Tasting Notes: APR 2010

Even people that get PAID to eat out would envy The Foodie's APR Hit List: Amber India, RN74, Ad Hoc, Smuggler's Cove, Commis, Jardiniere, 4505 Meats, Fifth Floor & Humphry Slocombe among others - Bon Apetit!

04.02 - After a long day at WonderCon, we blew off a late dinner @ Slanted Door for an earlier seating @ RN74 (The Hottie r-e-a-l-l-y wanted to go home after 5+ hours of fanboys and cosplayers, but I digress). First off, the bar @ RN74 on a FRI nite @ 5:30 is PACKED, the dining room nearly empty. @ 6:30, the dining room is PACKED and the bar is I-Hope-The-Fire-Marshall-Doesn't-Stop-By-For-Drinks-Packed. If there's a recession going on, Michael Mina wouldn't know it.
As per our previous trips, the Small Plates and Apps looked MUCH more appealing than the Mains (which isn't surprising since Small Plates was the restaurant's o/g concept). The Maitake Mushroom Tempura is one of my favorite starters ANYWHERE ATM and the Smoked Sturgeon Rillettes are not to be missed. The Meat Guy loved his light Hamachi Sashimi, while The Hottie got the daily special -an Octopus Salad- that, literally, sold out within an hour of the restaurant opening. She also took advantage of the wine-by-the-taste and tried something she'd never seen before, let alone consumed: a German Red Wine (Zweigelt)!

04.05 - We took The Meat Guy to Jardiniere for one of their MON "Themed" wine dinners. The APR theme is former chefs returning, and we got Gonzalo Guzman of Nopalito. Bonus: The food was paired with cocktails instead of wines! The Duo of Ceviches was paired with Milagro Margaritas, the Carnitas came with an upscale Michelada and the Tres Leches Cake was paired with a Kahlua & Chocolate Coffee Shot with Brandied Creme that The Meat Guy thought was way too small. Actually, he wanted more of everything (Carnitas, Ceviche, Chips to go WITH the Ceviche...) except the Michelada, which I guess means he liked it all? I already had Nopalito on my radar, but the tortillas ALONE bumped it up a few notches on the Must Visit List...

04.05 - We double-dipped and took the tiki loving Meat Guy to Smuggler's Cove despite being pre-lubricated from the Cocktails @ Jardiniere. His love of rum and all things tiki cannot be underestimated, so this was right in his wheelhouse. Seriously, he hid his loud tiki shirt in his jacket and then changed into it as we left Jardiniere - I couldn't make this sh|t up if I tried. The tables were pretty much all taken by the time we got there, but there were spots at the downstairs bar which was fortuitous since we ending up spending about 2 hours with our new favorite bartender, Marco. Long story short: The Meat Guy had FIVE rum/tiki drinks plus several swigs of the rarer and more obscure rums to be found (and, believe me, Smuggler's Cove EASILY has the widest selection of obscure rums in The City if not The State) and practically had to be pried off the barstool to leave. He's already planning a return trip. For the record, The Hottie had 2 drinks plus a swig of the beer that Thirsty Bear makes for them. She might have had some swigs of rum as well, but it's unlikely she'd remember at that point. And since they both had the munchies AND a designated driver (Yours Truly) we stopped at Nation's for Chili Cheese Fries and Pie before heading home. Again, I couldn't make this sh|t up if I tried.

04.12 - Best. Meal. This. Year!!! Fifth Floor. Too much to write about in such a small space, so I'll post an OpenTable Director's Cut shortly, but I'll leave you with these three words: Popcorn Ice Cream ^_^

04.18 - Since Humphry Slocombe Tweeted that they'd have Foie Gras Ice Cream this weekend, we decided to BART into The City for an early brunch @ farmerbrown before heading to The Mission for ice cream. First off, the decor and vibe of the place is awesome. Their urban take on a southern joint goes well beyond the menu, from the drinks served in mason jars to the weathered aluminum siding to the jazzy playlist. More places should take their concept and just run wild with it. The food selection was kinda small for a buffet brunch, but read like a Greatest Hits of the South: Biscuits, Sausage Gravy, Grits, Home Fries, Fried Chicken & Sweet Potato Pie along with the requisite brunch staples like Bacon, Scrambled Eggs and Pancakes. Everything was at least solid (no low-points to speak of) with the Fried Chicken, Red Velvet Cake, Sweet Tea and Bloody Mary being the stand-outs of the AM.

04.18 - Sad Panda Face. Humphry Slocombe Tweets are Made of Fail! We got there about 15 mins after they opened but there was no Foie Gras Ice Cream to be found!!! >_< If we wanted to wait a couple of hours, they would have some Foie Gras Ice Cream Sammies, but after getting up at the crack of dawn to make it to brunch, The Foodie didn't feel like hanging out in The Mission for another two hours. Even worse, the Best-Thing-Chis-Cosentino-Ever-Ate, Prosciutto Ice Cream, was disappointing. It was savory and it was salty and, yes, even fatty, but not particularly prosciutto-y. They could have called it Pork Belly Ice Cream, Crisco Ice Cream or Chinese BBQ Pork Ice Cream because it tasted as much like those items as it did like prosciutto. It was okay and I'll go back to try more flavors, but with ALL the hype (and mind-blowing Popcorn Ice Cream just a few days earlier), it was rather disappointing. /sigh
On the upside, The Hottie's Secret Breakfast Ice Cream -Bourbon & Corn Flakes- was stellar and pretty much tasted like, well, Boubon and Corn Flakes.

04.22 - How big a foodie is The Foodie? Well, The Professional Liar forwarded us an e-mail from Ad Hoc that they'd be doing a special Bone Marrow offering today so I IMMEDIATELY made early reservations and The Hottie took a half-day off so we could get there early (before they ran out of Bone Marrow). As always, Ad Hoc was awesome and, apparently, we're incapable of being served by anybody other than Trevor or Katie (whom we had this time). Seriously, 6-7 other servers on and we ALWAYS get one or the other...it's kinda freaky. Anyways, the frisee salad with boutique Ham and a light vinaigrette was one of the best green salads I've had in months (prolly this year) and the Hangar Steak Main was served atop Red Quinoa with a long, rustic tube pasta with Kalamata Olives and House-Cured Bacon as a side. Plus, of course, the tasty, tasty Bone Marrow with Paladin Toast and Orange Marmalade. It was good by itself, with the toast or with the marmalade (i.e. it was just, plain good!) and, for the first time ever, The Foodie actually took food home (along with a STACK of their new coasters that might have fallen into our to-go bag - Silly Katie). We were also informed that SUN will be Chicken & Waffles the entire day, but since we're going to Commis the night before, I'm not sure we'll make it : /

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OT Review: Dinner @ Fifth Floor (Director's Cut)

As posted in the Tasting Notes, The Foodie had his BEST. MEAL. THIS. YEAR. at Fifth Floor. What made it so fre||ing good? Well, read on and find out...

REVIEW OF FIFTH FLOOR AS POSTED ON OPENTABLE:

"Despite a change at the top (Jennie Lorenzo replacing James Beard Nominee, Melissa Perrello), Fifth Floor remains one of the top spots on the SF culinary map. The menu is small (a handful of 1st, 2nd & Main) but well thought out. Twice (2nd Course & Dessert), I couldn't decide what I wanted and just ordered both! Virtually every dish is a work of art showcasing technique and attention to detail & with 100's of selections, the wine list is more like a phone book. Stand out dishes were the Waygu Strip with amazing "Tater Tots", perfectly cooked Hen Breast with Risotto, Prawns & Lobster Sauces poured tableside & the Fifth Floor Sundae with Popcorn Ice Cream. I will DEFINITELY be returning with friends to try the 6-course,$72 tasting menu!"

Overall: 5 Stars.
Food: 5 Stars.
Ambiance: 4 Stars.
Service: 4 Stars.
Noise: 2 (Moderate)

THE DIRECTOR'S CUT/COMMENTARY:

The first thing I had to cut was the Wines by the Glass: The selection is small but, like the menu, well thought out and had interesting choices while remaining affordable (at least by SF standards - several choices in the $10-$12 range).

Also, I had no space to mention the decor, which is nice enough in a modern sort of way, but nothing special. Then again, it's on the 5th floor of an old-school hotel, so it's not like they can have a vaulted ceiling or giant windows. The most annoying thing about the Fifth Floor's layout was the entrance to the restaurant is w-a-a-a-a-a-a-y past the bar/lounge and isn't readily apparent unless you've been there before (which we hadn't).

As for the dishes The Foodie couldn't decide on, one was the Kobe Beef Tartare with Wasabi and Ponzu that you scooped up with Taro Chips and the Foie Gras with Almond Pain Perdu and Orange Cardamom Gel. They both kicked serious @$$ (The Hottie liked the sweet/savory Foie Gras on French Toast so much, she said she'd get it for dessert if there wasn't anything that caught her eye, but since there were Fried Donuts with Stout Ice Cream, that didn't happen) and The Foodie would make the same choice again (i.e. no choice made...get both!). For dessert, there was no possible way to pass up on a "Sundae" with Molten Chocolate Cake, Popcorn Ice Cream and Malted Foam but the Strawberry/Banana dessert with Tapioca (they call them "pearls" but we all know it's tapioca), Fried Bananas, Plantain Chips, Banana Cake Croutons and Strawberry-Muscat Sorbet was too appealing to ignore. In the end the Sundae was the better of the two and, yes, the Popcorn Ice Cream really tasted like popcorn, just in a very cold, semi-solid form. It was a trippy, delicious dish that, like everything else that came out of the kitchen, reeked of the high-end modern cuisine (with j-u-s-t enough molecular gastronomy tossed in) that makes you re-think what food can be.

Suffice to say, Fifth Floor is in no danger of losing their Michelin Star.

EXPANDED ZAGAT-STYLE RATINGS:

FOOD: 27
DECOR: 22
SERVICE: 25
PRICE: E

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