque Cuisine was born and in 1989 Arzak became Spain’s first Michelin 3-star restaurant–a status held until this day, 20 years in a roll. In the years that followed, Arzak’s innovations inspired a myriad of chefs around the country; one of them, Ferran Adrià. Today, Juan Mari runs the restaurant together with his daughter, Elena, who is being prepared to continue her family’s legacy for the 4th generation–even though her father has no plans to retire.

The menu

The menu changes constantly based on seasonal ingredients and latest innovations. A visit to San Sebastian’s market reveals an amazing breadth of ingredients fresh from the ocean. Just off the boat fish, unrecognizable mollusks and lobsters the size of lab puppies. Like Thomas Keller, Arzak also has long-term relationships with local purveyors that guarantee the restaurant with the freshest produce.

Innovation on the other hand comes from inside; from Juan Mari and Elena’s relentless desire to invent. In the sleek stainless steel kitchen, 30 cooks work nonstop, meticulously preparing each dish and constantly learning from the master. On the top floor of the building is the “Flavor Bank”; a kitchen laboratory containing over 1000 ingredients where the chefs concept and test new concoctions.

Even though à la carte dining is available, you hardly see a table divert from the chef’s tasting menu. Why would you? The tasting menu is described with simplicity and a curious playfulness. “Eggs of the moment”, “Fish of the day”, “Meat”. It’s a menu confiance. Like at The French Laundry, to experience the best of the chef’s cuisine, you should simply let yourself in the hands of the chef.

The meal

The experience of eating at Arzak is unlike any other. The enthusiasm of the chef is translated to the wait staff and contagious to the guests. It creates anticipation and higher and higher expectations at every dish. Yet it never disappoints.

The meal starts going back to traditional Spanish roots; bread and olive oil. From there, a myriad of avant-garde amuse bouches are served together, some on custom-made backlit trays that resemble photographic light boxes. Suddenly, you are surrounded by bite-sized treats that peak your curiosity and tease your appetite. You feel like a kid in a candy store.

Caldito de alubia negra con queso. Black bean cream with cheese on a shot glass.

Puding de kabrarroka con fideos fritos. Rockfish pudding fried in a crispy noodles crust.

Raíz de loto con mousse de arraitxiki. Toasted lotus root slivers with fish mousse.

Morcilla en tempura. Blood sausage tempura.

The first course; Manzana con aceite de foie. An exceptional combination of crispy apples with a foamy caramelized foie gras. The rich foie is nicely complemented by the acidity of the apples, raspberry segments and finished with foie oil.

Alternatively, Ostras vegetales. The name of this dish (vegetable oysters) is a play on a Spanish vegetable called “oja de ostra” (oyster leaf); a single crunchy leaf is served with 2 beautiful plump oysters over a delicate tartar, sea beans and olive oil.

For the second course, Patata, bogavante y copaiba. Lobster in a crunchy potato shell served with a flavorful lobster sauce.

On the side, a delicate tapioca and orange salad.

Alternatively, Las formas del asparrágo. A minimalist presentation of peak of the season white asparagus in all its forms. And here’s when you realize how the simple respect for the ingredient can result in outstanding flavors. How can asparagus be this good?

Next, Del huevo a la gallina (from the egg to the chicken, or “Egg of the minute” as called on the English menu). A play on what came first; the chicken or the egg. Here, the beautifully poached egg is served under a thin yolk film and finished at the table with a rich chicken broth. Delicate yet intensively flavorful.

Then, the fish of the day. A filet of monkfish so perfect it appears it took a whole fish of carving to get to it. Accompanied by a lightly gelatinous vegetable sauce so flavorful it could convert the most devoted of carnivores. The Rape bronceado (bronzed monkfish) as it’s called, is brushed with a metallic bronze color that complements its perfectly seared flesh. I don’t recall ever in my life eating a fish dish this good.

On the side, a blade of onions and bronze that packs the surprising flavor of the sweetest of onions when it dissolves in your mouth. Let me be clear, this is no gold leaf garnish–those you see on top of chocolate cakes. It has form and function. Prize and purpose. Here, what looks beautiful tastes even better.

As an option to the monkfish; Lenguado con aceite de jengibre y pan de coco. Also perfectly done, the sole is served with ginger oil and coconut bread–think meringue.

Diners can select the protein in the meat course between beef, lamb, foie or pigeon. I had the latter; Pichón con perdigones dulces. Another playful title that pairs the bird with “sweet birdshot pellets”.

A sweet rice vinegar reduction is encapsulated in metallic lead colored spheres. Mixed with round cut potatoes and blue potato spheres, they form a colorful backdrop to what may very well be the best meat dish I ever had. Tender, juicy and deliciously seared with a salty, crispy skin. Absolutely unforgettable, in every flavor note.

For dessert, Sopa y chocolate “entre viñedos”. A wonderful combination of warm liquid chocolate spheres and basil ice cream on a red berries soup.

Chocolate y lombarda. Thin, colorful red cabbage pastry crisps surrounding a rich, creamy chocolate ganache. Served with chocolate and rosemary ice cream.

To finish, Dulce lunático. A bonbon of caramel and orange juice served with red wine reduction. Each bonbon explodes at first bite releasing the sweet juice. On the side, pumpkin ice cream.

The chef’s take on a pina colada. Piña assada pomposa. Grilled pineapple served with coconut milk poured over dry ice to creates a frothy, sauce à la minute. On the side, grilled pineapple ice cream.

The meal ends how it begins; with a myriad of bite-sized sweets that are impossible to resist–even if by now you are completely full. The mignardises include Dulce de pina (pineapple preserve), Bean truffle with white chocolate, chocolate with caramel, chocolate with beet film and a rice pudding on a thin apricot blade.

When Juan Mari Arzak returned to the dining room and stopped at our table, he was grinning cheerfully. Like a maestro that had just finished a perfect performance. His satisfaction only second to mine.

In short

In Europe some of the best restaurants are far from the main cities. Arzak is one of them. And possibly the reason it is so successful is because of exactly where it stands. In San Sebastian, and nowhere else. There are no other addresses, no branches, no franchises. The chef on the cover of the cookbook is the chef in the kitchen. Everyday, for every dish.

In an interview with the Spanish magazine Club de Gourmets, Juan Mari was quoted by saying “Beyond stomachs, we feed the souls.” Arzak’s cuisine goes far beyond surprising, it is endlessly rewarding. A beautiful play of flavors, textures and temperatures that involve all senses like no other cuisine I have ever tried. Everything has a purpose, innovation is never gratuitous.

In rare occasions I use a tape recorder instead of taking quick notes, I let it running in my pocket for the whole duration of the meal and later play it through to jot down my impressions. When listening to this 3-hour long recording, it was amusing to hear my spontaneous, almost child-like reactions dish after dish. Among exclamations that are not quite fit to print, what I kept saying over and over was a single word: “Wow”. And for someone that tends to dwell at length about exceptional dining experiences, I have to admit that that sums it up better than anything else I could possibly say.

Arzak is at Avda. Alcalde Jose Elosegui, 273, San Sebastian
Online reservations

Best Bay Area restaurant. Period.

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

The French Laundry
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Thomas Keller’s flagship restaurant takes the top prize. No other restaurant is as outstanding in every aspect of dining experience. From impeccable service to exceptional cuisine, dining at The French Laundry is an experience impossible to forget. Maybe because of its unparallel level or perfection; maybe because it challenges your preconceptions of how perfect a dining experience can be.

Best Bay Area original design

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

No winner
You may have read my frequent criticisms San Francisco’s dining scene. Point is, I think the Bay Area has some of the best restaurants in the world. Period. But while all the focus seems to go on the food and service, the architecture and design are, simply put, boring. Read on.

Runner-up

Foreign Cinema
Foreign Cinema wins points more for the originality of its concept than for the execution. But the idea of a fine dining drive-in is great; and even if you never look at the screen, the atmosphere it creates its absolutely worth it.

Honorable mentions

Spruce
The elegant dining room at Spruce makes one of the most beautiful restaurant interiors in the city. With imposing high ceilings, a bright skylight and remarkable art on the walls, it’s less about originality but definitely about good taste.

Pizzeria Delfina
There’s nothing fancy about this tiny restaurant. Every nook is taken, no space is left unused. People pack inside and outside waiting for their turn to sit. So what’s so original about Pizzeria Delfina? The atmosphere. And it’s all about the loud soundtrack.

Well worth a trip

Bazaar, LA
In the signature Philippe Starck look, a whimsical mix and match of styles where antique and hyper-modern are curiously rendered together. Four distinct dining rooms, each one with its own personality offer guests an immersive, fun dining experience. I call it a dining and design wonderland.

Lever House, NY
The restaurant was designed from the ground up by Marc Newson, one of the most prolific designers of his generation. With an investment of 5 Million dollars, Newson created a retro modern interior that paid homage to the 50s’ vision of the future while being enviously contemporary. In my opinion, the most beautifully designed restaurant in NY. Unfortunately, Lever House closed its doors in April leaving behind just the memory of an outstanding space.

Best Bay Area restaurant desserts

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Town Hall
With the hearty portions at Town Hall, it’s hard to leave room for desserts. But with the restaurant’s enviable selection of beautifully prepared sweets, it would be a mistake not to. My favorite, Butterscotch and chocolate pot the crème topped with butter crunch.

Runners-up

Range
Pastry chef Michelle Polzin creates inventive desserts that are fresh and flavorful. Like the Chocolate crêpes with pink grapefruit, chocolate gelato and pink peppercorns.

Bouchon
Thomas Keller’s restaurant serves carefully prepared bistro desserts like Mousse au chocolat and Pot de crème. And of course, Bouchons–the small chocolate brownie-like treats named for their cork-like shape.

Honorable mention

Mission Beach Cafe
MBC’s house made pies and cakes are among the best in the city. Well worth ordering as dessert; even better as takeout–the restaurant sells whole pies to go.

Well worth a trip

WD-50, NY
Alex Stupak, the renowned pastry chef from Alinea today runs the dessert station at wd-50 in NY. His desserts are imaginative and flavorful combining avant garde molecular gastronomy techniques and tasty concoctions.

Best Bay Area restaurant Burger

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Spruce
Skip the reservation, get in early and order the burger at the bar. It may very well be the best one you’ll ever have. But more than a juicy, tasty organic beef patty; this is about what comes with it. Real Roquefort cheese or aged cheddar; picked onions, thinly sliced pickles and the impossibly-good duck fat fries. Optionally; bacon, house cured pancetta and even foie gras can be added on. And, because this is Spruce, great service, gougères and mignardises come standard.

Runner-up

Spork
Spork’s in-side-out burger is made with 2 all natural grass fed patties, caramelized onions, tillamook cheddar and smashed fries. But don’t expect to hold it in your hands; this fork and knife burger has no bun.

Honorable mention

Zuni
Probably one of the most famous in the city. Zuni’s house-ground hamburger on grilled rosemary focaccia with garden lettuces, aïoli, and pickles is perfect for a late night snack.

Well worth a trip

DB Brasserie
Daniel Boulud extravagant burger is made with 9oz sirloin beef, stuffed with braised short ribs and foie gras and served with black truffle, Parmesan bun and French fries. But beware; eating the 4-inch tall sandwich takes a mouth wide open and a fat wallet.

Best Bay Area Pizzeria

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Pizzeria Delfina
The pizzeria is as popular as the namesake restaurant next door. And for a good reason; the food is as good here as it is there. Albeit with a simpler, more casual menu; appetizers, pizzas and desserts are always great.

Runner-up

Gialina
If you compare apples to apples–or pizzas to pizzas, Gialina has the best in town. Thin-crust Neapolitan-style pies with inventive toppings that celebrate Italian and local ingredients. Like Pork belly with tomato, red onion, oregano and taleggio.

Honorable mention

Beretta
The star here are not the pies themselves–although they are good too, but what you can add to them. Like the delicious and generously portioned burrata. Guaranteed to make heads turn.

Best Bay Area small plates

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

No winner
Although I don’t think there’s an outstanding small plates restaurant in the city, many serve exceptional appetizers that can be ordered as small plates. Here’s a list of the top 10 you can’t miss.

Runner-up

Beretta
This lively Mission district restaurant serves a good selection of Italian small plates. Flavorful bite-size food in an unfussy atmosphere. Try the Bruschette of fava bean & pecorino.

Well worth a trip

Bazaar, LA
If you like small plates, Bazaar is definitely worth a trip. José Andrés restaurant serves traditional and modern Spanish tapas that will blow you away. Start with the Philly cheese steak.

Best Bay Area Brunch

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Ad Hoc
What if you could have one of the world’s top chefs prepare you breakfast? Well, you can. Thomas Keller’s Ad Hoc serves an outstanding 3-course brunch menu that will redefine your preconception of a morning meal.

Runners-up

Foreign Cinema
With one of the most appetizing brunch menus in the city, Foreign Cinema serves a good variety of carefully prepared dishes, savory and sweet. The restaurant has an ample, attractive space that includes a coveted outside patio.

Universal Cafe
The standing crowd outside may intimidate at first sight but the brunch at Universal Cafe is well worth the wait. The popular restaurant offers a carefully prepared, inventive morning fare. Don’t miss the doughnuts.

Honorable mentions

Maverick
Take advantage of the fact that the restaurant accepts reservations and enjoy the new American brunch menu that includes must haves like Andouille Sausage Benedict and Doughnut holes.

Zuni Cafe
In the morning light, this San Francisco institution offers a welcoming, bright atmosphere, whether you sit inside or outside. Zuni is the perfect place for a more mature, sophisticated brunch meal.

Canteen
Dennis Leary’s tiny TenderNob eatery serves a small selection of tasty brunch dishes but one deserves special attention. The Blueberry French toast with sweet cream cheese. I’d say the best in town.

Well worth a trip:

Prune, NY
At this small lower east side restaurant, The ambiance is charming, service is prompt and the food is simply delightful. But if this is not enough to convince you, there’s only one more thing I can say: Merveilles.

Best Bay Area casual dining

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Bouchon
Just 2 blocks down the street from The French Laundry, you can get a table at Bouchon and try Thomas Keller’s exceptional cuisine. The casual restaurant offers authentic French bistro fare prepared with top quality ingredients and unparallel sophistication.

The Runners-up

Range
One of San Francisco’s most beloved restaurants serves contemporary American fare in an inventive yet honest celebration of flavors and ingredients. With a friendly atmosphere and exceptional service, it’s hard not to love Range.

Delfina
There’s a reason tables are booked weeks in advance and walk-in parties sign up for very long waits. Craig Stoll’s Italian cuisine is second to none. With delicious appetizers, pastas, meats and desserts; even if you can’t beat the crowds, you’ll find it worth the wait.

Honorable mention

Ad Hoc
Ad Hoc brings together the casual comfort of family-style dining with the coveted high-end cuisine of the chef behind The French Laundry. A carefully orchestrated simplicity designed to make you feel at home; Thomas Keller’s home that is.

Well worth a trip

wd-50 , NY
Wylie Dufresne’s cuisine challenges conventional expectations. His inventive combinations of flavors and textures are artfully presented in a tasting menu that never ceases to surprise. All in a casual, friendly atmosphere.

Best Bay Area casual elegant dining

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Spruce
Mark Sullivan’s interpretation of contemporary American cuisine is inventive and appetizing. Beyond flavor-packed dishes like the honey-lacquered duck breast with foie gras, the restaurant has one of the best high-end charcuterie programs in the city. Add that to the stellar wait staff and you can be sure to have an exceptional dining experience.

The runner-up

Town Hall
Chefs/brothers Mitchell and Steven Rosenthal first restaurant in San Francisco is still their best. Serving inventive preparations of American classics with a southern flair, this is comfort food at its best. Sophisticated yet soulful.

Honorable mention

Luce
If you can ignore the corporate monolith that houses Luce as you cruise the Intercontinental hotel lobby towards the restaurant, you’re in for a treat. Chef Dominique Crenn is as talented in the kitchen as she is charming the dining room stopping at each table to greet her diners.

Well worth a trip

Bazaar , LA
José Andrés high-end tapas are simply put, exceptional. The restaurant serves over 60 traditional Spanish small plates and modern renditions using avant garde molecular gastronomy. The Liquid mozzarella caprese come to mind. Don’t believe everything you see but trust me, everything will be amazing.

Craft NY / Craft LA
Tom Colicchio’s flagship restaurants serve fine dining family style. Despite the somewhat complicated menu, you can order with confidence; everything is of great quality and very well prepared. But if you order one thing, get the octopus.

Best Bay Area fine dining

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

The French Laundry
Market-fresh menus are so last week. In addition to his personal relationships with top purveyors around the country, Keller’s 3-acre backyard supply the restaurant with seasonal garden-fresh produce every day. In the hands of his talented chefs, these ingredients come together in a beautiful harmony of flavors, textures and temperatures. Fourteen courses that are individually perfect and work perfectly together. Simply put, you won’t eat better anywhere else.

The runner-up

COI
Avant garde molecular gastronomy is often gratuitous and, when it comes to flavors, sometimes disappointing. Not at COI. Daniel Patterson’s cuisine surprises the mind and soul with an elaborate sequence of dishes that I called “an amusement park for taste buds”. Several months later, I still remember clearly most dishes I had, their flavor notes and how they made me feel. That on itself is a pretty priceless thing.

Honorable mention

Michael Mina
Mina’s signature trios–dishes in which one main ingredient is prepared 3 different ways–add an extra layer of engagement to the dining experience. A 3-course tasting menu becomes 9 different things you’ll try. The preparations are thoughtful and fun, despite the excessive formality of the wait staff.

Well worth a trip

Per Se, NY
Dining at Per Se is perhaps the easiest way to go to The French Laundry. But despite some welcoming similarities–like a few signature dishes and strive to perfection; Keller’s east coast restaurant deserves credit of its own. Starting with the enviable view of Central Park.

The best of No Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:00:00 +0000

So here we are, one year later. Sixty reviews, hundreds of meals, thousands of photographs, countless pounds of butter and hopefully not so many cholesterol points–results coming soon.

In the past 12 months, I dined out more than the previous 2 years combined and had many memorable meals worth writing about. And to think it all started with one terrible dinner. One that made me want to tell the world about it, even if by then, telling the world meant a handful of Googlers that serendipitously found my post. But there were more good meals than bad meals and those were even more rewarding to talk about.

Thing is, I always loved food and, despite the skinny figure, people always asked me where to eat. That’s why I kept writing about the good and the bad meals. For you, the people that take the time to read my often long reviews. And for you, who simply want to know where to go, here comes the Cliffs notes. So here it is; The Best of No Salad. A recap of the best dining experiences in the Bay Area and around the country. A year’s worth of meals; one epicure’s opinion.

Best Bay Area fine dining
Best Bay Area casual elegant dining
Best Bay Area casual dining
Best Bay Area Brunch
Best Bay Area small plates
Best Bay Area restaurant Burger
Best Bay Area restaurant desserts
Best Bay Area original design
Best Bay Area restaurant. Period.

Eat vicariously.

Craft, Los Angeles

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 02:03:00 +0000

After my first visit to Tom Colicchio’s NYC restaurant, Craft became one of my East Coast favorites. A place I’m be happy to go back, over and over. I wrote about the chef’s expansion of his flagship brand into a nationwide gastronomic empire. So when my job moved me temporarily to Los Angeles–admittedly not my favorite dining destination in the US, I thought I’d give the West Coast version of Craft a try. At least a couple of times.

Located in Century City near the 20th Century Fox lot, Craft’s neighborhood is like a high-end office park. A small downtown away from downtown where during the day power lunches determine the next summer blockbuster and spring lawsuit. But at night, as the executives drive their fancy cars home, there’s as much life outside as in an apocalyptical movie; right after the apocalypse. Nested on the base of the city’s twin towers, the restaurant’s modern structure glows like a full moon on a dark night.

The architectural project is enviable. Unlike in NY where a beautiful interior design was created to fill an existing open space; here everything was built from ground up. An ample structure designed in mid-century modern style with long straight lines, stark simplicity and, because this is LA; cabanas.

Inside, the L-shaped space is divided in 2 areas. Craftbar, which attempts to offer a more relaxed atmosphere for drinks, dinner and air kisses; and the formal dining room. Like in NY, the interior design is exceptional. Elegant and modern; warm and chic. And the table arrangement is not shy to show who is there to see and be seen. On the left side, a handful of power booths outfitted with u-shaped banquettes and separated by metal mesh curtains, give VIP diners a privileged view of the room.

Intrecciato leather chairs and solid wood tables fill the rest of the space under Craft’s trademark array of filament bulbs and a rounded ceiling reminiscent of the late Lever House in NY. At the end of the room, a wall-to-wall wine rack stands behind thick glass.

While there are many similarities with the NY restaurant, dining at Craft LA is an original experience. The service for one is far superior. While in NY the wait staff was inpatient and somewhat arrogant; in LA they were engaged and well trained. The food is, simply put, as good as in NY.

The menu

And in keeping with the comparisons, the LA menu–which is clearly influenced by Californian ingredients, is as complicated as NY’s. The difference is that with better service, deciding on your order is a less painful process. Everything at Craft is served family style. First, second and main courses as well as side dishes can be ordered from a long list of options and combined as you wish.

Menu descriptions are short and bare, only main ingredients and techniques are noted. But everything is very well prepared and the actual dishes are much more elaborate than what the menu suggests. In other words, you can trust the chef, no matter what you order. The challenge is really what to order. What goes well with what and what compliments it better. If in doubt, don’t be afraid to ask.

The meal

The meal begins with an amuse bouche like the delicate Cucumber gelée with radishes. Gougères were served on my first visit, although I never got to try them. Somehow our table was forgotten.

Spanish Octopus & Greek Yoghurt. Without a doubt, my favorite dish on the menu. Craft’s roasted octopus is exceptional. Tender and nicely charred, served with crispy cubeb peppers and chickpea fritters.

Fennel Sausage Raviolini & Manila Clams. A nice compliment to the Octopus, flavorful and lightly spicy, the house made pasta is topped with tat soy and chili peppers.

Veal Sweetbreads & Sage. Tender and juicy, served with grilled pineapple, caramelized onions and fried sage. Although the pineapple brings a nice contrast to the richness of the veal glands, its sweetness can be overpowering.

Berkshire Pork Rack, Belly & Sausage. A pork smorgasbord, roasted with Vadouvan curry, each part is perfectly cooked and flavorful. Served with a tasty reduction, rice beans and pickled radishes for a bright acidic contrast.

As a side, Market Cauliflower. A colorful mix of roasted heirloom cauliflower served with Marcona almonds over a bed of cauliflower purée.

Hen of the wood mushrooms. One of the most enthusiastically recommended side dishes in both NY and LA. The wait staff says it’s a must. I say it’s pretty good.

Muscovy Duck & Castelfranco Radicchio. Roasted barely past rare, the rich red meat is complemented nicely by the sweetness of orange segments and zest as well as the light bitterness of the braised radicchio. A brighter version of the classic Duck a L’orange.

On the site, Tuscan Kale. Braised, the remarkably flavorful and hearty dark leafy green is a chef’s favorite.

Before dessert, Craft offers a sweet amuse bouche like the strange combination of Butterscotch panna cotta with green apple granita or, in my second visit, the better Hibiscus soda and meyer lemon sorbet served in a shot glass with a mini straw.

The restaurant’s cheese cart is modest but offers a nice variety of American and a few European cheeses like Variation #1 from Andante Dairy in California and Queso de Mano from Colorado.

Craft has an extensive selection of house made ice creams, gelatos and sorbets including unconventional flavors like the great Fennel sorbet I had in NY. In LA, I tried Rosemary Toffee, Brown Butter and Maple Bacon. The first was my favorite; the other 2 lacked the presence of flavor I was expecting.

From the desserts list, Red Velvet Cake with Sour Cherries, Cocoa Nib & Cream Cheese Gelato. Here, the ice cream overshadows the arguably unremarkable cake. Not a bad dessert but nothing I’d order again.

Peanut Butter Cup with Peanut Brittle, Caramel Gelée & Caramel Gelato. This luscious dessert offers a nice play of textures on a classic all-American pairing.

In short

Tom Colicchio’s LA branch of his flagship restaurant won’t disappoint. Its design is an oasis in a dreary neighborhood and its food is as good as in its NY counterpart. The family style presentations break the formality of a fine dining experience while maintaining the same level of quality. I call it faux casual fine dining.

Craft is at 10 100 Constellation Boulevard
Online reservations

The Bazaar by José Andrés, LA

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 17:06:00 +0000

“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary-wise; what it is it wouldn't be, and what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” –Alice

The quote above is a perfect description of The Bazaar by José Andrés. A restaurant part of the lavish SLS hotel in Beverly Hills. Another way to describe it is “a dining and design wonderland”. But that would be an understatement. So where do I begin?

Let’s start with the hotel. In the signature Philippe Starck look, the lobby is a whimsical mix and match of styles where antique and hyper-modern are curiously rendered together. A deep-red elevator lobby next to a grass-green carpeted hallway in which 2 magic mirrors stand. To make you shrink or make you grow. An actual-size horse sculpture/lamp stands next to it, maybe for scale.

If you wonder what SLS stands for. It stands for nothing, and everything. While a staff member denied a definition for the acronym, next to him a large backlit panel listed countless possibilities like “Soft like silk” and “Some little secrets”. Behind the curtains–the many curtains, is Starwood hotels and a few renowned partners like Moss, Starck, Andrés and Sam Nazarian. This is the first SLS of a few to come, 2 more are in the works, in Las Vegas and Miami.

As you walk in the restaurant, accessible through a separate entrance, the whimsy is on steroids. A surreal feast for the eyes and for the mind. A series of distinct spaces where it’s hard to tell where art ends and commerce begins. Three dining rooms, a bar and a store curiously blend together, despite each one’s unique personality and design.

Blanca and Rojo

The 2 main dining rooms are opposite to each another, in location and character.

Rojo (red) is inspired by the traditional Spanish tapas restaurants. Warm and approachable with a hint of the past. Solid wood tables and chairs, black-and white checkerboard floors and Picasso-inspired drawings on the walls. Open to the bright, ample kitchen where a small army of cooks work at full steam. One in particular is hard to miss, Top Chef runner-up Marcell Vigneron; surrounded by foams (pictured below).

Blanca (white) is the absolute opposite. White marble and light wood tables, comfortable upholstered chairs and lounge sofas. A modern palette designed with Stark’s trademark blend of periods. In between both rooms, a tarot reader, perhaps as a connection between past, present and future.

The Bar Centro works as a social hub. A long diagonal counter backlit with the blue glow of round video monitors installed under the glass contrasts with the bright amber background. Fornasetti faces on the menus blend in with the crowd.

Lastly, the Patisserie. Another whimsical space designed in pastel tones where 2 communal tables stand in total contrast. One at counter height, the other like a kid’s table–only a few inches from the floor. Eat me, drink me.

An appetizing display of candies and chocolates under glass domes, ready to be sampled or taken home. This is where the desserts are made and often where meals come to an end. But more on that later.

Throughout the many spaces, mini lounges that are neither Rojo nor Blanca. Museum glass boxes exhibiting curious design installations, like aquariums of surrealism and commerce. It’s like dining at Moss, the uber-modern design store. Literally.

At the very end of the the 11,500 square-foot space the restaurant blends seamlessly with Moss’ showroom. Carefully curated design objects that entertain the eyes and allow nostalgic diners to take a piece of the experience home.

The wait staff at Bazzar is exceptional. With a level or attention and sincere enthusiasm parallel to some of the best fine dining restaurants. Yet it remains approachable, unfussy. Servers take orders on backlit wireless PDAs strapped to their arms. Everything is automated, efficiency is paramount. But sometimes service feels rushed as the small dishes start to pile up on the table faster than you can eat them. For that reason, I’d recommend ordering homeopathically; 2 or 3 dishes at a time.

The menu

Mirroring the 2 main dining rooms, the restaurant offers dual menus; Rojo with traditional tapas, and Blanca with avant garde molecular gastronomy inspired modern tapas. You can order from any one, independently of which room you sit. And there’s no lack of choices. In total both menus offer over 70 tapas you can order à la carte or let the chef pick for you. The Spanish menu also shows influences from other cuisines, mainly Japanese, Mexican and American.

The meal

José Andrés is credited for bringing high-end Spanish cuisine to America with his much praised Washington DC restaurants. Bazaar is his first venture in the west coast and the chef seems to have put all his energetic personality into it. You may recognize him for his lively TV persona– in his PBS show “Made in Spain” and a few special guest appearances in other networks. But before being a celebrity chef, José is first and foremost a talented chef. He trained under Ferran Adrià at El Bulli in Spain and that clearly influenced his food in technique, inventiveness and sense of humor.

Dining at Bazaar is a fun, immersive experience. There’s a great level of inventiveness and a witty sense of humor in almost every dish; something that is becoming synonymous with contemporary Spanish cuisine. It’s all about surprises.

Like Alice’s nonsense, things may not taste what they look or look what they sound. White gazpachos and liquid olives come to mind. But when you come to expect surprise after surprise, a perfectly fine dish has the potential to disappoint if wonder doesn’t arise. That’s the downside.

In addition to an inventive cocktail menu, Bazaar serves 2 types of Sangrias. They are mixed at the table with a full bottle of either red wine or cava–the Spanish sparkling wine. I’d recommend the one with cava, no question about it.

From the Blanca menu; Olives, Modern and Traditional. An homage to Andrés’ mentor. Adrià created the liquid olive a few years back and made it a signature dish in his legacy of culinary innovation. The process called “spherification” uses Alginate to create egg-yolk like spheres of liquefied green olives. The spheres are then marinated in olive oil and served on tasting spoons. The delicate contraptions literally explode in your mouth releasing its intensely flavored olive juice. At Bazzar they come accompanied by traditional stuffed olives. This amuse bouche sums up the concept of Andrés cuisine; a contrasting play of traditional and modern with reference points to one another.

Another “little starter”, as described on the menu, is the Sweet potato chips, Yogurt, tamarind, star anise. Paper-thin chips and a Greek yogurt dip. Surprisingly light like whip cream, topped with olive oil and balsamic reduction. The combination is irresistible.

Not your everyday Caprese, Cherry tomatoes, liquid mozzarella. Another awe-inspiring rendition of a simple salad. The blanched tomatoes are compressed in vacuum bags with a Pedro Ximénes reduction to squeeze out their air and absorb in the liquid. In that process their flavor is enhanced. The liquid mozzarella balls are also made with the spherification technique. They should be spooned together with the tomatoes and small air bread croutons for a perfect combination of textures and flavors.

“Philly cheesesteak”, Air bread, cheddar, Wagyu beef. Another great example of an otherwise common dish made into something absolutely outstanding. The delicate air bread shell is filled with a white cheddar cream and topped with lightly seared Wagyu carpaccio. It’s like a savory éclair; luscious and flavorful. I’d say the best thing on the menu.

Ajo blanco, White gazpacho, tomatoes, grapes, raisins. The white gazpacho is actually a savory almond gelatin with the consistency of a panna cotta. The reference to the classic chilled tomato soup comes in its topping–tomato core and tomato granita. Together with the thinly sliced grapes, soaked raisins and Marcona almonds, it results in a beautiful play of flavors, textures and temperatures.

Cotton candy foie gras. A chilled cube of foie gras terrine is wrapped in a bite-sized cotton candy, prepared in one of the restaurant roving carts. Another playful dish based on the classic combination of foie gras and sweet pairings. Although good, the pure white sugar lacks the complexity of, say, sour cherries–making this dish more fun than flavorful.

American Caviar cone. Each paper-thin cone is filled with cauliflower crème fraîche, topped with paddlefish caviar and chives. It’s hard not to draw comparisons to French Laundry’s cornets and when you do so, Bazaar’s ranks a distant second. And where they suffer the most is in the final assembly. Unfortunately the tableside show seems to take precedence over a more skilled kitchen preparation.

Tortilla de patatas “new way”, Potato foam, egg 63, caramelized onions. A reinterpretation of the classic Spanish omelet created in a delicate layering of flavors and textures. The egg 63 on the title refers to a perfectly cooked egg at 63ºF. The dish is served in a faux eggshell.

Tuna toro “Nigiri”, Wasabi, watermelon, red wine, soy, jalapeno. A very successful dish. Thin avocado ribbons wrapped around fresh tuna tartare.

Jicama wrapped guacamole, Micro cilantro, corn chips. Paper thin jicama tortillas and creamy guacamole. Nice but not a favorite.

Japanese taco, Grilled eel, shiso, cucumber, wasabi, chicharrón. Crispy and sweet.

Miso “linguini”, Tomato, lemon, salmon roe. The linguini here is made by jellifying a miso broth into a thin gelatin sheet which is then sliced into fine ribbons. The resulting transparent "pasta" melts in your mouth becoming a broth again. And much like any pasta, their flavors come in the sauce; in this case, the salmon roe.

Oven roasted Cippolini onions, Clementines, passion fruit, pumpkin seed oil. The modern take here being more in the combination of flavors than the technique.

From the Rojo menu; Jamón Ibérico de bellota, Acorn-fed, free-range Ibérico ham. If you never had Pata Negra before, this is something you can’t miss. The kobe beef of cured hams, from pampered black-footed pigs. The delicate glistering fat melts in your mouth adding complexity to its nutty, salty flavor. The 2oz sliced to order portion is accompanied by toasted bread with tomato paste–something I had no problem ignoring in favor of savoring just the jamon.

Papas Canarias salty wrinkled potatoes, mojo verde. The fingerling potatoes in this dish are boiled in salted water until it evaporates. The crystallized sea salt gives them the appearance of sanded pebbles. But bite into it and you’ll find a soft inside, like mashed potatoes. The very salty skin is balanced by the parsley, chives and balsamic sauce.

Norwegian lobster seaweed salad, lobster essence. Perfectly cooked langoustine served with a frothy, flavorful lobster bisque.

Sautéed shrimp garlic, guindilla pepper. This dish came highly recommended by the wait staff, it’s definitely good, but not something I'd order again. There are many other things on the menu that I’d recommend first (start with the top of the list).

Stuffed piquillo peppers goat cheese. Another nice combination of sweetness from the peppers and balsamic with the acidity of the cheese.

Croquetas de pollo, chicken and béchamel fritters. Crispy and creamy croquettes. Simple, straightforward, unsurprising.

Beef hanger steak piquillo pepper confit. Tender cuts of beef, served medium rare with a nice chair broiled flavor.

The restaurant also offers a good selection so Spanish cheeses like Manchego ‘Pasamontes’ (sheep) and Valdeón (cow and goat).

Time for desserts. And this is one of my favorite things about Bazaar. You are invited to eat your sweets at the Patisserie. If you don’t want to move you can stay at your table but the transition to the Patisserie is something you honestly shouldn’t miss. It makes everything more interesting and exploring the different rooms is a big part of the experience. Here are some of the desserts they offer, listed by preference (favorites first).

Greek Yogurt Panna Cotta, with apricots and muscat gelatin. A deliciously creamy panna cotta topped with apricot foam and grated pistachio.

On the playful side, Nitro Coconut Floating Island, with passion fruit and vanilla. With a thin meringue-like crust and a powder snow texture that dissolves into nothing the moment you put it in your mouth, this is almost unnatural. Or simply surprising. The baseball-size floating island is placed over caramelized bananas and a passion fruit coulis.

Chocolate Stick, orange gelatin, fresh citrus segments, chocolate snap and freeze-dried raspberries. My favorite chocolate dessert on the menu.

SLS Tres chocolate mousse. Dark, white and milk chocolate layered and topped with a small plastic eyedropper designed to squirt liquid chocolate directly into your mouth. More fun than flavor.

Creamy Chocolate Heart, With coffee and cardamom. Fluffy and sweet.

On a lighter side, Coconut-Berries-Lemon, Albert Adrià (1998). An homage to Ferran’s brother who run the pastry kitchen at El Bully and is responsible for many of the restaurant’s innovations.

Traditional Spanish Flan, with vanilla and fruit. Surrounded by airy vanilla custard. Not a bad dessert, but lower on my list.

Hot Chocolate Mousse, with pear sorbet and salty hazelnut praline. Although this was the most recommended dessert, it’s the one I was less excited about. It felt sloppy and a somewhat all over the place.

I visited Bazaar 3 times before writing this review. Dined in both rooms and happily had my desserts in the Patisserie. In each visit I found new surprises, things that I hadn’t noticed the times before. Point is, there’s so much energy and depth in the experience that you’ll hardly find it repetitive. I can’t say everything I had was outstanding, but many things were. And that alone is a reason to go back. And as the last surprise, you will probably be pleased with its reasonable prices. No wonder getting a reservation is so hard–first and last seatings may be your only choice; knowing someone definitely helps. This is LA after all.

In short.

Bazaar achieves an outstanding blend of food, fashion and fun unlike any other restaurant in LA; arguably in the whole country. Playful yet serious about its food; without ever taking itself too seriously. A whimsical feast for the palate and for the eyes. “Curiouser and curiouser.”

Bazaar is at 465 S. La Cienega Blvd.
Online reservations

Nopa, San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:29:00 +0000

Nopa is a neighborhood restaurant. One that gathers locals around its communal table and attracts people from all around town who brave the parking-deprived neighborhood for a chance to feel right at home. “A San Francisco gathering place” is its official tagline. A bright spot in the arguably shady North of Panhandle–or Nopa.

As you leave the cheap liquor stores behind and walk into the restaurant, you’ll be surprised by what you find inside. An ample space, with a mix of industrial and welcoming materials not unlike the interiors of Zuni and Serpentine. But the enviable high ceilings and imposing windows give the room a much more impressive look.

In the dining room, there’s seating for all tastes. Diner booths, a communal table, 2 and 4-tops with banquettes or chairs, bar counter, kitchen counter and even a mezzanine with a view. The majority of them are good but a few of the freestanding tables are arranged too close together, so much so your neighbors may inadvertently share your appetizers.

But despite the large number of people inside–including the often packed bar, the noise level is surprisingly bearable. Thank the high ceilings.

The informally dressed wait staff is attentive and friendly. In that sense, Nopa is a casual, welcoming restaurant much like Beretta and Delfina. On the tables, country-style kitchen towels take the place of starched linen napkins, a homey touch that doesn’t go unnoticed. And that’s exactly the point; to make you feel at home. And the restaurant takes the idea to heart.

Beyond using local ingredients, Nopa promotes local happenings and talents–the interior design and mural paintings were created by nearby neighbors. Locavores, rejoice.

The menu

“Simple food created with seasonal ingredients sourced from local purveyors.” The phrase sums up what you’ll find at Nopa. A philosophy that has become a trademark of Bay Area cooking. Thank Alice Waters. The menu features some restaurant staples like the rotisserie chicken and an ever-changing selection of market-fresh appetizers, entrées and desserts. Even though nothing is said about it, a few dishes I tried had a clear Mediterranean influence.

The meal

To amuse la bouche, green garlic and capers crostini; fleur de sel to taste.

To start, Shaved asparagus salad, bacon, poached egg and kumquats. Mandoline-cut like long ribbons, fresh, crunchy asparagus. A sign that spring is upon us. Perfectly poached eggs and breadcrumbs on top.

Another appetizer worth trying is the Oven roasted sardines, grilled bread, hummus and salsa verde. The star here is not the sardines–although they are pretty good too; but the “fine dining hummus”. A luscious, creamy rendition of the classic Mediterranean spread.

As a bonus course–timely comped by our waiter as he noticed our entrées being late; Lamb and toasted farro soup, cumin yogurt. Tasty and hearty, with a hint of fresh mint, this soup is delicious. Ironically, what I didn’t order was the best thing I had.

For entrée, Braised duck legs, English pea risotto, Parmesan and mizuna. Generously portioned and tasty. Also with a hint of mint in the risotto.

A dish that got my attention on the menu was the Housemade pappardelle, nine hour Bolognese, kale flowers and pecorino. The sauce is made with pork and lamb, slowly cooked for the promised 9 hours. A hearty dish, but not as flavorful as I was hoping for. You know, after 9 hours of anticipation.

For dessert, the most popular item on the menu is the Sopaipillas with burnt orange caramel. Like hollow beignets shaped like inflated raviolis, by themselves these New Mexico deep-fried treats aren’t as good as their American or French counterparts. Enter the sauce. Bite off the corner and pour in the thick caramel. Satisfaction guaranteed.

In short

The ample dining room by itself makes it worth the trip. The attentive service and unfussy atmosphere will make you feel right at home. And most importantly, you will eat well. Generous portions of seasonally-inspired comfort food. Nopa is a restaurant definitely worth trying; it probably won’t blow you away but it will certainly not disappoint. Think of it as another fine option in Bay Area cuisine.

Nopa is at 560 Divisadero St.
Reservations by phone, 415.864.8643

Appetizers, an à la carte tasting menu.

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 17:18:00 +0000

On a multi-course meal, the appetizer is often the most memorable course. Here are 3 reasons why:

As the first course, it hits your taste buds when they are still fresh, ready to absorb new flavors, open to new experiences. Think of it like wine tasting, it’s in the first sip that you’ll get most of the wine’s makeup.

Their smaller portions peak your palate before tiring it. This is the principle behind Thomas Keller’s tasting menus. Each course is portioned so it finishes before saturating your palate.

Finally, for the most part, you eat your appetizer at the peak of your appetite. When you are most hungry.

Appetizer-only meals seem to be more popular than ever. The reason though has less to do with taste and more with budget. But cost aside, appetizers can be a great way to experience a chef’s cuisine.

The concept of small plates dining is popular in Spain (tapas) and Italy (cicchetti). In the US, it’s a trend many restaurants made a business around it. Places like Beretta, Pesce and Bar Pintxo (pictured above) come to mind.

Creating a meal out of appetizers gives you an opportunity to sample the food but still stay closer to what you like the most. It’s like designing your own tasting menu, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on how you put together your meal.

Point is, nothing beats a great chef’s tasting menu. Beyond trying different tastes and techniques, the flow of dishes present a thoughtful progression of flavors that add to the experience as a whole. Even in à la carte menus, I’m the first to recognize the importance of a full meal with beginning, middle and end. Very few things are more satisfying than when an appetizer, an entrée and a dessert work together in a perfect meal.

But if you want to try a restaurant in a different way and design your own tasting menu, here are 10 places and dishes you simply can’t miss. In no particular order.

At Town Hall, start with the green fried tomatoes with tuna tartar or soft shell crab BLT if in season and then, without hesitation, go for the veal meatballs.

At Range, try the chicken liver mousse. An appetizer so good you can eat it for dessert.

At Pizzeria Delfina, starters change weekly and I have yet to try one that I don’t like. Highlights are the hand-stretched mozzarella and the fritti–deep-fried goodies.

Anchor & Hope’s curiously named “fries with eyes” are also a must. Deep-fried smelts with remoulade sauce.

If you like fish but would rather not see them eye to eye, Farallon’s champagne cured monterey sardines are fresh and perfectly cooked.

At Kokkari, get a few of the greek spreads with house-made grilled pita bread.

At Jeanty at Jack, trust me and go for the creamy tomato soup. It is served covered with a flaky puff pastry, baked golden brown.

At Craft, try the delicious roasted octopus. Definitely one of the best things you can order.

At Heaven’s Dog and Slanted Door, take the whole idea of sharing to heart and try staying on the first part of the menu.

There are few restaurants like Bar Boulud in NY where appetizers outshine entrées by far. The charcuterie selection for example is worth a whole meal. Daniel’s House made fromage de tête and other many pâtés are second to none; an indulgence of beautifully layered flavors and fat.

So next time you go out, consider skipping the entrée and going right back to the appetizers. The smaller portions will likely leave room for dessert. Which come to think of it, it’s like a sweet appetizer after all.

Entremet: Mercato Centrale, Florence

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 06:04:00 +0000

In the Italian capital of the arts, the central market is a sight to be seen. Built in 1874, the iron and glass structure is located in the San Giovanni neighborhood. One of Italy’s most beautiful indoor markets offers locals 2 full floors of food stalls. Outside, an equally large assortment of stands packed with faux Louis Vuitton bags –an indication that tourists are also popular here.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are displayed like colorful still life paintings, arranged in thoughtful compositions, ready to be picked or painted. Dried fruit laid out like watercolor palettes and beautiful aged cheeses from all over Europe sold next to impossibly fresh local buffalo mozzarella. The latter so good you can eat it like an apple, simply by biting into it.

But is the carnivore that may find there’s heaven after all. From filet to offal, no parts are spared; every bit is on display. Man surrounded my meat. Endless arrays of prosciuttos arranged side by side in shades of red and brown mirroring the Florentine clay rooftops seen from above. Rustic exhibitions of manly meat that only when sliced reveal their delicate, complex side. Slivers of cured Parma and San Danielle blending layers of flavor and fat.

But wherever you’re hungry or not, Florence’s Mercato Centrale is worth a visit; if not to please the palate, definitely to entertain the eyes.

Heaven's Dog, San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Haas) — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 23:15:00 +0000

Before I moved to San Francisco, I used to go to Chinese restaurants more often. But when I got here and found myself strolling in the largest Chinatown outside Asia, the abundance of options had an opposite effect on me; paralysis by analysis.

Ironically, I work in the heart of Chinatown, where every day at 4pm the air is filled with the unmistakable aroma of steamed grease from the surrounding kitchens. Hordes of tourists empty tour busses and walk in suspiciously large Chinese restaurants sporting German signs at the door–Herzlich Willkommen. The local Chinese seem to opt for the more authentic holes in the walls, where English is barely spoken. Some have the characteristic underground feeling that would bring Anthony Bourdain to his knees. Greasy pans and sticky plates included, food poisoning optional.

When I heard that the talented Charles Phan was opening a Chinese restaurant in the city, I knew I had to try it. Phan’s family is behind one of San Francisco’s most original restaurants, The Slanted Door. Its contemporary Vietnamese cuisine is characterized by the use of fresh ingredients and pronounced flavors; its service and atmosphere rival many fine dining establishments. After years of success and many expansions, the Phans are going back to their roots; China.

Heaven’s Dog occupies the ground floor at the new imposing yet dull condo monolith known as SoMa Grand. The restaurant offers 3 dining spaces; the noodle bar, the lounge and the dining room.

The noodle bar is a bright, long room where diners sit at a black granite counter overlooking the shared kitchen. A more casual space, perfect for a quick meal alone or in small groups.

Inside the actual restaurant, the atmosphere is much different. Dimly lit and more intimate, both lounge and dining room. But despite the faint light, the interior design bears resemblance to a museum cafeteria with unoriginal choices in dinnerware and furniture. Instead of contemporary Chinese, the ambiance comes across as ordinary modern. The only exception is the long bar, cut in its full length by a bright trim light–very Blade Runner.

The menu

The noodle bar and the restaurant share the same menu. There are 3 types of dishes; small plates, wok and noodles. The first 2 are served family style and are meant for sharing. They are brought to the table when they are done in the kitchen, in no particular order. Much like at The Slanted Door, the appetizers here are great, probably the best things on the menu. Worth making a full meal of of them. The noodles are individually portioned. Phan also brought in his relationships with high-end purveyors–it’s not everywhere you’ll find Niman Ranch beef called out on a Chinese menu.

The meal

Some of the most popular orders are the cocktails. The bar offers an inventive selection of pre-prohibition era drinks made with San Francisco’s own “Small Hand Foods” ingredients. Like the Pan American Clipper. Calvados, lime, Small Hand Foods grenadine and absinthe.

From the Small plate selection, Shanghai dumplings, pork, rice vinegar, scallions. Each dumpling explodes in your mouth letting out its flavorful juices. For this reason, it’s advised to put the whole thing in your mouth. Taking a small bite, although a sign of good manners, can have devastating effects on the surrounding guests.

Another great choice is the Braised pork belly in clamshell bun, scallions. The tender, savory pork is nicely contrasted by the sweet sticky bun.

From the Wok selection, Salt & pepper squid, ginger, red peppers. I still think Betelnut makes the best fried calamari. This one is crispy although it gets somewhat rubbery as it cools down.

From the Noodles list, Rice vermicelli stir fry, Niman Ranch pork shoulder, shrimp, yellow curry. This is a good example of how high-quality ingredients can make all the difference in an otherwise common dish.

Spicy seafood soup, shrimp, squid, cod, scallops, wheat noodles. Here, fresh seafood brings delight to the palate and peace of mind. A mild heat adds a nice punch.

Red braised beef stew, wheat noodles. The rich broth is more colorful than tasty but overall this is a good dish, like the other noodles I tried. But in the end, I was hoping for more pronounced flavors.

There are 5 desserts on the menu but no traditional Chinese options like sesame balls. The best ones I tried were the ice creams.

Pineapple sorbet. A great, refreshing ending to a filling meal. Meringue sticks add a nice, crispy touch.

Thai basil ice cream. Creamy and rich with a subtle herbal flavor. The clementine segments on the other hand were completely out of place. I can’t see how the 2 things can go together.

For a more filling dessert, Chocolate-chestnut torte. Layered Devil’s food cake, chestnut mousse and croquant; finished with chocolate ganache and a candied walnut. A nice contrast of textures in a rich but not too sweet dessert.

In short

Heaven’s Dog is a great alternative to the tourist traps or potentially sketchy restaurants in Chinatown. In addition to a more modern atmosphere, Charles Phan brings fresh flavors and organic ingredients to the traditional Chinese fare. The food is good but it’s almost as if something is lacking. Maybe the kitchen still needs to find its voice; or maybe all they are missing is some extra grease in the pans.

Heaven’s Dog is at 1148 Mission St.
Online reservations