tupac17616

i now consider myself an idiot for having waited this long to try Fatty Crab the pickled watermelon and pork salad is off the hook that is all

daaaamn

but you likely wouldn't be the only one without a jacket, which is probably the important part. "business casual" is pretty well defined as it relates to jackets. as in, don't worry about a jacket. from the staff's perspective, no one would like twice if you didn't wear a jacket. There were a few people definitely trying to stretch the "business casual" past its limit last time I was there. Jeans. So yeah, you would by no means be the only one without a jacket, but I've gotta agree with BryanZ on this one -- anything less feels a bit weird to me.

How did you do that? Did you just walk in? How long did you have to wait to be seated? Walked in last night (Saturday) around 9. Asked for two spots at the counter. Their initial response was that they were "fully committed", but at that point the other hostess came over, recognized us from the weekend prior and welcomed us back, and said she'd see what she could do. Promised two counter seats after a ~20 wait, we were subsequently informed that those weren't going to work out. So we were offered a table after a total wait of maybe 15 mins. At first we were disappointed not to be at the counter, but the table was not bad at all. And the seats against the wall are pretty damn comfortable actually. Not unlike a couch. I'll be back again.

Absolutely could not have said it better myself. In a nutshell, that was what I enjoyed about L'Atelier. Per my hardcopy.... MENU "CLUB" $70 Includes two hors d'oeuvre, a fish or meat entree, dessert and coffee or tea L'AMUSE-BOUCHE LA TOMATE Gazpacho with croutons and fresh almonds L'OEUF Soft poached egg on a spicy eggplant stew LA MORUE Cod fillet in an aromatic broth -OR- L'ONGLET DE BOEUF Roasted hanger steak with sauteed shallots and piquillo peppers (SUPPLEMENT $8) DESSERT DU JOUR LE CAFE EXPRESS Espresso with macarons So the menu does indeed exist. It was not presented to us, however, so I have no idea when/if they actually serve it. Kind of odd, I suppose. This is neither here nor there, but I went back again last night just for the sugar sphere. As great as remembered. Friend had the ice cream and sorbet sampler, and enjoyed it. Ooh, and their very fresh macarons. (Last time lemon, this time chocolate). Not a bad place to stop by just for dessert, and in the end, not much more expensive than, say Room4Dessert or Chikalicious.

That's interesting. When I made the reservation (in person at the restaurant), they said my request for counter seats would be no problem at all. And I saw that counter seating vs. table seating shows up on a different portion of their computer screen, so there's definitely clear differentiation. Yeah, as I'm sure you well know, it ain't easy. I only have one friend crazy (er, uh...adventurous) enough to go placea like L'Atelier, and not run away in horror when a $500+ check for two people is placed before us.... Same friend with whom I went to Masa. Same friend who I'll be joining at a wine dinner at Per Se next week. Good friend.

I will try to write a more in-depth account of my meal (or at least post some pictures) when I have some more time, but in short I'd say that my meal last Sunday at L'Atelier was one of the best I've had this year. Though the two restaurants are clearly very different, I enjoyed it as much as Per Se in May; it didn't lag incredibly far behind a 30-course mindblowing meal at Manresa in Los Gatos, CA that I had at the end of August either. A friend and I sat at the counter. I got the tasting menu. Then we both chose several things a la carte. We split everything, creating our own 19-course tasting menu. Three hours later, we emerged with stomachs feeling 10 lbs heavier, and wallets probably that much lighter. But man, it was one hell of a meal...

Agreed. Picked up some sopressata at Fairway last month, and loved it. I definitely need to get around to trying the other Bertolli salumi very soon.

Indeed. Like you and U.E., I was thrilled to see them get two stars.

DAY 7 -- Friday The last hurrah. Waking up that morning, it was hard to believe the trip was already coming to an end. But the shrill of the alarm going off at about 6:30 in the morning was enough to convince that, in fact, it was. We made sure to pack everything up the night before to expedite things this morning. So after quick hop in the shower to do what little refreshing we could with that little sleep, we headed downstairs to breakfast. Ah, the continental breakfast at our hotel, you might say? Not so fast, my friend. You may recall I posted a picture of our hotel earlier in this thread. My hotel choice was no coincidence, you see. There’s a certain spot in the lobby that I’d read good things about. So that’s where we headed for breakfast #1… CANTEEN The reviews for this place sounded great. Dennis Leary, former executive chef at Rubicon, bucks the trend of the ubiquitous celebrity chef mega-restaurant and quietly opens a tiny new place in the lobby of a hotel, where he is to be pretty much the sole cook for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, 7 days a week. Behind the stove in this tiny 20-seat diner supposedly stood a great culinary talent, seeking to break down the pretension often associated with restaurant meals, and just serve simple, great-tasting food as if he were feeding his own family and friends. Sounded to me like someone who was able to keep perspective on what’s important about good cooking -- the food. And Canteen sounded like a place I ought to visit this trip to SF. They open up at 7am for breakfast, and we walked in at 7 on the dot. At first there was no one around but a single waitress. As we took a couple of seats at the counter, though, a cook walked in, arms full of the day’s provisions -- eggs, peaches, who knows what else. This cook, though, was not Dennis Leary. I’ll admit I was a bit disappointed. I wanted to see the man in action. But on this morning I guess it wasn’t meant to be. No worries, I suppose, as long as the food is still good. My father ordered eggs with sausage, home fries, and toast with butter and jelly. The jelly was homemade (orange and raspberry, if I remember correctly), and pretty good. The potatoes were incredibly dry, and after a few bites, he ended up leaving most of it on his plate. The sausage was slightly sweet, and definitely housemade. I enjoyed it. My dad, on the other hand, hated it. Fennel seed. That’ll do it. The over-easy eggs were fine, but they were not enough to salvage the meal for him. “Pretty hard to screw up eggs,” he added. Can’t argue with that. Overall, he declared his meal no better than Denny’s. And later added that he would’ve rather had the Rooty Tooty Fresh n Fruity at IHOP. Yikes. I opted for another breakfast classic… Eggs Benedict As the gratuitous runny yolk picture attests to, the eggs were poached perfectly. The hollandaise was light, almost foamy, and very flavorful. The Canadian bacon and English muffin were both tasty, and perhaps the first things we’d been served that weren’t made in-house (along with the Heinz ketchup, of course). Different people have different tastes, of course, but I enjoyed the potatoes. There was something odd about the texture. The potatoes were definitely a tad overcooked. But as such, they were fairly fluffy, and they provided a great sponge to soak up the extra egg yolk and hollandaise on the plate. Overall, I enjoyed this breakfast. And definitely much more so than my dad did. Ah, well. Guess you can’t win ‘em all. I mentioned above that this was breakfast #1. You didn’t think I was going to leave San Francisco without checking out its most talked-about bakery, did you? But of course not. To the Mission District, post-haste! TARTINE Maybe it was the features in all the food magazines. Maybe the glowing reviews on eGullet and Chowhound. Maybe I just have a sweet tooth the size of Texas. But I was really excited to try this place out. Luckily, it’s (sort of) on the way to the airport from our hotel. How convenient. While my dad waits with the car running (did I mention he’s crazy about time when it comes to traveling? ), I step inside the bakery. Ah, the smell of bakeries. Gotta love it. Anyway, I grab a spot in line, and start drooling over all the options. This could be a tough choice. This is my first visit, of course, so I figure why not just make a couple of choices to try several things out. For research purposes, only, of course Yes, I’m only one man. But here’s what I walked out with… Gougere with Gruyere, Black Pepper and Fresh Thyme This was clearly hot and fresh from the oven. I had to play hot potato with it in my lap in the car as I tried to photograph (and subsequently eat) it. The inside was wonderfully airy, and the whole thing was just so light in texture. It was definitely not pate a choux, at least not any version of pate choux that I’m familiar with. The aroma of the melted gruyere on top was not unlike that first whiff you always get when French onion soup is set in front of you. Once melted gruyere cools, though, I find that I still enjoy the aroma, but no longer the flavor. And that was exactly the case here. The melted cheese on top was the part of the gruyere I least enjoyed. The flavor of the inside, though, was quite good, and as I mentioned, the texture was incredible. My dad, however, was not a fan. Pain au Jambon with Niman Ranch Smoked Ham & Gruyere The exterior was incredibly flaky. The inside was soft, fluffy, and piping hot. The ham was very pleasantly smoky, not unlike bacon. The melted gruyere was warm enough that it still stretched and oozed as I ate it. As I think I mentioned earlier in the thread, I typically don’t enjoy a crisper croissant, I’d rather have it soft and pliable throughout. Even so, this was quite a flavorful croissant. A little extra pork never hurts. Pain au Chocolat with Scharffen Berger Chocolate I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but this, too was clearly fresh out of the oven. The bittersweet chocolate on the inside was soft, melted, and gooey. Definitely good quality chocolate, though I don’t usually enjoy very dark chocolate. So perhaps for my tastes a semisweet variety would’ve been better, but I nitpick as usual. The outside of the croissant was crispy, but this time, just slightly so, which was more in line with my preferences. Overall, this was probably among the better chocolate croissants (does it make me sound uncultured to say “chocolate croissant” instead of “pain au chocolat”? ) I’ve had, although not even in the same league as the one I had in Palo Alto. Of course, it’s hard to beat a croissant that’s still hot. My dad, too, thought this was croissant was very good, although he had the same conclusion about it compared to the one in Palo Alto two days earlier. Morning Bun with Cinnamon & Orange Oooh yeah. Luckily, I saved the best for last. This was incredible. Maybe the single best thing I ate in San Francisco. The citrus flavor just worked so perfectly. The glazed top was sweet and delicious without being the least bit cloying. Even the sugar sprinkled on top didn’t make it too sweet, with the spice of the cinnamon and the acidic top note of the orange flavor going on in the background. And again, it was still warm. I could eat one of these every day. Just in case my gushing descriptions of the food from Tartine weren’t enough to give this fact away, I would definitely go back to Tartine. In fact, I don’t really foresee a trip back to San Francisco that doesn’t involve a stop there. I loved it that much. And that’s all, folks. I definitely owe a big thanks to everyone who helped me plan the itinerary for this trip. So many people contributed by adding their suggestions, questions, responses, and culinary do’s and don’ts that really helped my father and I get the most out of the time we were able to spend in California. Food aside, it was a wonderful trip for both of us personally, as well. I was able to get a taste of what California is like, find out whether I could see myself going to graduate school there, and perhaps even more importantly take a step closer to choosing where I’d like to go if I do end up there. My father, meanwhile, was able to step away from work for a while, relax, and just enjoy the ride. We both loved every minute. And we’ll be back. I’m sure of that.

I've already posted this review from our meal on 8-31-06 in my California trip recap post HERE, but I figured for those doing future searches for Incanto specifically, I ought to put it here as well: INCANTO If there were one place in SF that seemed to be almost unanimously praised on eGullet and Chowhound, this must have been it, I thought. (Well, actually Aziza was, too. But I digress.) I had read such great things about the place that it was impossible for me to enter without anything but high expectations for a great meal. They’d claimed pasta superior to Babbo, comfortable and casual atmosphere superior to Lupa, and rustic, ingredient-driven cuisine not unlike Chez Panisse. Needless to say, the reports I’d read had placed the restaurant in some good company. We walked in to our 8:30 reservation to find the place roughly 1/3 full. Understandable, I suppose, since the neighborhood isn’t exactly bustling, and it is a Thursday night. Walking through the door, the first thing that catches my eye is a case full of their housemade charcuterie. I’d read all about Chris Cosentino’s affinity for curing his own meats in-house, and of course his fondness for all things offal. I hoped to be able to sample both these aspects of his work at some point during the meal. We are seated at the table, and a few minutes later an assortment of bread – grissini, focaccia, and ciabatta – arrives, along with some olive tapenade. All pretty good. I especially like the focaccia. The menu arrives. So many good choices. It’s practically an ode to pork: trotters, and liver, and shoulder, oh my! I’ve read a lot about the wine program here as well, so even though I very rarely drink anything besides water (ever, not just at restaurants), I figure I might as well check out the menu. Lots of very reasonably priced options, including small tastes, flights of three, etc. Very convenient for those as inexperienced as myself. My dad chooses a glass of a red wine whose name I can’t seem to remember. My choice is described as a “delicate crisp” white wine from Piemonte, that the waitress thought would be a light, refreshing contrast to the fairly heavy appetizer I’d chosen (which you’ll soon see)… Fallegro, Gagliardo (2005) Not bad, but still not sweet enough for my tastes. I don’t know much about wine, but it kind of reminds me of Pinot Grigio. I’ve been thinking I’d like to develop my wine palate so I could eventually plan some pairings for dinners I make at home for friends and family, but right now all I enjoy are a couple of dessert wines (my favorite being Moscato d’Asti). And of course, I’m not going to force the issue. Besides, not drinking makes my restaurant bills that much lower. My dad, as I mentioned earlier, was far from being hungry at this point, so instead a regular appetizer, he just opted for a small dish of house-marinated olives. Small black and green olives, and a bit too many herbs for his tastes, arrived in a small dish of olive oil. He enjoyed them, but not anywhere near as much as he enjoyed the Lucques olives at, well, Lucques just a few days prior. Once I saw this appetizer on the menu, I knew I had to order it: Pig’s Trotter Cake with Heirloom Tomatoes and Salsa Verde This was the heavy dish that our waitress kind of warned me about (I ordered a LOT of food….you’ll see). I couldn’t have cared less, though, as I love pig’s trotters and thought this combination sounded simple and delicious. And, boy, was it. Outstanding. The pig’s trotter cake was rich and meaty tasting, but somehow almost fluffy in texture. I think it was not much more than potato and the meat, but it was unbelievably light. The heirloom tomatoes, too, were incredible. Before coming to California, I’d never had tomatoes in a restaurant that even came close to the indescribable flavor of homegrown tomatoes that I’d been used to growing up. Manresa, Chez Panisse, and now Incanto had each given me reason to believe that maybe some restaurants can find good tomatoes, too. The salsa verde did not overpower either the tomatoes or the pig’s trotter cake, but rather tied the flavors nicely. The meal was off to a great start. I’d order this again in a heartbeat. Next up for me was…. Gnocchi with Corn, Chanterelles, and Silver Thyme Another standout. The gnocchi were the ethereal pillows that one hopes for at all Italian restaurants, but does not often receive. I’d put these right up there with any of the better versions of gnocchi I’ve had in NYC (Lupa, Hearth, Craft, etc). The sweet corn, earthy mushrooms, and fragrant thyme tasted just as great together as they sounded. Sauced with just the right amount of butter and some of the reduced mushroom juices, everything just came together wonderfully. I offered my dad a taste, and he, too, loved it. Two for two so far.. For my main course, I wanted to keep things a little lighter. Just kidding. Next up I had… Roasted Lamb Neck with Polenta, Charred Onions and Rapini This gargantuan chunk of meat would undoubtedly strike fear in the stomachs of those with lesser appetites. But faced with the daunting task of eating something roughly the sized of both of my fists put together, I was ready for the challenge. In a way, this dish was not unlike pulled pork. Or pulled lamb, in this case, I suppose. A very fatty chunk of meat, but with enough of the fat rendered that it was easy to pull apart. It had a beautiful reddish-pinkish smoke ring inside the dark, charcoal exterior that was reminiscent of the Texas BBQ I know and love so dearly. This was like “burnt ends”, Italian-style. After gnawing my way down to the bone, the polenta, onions and rapini proved to be a bit of an afterthought, but all were pleasant. Overall, I liked the dish, but felt it was a little too big in the context of trying to have a more Italian-style meal (antipasto, primo, secondo, etc). My dad’s hunger was back (at least temporarily), so for the main course he had… Braised Pork Shoulder with Squash, Fiorelli & Grilled Zucchini Blossoms My dad enjoyed this, but was not exactly wowed by it. In fact, even being the meat guy that he is, he seemed to enjoy the accompaniments more than the pork shoulder itself. It was a little bland, and frankly kind of boring to eat after a couple of bites. The zucchini blossoms were quite good. I don’t believe I’d had them grilled before. But, truth be told, he enjoys my mom’s pork roast much more than he enjoyed this. At this point, you’d think I’d be ready to throw in the towel, right? But how could I? There were other eGullet recommendations to take into account, people! So I caught our waiter’s attention, and ordered… Hankerchief Pasta with Rustic Pork Ragu Wait a second… This is the dish that everyone was raving about? What am I missing? Nothing about the dish seemed special. Sure the pasta had that delicate texture that distinguishes nice homemade dough, yet it was no better than what I can make myself at home (and I’m definitely no pasta expert). But the ragu was the big disappointment. Something about it was just so… one-dimensional. It was definitely lacking something. A bit of heat? An herbal component maybe? I don’t know. But I do know this was perhaps the biggest weakness of the night. I was not looking for culinary fireworks here. This is, after all, rustic Italian cooking, and I was very aware of that. But if there was something that made this dish special for others, it just wasn’t there for me. If I’d chosen to order this over the gnocchi originally, I would have been quite disappointed. Of course, a meal without dessert is not worth eating, so we were not quite done yet. I’d read that Incanto’s panna cotta was supposed to be consistently very good, so it didn’t take my convincing for my dad to order… Crème Fraiche Panna Cotta with Strawberries The reports were right. This was wonderful. Arguably the best panna cotta I’ve ever had. So perfectly light it could barely stand up on the plate, it just melted away the moment it hit the tongue. The strawberries, like all the other produce we’d eaten that night, we impeccably fresh. This was so light. So refreshing. Really the perfect summer dessert. For my dessert, I chose… Peach Crostata with Saffon Gelato This was good, but not quite in the same league as the wonderful panna cotta. The peaches were very flavorful, and the crust had a nice texture. A few scattered granules of turbinado sugar here and there provided a nice textural contrast. The gelato captured the saffron flavor nicely, and I thought it worked pretty well with the crostata, but the texture of the gelato left something to be desired. Not very creamy, and almost a bit granular or icy, it was more like ice cream than gelato, too. But, for me, pie and ice cream is a pretty safe and reliable choice, regardless of what language it’s in, so this was a pleasant way to end what ended up being a very long, very large meal (for me, at least) .

DAY 6 -- Thursday A full day in San Francisco. I was definitely looking forward to it. So many options, but so little time. I wanted to eat, see the sights, eat, walk around the city, eat, maybe shop a little, and did I mention eat? Originally, I wanted to head to Tartine, thinking there wouldn't be time the following morning before our flight. That was definitely the breakfast spot I most wanted to check out in the city. But from where our hotel was located, a $10 cab ride one-way was not really practical since we didn't have any other sightseeing in mind in the mission district. Then I was thinking as a back-up maybe we'd grab a croissant or something at Bay Bread Boulangerie on Pine St., but that was west of our hotel, and everything else we wanted to see that day was basically in the opposite direction. So I hesitantly agreed that we'd just start walking around, see what we ran into, and find something small to tide us over until dim sum at lunch time. Just a handful of blocks away from our hotel, we see.. TEUSCHER CHOCOLATES My friend swears by their champagne truffles and makes us stop there in NYC anytime we're near either location, but not being a big chocolate guy, I figure I'll check out what kind of non-chocolate things they've got. I love dates, so it doesn't take me long to find my choice... Date Marzipan Good, but not great. Although I'm not sure I've ever really had marzipan I thought was great, so maybe it's just not my thing. A nice snack nonetheless, and the day's eating was underway. My dad didn't get anything here. Nothing really caught his eye. Then we make our way over to Chinatown, take our necessary touristy pictures at the gate, and start walking around. We stop in a little shop to buy some gifts for family and friends back home. Then my dad notices a small little shop that looks interesting... THE WOK SHOP Good eye, I told him. I'd heard of the place before. We walked in and browsed for 20 minutes or so. Really cool store. Tons of different kinds of woks (obviously), but so many other kitchen tools/accessories as well. I buy a couple of vertical food ring molds, I guess you'd call them, one circular and one square-shaped. Now, I too, can attempt to make my pedestrian food at home look like something that would be served in a restaurant. My dad also spots some seeds, near the door, and we buy some bok choy and a couple of other Chinese vegetables that I'm not remembering right now. Right next door to the Wok Shop, we stumble upon our next food stop... EASTERN BAKERY I know we're already walking toward another bakery that I wanted to check out (more on that later), but my dad's never had Chinese sweets before, and this seems like a nice place to remedy that. We stop in, and order one of the huge, practically baseball-sized juggernauts... Sweet Red & Black Bean Sesame Ball (they simply called it "Chinese Donut") I tried to provide a little scale by putting my fingers around it, but if you can't tell, this thing is massive. Probably the largest I've had before. And it was quite good. My dad thought the notion of beans in a sweet treat was a little odd, but he decided to give it a try, and it turned out he really enjoyed it. It was not overly greasy, a common pitfall of these treats. It was not hot, but still just a bit warm. Very nice little snack. Several blocks later, we arrive at the one semi-planned Chinatown stop... GOLDEN GATE BAKERY That's not cool. I knew they were supposed to go on vacation during August, but I thought I'd read that they'd be back by now. Ah well, I'll have to get my egg custard tart fix next time, I suppose. At this point, it's approaching lunch time, and we've got a 12:00 reservation at Yank Sing. I'd heard it was expensive, but good. Some said it's worth it, while other disagreed, but I wanted to find out for myself. (My first choice was Koi Palace in Daly City, but that wasn't feasible in the limited time we had in the bay area). But 12:00 is 20 minutes away, and it would have to be a fairly brisk walk if we tried to make it there. Couple that with the fact that my dad had a pretty bad headache at that point, and needed food quickly, so we ended up walking back to talk to the lady in the Wok Shop about what she recommends nearby. (N.B. Don't ever utter the phrase "tourist trap" in reference to another Chinese-owned business to this lady...she'll bite your head off). We get her suggestion, and we (very reluctantly for me) settle on.... CITY VIEW Between Chinatown and the Financial District, this place was a very short walk. No menu posted outside, but no matter. At this point, for my dad, food is food. So we step inside and grab a table. And the carts come on around... Steamed BBQ Pork Buns Baked BBQ Pork Buns Sticky Rice Scallop Dumplings Shrimp & Chive Dumplings Sweet Red Bean Sesame Balls Egg Custard Tarts Chinese Donuts Nothing really stood out as exceptional. The steamed BBQ pork buns and the shrimp and chive dumplings were probably the highlight for me. I really liked the texture of the steamed pork buns. So fluffy and soft. The baked BBQ pork bun, on the other hand, was probably the weakest for me. The filling just tasted like tiny bits of pork with ketchup and lots of brown sugar. Nasty. The sticky rice and the scallop dumplings were forgettable. The sesame balls were a greasy mess, and not very flavorful at all. Egg Custard Tarts were okay, but a little bland and the crust too brittle. The chinese donuts were hot and pretty good. They were my dad's favorite item. Of course, it's hard to make such complaints as I have when a meal for 2 is $33 out the door. I imagine that Yank Sing could have, and probably would have, passed that number pretty easily. And, of course, there is always next time. And when that next time comes, I will certainly check out either Koi Palace or Yank Sing. Maybe both. After lunch, we strap on the walking shoes once again, hoping to make it to a certain jewelry store called Polaris to look for something to my mother. We walk down Market street a little south of Union Square, thinking it's somewhere around there. We don't have the address, of course. Or the phone number. Or any indication that the place actually exists, mind you. After an hour of looking around hopelessly for it, lucky us, we find it!.... And it's closed. Disappointed, we continue on, hoping we'll find some other unique souvenir for my mom later that day. So it's midafternoon by this time, and we figure maybe it would be a good time to make to the... FERRY BUILDING MARKETPLACE The ultimate food court. This was another stop in San Francisco that I knew we'd have to make. We walked in, looking for a small snack of some sort. Of course, the moment I saw all the options, I knew this would be no small snack. It was time to get down to some serious eating. First stop was at Acme Bread for some sourdough... Really good stuff. Nice and crusty exterior. Fairly dense, but very soft and chewy interior. Just the right amount of sourdough tang in the background. Definitely a winner. But of course, man can't live on bread alone. You need cheese, too! Next stop: Cowgirl Creamery for some Abbaye de Belloc, Humboldt Fog, and organic California dates: What a nice little shop. Between the Cheese Board in Berkeley, and Cowgirl Creamery in SF, the Bay Area definitely has some great cheese options. I discovered a new favorite with the Abbaye de Belloc. Really flavorful stuff, and went well with the bread. The Humboldt Fog I'd had many times before, but I wanted a fairly mild goat cheese, and that seemed to be the ticket. The dates were massive, and incredibly delicious (as I mentioned before, I love dates.) The bread, the cheese, and the dates all made a great combination. So much so that we polished off the whole loaf of bread, the entire wedge of Abbaye de Belloc, and probably 2/3 of the Humboldt Fog. Can't have a snack without, er, um, a snack dessert, right? So it was time to find some sweets. After eating outside, when we came back in we noticed the Frog Hollow Farms store, and took a look around. We tasted some wonderful Meyer Lemon Marmalade and ended up buying some for my mother. I also bought one of these mini risotto tartlets with candied orange zest, currants, and vanilla: Not very good. I was expecting more of a rice pudding type consistency to the filling, but it was fairly dry. And not much flavor going on, either. I thought it needed something else. Some cinnamon or nutmeg maybe? Anyway, we continue onward... Over to Miette Patisserie for a pistachio macaron (did I mention they are my favorite?): It actually tasted like the nut, and didn't have the crazy neon definitely-doesn't-appear-in-nature green glow to it, either. Pretty flavorful, although I thought the cream filling was a little too dense, almost closer to cream cheese in consistency. Definitely not the best macaron of the trip. That title stilled belonged to Boule in LA. We weren't (or more accurately, I wasn't ) done yet, so we headed to Recchiuti Confections for one of their peanut butter pucks: Like a Reese's on crack. Good quality bittersweet chocolate. Nice salty peanut butter ganache-like center. Great contrasting texture. Good stuff. Next stop is Village Market specialty foods. I was shocked to see the one olive oil that I always look for but never see: Manni extra virgin olive oil 2-pack: "Per Me" and "Per Mio Figlio". This stuff is supposed to be the real deal. Mainly used only in a handful of upper echelon restaurants (French Laundry, Per Se, Daniel, Charlie Trotter's, Fat Duck, etc), I'd looked for it to use at home for quite a while. I'd read about the two different types several times before, but never tasted them. And I'd had absolutely no luck finding them anywhere in NYC or Texas. When I asked the guy about the oil, he said they're the only ones who carry it in the state of California. I was tempted to just splurge and buy them right then and there. But luckily I had my dad around to be the voice of reason. Didn't I actually want to taste the stuff first? Oh yeah, that would probably help. Much to my surprise, the guy behind the counter is quick to offer a taste of each kind. They keep the sample bottle in the back. So he brings out each kind, and pours up a tiny taste of each. Wow, this stuff is crazy. My first taste couldn't have been more than just a few drops, but somehow the oil just seems to coat the entire palate instantaneously. I'm not good at describing the tastes of olive oils, but "Per Me" was had a bit more of an assertive, peppery finish in the back of the throat. "Per Mio Figlio" was smoother and went down easy. They both were very fruity and in with a rich aroma and an incredible mouthfeel on the palate. Call my tastes childish (the store clerk basically did, in not so many words), but I highly preferred "Per Mio Figlio." I don't really enjoy the peppery finish. If both bottles had been Per Mio Figlio, I may have been tempted to get the pack. But perhaps it's a good thing that I passed. $75 for 6.8oz (200ml) of olive oil is a pretty penny, no matter how much you try and justify it. By this point, you'd think we'd exhausted all of the food options in the Ferry Building, but no. The place is just massive. You could (or at least I could ) spend all day there. I still wanted to hit Hog Island Oyster Co., but it was about 30 minutes before happy hour started, and we didn't feel like killing time, so we hit the road. Did spot some of these beauties on the way out, and felt inclined to take a picture: So we hopped on the trolley for a minute and headed up to Fisherman's Wharf (which I, in my ignorance, had never heard of). We walked around there for a bit, snapped some pictures, and were on our way. Stopped at a nice little store called Oakville Grocery, and bought my mother some meyer lemon simple syrup. Her iced tea will never be the same! Kept walking. And walking. And walking. Ghiradelli Square. Lombard Street. Nob Hill. Two botched attempts at seeing the Golden Gate Bridge (it was too foggy). We were starting to get exhausted. Why exactly hadn't we got the day pass for public transportation? Who knows. At this point (~6pm), my dad is wasted. He doesn't need another ounce of food. Doesn't want to walk another step. Just wants to go back to the hotel and sleep until morning. We consider a quick cab ride back over to the Ferry Building for some oysters at Hog Island, but its still so early...what would we do afterwards? Maybe some cioppino at Tadich, the off-the-menu zabaglione at Ristorante Milano (a friend's recommendation), or dessert at Citizen Cake? No, we decided, that wouldn't work. Instead, he took one for the team. He knew we only had one dinner in San Francisco, and that it was an opportunity I didn't want to waste. He knew I had regrets about the dim sum lunch earlier that day (should've just cabbed it to Yank Sing), and graciously decided that he'd allow for no more regrets for the trip. We were going to have dinner. It was only a matter of where. Of course, this was not a total shot in the dark. I had contingency plans, you see. Three, in fact. Aziza, Quince, and Incanto. Very different places, but I'd heard great things about each of them on eGullet, Chowhound, and elsewhere. I had reservations at each (shame on me, I know ), so the choice was ours. Aziza did not appeal to my dad. He had no room for the 5-course $42 tasting menu, which was the appeal of the place for me. And he wasn't really feeling open to trying a new cuisine (Cal-Moroccan) that night. So that was a no-go. So it was Quince vs. Incanto. More formal heavy French-influenced Italian, or rustic, simple Italian? Both sounded great. He was open to either. Ah, decisions, decisions. After the proverbial coin flip, we have a plan. It's back to the hotel to shower, take a quick nap, and head off to dinner at.... INCANTO If there were one place in SF that seemed to be almost unanimously praised on eGullet and Chowhound, this must have been it, I thought. (Well, actually Aziza was, too. But I digress.) I had read such great things about the place that it was impossible for me to enter without anything but high expectations for a great meal. They’d claimed pasta superior to Babbo, comfortable and casual atmosphere superior to Lupa, and rustic, ingredient-driven cuisine not unlike Chez Panisse. Needless to say, the reports I’d read had placed the restaurant in some good company. We walked in to our 8:30 reservation to find the place roughly 1/3 full. Understandable, I suppose, since the neighborhood isn’t exactly bustling, and it is a Thursday night. Walking through the door, the first thing that catches my eye is a case full of their housemade charcuterie. I’d read all about Chris Cosentino’s affinity for curing his own meats in-house, and of course his fondness for all things offal. I hoped to be able to sample both these aspects of his work at some point during the meal. We are seated at the table, and a few minutes later an assortment of bread – grissini, focaccia, and ciabatta – arrives, along with some olive tapenade. All pretty good. I especially like the focaccia. The menu arrives. So many good choices. It’s practically an ode to pork: trotters, and liver, and shoulder, oh my! I’ve read a lot about the wine program here as well, so even though I very rarely drink anything besides water (ever, not just at restaurants), I figure I might as well check out the menu. Lots of very reasonably priced options, including small tastes, flights of three, etc. Very convenient for those as inexperienced as myself. My dad chooses a glass of a red wine whose name I can’t seem to remember. My choice is described as a “delicate crisp” white wine from Piemonte, that the waitress thought would be a light, refreshing contrast to the fairly heavy appetizer I’d chosen (which you’ll soon see)… Fallegro, Gagliardo (2005) Not bad, but still not sweet enough for my tastes. I don’t know much about wine, but it kind of reminds me of Pinot Grigio. I’ve been thinking I’d like to develop my wine palate so I could eventually plan some pairings for dinners I make at home for friends and family, but right now all I enjoy are a couple of dessert wines (my favorite being Moscato d’Asti). And of course, I’m not going to force the issue. Besides, not drinking makes my restaurant bills that much lower. My dad, as I mentioned earlier, was far from being hungry at this point, so instead a regular appetizer, he just opted for a small dish of house-marinated olives. Small black and green olives, and a bit too many herbs for his tastes, arrived in a small dish of olive oil. He enjoyed them, but not anywhere near as much as he enjoyed the Lucques olives at, well, Lucques just a few days prior. Once I saw this appetizer on the menu, I knew I had to order it: Pig’s Trotter Cake with Heirloom Tomatoes and Salsa Verde This was the heavy dish that our waitress kind of warned me about (I ordered a LOT of food….you’ll see). I couldn’t have cared less, though, as I love pig’s trotters and thought this combination sounded simple and delicious. And, boy, was it. Outstanding. The pig’s trotter cake was rich and meaty tasting, but somehow almost fluffy in texture. I think it was not much more than potato and the meat, but it was unbelievably light. The heirloom tomatoes, too, were incredible. Before coming to California, I’d never had tomatoes in a restaurant that even came close to the indescribable flavor of homegrown tomatoes that I’d been used to growing up. Manresa, Chez Panisse, and now Incanto had each given me reason to believe that maybe some restaurants can find good tomatoes, too. The salsa verde did not overpower either the tomatoes or the pig’s trotter cake, but rather tied the flavors nicely. The meal was off to a great start. I’d order this again in a heartbeat. Next up for me was…. Gnocchi with Corn, Chanterelles, and Silver Thyme Another standout. The gnocchi were the ethereal pillows that one hopes for at all Italian restaurants, but does not often receive. I’d put these right up there with any of the better versions of gnocchi I’ve had in NYC (Lupa, Hearth, Craft, etc). The sweet corn, earthy mushrooms, and fragrant thyme tasted just as great together as they sounded. Sauced with just the right amount of butter and some of the reduced mushroom juices, everything just came together wonderfully. I offered my dad a taste, and he, too, loved it. Two for two so far.. For my main course, I wanted to keep things a little lighter. Just kidding. Next up I had… Roasted Lamb Neck with Polenta, Charred Onions and Rapini This gargantuan chunk of meat would undoubtedly strike fear in the stomachs of those with lesser appetites. But faced with the daunting task of eating something roughly the sized of both of my fists put together, I was ready for the challenge. In a way, this dish was not unlike pulled pork. Or pulled lamb, in this case, I suppose. A very fatty chunk of meat, but with enough of the fat rendered that it was easy to pull apart. It had a beautiful reddish-pinkish smoke ring inside the dark, charcoal exterior that was reminiscent of the Texas BBQ I know and love so dearly. This was like “burnt ends”, Italian-style. After gnawing my way down to the bone, the polenta, onions and rapini proved to be a bit of an afterthought, but all were pleasant. Overall, I liked the dish, but felt it was a little too big in the context of trying to have a more Italian-style meal (antipasto, primo, secondo, etc). My dad’s hunger was back (at least temporarily), so for the main course he had… Braised Pork Shoulder with Squash, Fiorelli & Grilled Zucchini Blossoms My dad enjoyed this, but was not exactly wowed by it. In fact, even being the meat guy that he is, he seemed to enjoy the accompaniments more than the pork shoulder itself. It was a little bland, and frankly kind of boring to eat after a couple of bites. The zucchini blossoms were quite good. I don’t believe I’d had them grilled before. But, truth be told, he enjoys my mom’s pork roast much more than he enjoyed this. At this point, you’d think I’d be ready to throw in the towel, right? But how could I? There were other eGullet recommendations to take into account, people! So I caught our waiter’s attention, and ordered… Hankerchief Pasta with Rustic Pork Ragu Wait a second… This is the dish that everyone was raving about? What am I missing? Nothing about the dish seemed special. Sure the pasta had that delicate texture that distinguishes nice homemade dough, yet it was no better than what I can make myself at home (and I’m definitely no pasta expert). But the ragu was the big disappointment. Something about it was just so… one-dimensional. It was definitely lacking something. A bit of heat? An herbal component maybe? I don’t know. But I do know this was perhaps the biggest weakness of the night. I was not looking for culinary fireworks here. This is, after all, rustic Italian cooking, and I was very aware of that. But if there was something that made this dish special for others, it just wasn’t there for me. If I’d chosen to order this over the gnocchi originally, I would have been quite disappointed. Of course, a meal without dessert is not worth eating, so we were not quite done yet. I’d read that Incanto’s panna cotta was supposed to be consistently very good, so it didn’t take my convincing for my dad to order… Crème Fraiche Panna Cotta with Strawberries The reports were right. This was wonderful. Arguably the best panna cotta I’ve ever had. So perfectly light it could barely stand up on the plate, it just melted away the moment it hit the tongue. The strawberries, like all the other produce we’d eaten that night, we impeccably fresh. This was so light. So refreshing. Really the perfect summer dessert. For my dessert, I chose… Peach Crostata with Saffon Gelato This was good, but not quite in the same league as the wonderful panna cotta. The peaches were very flavorful, and the crust had a nice texture. A few scattered granules of turbinado sugar here and there provided a nice textural contrast. The gelato captured the saffron flavor nicely, and I thought it worked pretty well with the crostata, but the texture of the gelato left something to be desired. Not very creamy, and almost a bit granular or icy, it was more like ice cream than gelato, too. But, for me, pie and ice cream is a pretty safe and reliable choice, regardless of what language it’s in, so this was a pleasant way to end what ended up being a very long, very large meal (for me, at least) . After taking a cab back to the hotel, it was time to get whatever rest we could before an early flight the next morning. Of course, a morning flight meant that I had to work out the breakfast options for the morning pretty carefully. So I fall asleep with big culinary plans for the next morning churning away in my head…

Yep: Check here, here, and here. u.e. Hey, those posts look familiar. ...as does that tough lobster

I've already posted this review from our meal on 8-30-06 in my California trip recap post HERE, but I figured for those doing future searches for CP, I ought to put it here as well: The mecca of California cuisine. Way before the details of our trip were planned, I knew this place was a must. From what I'd read, this was a different kind of restaurant than what I was used to. It was not about pretentious service, obscure fusion ingredients, or overly complicated presentations. It was about giving the rustic, simple beauty of incredibly fresh ingredients center stage. Sure, NYC has its so-called "Greenmarket cuisine," but I knew I'd only seen the tip of the iceberg. I wanted to dig deeper. I knew that for all the good vegetables that can be grown in the northeast, we've still got nothing on California. The previous day's drive through acres of beautiful farmland was certainly enough to sing that loud and clear. We'd seen nature's bounty, and Chez Panisse was to be the place to put it on our plates. To say I was excited about this meal is putting it mildly. I was more than ready to see what the fuss was about. I was ready to see if I could count myself among those people that "get" what Chez Panisse is all about. My dad was a little apprehensive about the set menu. While we waited a few minutes to be shown to our table, he snuck a peek at the previous day's menu (including raw fish) and freaked out. Once I reminded him it was Wednesday, he let out a sigh of relief. I, on the other hand, was not ready to see what we were going to have just yet. The element of surprise in having a set menu format is exciting for me. You just show up, sit back, relax, and eat. Here's what the wind blew in that night... It doesn't take long to appreciate the ambience of the restaurant. The feel is warm and inviting. The open kitchen is beautifully rustic. The wait staff is smiling. For a few moments, we sit there and just enjoy our surroundings. Not long after, some warm roasted and salted almond arrive. A nice little snack. Then comes the bread and butter. The two kinds of bread (one sourdough, one like a smaller baguette) are both wonderfully crusty and chewy. The butter is served a bit too cool and hard, but I nitpick. Several minutes later, the food starts coming... Green bean, shell bean, and cherry tomato salad with basil and goat cheese crouton Along with the cherry tomatoes are some delicious heirloom varieties (black prince, zebra, etc). The beans are properly cooked. The goat cheese is creamy and just the slightest bit tangy. The simple vinaigrette has just the right touch of acidity to bring all the flavors together beautifully. A fresh, light, and very tasty beginning. Fideus pasta with roasted peppers, white shrimp, and aioli This was quite good. I loved the aroma of the shrimp broth flavored with tomato and perfumed with saffron. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, and not at all chewy. I thought the aioli could have stood to be a bit more assertively flavored, as its flavor kind of got lost in the mix. But a nice dish overall. Grilled James Ranch lamb rack, loin, and leg, with fried eggplant, olive sauce, and garden lettuces This dish smelled great as it was set before us, the fresh thyme aroma wafting upwards. The rack was tender, cooked to a nice medium rare. Luckily, the olive sauce was not overly assertive. (I don't like most olives.) There wasn't much difference flavor-wise between the loin and the leg, aside from the obvious difference in fat content. All three pieces of lamb were juicy and quite tasty. The eggplant was perfectly crispy and piping hot. The lettuces were lightly dressed, and were a pleasant accompaniment. My dad really enjoyed this one. What can I say? He's a meat guy, through and through. Summer berry sherbet coupe with champagne granite Jackpot: those baby wild white strawberries. (There's probably an actual name for them....I don't know it ) I'd read about the tiny red fraises des bois, that can only be had in California, and I knew that was something I wanted to try during the trip if at all possible. These white ones are apparently even rarer, so I was really glad to see those on the plate that night. Along with those beauties were raspberries, blackberries and regular red strawberries (althogh I hate to call any of CP's produce "regular"). The champagne granite, it turns out, was actually made from Moscato d'Asti. Wonderfully refreshing, and a perfect match, since I'd ordered a glass of the wine beforehand without knowing that. (It's my favorite wine). The raspberry sherbet was intensely fruity and not overly icy. The berries were all very fresh. The wafer had a bit of anise in it, making it nicely aromatic. Really nice, light, summery dessert. Petite Fours Dark chocolate pieces with pistachio and thumbprint cookies filled with lemon curd. Both pretty tasty. After the meal, we were graciously offered a tour of the kitchen. Somehow, they must have picked up on my keen interest in the food and what was going on in the kitchen. How'd they know? The first thing I'd noticed when stepping in to the dining room and later into the kitchen were these large presentation bowls showcasing that day's fresh ingredients that were to be used: The kitchen itself was gorgeous. Something about it just feels right. If I ever had a restaurant of my own, I would definitely want to evoke a similar ambience. It was warm, inviting, homey. For example, they do all their own butchering of meat and cook many of their meats over a wood-burning open fire (see pictures below). There's something comfortingly old-fashioned about that. The all stainless steel and no-open-flame high tech kitchens of many fine dining restaurant kitchens I've toured seem downright cold in comparison. But of course, pictures speak louder than words, so a few shots of various parts of the CP kitchen: And Chef David Tanis is a real class act. Noting my enthusiasm, he kindly took a moment from his busy activity to act as our tour guide through the kitchen, prep, and storage areas. He told me all about how he works six months there at CP, and spends rest of the year in Paris, where he and another guy run a tiny restaurant out of a small apartment (see website HERE) and only serve basically "whenever [they] feel like it." Now that's the life. He asks if I cook, and I said, sure, all the time, just never in a restaurant setting. He then proceeded to say that if I found my way to UC-Berkeley for grad school that there was a spot in the kitchen with my name on it. Several minutes later, as we walked out the kitchen and our tour finished up, he re-iterated this offer, and made sure I knew he was serious. Like I said, what a guy. So, did I "get" Chez Panisse? In retrospect, I think so. Sure, there were no technical fireworks. I didn't come away inspired by some unexpected new flavor combination or ingredient. But this was a meal that was just so easy to appreciate. There is no processing necessary. You don't have to think so much about the food in order to enjoy it. You just keep have to arrive with an open mind, ready to enjoy the simple feast that they decide to lay before you on that given night. Relinquishing that control, and having that feeling like somebody is just cooking for you, is really satisfying. This feels like the style of food prepared in the home. The food is comforting. Warm. Soothing. Just like the restaurant itself. You walk out of CP feeling more nourished than just fed. There is just something natural and healthy about eating in a way that is so connected with the land like that. So, in short, would I go back? Oh yeah.

DAY 5 -- Wednesday After our meal Tuesday night at Manresa, we spent the night in Palo Alto in order to make my Stanford visit the next morning more convenient. (A funny aside: As we were finishing up our meal at Manresa, about to get the tour of the kitchen, the manager approaches the table and we chat for a bit. He asks where we'll be staying that night, and we say Palo Alto. "Ah, yes, the Four Seasons?" he asks. Yeah, not so much. Try the Days Inn. Somehow the juxtaposition of a gourmet dinner and a stay at an, uh, economical hotel was a little surprising to him. What can I say? Ya gotta have priorities for how you spend your money. The look on his face was priceless. ). We are up early, a bit worn out from the day before, and not exactly dying of hunger pains after trying to digest the 28-course masterpiece we'd had the night before. But does that stop us from getting breakfast? Of course not. Driving down El Camino Real, we figure we'll spot something interesting between our hotel and the school. For a while, the only thing that seems to be a good option is Izzy's Brooklyn Bagels, or something like that. Call me a food snob, but I go to school in NYC....I didn't come to California to eat a bagel. My dad rolls his eyes, and we continue driving. (Although interestingly in retrospect, my friend here at Columbia tells me that Izzy's is better than anything he's had in the city, and that Izzy is from Brooklyn and knows how to make a killer bagel). Luckily, we decide to drive around some random shopping center with a bunch of little stores, coffee shops, etc. I spy a bakery, and I know what we'll be having for breakfast... DOUCE FRANCE This was a very nice find. We walk past some small tables of people eating and drinking coffee on the sidewalk. Once inside, the case is full of the usual suspects: baguettes, sandwiches, crepes, tarts, cakes, cookies, pastry. But one thing in particular catches our eye. We both order... Chocolate Croissant ... and we both agree its the best we've ever had. The texture was wonderful. Soft, flaky, buttery, just the slightest bit of a crispy exterior. The chocolate was closer to milk than dark, which happens to be both his and my preference. Rather than the usual ganache-like soft chocolate filling, this was more like a semi-solid stick of chocolate, which created a nice textural contrast on the inside. Fully satisfied from starting the day with a bit of nice culinary serendipity, it's time for me to check out Stanford... Nice place. I really liked the general feel of the campus, the happy, laid-back attitude among the faculty and students I spoke with, the fact that there are actually some non-science-, non-engineering-type people walking around. Just the whole package that the school offered really impressed me. This was a very worthwhile visit, as it definitely succeeded in making me even more enthusiastic about the place as one I'll certainly apply to, and more confident that grad school is the right decision for me next year. But even though these grad school visits were (ostensibly, at least) the reason for the trip, I won't bore you with any more of the details of what I thought of the schools. After all, it's lunch time... IN-N-OUT BURGER I knew it had to be done on this trip. It was only a matter of time. With an In-n-Out in the neighboring town of Mountain View, this was the perfect quick lunch option for my day of checking out Stanford. Being schooled in all the off-the-menu jargon of this place beforehand, I walked up and ordered... Double Double Animal Style ...and an order of fries well done. And a vanilla shake. If I was gonna do this, it had to be done right. Call me easy to please, but this burger was quite good. Nothing mind-blowing, of course, but not the only-as-good-as-McDonald's mess that some had warned against either. I thought it was better than the burger and Pie n Burger in Pasadena, too. The fries were, well, terrible. Sure, they were crispy. But that's about all they had going for them. The texture on the inside was weird. Dry, almost a bit chalky. No bueno. The shake was incredibly thick, and quite good. My dad got a regular burger, regular fries, and a chocolate shake. Halfway through, we switched fries. I preferred the soft, limp regular fries, and he preferred the crispier well-done version, so it worked out nicely. He, too, thought the burger and the shake were quite good. I'd definitely go back to In-n-Out. Order the same Double Double Animal Style and the same vanilla shake. Probably no fries, or maybe just the regular fries, if any. I was glad to finally get to try the burger place that's always talked about in such a mythical way when people compare it to burger joints in NYC (Shake Shack, Burger Joint, etc). I'd say it lived up to the hype for me. After lunch, we head back over to the Stanford campus for the second half of my visit. I meet with a couple more professors, walk around and take some pictures, and we're on our way. Next stop: Berkeley. We had an early (6:30) reservation downstairs at Chez Panisse for that night, but I was hoping we'd make it to Berkeley early enough to check out another food place that I'd been hearing a lot about. Luckily, we got there just in time to make it to... THE CHEESE BOARD ..just 10 minutes before closing. Now is that good timing, or what? This is my kind of cheese shop. As soon as you walk in, that beautiful smell just hits you. This is not the shrink-wrapped cheese department of your local supermarket, this is cheese heaven. They let you taste pretty much anything. Better yet, they encourage you taste everything. I asked for help, giving the probably the most vague parameters possible: I wanted something somewhat hard, somewhat salty, and something that would do fine without refrigeration for several days. What I got was more than help; it was an education. I looked at the massive cheese list (see above), and staggered for a moment, asking for my tried and true: Parmiggiano-Reggiano. The guy smiled and said "Let's see if we can't get you something a little more special than that." I ended up trying what was probably close to about 10 cheeses. Sure I had a reservation in less than half an hour. Did that stop me from trying each and every once he set before me? Of course not. I finally decided on a Dutch cheese called Pradera that was right on the money. The Cheese Board also makes their own bread, pizzas (must try these next time!), and scones. I spotted a corn-cherry scone that had my name on it, so I got one of those to go as well. I payed for the cheese and the scone, and was on my way. I'll definitely be back here the next time I am in Berkeley. But for now, it's time for dinner at... CHEZ PANISSE The mecca of California cuisine. Way before the details of our trip were planned, I knew this place was a must. From what I'd read, this was a different kind of restaurant than what I was used to. It was not about pretentious service, obscure fusion ingredients, or overly complicated presentations. It was about giving the rustic, simple beauty of incredibly fresh ingredients center stage. Sure, NYC has its so-called "Greenmarket cuisine," but I knew I'd only seen the tip of the iceberg. I wanted to dig deeper. I knew that for all the good vegetables that can be grown in the northeast, we've still got nothing on California. The previous day's drive through acres of beautiful farmland was certainly enough to sing that loud and clear. We'd seen nature's bounty, and Chez Panisse was to be the place to put it on our plates. To say I was excited about this meal is putting it mildly. I was more than ready to see what the fuss was about. I was ready to see if I could count myself among those people that "get" what Chez Panisse is all about. My dad was a little apprehensive about the set menu. While we waited a few minutes to be shown to our table, he snuck a peek at the previous day's menu (including raw fish) and freaked out. Once I reminded him it was Wednesday, he let out a sigh of relief. I, on the other hand, was not ready to see what we were going to have just yet. The element of surprise in having a set menu format is exciting for me. You just show up, sit back, relax, and eat. Here's what the wind blew in that night... It doesn't take long to appreciate the ambience of the restaurant. The feel is warm and inviting. The open kitchen is beautifully rustic. The wait staff is smiling. For a few moments, we sit there and just enjoy our surroundings. Not long after, some warm roasted and salted almond arrive. A nice little snack. Then comes the bread and butter. The two kinds of bread (one sourdough, one like a smaller baguette) are both wonderfully crusty and chewy. The butter is served a bit too cool and hard, but I nitpick. Several minutes later, the food starts coming... Green bean, shell bean, and cherry tomato salad with basil and goat cheese crouton Along with the cherry tomatoes are some delicious heirloom varieties (black prince, zebra, etc). The beans are properly cooked. The goat cheese is creamy and just the slightest bit tangy. The simple vinaigrette has just the right touch of acidity to bring all the flavors together beautifully. A fresh, light, and very tasty beginning. Fideus pasta with roasted peppers, white shrimp, and aioli This was quite good. I loved the aroma of the shrimp broth flavored with tomato and perfumed with saffron. The shrimp were perfectly cooked, and not at all chewy. I thought the aioli could have stood to be a bit more assertively flavored, as its flavor kind of got lost in the mix. But a nice dish overall. Grilled James Ranch lamb rack, loin, and leg, with fried eggplant, olive sauce, and garden lettuces This dish smelled great as it was set before us, the fresh thyme aroma wafting upwards. The rack was tender, cooked to a nice medium rare. Luckily, the olive sauce was not overly assertive. (I don't like most olives.) There wasn't much difference flavor-wise between the loin and the leg, aside from the obvious difference in fat content. All three pieces of lamb were juicy and quite tasty. The eggplant was perfectly crispy and piping hot. The lettuces were lightly dressed, and were a pleasant accompaniment. My dad really enjoyed this one. What can I say? He's a meat guy, through and through. Summer berry sherbet coupe with champagne granite Jackpot: those baby wild white strawberries. (There's probably an actual name for them....I don't know it ) I'd read about the tiny red fraises des bois, that can only be had in California, and I knew that was something I wanted to try during the trip if at all possible. These white ones are apparently even rarer, so I was really glad to see those on the plate that night. Along with those beauties were raspberries, blackberries and regular red strawberries (although I hate to call any of CP's produce "regular"). The champagne granite, it turns out, was actually made from Moscato d'Asti. Wonderfully refreshing, and a perfect match, since I'd ordered a glass of the wine beforehand without knowing that. (It's my favorite wine). The raspberry sherbet was intensely fruity and not overly icy. The berries were all very fresh. The wafer had a bit of anise in it, making it nicely aromatic. Really nice, light, summery dessert. Petite Fours Dark chocolate pieces with pistachio and thumbprint cookies filled with lemon curd. Both pretty tasty. After the meal, we were graciously offered a tour of the kitchen. Somehow, they must have picked up on my keen interest in the food and what was going on in the kitchen. How'd they know? The first thing I'd noticed when stepping in to the dining room and later into the kitchen were these large presentation bowls showcasing that day's fresh ingredients that were to be used: The kitchen itself was gorgeous. Something about it just feels right. If I ever had a restaurant of my own, I would definitely want to evoke a similar ambience. It was warm, inviting, homey. For example, they do all their own butchering of meat and cook many of their meats over a wood-burning open fire (see pictures below). There's something comfortingly old-fashioned about that. The all stainless steel and no-open-flame high tech kitchens of many fine dining restaurant kitchens I've toured seem downright cold in comparison. But of course, pictures speak louder than words, so a few shots of various parts of the CP kitchen: And Chef David Tanis is a real class act. Noting my enthusiasm, he kindly took a moment from his busy activity to act as our tour guide through the kitchen, prep, and storage areas. He told me all about how he works six months there at CP, and spends rest of the year in Paris, where he and another guy run a tiny restaurant out of a small apartment (see website HERE) and only serve basically "whenever [they] feel like it." Now that's the life. He asks if I cook, and I said, sure, all the time, just never in a restaurant setting. He then proceeded to say that if I found my way to UC-Berkeley for grad school that there was a spot in the kitchen with my name on it. Several minutes later, as we walked out the kitchen and our tour finished up, he re-iterated this offer, and made sure I knew he was serious. Like I said, what a guy. So, did I "get" Chez Panisse? In retrospect, I think so. Sure, there were no technical fireworks. I didn't come away inspired by some unexpected new flavor combination or ingredient. But this was a meal that was just so easy to appreciate. There is no processing necessary. You don't have to think so much about the food in order to enjoy it. You just keep have to arrive with an open mind, ready to enjoy the simple feast that they decide to lay before you on that given night. Relinquishing that control, and having that feeling like somebody is just cooking for you, is really satisfying. This feels like the style of food prepared in the home. The food is comforting. Warm. Soothing. Just like the restaurant itself. You walk out of CP feeling more nourished than just fed. There is just something natural and healthy about eating in a way that is so connected with the land like that. So, in short, would I go back? Oh yeah. After our meal, we meant to at least drive by UC-Berkeley to see what the campus looked like. But, of course, we forgot. Oh well, guess I'll just have to come back sometime. Too bad. So we're driving into SF, with our Google directions to the hotel in hand. And we get lost. Again. We're getting good at this. Somehow, we end up in the mission district. My dad is angry because we're lost, but I've got a spark of hope. Wait a second, isn't that ice cream place I read about in the mission district. Yes. Yes it is... MITCHELL'S ICE CREAM Yeah, we just had dinner. But did a second round of dessert ever hurt anyone? I think not. Besides, our hotel was nowhere near the mission district. Who knew whether there would be an opportunity to get back here the next day? We parked, stepped inside, and checked out the interesting tropical flavors like avocado, buko (baby coconut), langka (jackfruit), lukuma, makapuno (sweet coconut), and ube (purple yam). But, I already knew what I was getting... Halo Halo "A traditional Filipino dessert loaded with red and white beans, coconut jelly, coconut pieces, langka, shaved ice, condensed milk, and our famous ube ice cream". Definitely not your typical ice cream sundae. The ube ice cream itself was good, but not great. Pleasantly creamy, but the flavor was not very strong. There were so many different textures going on at the same time: soft, creamy, icy, crunchy, chewy. And it was definitely very sweet. Half the time, I didn't know what I was eating. But overall it was pretty good. Not sure I'd repeat it, but I'm glad I at least tried it. My dad kept things simple and just got a cone of French custard vanilla ice cream. Seems like he finished it before I was even done photographing mine, so I guess he liked it okay. Later, it ended up that our stomachs were both a little... uneasy. Not that "Oh, I ate too much" kind of feeling, but something closer to nausea. Not cool. Even though we didn't eat the same thing at Mitchell's, I'd still much prefer to blame our condition on Mitchell's, rather than on Chez Panisse. What can I say? I'm biased. Anyway, it's been quite a day, but we finally make it to our hotel, ready for some sleep. By the way, I figured my fellow foodies might get a kick out of our choice of hotels. It's probably very hard to see in this small format, but just take a look at this picture, and play a little game of culinary I Spy. More of the report to come later...

I'm sure you'll have a great meal. Le Reve is by far my favorite restaurant in San Antonio. It puts many other "fine dining" options in SA (and the rest of Texas, for that matter) to shame. Nothing particularly exciting or innovative about the cuisine. But certainly delicious in my experience.

DAY 4 -- Tuesday Poetry... ... I can think of few other words that even come close to describing this incredible stretch of road known as the Pacific Coast Highway. When gathering advice about the commute from the LA area to Los Gatos, many people suggested just taking I-5 and getting it over with as quickly as possible. Others suggested splitting the difference, taking 101 and having some of the views, but less of the hassles of Hwy 1. But, this was our first trip, and we didn't want to cut ourselves short. We knew we had to give Hwy 1 a shot, at least for a while. In retrospect, what a great decision this was. Easily the most memorable (non-food ) part of the trip for both of us. After dinner in Pasadena at Pie n' Burger the previous night, we had decided we'd hit the road and get a head start on the drive. So we'd planned to stay the night in Santa Barbara. An easy drive up to SB at night, we checked into our room and crashed early. We wanted to be well-rested for the day ahead. We both thought Santa Barbara was an incredibly beautiful place, so we figured it would be a shame not to hang out there for at least a little while. So we spent the morning exploring SB. The mission, the old courthouse, etc. Really a very nice place, and one we both decided we wouldn't mind returning to at some point. It's about a half hour 11am, which just happens to be the time that La Super Rica Taqueria opens. Probably the most hyped taqueria suggested by many people to me when I was looking for food ideas for the trip. But we have no idea what to expect time-wise for the drive up the coast. We don't want to kill time, and risk having to hurry later in the day. Fortunately, I had a back-up, should this very situation occur. A place that was open earlier. A place just a stone's throw from the 101. It was time for some tacos... TAQUERIA EL BAJIO This place had been recommended to me for being open early, having generally good food, and most importantly having fish tacos, one thing I'd decided I had to have at some point on this Cali trip. For my dad, the words "fish" and "taco" do not belong in the same sentence, so he sticks with a couple of meatier selections.. Asada Taco (left) & Carnitas Taco We both thought the asada taco was quite good. Pleasantly spicy & flavorful meat. The second corn tortilla seemed superfluous, but hey, corn is a vegetable, right? They were just making sure he had a healthy breakfast. How thoughtful. The carnitas taco was dry and pretty dull. I've never had a carnitas taco, but I was under the impression that carnitas were supposed to be little chunks of crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside porky goodness. This was like pulled pork shoulder with not much spice or flavor. Meanwhile, I came in knowing exactly what I was having... Fish Taco Snapper, mixed grilled vegetables, monterey jack & cheddar cheese on a massive flour tortilla?! Wait a minute here.... Vegetables? Cheese? Flour tortilla? Perhaps I should've read the menu description before ordering this. It was far from the double corn tortilla, cabbage, crema, lime & radish affair I'd envisioned. Ah well, how bad could it be? I'd give it a shot... The snapper was completely overwhelmed by the rest of the stuff in the tortilla, most notably the cheese, and even the tortilla itself for that matter. Yet I suppose this is a good thing, because as I tasted the fish, it didn't taste bad, per se. It just tasted like the fish that comes with dishes simply labelled "Fish with ___". Those dished where you have to guess what the mystery fish might actually be, yet you're probably better off not knowing. Yeah, this was like that. The vegetables were not bad, and the tortilla itself was passable if way too big. But I had come for the fish. This was not what I was looking for. I would have to live to eat another day. But in the mean time, who says breakfast doesn't call for dessert.. Calabaza Never ones to pass up a nice chunk of candied pumpkin (or sweet potato, for that matter), we knew we'd have to have this for a sweet snack to round out the meal. Quite good. Expectedly quite sweet, but not cloying or overly crystallized. Some good in our stomachs, it was time to hit the road. We started to head up Highway 1. My stomach was talking to me. It needed consolation. It needed a real fish taco. We planned to hop on Hwy 1 in San Luis Obispo. There was a nice stretch between SLO and a crossover highway (46) between 1 and 101, that we figured could be our trial run. A way to get our feet wet a bit, see what Hwy 1 was like. It just so happened that this little stretch of highway 1 passed through Morro Bay. Wait a minute, isn't Morro Bay supposed to have some good fish taco places? How convenient. We excitedly (or I was excited at least ) pull into the parking lot of Taco Temple. Wait a minute. Closed on Tuesdays! D'oh! Not to worry. Again, I have a back-up. A certain little taqueria mentioned in the NYT Taco Crawl up Highway 1... CHAPALA RESTAURANT An old gas station with a small kitchen transformed into a sit-down taqueria. My dad is too hungry to eat anything more, wanting to save his energy for Manresa that night. Until we walk in the door, that is. The smell is intoxicating. He steps up to the counter to order first.. Asada Taco What can I say? The man likes his beef. It's hard to tell from the picture, but this is a mini taco, with a tortilla only maybe 3-4 inches in diameter. Being pretty full, it was just the size he needed in this case, anyway. And he loved it. He asked for it spicy, and it didn't disappoint, packing a nice hot kick in the tastebuds. I didn't get to try this one (he liked it that much ), but I was busy myself with... Fish Taco Now this is what I am talking about. Delciously fresh tasting fish, fried perfectly crisp with just a very thin spicy breading. Fresh cabbage, crema, and some extra hot sauce over the top for good measure. Radish and lime for the essential garnishes. Oh man. This is good. Hell, who I am kidding? This is outstanding. Possibly the best thing I've eaten on the trip so far. With full stomach and smiling faces, we hop back in the car and continue up Hwy 1. Once we reach the highway 46 junction, its time for a decision: continue boldly up hwy 1 or take the easy way out and head back to the 101 for the rest of the way. We've still got tons of time before our Manresa reservation that night, so we take a chance, and go for it. Highway 1 will be our twisty companion for the next several hours. Cliffs, beaches, mountains, valleys, vineyards, farms, bridges, lighthouses, waterfalls, forests.... This drive seems to be the home of everything beautiful both nature and man have built. What an unforgettable drive. We would both do it again in a heartbeat. We arrived in the pleasant little town of Los Gatos a little before 7:00, with plenty of time to spare before our 8:00 reservation at Manresa. We park on a small side street, and decide it's time for a quick nap. Relaxed and rested, we stroll into... MANRESA Ready for a feast, the Grand Tasting Menu awaits.. .. as do the pictures and descriptions of this meal. I hate to leave such a cliff-hanger like that, but there is just so much to process for this meal report. It's no small task. I can say without question that it was the best meal of the trip, and probably the finest restaurant meal I've ever had anywhere, period. The kitchen really outdid themselves. Twenty-two miraculous courses, six of which we presented with tandem preparations. So essentially, we each enjoyed a 28-course menu. You would think that with that many distinct dishes, the success rate of the individual dishes might suffer a bit. But the hits just kept coming. One in particular, the Platonic ideal of the summertime combination corn & tomatoes, was downright revelatory. Probably the best single dish that has ever graced my tastebuds. I promise, pictures and a very full description will come in due time. I want this report to have my full attention, so I'll probably have to finish out the rest of the Cali trip report, and come back to this meal, to give it its full due. I guarantee it will be worth the wait.

As a whole, he definitely loved it. He hated the LA traffic. He, too, thought the drive up the PCH was incredible beyond words. He really enjoyed SF, and we both wished we'd had more time there. He's even planning trip back to SF with my mom as we speak, so I guess he must've thought it was okay! He is a born and raised Texan, and had only very vague memories of California from road trips his family took to a couple of different parts of California when he was very, very little. So for all intents and purposes, this was his first real trip to California. I think we were both extremely glad we chose to do the trip. It was definitely enjoyable and rewarding on a number of levels. The semester is indeed upon me, but I just can't leave this thing unfinished. Time to get back on track...

Oh, and we quickly found out there was no photography allowed, but did manage at least to get in at least one picture. And what a tasty picture it was...

Exactly. They will feed you to your heart's content. I asked for another piece of deep sea snapper, while my friend asked for another piece of uni. I could've easily kept going (with the negitoro maki, for example, which was unreal), not that I needed it in the least. But I refrained from asking for more. I didn't wanna be "that guy" (i.e. the ignorantly gluttonous American who never seems to be sated). Re: Sitting in front of Masa -- Your idea sounds like a good one to me. I can't imagine why that shouldn't work. Probably would not have been an option the night we went, as a gentleman to our left who was entertaining business clients was clearly a friend of Masa, and was taken care of (i.e. no check was brought to the table).

To me, one of the beautiful mysteries of human existence is how two people with completely different backgrounds can enjoy the exact same experience in a distinct way. As the other member of ajgnet’s party last Saturday, I, too, thought our meal was outstanding, but for my own set of reasons, which are likely very different than his. First, a disclaimer: I had never been to a sushi bar before that night. Ever. Sure, I’ve had raw fish before many times. Crudo. Tartare. A rose by any other name… Unlike ajgnet, I’ve never been to Japan. I have little to no knowledge of the culture, the food, the language, etc. So, not surprisingly, I was a bit hesitant at first. I’d been to many high end restaurants in the city, Masa’s neighbor Per Se included. So call me cheap, but a $350 prix fixe is enough to give almost anyone a bit of sticker shock. And dropping that kind of money on an experience that would be completely foreign to me, a different genre of restaurant than I’d ever been to before? Like handing a baby the keys to a Ferrari. But, of course, you only live once, and the opportunity for an experience like Masa is not one that knocks on your door every day. So I bit the bullet, and went. These are my impressions: The 30,000 year-old wooden fossil separating Masa from the outside world is less a door, more like a portal into another world. This is not the fourth floor of a bustling “urban mall” in the middle of New York City. Rather, it is an almost austerely tranquil temple. We enter slowly, immediately greeted (if you could call it that…) by a dark-suited gentleman who shows us to our spots at the 10-seat sushi bar. A party of four Japanese-speaking people to our left are engaging Masa about what he has just placed before them. We are not lucky enough to be situated directly in front of the master himself, but there are no nosebleed seats at this show. We are but a few feet away from greatness. The bar itself is breathtaking. A solid piece of beautiful blonde hinoki wood that must have been almost 30 feet in length. Free of any stain or lacquer, just a pristine piece of natural wood, free of any blemish or scratch. Like the rest of the restaurant, the bar’s aesthetic is clean. Pure. The air, too, is seemingly purged of all sound. Anything above a soft whisper seems more like a loud yell in this environment. It is a bit awkward adapting to this at first. Are these people actually enjoying their meals in this atmosphere? A quick look around at the room... Eyes closed in pleasure and sighs of contentment are enough to convince me that undoubtedly, they are. This is not a place for sushi conversation, but rather almost contemplation. Before us sits nothing but a pair of chop sticks resting on their stand like a sculpture. Warm hand towels are brought out, and the sake menu and wine/cocktail lists soon follow. My friend makes his selection, while I stick with water, as I typically do not drink. The sake is brought out in a beautiful stone bowl and placed on a bed of chipped ice to keep it chilled. It is served in hollow sections of bamboo. Chef Masa, dressed in white, is flanked on the left and right by his assistants, who wear black. A third assistant in the back mans the open grill. Masa’s eyes seem to dart around the room often. His look is stern, business-like. His orders to the others are delivered in short, staccato punches. They are heeded without a second thought. The young chef in front of us (named Nick, we later come to find out) asks if we have any restrictions. We have none. We did not come here to try and put such shackles on their expression. This is about relinquishing control. Putting ourselves in their hands. We sit back, and it begins… The chestnuts and gingko nuts are a warm, fragrant, herbal beginning. A luxurious mound of toro tartare arrives blanketed by caviar. The unctuous tuna and the oceanic roe dissolve together on the tongue in a moment of culinary bliss. The salted butter of the gods. The aji (horse mackerel) is light, refreshing, almost sweet, and incredibly different from the assertive, overly fishy imposters that have been passed off as mackerel any previous time that I’ve had it. It rests on a beautiful stone serving piece, that we later learn was designed by Masa himself, along with most of the other beautiful pottery pieces we’d see throughout the evening. The baby eels are served with olive paste and sesame oil, and seem to be swimming in the bubbling hot mixture when it is set before us. They are tasty and just the slightest bit toothsome, almost like pasta. The olive paste was a bit too assertive, but that is one flavor I usually am not particularly fond of as it is. The uni risotto is a huge disappointment. I had distant memories of reading several reviews that has praised this dish. I also very much enjoy uni, so was looking forward to this. Yet it is incredibly bland, completely lacking any salinity whatsoever. Somebody please pass the fleur de sel. The summer truffle aroma is pleasant, but the dish was severely lacking. The fish (was it Buri?) for the shabu shabu has been beautifully scored by Masa, so that its flesh fans out and puffs up like popcorn when it was placed in the hot broth. The yuzu dipping sauce both cools the fish after each piece emerges from the hot broth, and provides a nice acidic top note of flavor. The dish is one of contrasts, and had the potential to be quite good, but as ajgnet expressed above, in the end it is bland. A little seasoning in the form of salt or some kind of spice/heat would have been appreciated here. The broth is removed from the hot pot, and placed in a bowl. This, too, was quite bland. A few floating slice of mushroom and thin shavings of cucumber are not enough to enhance it at all. Yet I assume that drinking this leftover cooking broth as a soup is likely a traditional part of the meal, so I finish mine more to be respectful than based on any actual enjoyment of it. As with the entire meal, this is a new thing for me, so I just go with it. A second hot hand towel arrives. Small stone serving pieces with ginger and soy sauce are placed in front of us. A small blank slab of black stone now rests on a short wooden stand between us and the chef. And the real show begins. We are instructed to eat most of the pieces with our hands, as some can be quite delicate. Wonderful. I’ve always felt there is something intrinsic about the tactile sensation of eating with my hands that adds something extra to the experience of eating anyway. And inside I smile a bit, laughing at my own lack of dexterity with the chop sticks. The first bite of rich, fatty Otoro is wonderful, and for an instant, thought-provoking. My first bite of true Japanese sushi, I have nothing to which I can compare it. No matter, though. Delicious is primal. Delicious needs no predecessor. The rice is perfect. Just slightly warm. Somehow the small beds of rice have just enough starch to hold together in my fingers, yet the moment they hit my tongue they dissolve into a seemingly infinite matrix of tiny little grains. Nothing about the temperature, texture, aroma, or flavor is the least bit distracting on the palate. Fittingly, the rice is nothing more, and nothing less, than the ultimate vehicle for the fish. Many other pieces follow like clockwork. The chef grabs a piece of pristine fish from a tray resting on a massive block of ice. His cuts are quick, precise, beautiful. Like a surgeon, he knows every line, curve, and groove of the fish’s flesh. He deftly scores, slices, or makes shallow grooves in the different pieces, knowing full well how to deliver the texture most fitting for each piece. He grabs a small glob of rice, shaping and working it in his left palm. He adds a dab of freshly grated wasabi to the top with his right middle finger, and then places the piece of fish on its newly made bed. Nothing more than a quick brushstroke of their housemade soy sauce adds a thin glaze of deep, intense flavor to each piece. Sometimes in lieu of the soy sauce comes a soft sprinkling of fleur de sel, thin slivers of shiso, or a squeeze of fresh yuzu and a few shavings of its zest. Each careful addition adds just the right top note to make the flavors sing together. The sushi progression is a study in contrasts. We enjoy a sweet, subtle piece, only to be followed by something more assertive. A cool piece of fish is followed by one that’s just been pulled from the hot grill. A few times, the chef retreats momentarily to the open grill in the back, grabs a long hot iron rod from on top of the hot coals, and lightly sears a piece of sushi right before our eyes, leaving the smoky aroma of caramelized flesh lingering in our nostrils. The effect is intoxicating, creating contrasting flavors and temperatures in the very same bite. Probably about half-way through what must have been around twenty sushi pieces, I politely mention to our young chef that for me, the fresh wasabi is a bit too distracting on the palate when combined with some of the more subtly flavored fish. His response is simply that “the wasabi is fresh ground here; that is why it is over your head.” Needless to say, that sounds pretty condescending, so I was a bit offended. It’s not like I’ve been drowning my pieces in soy sauce or asking for a California Roll or something. While it’s perfectly fine with some of the fuller flavored fish, the fresh wasabi just overwhelms the different flavor nuances of some of the more mild fish. Give me a break here. Luckily, though, he soon partially made up for it making a very apt comparison. “Well, really, it’s just like fine wines. If you don’t like them, don’t drink them. Different people have different tastes. Same goes for wasabi. If you would prefer no wasabi, then that’s perfectly fine. I’ll leave it out of yours from now on.” Thank you very much. I’m glad I asked, as I end up enjoying the purity of the flavors more from here on out. Rather than attempting the impossible task of telling you what I thought of each and every piece, I’ll just mention some of the (many) highs and the (few) lows. The aoyagi (orange clam), baby scallop, and grilled unagi (freshwater eel) were all a bit underwhelming. All a bit bland, what they lack in flavor they unfortunately did not make up for in texture. The ball of rice rolled in summer truffles was very pleasantly aromatic, but quite bland and boring in flavor. I assume real winter truffles would have been different, but it is, of course, not the season. The shiitake mushroom sushi was such a thin slice that it had little flavor, but it is good for a change of pace, if nothing else. The tai (sea bream) was sweet and delicious. The kinme (deep sea snapper) was nothing short of revelatory, and if you held a gun to my head and forced me to choose just one piece, it may very well have been my favorite of the entire evening. The hotate (scallop) was quite good, sliced paper thin and seared over the hot open fire for an instant before being placed on the bed of rice. The suji (grilled toro sinew) was outstanding. The uni (sea urchin) was incredibly creamy, and tasted purely of the sea in a way that few other foods can even emulate. The maguro (lean tuna) was stunning, and no less delicious than the fattier tuna that had precided it. And the negitoro maki, a massive roll of perfectly pliable nori stuffed to the gills with diced toro and scallions…. well, let’s just say at this point I am out of positive adjectives. I just sit back, smile, and revel in the fact that there is probably nobody in the world eating quite as well as I am at that particular moment. A tiny ume shiso ball is passed to us, with a quiet comment that “this is a pleasant way to end your meal.” And it’s done. Or so we thought. Several minutes later, the chef asks if we would like anything else at this point. Not quite ready to quit this ride just yet, we each choose a favorite (his: uni; mine: deep sea snapper) and ask politely for one more round of each. They come. We devour them. We smile. Dessert comes. A single Japanese white peach, sliced. A delicious, simple ending to a simply delicious meal. As we sit there and slowly sip the soba cha (buckwheat tea) after the meal, talking with Masa and his younger assistants for what seems like hours, I can’t help but think about what an enlightening experience this has been for me. I had come in a sushi novice. I would be leaving very much still a sushi novice. Somehow, though, I feel like my initial ignorance was actually a positive thing. It left me with a very open mind, and an empty stomach, ready to take in everything that was sent my way. There’s something very natural and easy to appreciate about the Japanese approach to food. There is no pretense, no barriers, no gilding, and little saucing. Rather, freshness, simplicity, purity and minimalism are the tenets that quietly take their place. And those are things that most anyone, sushi novice, or otherwise, should have absolutely no trouble appreciating. Of course, I realize later, I’ll have to answer all the questions about whether or not it was “worth it.” I feel like far too much of the talk about Masa centers around the price. Yet in the end, when we focus on such transient, temporal, and essentially meaningless things, we miss the big picture. Not everything is about money. Sometimes that money is buying more than just a meal. In my case, it bought education, nay, enlightenment even. For someone who gets too easily caught up in the New American upscale monotony that can be fine dining in New York City, it is more than a change of pace. It’s a completely new experience culturally, gastronomically, and ultimately, personally. So was it “worth it” for me? Well, if you haven’t figured that out by now, you’ve been reading the wrong review…

an emulsion of milk and white chocolate whipped while chilling in the style of msr this chocolate and roquefort chantilly cheers wg ← That chantilly cream is delicious, Chef. I stopped in with two friends last night (one of them the Tokaji fanatic who kept asking you about that wine) and we all loved the white chocolate chantilly. (I had the (straw)berry beret, which was quite good, too). Thanks for another enjoyable evening. We'll be back soon.

I stopped by wd~50 last night with two friends. Having already had dinner elsewhere, we had dessert on our minds. I was very excited about trying out Chef Stupak's work, so we opted for the 5-course dessert tasting. And as we were finishing up, we saw there were just two more desserts on the dessert menu that we hadn't had, so we asked to try those as well. The kitchen kindly obliged. Of the seven on the current menu, there was really not a glaring weakness in any one of them. The "Peach puree, soy milk, strawberries, buckwheat ice cream" was not my favorite, but was certainly not bad. Same for the "Chocolate cream, pecan, beet, kola nut". That was probably my least favorite. But there were really some standouts, and certainly more highs than lows throughout: Our unanimous favorite was "Shortbread, jasmine ice cream, banana, saffron." This was outstanding, and as the pictures in the link above show, a beautiful presentation as well. Not really sure how to describe it, but the saffron cream on the plate was especially good, and really worked well with the banana and the crunchy bits on top of the banana, I thought. A very close second was "'Irish Coffee,' chicory, coconut, hazelnut sorbet." The cylinder of "Irish coffee" was simply incredible. Very reminiscent of the foie gras torchon with beet juice that Wylie has offered on the regular menu from time to time. It was like a cylinder of coffee ice cream, that once cut into, oozes whiskey out from the center. Really delicious. The "Black currant cake, black sesame, shiso, meringue" was interesting. The ice cream (I believe black currant) had a very peculiar mouthfeel. It left almost an oily sensation on the tongue. I asked Chef Stupak about it later, and he mentioned that it had been made from a traditional ice cream base, unlike some of the other ice creams/sorbets we'd had (lime, for example), so perhaps my taste buds were a little off, or I just don't have the palate to detect those kind of nuances in ice creams. Either way, it was certainly not bad. Quite flavorful in fact. Just a unique mouthfeel. Almost like the olive oil gelato can be at Otto from time to time. That tongue-coating effect is an interesting one. Lastly, the "Menthol mouse, lemon, chartreuse, melon sorbet" was pleasantly (even surprisingly) refreshing. A wonderful palate cleansing effect. N.B.: This is not the order in which we had the desserts, but rather just the random order in which I chose to report about them. I took pictures of all seven (some much darker/blurrier than others ), so hopefully I'll get around to posting them sometime in the coming days. Like I said before, just stunning presentation overall. One look at the "Soft chocolate, avocado, licorice, lime" dessert, for example, is enough to show that Chef Stupak is really an artist as well as a wonderful pastry chef, not to mention a very nice guy (we took a tour of the kitchen afterwards and spoke with him for a bit). This dessert, by the way, was a standout as well. How does he create a mousse that holds that shape? Amazing. I, for one, am very grateful to have had the opportunity to try out his work already. He has certainly hit the ground running at wd~50, and I can only foresee great things in his future, as he continues to grow in his new environment. Thanks, Chef Stupak, for a wonderful experience last night. We will certainly be back. And soon.

DAY 3 -- Monday Today is the day I'll begin to fulfill the actual (or at least ostensible ) reason for our trip to California : to check out some graduate school options. First up on the list: Caltech. A lady in the admissions office was kind enough to set up an entire schedule for me to have the full Caltech experience. Meetings with professors in different areas of my major (Mechanical Engineering), tours of some different labs, talking to a couple of current grad students, etc. They even treated me to a very nice lunch. But more on that later. In the mean time, breakfast... EUROPANE BAKERY Just a matter of blocks from CalTech, the location was perfect to grab a quick bite before my first meeting. My dad was not very hungry, so he just opted for some coffee and muffin from the hotel's "continental" breakfast. I'd heard great things about EuroPane's croissants, so there was no doubt what I was after this morning... As you can see from the huge shadow it casts, this thing is massive. The interior is fluffy and airy, as you can see. The outside is soft, too, which I like, as I don't enjoy a crisp exterior on croissants. The butter flavor is subtle, not overwhelming on the palate. Really outstanding croissant. Probably the best I've had. This would certainly be a regular stop for me if I were at Caltech. As I'm paying for my croissant, something else in the case catches my eye also... A macaron. As you can already see, I rarely pass up the chance to enjoy a macaron. I'm not certain about the flavor, but I seem to recall caramel-pecan, or something like that. Either way, a very good macaron, much better than Jin and just shy of Boule, if only because the flavors at Boule were some of my favorites. It was served chilled, but thankfully was not dry. Very moist interior. Lightly crisp exterior that collapses after the first bite. The caramel was light and pleasantly sweet, without the background complexity of a darker caramel. The nut (pecan? almond?) flavor was very nice, just enough to stand up to the caramel. Great stuff. A sweet start to the day. After breakfast, it's off to CalTech.. Nice campus. And I was received with such a kind welcome from everyone I talked to. I'll leave my other impressions of the school until after the Stanford recap later, but suffice it to say it was a worthwhile visit and very informative. I mentioned above that I was very kindly treated to lunch. I expected a typical college campus eatery with sandwiches, salads, soups, etc, but was pleasantly surprised by... THE ATHENAEUM This is the private club for faculty, trustees, alumni, senior administrators, researchers, graduate students, and the associates of Caltech. As you can see from the website HERE, this is not the same old college cafeteria. Two current grad students and I enjoyed lunch outside on the beautiful patio.. Such a pleasant spot to eat outside, with the California sun, a light breeze, and soft music in the background. Several things sounded good on the menu, but I opted for.. Tempura Soft Shell Crab Salad -- Belgian endive, asparagus, avocado, and tomato with cilantro lime vinaigrette (No, I don't have a picture this time! ) Quite good. The vegetables were very fresh. The avocado was ripe. The tomato was juicy and not some run-of-the-mill supermarket cardboard tomato wanna-be. The soft-shell crabs were steaming hot out of the fryer. The acidity of the vinaigrette tied everything together nicely. Very refreshing, and suprisingly tasty. This is, after all, a campus eatery. For less than $9, too, quite a deal. Nothing really jumped out at me on the dessert menu, so I passed. One of the two grad students I was with opted for the ubiquitous warm chocolate cake, and seemed to enjoy it. All in all, a very pleasant lunch, and I was quite thankful to be treated to it. I guess my last post wasn't particularly clear. The melted chocolates and broken camera actually happened during the CalTech visit. So we spent the majority of this afternoon searching for a Best Buy, trying to get the camera issue resolved, and then returning to CalTech to take more pictures. By this time, it was around 5:00, which significantly affected our options for dinner. Providence was out the window. Mozzarella Monday at Jar, not an option. Hatfield's, no can do. We originally considered trying Josie in Santa Monica, but figured it was no more on the way to Santa Barbara than anything else, so we (very reluctantly for me, at least) decided to stay in Pasadena for dinner before our drive to Santa Barbara later. Within Pasadena, I'd only had four places on my list of possibilities: Roscoe's, EuroPane, Pie n Burger, and In-n-Out Burger. With the first two checked off the list, there was definitely some beef and a bun in our near futures. I decided against In-n-Out, remembering that it was the only convenient Stanford-area lunch option on the list for Wednesday. So off we were to... PIE N BURGER This place is also just a stone's throw from Caltech. After grabbing the last few pictures at CalTech, we stop by. I am hesitant for a second -- the average age demographic in the room hovers around the upper 80s. A glance at the clock... Ah, the early bird crowd. No worries. We'll just kill some time across the street at the Wild Oats Natural Marketplace. This was a pretty nice food market. Great selection of whole grain breads, granola, etc. Good produce. Decent meat/fish counter. Some cheeses. The usual. But, oh, imagine our horror when we see.. Dear God! What have they done with the pork? And the eggs? Won't someone please think of the children?! Anyhoo, by now, we'll killed a bit of time, so it's back across the street to Pie n Burger. Definitely a neighborhood spot, with mostly regulars pulled up to the counter. Our waitress seems to have worked there since the dawn of the century... the 20th century. I was lured here by the pie, more so than the burger, but when a place is named Pie n Burger, there's not really much question about what you're supposed to order... The meat patty was thin but juicy. The bun was buttered and toasted on the griddle. The amount of lettuce was a bit disproportionate, but that was easily fixed. Was definitely not a fan of the "secret sauce" (was it Thousand Island dressing?). But with just a light sprinkling of salt, and scraping away a good bit of the lettuce and "sauce", this was a pretty good burger. Not mind-blowingly good, and certainly not among the best I've hada, but enjoyable nonetheless. It's not pictured, but we also had chili with onions and cheese. Wanted cheddar. Ended up with American. A quiet reminder that sometimes, it pays to be cognizant of your surroundings. A gourmet restaurant, this is not. The chili was passable, nothing special, but at least we got some vegetables with the beans in there. Also a side of fries, not very good. Cut a little thicker than I would have liked, but that's just personal preference, though. Once again, at a burger joint, not exactly a wealth of vegetable options, so we did what we could. Well, we'd had the burger. Now, of course, it was time for... Boysenberry Pie (a la mode, of course) Very good. Perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. And that's just about the usual ice cream to pie ratio (about 1:1) we strive for when making pies at home. Heh heh. Warm pie, cold ice cream. Smile on my face. Life is good. My dad ordered the cherry pie. We both found it a little too sweet. That one-dimensional flavor made it just okay, but nothing special. The cherry pie at Pie n Burger, I can't really say I'd recommend. The boysenberry, on the other hand... Well, let's just say I though about buying a whole one for the road. I'd go back to Pie n Burger for a slice of pie, but probably not for the burger. Still want to try Olallieberry Pie sometime, but we missed the boat on the season for that this time. There's always the next trip.. By the time we're done in Pasadena, traffic is cleared and it's a nice and easy drive to Santa Barbara. On tap for tomorrow: Road Trip!

DAY 2 -- Sunday Today is the sight-seeing day. Which sights, you may ask? Well, we have no idea. We'll figure that part out later. After breakfast. ROSCOE'S HOUSE OF CHICKEN N WAFFLES Given the fact that this place was literally 5 minutes away from our hotel, I love soul food, and my dad thought chicken & waffles sounded like an intriguing combination, I knew this place was a must-try. I was also looking forward to comparing it to Amy Ruth's in Harlem, the first place where I'd ever tried chicken & waffles. Something about all the sweet/spicy, soft/crunchy, hot/cool contrasts in this unique dish makes it so good. There was no question what we were after here... Scoe's #1: 1/4 Chix prepared southern style, 2 waffles, our own private mix ($8.95) Breakfast of champions. Absolutely delicious. The chicken is juicy and flavorful on its own. The waffles are fluffy, if a little thin. The syrup is not cloyingly sweet. A few drips of hot sauce to add an extra kick. All this together in each bite brings an immediate smile to my face. Tack on a side of cornbread (a bit dry, nothing special), and I am full and happy, as is my dad. I considered Sweet Potato Pie (I am a sucker for it), but we know our sweet tooth will be satisfied later. Not much later, in fact, at... JIN PATISSERIE Somehow, we decide that we'll start the sight-seeting at Venice Beach and work back eastward the rest of the day. Who are we to argue if a certain bakery just happens to be between us and Muscle Beach? This place seems as serious about their tea (which neither my father nor I really enjoy) as their desserts. Still full from the chicken & waffles, and vowing not to eat again before dinner, my dad refrains from getting anything here. I, of course, do not. I start with... Passion -- Mascarpone Passion Fruit, Fresh Mango ($5.25) A very light cheesecake, topped with a thin passion fruit glaze, and filled with pieces of fresh mango. Light and refreshing. Clean flavors. Good, but not great. With a menu full of mostly chocolate and/or tea related desserts, though, I figure it was a safe bet. I'm glad I tried it, but probably wouldn't repeat. Pistachio Macaron ($1.10), Fleur de Sel Caramel Chocolate Piece ($2), Chocolate Sticks ($4.50) Passing up some of their more exotic flavors (rose, lavender, green tea, passion fruit, etc), I stick my favorite macaron (macaroon?...I don't know French ) flavor -- pistachio. This is a bit dry for my taste, having a pleasant crunch but not the slight chew I look for in a good macaron. The fleur de sel caramel was tasty, but hard to judge fairly since I at it after it a 3/4 melted More on that later... The chocolate sticks (one dark chocolate cacao nib, one pistachio, one fleur de sel), I can't comment on, as they were a little thank-you gift for the CalTech assistant responsible for setting up the meetings for my visit. But if her big smile when she later told me thanks is any indication, they must have been okay. Later that afternoon, cruising down La Cienega, thinking of our next sightseeing stop, we just happen to drive right by.... BOULE How convenient. Guess we'll have to stop in. And, boy, am I glad we did. This place was a hit. A sucker for anything with pistachios in it or on it, I immediately spy my first victim... Pistachio Eclair ($3) In a word: delicious. I could eat a dozen of them. Hell, I could eat two dozen. Just the right amount of sweetness. And a sign of the good things to come... 12-piece variety piece chocolate box ($28), Meyer Lemon & Pistachio Macarons ($1.25 each), Spiced Mango Pate de Fruit ($1.25, not pictured) My dad enjoys the spiced mango pate de fruit while I ooh and ah over all the wonderful options. I try a bite of it, too. Good stuff. They offer us tastes of the gelati and sorbetti in the case in the back. No flavors really jump out at us. We pass. Back to the cases to search for more goodies. The macarons were outstanding. The best on the trip, definitely, and among the best I've ever had. As good as those at Fauchon in NYC, which is my favorite place here for macarons. Very distinct flavors. A bit crisp on the outside, perfectly smooth and chewy on the inside. Creamy filling. Just wonderful. I am normally not a big chocolate guy, but these looked beautiful and many of the flavor combinations sounded too good to pass up. I wish I'd taken a picture of the beautiful assortment, which was intended as a gift for my mom, but I guess it wasn't meant to be. They melted in the 1/2 hour I showed my dad around the CalTech campus. On top of that, as I was taking a picture on campus, my digital camera went berserk and started making this nasty buzzing sound instead of retracting the lens. Great timing. At this point, frustrated by both the melted chocolates and the broken camera, we look for a nearby Best Buy. After we park the car, we both glance down at the box of chocolates.... It is time. We each take a plastic spoon in hand and go at it, ravenously disposing of the dozen chocolates in no time. We both feel better now. Who says chocolate isn't comfort food? By the way, the best flavors of the bunch were Citrus Campari, Sicilian Pistachio, and Passionfruit Ivoire, we agreed. And does it make a major food nerd to admit that I was more upset about a possible drop in the chocolates' quality after having melted than I was about the actual melting of the chocolates? Regardless of the melting, these are some of the best chocolates I've ever had. I would go back to Boule bakery in a second. For me, it was easily the best food stop we made in LA. (For my dad, of course, it was Table 8, because of the steak ) On a side note, thank goodness for the Product Replacement Plan. Thank goodness for Best Buy. They switched out my camera for a brand spanking new one and we were on our way. Dinner that night had been planned well in advance. Actually, it was the first reservation I set for trip. Needless to say, I went in with high expectations... LUCQUES I read great things about Suzanne Goin. A Chez Panisse alum, she is not surprisingly known for developing close relationships with the farmers whose produce is given room to shine on her menus. Her cookbook garnered many awards last year. I figured this meal would be a great introduction to California cuisine. In NYC, many restaurants bill themselves as doing "Greenmarket cuisine", but for all my pride in this city, I know we don't have access to anywhere near the quality of produce grown in California. I also hoped this meal would be a nice precursor to Chez Paninsse on Wednesday. Anyway, enough rambling on my part. On to the meal... "Sunday Supper" (3 courses/$40 set menu) The meal begins with some pleasantly chewy and crusty bread, some almonds tossed in olive oil and sea salt, and delicious Lucques olives (and truth be told, I don't like olives). Things were off to a nice start. We opted to each order one of the two main course options, so we'd be able to taste more dishes. After a while, out came the food came... Summer Salad of Peter Schaner's Eggplant, Cherry Tomatoes, French Feta and Black Olives This was quite flavorful. Tangy vinaigrette dressing was applied sparingly, keeping the greens vibrant and crisp rather than drenched and soggy. Clearly very fresh vegetables. Very pleasant way to begin. Pancetta Wrapped Trout a la Creme with Shaved Summer Squash and Young Spinach This was good, and my preference among the two main courses. Thankfully, it had been assertively salted, resisting the tongue-coating blandness that cream-based dishes often suffer from. The juices from the pancetta and trout were soaked up by the squash and spinach below, creating a very tasty creamed spinach on steroids. The fish was flaky, if just a tad overcooked. Overall, a solid dish, though. Duck braised in Rose with Rice Soubise, Alex's Baby Red Onions and Spiced Peach Relish I was glad to see duck leg rather than the ubiquitous duck breast that seems to be the norm in higher end restaurants these days. This was quite good, and was my father's preference between the two mains, so it worked out just right. The duck was tender, juicy, and pleasantly meaty in flavor. It had clearly been given a thorough sear before being braised in the wine, resulting in a flavor that was earthy enough it stoof up well to the sweetness of the the caramelized onion and the spiced peach relish (which could have benefitted from more spice). On their own, the elements of the dish were one-dimensional and a bit boring. Together, the combination of flavors was a pleasant one, and I, too, thought the dish worked quite well. I still want to know what the heck rice soubise is, though. Chilled Cavaillon Melon Soup with Basil and Last-of-the-Season Strawberries Very light and refreshing, which was a good thing after a meal during which I had consumed way too much bread, butter, almond, and olives thoughout. Aside from watermelon, I typically don't enjoy cantaloupe or other similar fruits, but this was not bad. The strawberries were tasty as well. Fruit soup is not really my thing, either. I would've preferred just a bowl of fresh, ripe fruit, but that's just me. My dad thought this was pretty mediocre, nothing special. I had the same conclusion. A word about the service and ambience: The hostess greeted us with a warm smile and was very understanding after we'd been driving around LA lost for the past hour or so (I called to let them know this, of course, but they were unable to help with directions.), and arrived over 45 minutes late for our reservation. After that, the service was a little spotty. Our waiter was a little, how do I put it lightly?....Laissez-faire. Basically, he took our orders and was pretty much AWOL the remainder of the meal. I don't mind busboys delivering food from the kitchen. But I don't think it's too much to ask that the person who will receive the tip at the end of the meal ought to be at least partially responsible for facilitating my enjoyment of it. Water refills. More olives. More bread or butter. At least do something. I don't think that's too much to ask. I would've rather tipped the busboys who seemed to be the only ones who cared in the least about our experience. Ah well, what can ya do? Oh, and the ambience: too dark! Turn on a light, light some candles, something! It's one thing not to be able to take good photographs (the "Indoor" setting on the camera is your friend), but it's quite another when you can't even see your own food. My dad was already a bit uneasy about relinquishing all control and doing the set menu thing, and now he could barely even see the things he was having to eat. I eat out frequently, so am used to restaurant lighting issues, but this was extreme. Only similar place in NYC that comes to mind is Peasant, and that place is dark. The noise level was not unbearable (aside, perhaps, from a certain neighbor of ours who loudly sppke of his friends' struggles with crystal meth ). The music was soft and pleasant, not overbearing. But the lighting was horrible. So bad, in fact, that my dad said he liked the food much less just because of it. The food at Lucques and Chez Panisse were certainly of a similar vein, but the ambience at CP puts Lucques to shame. We both enjoyed the food at both restaurants, but neither of us have any desire to return to Lucques again. Chez Panisse, on the other hand, we would go back to again and again and again. Back "home" to the hotel to sleep. Need to be rested. The next day is my CalTech visit, and who knows what food that may bring.