Dining Reviews

Michel Richard Citronelle - Washington D.C.

I was very enamored with Michel Richard after I made the foie gras brulee from his book Happy In the Kitchen. So what was stopping me from making a reservation at his famed restaurant, Citronelle? Nothing! I called the reservation desk and tried to get a reservation for a weekend in April to celebrate the hungry hubby’s birthday. The French-accented voice replied “Sorry madam, we only have a 9 pm availability.”

         That time slot was too late! The hubby and I agreed long ago that any time later than 7pm would be disastrous for our early-dinner hungry bellies. Last time we agreed to an 8:30 pm reservation, I had a bad case of stomach cramps due to hunger pangs. That was definitely too late (who in the world eats dinner at 9 pm anyway?) So I thanked the lady, hung-up and pondered my inability to get a reservation.

         Then another idea struck me (see the light bulb go on?) I used Open Table before to try to get reservations at “The French Laundry” (in vain.) I wonder if I will have more luck with Citronelle. After a few mouse clicks, I clasped my hands in hope as a 7 pm availability appeared. I snatched it up quickly, fearing that someone was looking over my shoulder to steal that coveted reservation just to torment me. Paranoia, it seems, occurs frequently when it comes to certain restaurant reservations.

         We were lucky that Citronelle is in the same hotel where we were staying at. This meant : no drive time, keep the wine flowing please. Though we do not expect to tumble out of the restaurant in a drunken stupor, we fully intended to finish a bottle of wine. This was a lofty goal for me -- a lightweight in the drink department. Most Asians apparently lack an enzyme to process alcohol properly and I am the perfect example of that theory. So it really falls upon the hubby to finish the entire bottle. Did I mention that we did not have to drive?

            As we made our way to the restaurant, we walked the length of a seemingly unending structure that made up the wine cellar. It was huge! It surrounded the restaurant, was encased in glass, and obviously was climate-controlled. Eyes transfixed on the rows and stacks of wine, I almost lost sight of the maitre‘d as she led us to our table which was nicely situated -- right by the wine room! I was struck with a sinking feeling as I realized what this meant -- the wine in this place was not going to come cheap.

            Our server, who appeared to be French, brought us our menus. Apparently we had a choice of the 10-course or 3-course dinner. Guess what we chose? What would pigs gourmands choose? The 10-course extravaganza, what else?  After making this decision, the hubby focused his attention on the wine list. “They are all real expensive, booboo” the hubby remarked, disheartened as I was. I really wanted him to enjoy his special day. What sense would it be to order such elaborate fare only to skimp on the wine selection? I told him it was his birthday so just pick one that we would love especially since we have a pretty long dinner to savor it with.

As he was reading the list of Cabernet Sauvignons (our wine of choice), the sommelier appeared and asked if we had any questions. We told him that we wanted a wine that would go with the tasting menu. We did not want the wine degustation that was offered with the menu. Although we wanted to learn more about French wines we liked big opulent wines like the Joseph Phelps Insignia. He immediately suggested the Peter Michael 2003 Les Pavots which he said, if I remember correctly,  had that big fruit bomb taste that we like and is similar to a young Bordeaux. 

           Anyhoo, the wine was perfect right out of the bottle although the sommelier told us to wait until it gets to room temperature so we can taste the real deal. But I wanted a drink in anticipation of our first course so I went ahead and took a sip. It was ‘da bomb! It was oaky like the essence of antique tobacco boxes. It was fruity like cherry and blackberry jam. It was just utterly complex blessed with a long smooth buttery finish. C’est magnifique! (heh- that was French was it not?). I had the urge to twirl this intense ruby liquid on my tongue just to prolong the experience.

           Okay, enough said about the wine before I run out of words to describe our dinner.

           As with all tasting menus, not all are perfect and memorable. So I will only describe the ones I could not stop thinking about. Besides I am not a food critic. My words to describe the food would probably seem repetitious: tasty, delicious etc. ;)

            The amuse-bouche arrived quickly. It was a trio of whimsical proportions. There was a mushroom puree that was encased in a filo dough. All I can say is you can’t go wrong with mushrooms. Then there was what appeared to be a crescent of hard boiled egg. But the eyes were deceived for it was not an egg but mozzarella cheese cut into the curve of the egg white! A gelee of yellow tomato was settled snuggly in its hollow to give the illusion of the yolk. The last piece to complete the trio was a charming salad of haricots vert (green beans) nestled in the hollow of an eggshell.

               I must say this was quite the opening number. The hubby and I are presently still debating if the egg shell was real. Our server said it was real. It felt real. But the hubby said he looked under the shell and it was flattened which made it stand in place. How do you do that to an egg?

               Soft-shell crab with corn risotto happened to be one of my favorite. It reminded me of a soft-shell crab tempura. The body of the crab was filled with corn and risotto…and you know what happens to deep-fried risotto. Can I say enchantingly delicious? The crab had the perfect crunch for it was breaded carefully and was not greasy to any degree. I could make an argument right here that deep-frying was not fattening at all if done properly.

                I was less enchanted with the rockfish course because I didn’t care for this particular fish that much. I was also disappointed with the lobster burger. It was quite ordinary but the saving grace, believe it or not, was what came with it: potato chips! I was very impressed how Chef Michel managed to inject new life into something as common as a potato chip. It was whisper thin, and curled so perfectly, the crackle eliciting a smile of childhood contentment.

                 There was nothing childlike however, in the veal course. It had sweetbreads. Not bread sweetened with honey … it is more shall we say, a delicacy coming from a young animal -- in this case -- a calf. I did not care much for the sweetbread but the Black Angus veal that it accompanied totally made the dish. It was so tender and the morel sauce so vibrant and rich, it coated the meat with just enough flavor to draw the delicate taste of the veal to the fore. 

            By this course, I had developed an overall impression of the cuisine de Michel Richard. Although he was not at the kitchen the night we went (he was at the IACP awards in Chicago), I could sense the jovial personality of this talented man shine through in his dishes. He is a culinary artist and he loves putting a spin on his food making them appear as something it is not. I figured that was why our waiter tried to explain our amuse-bouche so painstakingly lest we think it was an awful-tasting egg. But knowing that it was fresh mozzarella and yellow tomato changes one’s perception as this is a phenomenal combination with a mind-blowing twist.

            I noticed that last two dishes were an apple napoleon and a mushroom dish. At first I thought “Why would a mushroom dish come after dessert?”

            The apple napoleon was something I did not expect. It was an elegant 3 layer creation. Instead of puff pastry sheets, it had thin apple crisps that separated the layers. In fact the whole dessert was made from apple in one form or another. The filling was an apple mousse and it was topped with apple infused cream (I think it was ice cream but by now I am so dazzled I didn’t care.) One would think that all these would be too “appley”, but amazingly, each incarnation of the apple was flavored differently that what you have essentially is a well- choreographed ode to this fruit!

            Still thinking that our last course was a form of mushroom, the “hungry” hubby ordered a scoop of pistachio ice cream to go with the apple dessert. Imagine his surprise (and mine) when what came next was the cutest dessert I have ever seen.

            A brown and white mushroom!

            It was made from meringue and the shiny dark brown cap had a shiny chocolate glaze. For some reason it reminded me of fairy tales. But cute doesn’t cut it. I don’t like meringue much. That was until I broke the mushroom. The white stem had a thick white cream and the brown cap had chocolate ice cream! The man is a genius! The texture and subtle sweetness of the meringue complemented the richness and creaminess of what it had hidden.  What a perfect ending to a perfect dinner.

            But wait, there is more.  Also at the table were some petite fours and wafers. The petit fours were chocolate ganache – little gems that were utterly decadent. The wafers intrigued us with each bite. How can something so whisper-thin become so infused with incredible flavor?

            The meal took almost 4 hours. But we did not notice the time. We were busy savoring the wine, talking in awe of a previous dish, surveying the room for politicians or interesting diners, and just plain giggling at nothing.  I did notice that we outlasted the two seatings of the table immediately to my left. The first seating was two old couples that were gossiping about their friends: dissecting their wealth and travel destinations. I like it that they were very appreciative of each plate and seemed very enthusiastic about their food. I could not say the same for the second seating. It was a strange couple. They did not appear to be talking much. Maybe one of them is a dirty mistress. You never know in Washington, D.C.;-) 

The time between courses was about 20 minutes. There was a longer lull midway when they cleared our charger plate. In between courses and conversations with the hungry hubby I finally came to understand why Michel Richard’s book is named the way it is; the feeling of happiness that must have gone into his efforts to create each masterpiece has definitely transferred its essence to the food he serves.

I could only shake my head at the culinary magic that I have just witnessed. Though it might be a while before we can afford to splurge this way again, Michel Richard’s Citronelle is a place I would surely consider visiting again.

Da Lat - Richmond, VA

Dalat is a Vietnamese restaurant in the West End that could deliver (double meaning intended). I have ordered take-out and delivery numerous times and have always had great food. So I decided this time, why not a dine-in experience. I was not intending to write a review so I did not pay attention to the food of my companions so my recollection of the experience is not complete. They have a vast menu, but I always order Pho or a grilled meat broken rice dish. Their Pho is delicious, the broth very tasty, and it comes with all the trimmings of bean sprouts and mint leaves. Their grilled pork , beef, chicken and shrimp dish comes in a very generous serving, in fact, I had enough leftovers to take for lunch the next day. I did order their fish in clay pot and it was very good. I did find the sauce a bit too salty but it had a very complex flavor of soy, black bean and maybe caramelized sugar?

            The service though not too attentive was very friendly. All in all it was a pleasant , filling experience. And for the price, you cannot beat that!

Rating: Food: 5 Ambience: 1 Service: 2 Price: 3 = 11

1 North Belmont - Richmond , VA

        Sina and I were debating where to go for dinner after realizing a French restaurant I have wanted try has been sold and turned into a place that served burgers and other sandwiches. Having set myself to try French food tonight I looked at Sina and said “Why not 1 North Belmont?”; he agreed. We have not expected to return so soon to 1 North Belmont because we considered it a special occasion type of place and not that weekday dinner spur of a moment kind of thing.  We did not even have reservations but fortunately, since it was probably also a Wednesday, we were seated in no time at all.

        This restaurant has a beautifully appointed interior and despite its small space the tables are not crowded together. It did take a while to get our menus since the 28 seat restaurant appears to have only 1 person taking the orders although there was another person bringing the bread and another one bringing the drink orders.

         I was a bit disconcerted by the music playing in the background, “Girl from Ipanema” in a French restaurant? After we ordered, they brought out the amuse bouche, which was caviar on a salmon mousse. Not impressed. I neither tasted the caviar nor the salmon. All I tasted was salt over cream. Then came my appetizer. Oooh beautiful puff pastry hiding my succulent escargot! I dug my fork through the flaky pastry crust to check out my escargot and the first bite yielded a nice butter and garlic taste. My second bite tasted …chilled escargot?! I guess they did not cook it long enough so I swirled it in the otherwise hot melted butter. However, it turned out that the escargot was a casualty of double salting… I could hardly eat it. Sina’s salad was another story. It was beautifully presented with baby greens wrapped by a thin slice of cucumber. It had wonderful red vinegar and lemon oil dressing that was very refreshing for the last days of summer. Anyway, the main course soon arrived and a dish of perfectly plated duck was unveiled to me. The duck was very tender although I would have preferred the skin have more crunch to it. It came with tasty sweet potato gaufrettes which simply means thin waffle crisps. There was also fruit compote that balanced out the meaty flavor of the duck.

          I was very curious about Sina’s dish. The lobster tail shell was there but when he lifted it, mashed potato was underneath. So where was the lobster? It was in a nice crunchy pouch which is where it got poached … very creative! Unfortunately, this was a victim of over salting too. I wonder if it was the butter and the chef did not realize he was using salted butter. I have been here twice before and I have never had this experience.  Oh well, I cannot wait for my soufflé now. For our soufflés, I got the Grand Marnier and Sina got the chocolate. It was just perfect. No dryness whatsoever, the soufflé was springy and moist and the sauce although a bit strong on the alcohol was very good. I ate every bit of it even as my stomach was screaming for me to stop. After all, soufflés are made with egg white right? If you ignore the calories from the sauce (which I lapped up every bit of) it couldn’t be that bad for you ;) .

         At the end of the meal we were offered petite fours and I must say I also ate that up. The chef has been making the rounds too, he even cleared our dishes and had a short conversation with us upon which I learned that he used a moulard duck breast for my dish. I wonder who is in the kitchen then, may that explain the salting glitch?

         What to say really. I do like this restaurant; it has a wonderful atmosphere for an intimate dinner. The price is pretty steep so yes I should remember to keep this for a special occasion. I cannot ignore the over salting of some of the dishes though, a pity really because everything would have otherwise been great.

Rating: Food: 5 Ambience: 2 Service: 2 Price: 2 = 11

Ipanema Grill - Richmond,VA

Date of visit: September 07, 2006

I don’t know if I could give an impartial review to this place since I am a self-professed carnivore but I will try to look past this obvious meat-lover heaven and be objective of Richmond’s only Brazilian Churrascaria.  Churrasco means Brazilian barbecue. More specifically, a Churrascaria de rodizio is a place where waiters fleet around from table to table offering a variety of roasted meat on skewers which they slice in front of you. There really is not much seasoning in the meat except coarse sea salt since it needs little else to taste good. The new home of Ipanema Grill is very spacious and nicely appointed with lively colors. What I like the best is that there is a viewing window where you can watch the action of how they roast the meat on skewers.

            After you are seated, the waiter asks if you are familiar with how the place works. After so many visits here, we don’t even get asked that question anymore. Basically the entire cost of the dinner includes 11 kinds of meat plus the salad bar. There is a token on the table that has a green side and a red side. The idea is when the token is turned out to green, the meat parade starts and one meat runner after another come in a dizzying frenzy of delectable roasted meat. When it is turned to red, it means you don’t want anymore meat at the moment or you are done. Now the salad bar offers very unique Brazilian side dishes. There’s the typical beans and rice, fried banana, fried yucca and during our last visit cheese ball bread. The fried banana is very addictive. There is also a very good potato salad that has olives in it, hearts of palm and various cheeses. It is very important to pace yourself and not fill up your plate with items from the salad bar, because if this is your first visit, you have no idea of what is to come.

            Once you come back from the salad bar and turn that token green the meat-fest starts. Among the 11 kinds of meat, my favorite believe it or not, is the chicken legs. The flavor is apparent all the way to the bone and is all the way juicy from your first bite to your last. The other meats that I like are in order of preference:

            Filet mignon – very flavorful so is the nicely charred fat around it

            Brazilian sausage

            Lamb

            Pork

            Sirloin

            Skirt steak

            Kabobs (2 kinds)

Others that I bypass that maybe others might like are:

            Beef Ribs

            Chicken wrapped in bacon

Now there were occasions when I have had meat that was very dry because of overcooking. But more often than not, I have had very good service and the meat was well seasoned and prepared. I do suggest helping yourself to a slice or two of the roasted pineapple that usually comes at the end of the meal. I guess there are enzymes in it that will help you digest all the meat that you have just eaten.

We usually skip dessert since we are so full at the end of the meal. They usually have a passion fruit mousse and a type of flan offering. I have had both before and they were quite good, however during a recent visit the taste has changed and I did not like it at all. I will try and taste it again and leave the verdict out till then.

Rating: Food: 4 Ambience: 2 Service: 2 Price: 2 = 10

Sensi - Richmond, Va

Date of visit : September 02, 2006

Sensi  , an Italian word for “Senses” . This latest venture by Paolo Randazzo , chef-owner of Franco’s Ristorante , promises an experience that will activate all five senses as you taste the offerings from his menu.

           As we made our way through the dimly lit dining room, “Contemporary”  quickly entered my mind. It kind of reminded me of the dining room designs on TV’s “Hell’s kitchen” . A chain link soft curtain separated the dining area from the bar area .  As we got seated , I felt the chair was a tad bit uncomfortable, but I soon forgot about that as I turned my attention on the menu.  We decided for our first visit to Sensi , we were going to try the 7 course tasting menu.

1.                    A cold appetizer of fresh buffalo mozzarella, on top of a thick slice of juicy tomato, surrounded by a reduced balsamic vinaigrette dressing .  Who could go wrong with a classic combination ! There was some kind of herb on the mozzarella , Sina says it is oregano ; I couldn’t really tell , all I know is that this was the best tasting fresh mozzarella I have ever sampled .

2.                   A warm appetizer of lump crabmeat ball , with prosciutto and melon. Some kind of orange mayonnaise was dotted around it. My first thought when I saw this was “Fusion” .  Prosciutto and melon were obviously very Italian and another classic combination ,but the tasty crunch of the lump crabmeat ball, I thought ,had an Asian spin to it which I really liked.

I have to pause and mention that there definitely was a sensory play going on around the beautiful presentation of each dish. Taste and aroma is a given when you eat, but with the appetizing way everything was plated, it gives you an anticipation for how the next course will be presented.

3.                   Our pasta course was a pan-seared scallop on lemon risotto.  Leave an Italian to know how to cook risotto perfectly!  It was creamy with that hint of lemon and had that nice bite to it without being chalky.  Best risotto I have ever had in a restaurant! The scallop was perfectly browned on both sides yet was tender and juicy inside. Chive trimmings were nicely laid out and served as a bedding for the scallop over the risotto.

Ok, at this point I am starting to get stuffed.  Did I mention we, in our greediness, ordered a grilled calamari appetizer on top of our tasting menu ? This was the same one they served at Franco's which I have reviewed.

4.                   Our fish course was a pan-seared rockfish in a lobster cream sauce with a broiled breaded tomato and parsley garnish. Still a beautiful combination and either I’m getting really filled up or the portions are getting too big. Paolo’s lobster sauce, as always was full of depth and flavor.  The fish was cooked and seasoned pretty well. Not a big fan of rock fish but even I thought this was good.

5.                   Our salad course was a beet salad. Nothing too special about it except maybe   to prepare our palette for the last course.

6.                   Our meat course was a petite filet. It was drenched in a brown sauce … too brown in my eyes . I felt that there was too much sauce around the meat and maybe a drizzling around the filet would have been more appropriate. It came with a side of buttered brocollini.  Unfortunately, I did not enjoy the filet too much. Now don’t get me wrong, it was cooked to medium and was juicy but the meat flavor was very ordinary and so was the sauce .

7.                   Our trio of desserts was made up of a chocolate tart, a goat cheese bodino and a semifreddo ( a sinfully creamy ice cream) . It was set out so beautifully that I did not want to dig into it… definitely a feast for the eyes. Each had its own accompaniment.  The chocolate torte had some kind of foamed whipped cream. The budino had some strawberry compote as well as a fresh halved strawberry.  The semifreddo was set atop some crust. Each had a distinct flavor ,but all blended  very well to finish off a wonderful meal.

After all is eaten and done, the risotto is my favorite.  This dish was simply amazing !

Rating : Food :5 Ambience :2 Service :2 Price:2  = 11

Can Can Brasserie - Richmond , Va

Can Can makes a comeback!  I have almost written off this Richmond Brasserie as a great looking place with mediocre food. Last year, in 2005 I went there 4 times hoping that each time they would have finally gotten their act together. An example of what I have had during those times were a dry burger, oily salad, roast pork that I couldn’t eat 2 slices of and beignets that tasted like cardboard. Anyway before I wrote that review I thought that I should go there one more time.

So a year later …

Date of visit : August 24 , 2006

Appetizer

          Mix of young greens

          Escargot

Entrée

          Rack of Lamb         

          Crispy pork cutlets

Dessert         

          Trio of Sorbet

          Roasted Peach Napoleon

Let me start with the appetizers. Sina‘s spring salad had a very good dressing, tasted lemony although it could have used more herbs to liven it. I had the escargot which was sublimely drenched in butter and garlic with a sprinkle of parsley. However for the price of $12, I would have expected each escargot to be nice and fat, there were a few pieces that could almost be classified as missing.

I didn’t know if you had to specifically ask for the bread, because when our appetizer arrived the bread basket has not made an appearance yet, so Sina politely ask if they do serve bread. Our server hastily did bring the bread basket and a plate of olive oil. The bread and the olive oil almost made us forget about our appetizer. The rustic bread selection paired so nicely with the plate of complex olive oil which was very fruity.

         Our dinner arrived in half an hour which was very acceptable. I did not realize I have this whole big chunk of pork cutlet which I could almost swear weighed a pound! Nicely breaded without being oily, I cut into it and saw that it had a pink center. Now, I normally like pork to be well done but I allowed myself to have a bite of this. What it was, was an explosion of juices that were flavored with lemon (lemon, it seems is used a lot in this restaurant’s flavorings today ). I see they did not cut out all the fat like most people do so that explains partly why my dish was still very juicy. The arugula salad that accompanied my dish had the same lemony dressing I thought that Sina’s appetizer had. What I thought made it different was the nicely diced apples and the green raisins that combined to give it the tartness that would balance out the crispy pork cutlet.

I took a bite of Sina’s lamb chops. It was very tender and I could taste the salt that was sparsely crusted around it ; it appears to be  slightly breaded although I could be wrong. The potato gratin that accompanied it had a cheese , shallot and chive combination that was very creamy but not in a cloying way. Asparagus and pearl onions finished off the dish.

As for dessert, let me start with Sina’s. His trio of sorbet was watermelon, passion fruit and kiwi. I would say only the watermelon tasted good since the passion fruit tasted too sour and the kiwi did not taste like kiwi at all. I personally think that kiwi does not have much flavor in it to make ice cream let alone a sorbet with. All it would do is make it taste like frozen sugar water. My dessert was okay, except I did not care for that almond tasting paste that was wedge inside the peach. I also did not care for the napoleons that came with it since it tasted so much of what was wedged in the peach. My whole dessert was made up of a whole peach, 2 napoleons , a scoop of ice cream with a chopped pistachio base… a bit too much for a sweet ending.

Rating : Food : 3  Ambience : 2 Service:2 Price :2 = 9

Franco's Ristorante - Richmond, Va

Date of visit : 8/25/05

Appetizer

          Mussels in marinara

          Grilled squid

          Tomatoes and mozzarella

Entrée

          Lobster and shrimp over capellini in a lobster caper sauce

          Dry Aged Bone in strip loin

          Filet Mignon

          Crepes del Mar

Dessert

          Budino

          Profiteroles

The appetizer in itself was a knockout. I can’t decide which one I liked better. The grilled squid had the perfect charred taste but remained juicy. It was accompanied with lemon , fennel ,olive oil and garlic . It was set on a bed of endives which presented the grilled squid perfectly. Dipping the bread in the dressing was also very good .  The mussels weren’t as succulent but the marinara sauce that came with it was close to perfect. It was the right combination of sour and sweet and was reduced to the right consistency. I simply hate runny marinara sauce.

Now my lobster entrée was a dish made in heaven. The sauce was so good , I had to think about my waistline for a minute. The capers added just a right amount of saltiness to the light creamy sauce. The shrimps were a bit overdone but the overall dish was phenomenal.

Geoffrey’s steak was also very good. The topping looked like pesto but the description of the entrée was a garlic butter sauce. The bone-in strip loin was cooked to order. I did not get a chance to taste everbody’s dish, but according to Chona, who had the seafood crepes, the sauce was outstanding. I think Sina’s filet mignon was just ordinary and this may be because he wanted the accompaniment sauce of the NY strip which did not match the filet mignon’s denseness.

Dessert was pretty good. I don’t really care for the profiteroles but the others liked it. The budino was also good but I think I have had better at this establishment or my memory of the previous night’s panacotta was doing my current dessert tasting an injustice.

Rating :

          Food : 4 Ambience :2 Service :3 Price:2 : 11

Update :  Date of visit :June 2006

   Went back with Mark and Marilou. It was a Tuesday and everything was so off. The grilled calamari was so limp and the sauce was not striking. The meal was still pretty good though.

Gary Danko's - San Francisco , CA

Date of visit : 9/21/05

First and foremost, service was excellent; attentive but not intrusive. All of the staff was courteous and our host was very knowledgeable about both the menu and the wine. We ordered a 5 course meal. Mine as I remember was:

Foie Gras

Frog Legs

Lamb

Duck

Chocolate soufflé

Sina had

                Risotto

                Lobster

                Dry-aged  Tenderloin

                Chocolate soufflé

This has been a while so I will only write about what I have taken notes about.  We did get a signed copy of our menu though so I can probably go back and look at it to give a more detailed review.

Among all these dishes, Sina’s tenderloin was the best although he made a comment that it looked like it was dry-aged and did not like it. His lobster was cooked to utmost succulence; I never thought a lobster could be so juicy and tender! Now since I am mastering the taste of risotto, I can say that Sina’s risotto was overcooked J .

One has to understand that in a tasting menu, some of the dishes may not be what you expect them to be. I was disappointed in my lamb and duck selection. Both of them seemed to have the same Moroccan spices which I was not too fond of. So maybe that was my fault for picking out those dishes. But I think the abomination was the missing skin of the duck that was reduced to crumbles on the side. This was very creative, but not when your customer is a crispy duck skin - loving fiend. But I think one really phenomenal dish, as in out-of-this-world good, is enough to undo the other dishes that you did not care for. And for me it was the pancetta-wrapped frog legs. As you can tell from all my reviews I am a sucker for crispy on the outside, juicy in the inside. The sauce that so sparingly coated the bottom of the dish was probably made of butter, milk and cheese but I must say that is one of the best tasting white sauce I have ever had the fortune to taste! Their plate combinations were impeccable; there was no needless accompaniment that would have detracted from the main dish.

This restaurant had a very good wine selection. But as in other establishments of stature in San Francisco, the prices of the better wines are very, very expensive.

As for the finale, our chocolate soufflé was pretty towering and moist. Great flavor, but I wouldn’t say that it was the best I have tasted. The best that I have had was in La Petite France in Richmond, Va. There, the French chef had it towering several inches high and had the best chocolate sauce in it.

8/25/06

    As of this writing La Petite France has changed owners and so there goes the best soufflé I have ever tasted.

     I will update the Gary Danko’s experience as I probe each crevice in my mind for more information about that wonderful experience.

Rating : Food : 5 Ambience :2 Service :4 Price :2 = 13 

Zuni Cafe - San Francisco ,CA

Date of visit: 9/19/05

Sina and I have been looking forward to eating in this San Francisco institution. We purposely ate light during the day. We arrived at this low-key place, our taxi nearly missed it. We went in the wrong door, but quickly found the maitre’ de. He told us to wait by the bar and our table should be ready in a few minutes.  Now I was prepared for snobby service, so I was prepared when the bartender ignored us, so I quite crisply asked for the wine list.

               After we were seated and ordered our wine, we proceeded to order oysters since I have read that the oyster selection is very good. The oyster that I remembered was the Effingham oyster which had a distinctly sweet taste to it. All our oysters arrived very fresh, which Sina said you can tell by the film of moisture over it.

                Next came the Caesar salad. I would agree would all the other critics that this is definitely one of the best you could ever have. Crisp lettuce dressed just enough to coat it and delicious anchovies all mixed in it. Definitely a Caesar is never complete without this salty delicacy. After that we had the rabbit ratatouille salad which tasted like pork, nothing too remarkable with this one.

                Our main event was the Zuni roast chicken over bread salad. The chicken was not cooked through as I would have liked it but the flavor and crisped skin was there. Now the

Bread salad was very, very good. It was toasted and then soaked in the red wine vinaigrette salad dressing which contained a very good olive oil. Black currants and toasted pine nuts finished off this delicious dish. Sina did say that my version of the chicken is better …good man J .

                For dessert, I had the pear tartlet and crème fraiche ice cream; again … very, very good. All I can remember is that I’ve never had ice cream as creamy and sinful as this and to pair it with a simple pear tartlet all the more enhances the combination of this two.

Rating : Food : 5  Ambience :2 Service :3 Price :3 = 13

Fifth Floor - San Francisco , CA

Date of visit : 9/20/05

              We did not have reservations, but they did allow us to sit at the bar. The wine list was impressive but very pricey. The cabernet I had was very good and complex but at $28 a glass it better be. (We later found out that it was $35 a bottle from Wattle Creek Winery.) My review is from my random notes which I have never fully composed, so thinking about this meal a year later is kind of hard.

Appetizer:

             Dungeonous crab salad – OK

Amuse Bouche :

                Cucumber gazpacho – excellent

                Tomato cheese soup – OK

                Watermelon/caviar/crème fraiche – extraordinary (the explosion of flavor of the sweet watermelon, coupled with the saltiness of the caviar tempered by crème fraiche …what a treat in such a small bite… tickled my palate alright!)

Main Course:

                Sonoma Duck Breast over fingerling potato confit. Oh my word! This is the best duck I have ever had prepared in a fine dining restaurant. Finally someone who knows how to crisp a duck skin properly. And I thought I would have to eat Peking duck forever to get this fix.

                Roasted Lamb Chops – This was as good as any lamb could be. It seems to be milk-fed lamb which made it pretty mild.

Dessert:

                I can say as of this date this is the best dessert I have ever had.  Chocolate Pots de Crème with a hazelnut crème anglaise ! The real clincher was the three mini volcano cakes that accompanied it. Simply divine! As small as the cakes were they managed to have that creamy center. For a true chocolate lover, this dessert is it!

                Sina had a crème fraiche semi-freddo with plum carpaccio fruit salsa. Rich ice cream taste to it but the true winner was the Pots de crème.

Rating : Food : 6 Ambience :2 Service :3 Price:2 = 13

               

Note : We went back two nights later  just for dessert and Sina and I each had a Pots de Crème again.