Quince

Yes, we are back in town, but since I got a little behind on the trip I will try to finish up in the next couple of days.  

On Wednesday we went to Quince in the financial district in San Fran. Michael Tusk, owner and chef, holds a Relais Gourmond status and in 2011 was awarded James Beard "Best Chef Pacific".   While Coi was definitely an experience for a true "foodie", I think Quince was a little more approachable for the general public.  

Two options are presented to you for dinner:  a tasting menu with an optional wine pairing or a four course dinner menu.  Drew and I opted for the four course because we could each get different things and cover more ground on the menu.  So this will take a while.... 

They started us off with some "snacks"

parmesan & salmon roe ,puffed bread w/ bleu cheese , Caesar Salad, Buffalo Chicken

pickled green tomato and custard tart ( oh so good...)

On to the amuse

carrot granita, coconut foam, & thyme 

and the bread. Baked to order Brioche rolls. We got seconds. Drew got thirds.    

First Course:

Wild King Salmon Crudo, Brokaw Farm avocado, orange blossom and fennel

Zuckerman's Farm green asparagus, yogurt, grapefruit and sorrel

We got a bonus dish from the chef!

Casoncelli, asparagus in variations, brown butter.  I can still taste the richness of this dish in my mouth.  Drew and I have our favorite dishes we like to talk about and this will definitely be one to come up over and over again. I totally understand why all of you would want to be friends with us. Only really cool people sit around and talk multiple times about dishes they have eaten from various restaurants. 

Second Course:

Phil Paine's squab "Cannelloni"

"Gnocchi di Ricotta" black truffle and broccoli di ciccio

Third Course:

St. Canut suckling pig, endive, young turnip and whey

dry aged côte de bœuf, salt-crusted formanova beet, bone marrow and foraged nasturtium

Before the fourth course we had a selection of cheese, more bread, and mostarda (an italian condiment made of candied fruit and a mustart flavoured syrup)

I failed as a blogger and do not remember the names of the different cheeses, but at this point I'm a couple of drinks in and verging on a food coma so you can hardly blame my lack of attention to detail.

Since you are already totally disappointed with me right now I might as well mention I don't remember the names of the really great wines we had that were recommended by our waiter.  I'm sorry but the quick flash of the bottle before you try the wine is hardly enough for me to recall the name, which I'm positive was in a different language anyways.   

Fourth Course:

Rhubarb Rôti, citrus crumble, and feuilles de brick

pistachio millefoglie, honey comb, lemon confit, and sicilian pistachio gelato

At this point we really should be done, but no... 

a decorative tray of petit fours  

  

Napa Valley - part 2

We not only did the whole wine thing while being in Napa, we of course did some eating too! While many of you are probably wondering if we went to The French Laundry, it was not in the stars for us this trip.  While we were certainly willing to drop some change on food this trip, for research and deveopment of course, The French Laundry is a whole different tax bracket kind of a place.   

Since we didn't eat there, we opted for another of Thomas Keller's Yountville restaurants, Bouchon.  It is right down the street, and is a more relaxed atmosphere but still holds the same standards you would expect for one of Keller's restaurants.  Bouchon is a Lyonnaise inspired cuisine, while French, it is a style where dishes are typically heavy and meat oriented. This will explain why we only stuck to a couple of courses, as opposed to the normal 7 or 8.  Normal being relative to us anyways...

Drew started with Daurade Escabèche

marinated sea bream with garden vegetables & Espelette pepper vinaigrette

Main courses: 

Foie de Veau: calf's liver with melted onions, crispy onion rings & red wine vinegar sauce

Steak Frites: caramelized shallots, maître d'hôtel butter served with french fries

Anthony Bourdain visited Bouchon's in Vegas and particularly mentioned the fries.  So although I had the best intentions of eating something with veggies, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to try them!

Since Bouchon was right down the street, we at least took a peak at The French Laundry and their personal garden across the street.  

Out of all the food we ate, I think seeing this type of set up might have been the most inspiring thing Drew and I experienced on our trip.  We both feel strongly commited about the concept of eating REAL food. Food that comes from a farm, and not one of those mass produced, pesticide indulging farms.  I appreciate Keller's (he is not the only one) desire to help revolutionize America's relatively new farm-to-table concept, but I can't help be slightly jaded by the fact that what has become a restaurant fad is actually the way people eat in pretty much every other country since ...umm... forever.