i can haz michelin star

Another Road Trip!

2011-11-09T15:38:00.000-08:00

So The Foodie is headed to SoCal on a last minute Hey-These-Airline-Miles-Are-Gonna-Expire Trip and, as always, I have waaaaaay more places to go than time to actually go there. Even on a 4-day, 3-night trip there's no way to go to all the new places (Playa, Wurstkuche Venice, Killer Shrimp), "old" places I haven't gotten to yet (The Ludo Truck, Lucques, Patina) and places I've been and would happily re-visit (Animal, Son of a Gun, Gordon Ramsay, Villain's Tavern, etc.). So, in a nutshell, here are places I WANT to hit up over the weekend...I just don't know that I can get to all of them:

- MO-CHICA. Food & Wine Best New Chef 2011. 'nuff said.

- PLAYA. 2011 Esquire Chef of the Year + Best New Restaurants 2011. Again, 'nuff said.

- LUCQUES. Rated ZAGAT's Best Restaurant in WeHo (27 Food, 24 Decor, 25 Service) and, more importantly, Frank Bruni listed their Short Ribs as a "Best Thing I Eve Ate".

- LUDO TRUCK. The ONE L.A. Food Truck I've really wanted to hit, but I haven't been able to hook up with The Big Red Coq yet. Yes, I'm aware how that came across. Mission Accomplished.

- UMAMAMI BURGER/ZANKOU CHICKEN/YAKITORIA/PITFIRE PIZZA. Three of the four are on the Best-Thing-I-Ever-Ate checklist and while I'm guessing there won't be room in my stomach for ANY of them on this particular trip, they're still on my Hit List.

- WURSTKUCHE VENICE. The Hottie was...um..."resting" the last time we went to the o/g Wurstkuche, so she still doesn't remember the visit. Plus, they're giving away FREE sausage this week!

- KILLER SHRIMP. Not a big foodie destination, but The meat Guy took us there nearly a decade ago and it closed shortly thereafter >_< Recently resurrected in a new location it's time to go back even though I know it can't POSSIBLY be as good as I remember...

- EL CHATO TRUCK. I'm a fan of Taco Trucks in general and, at least according to Serious Eats, this is one of the best in L.A.! Plus it's open late and tacos are only $1/pop ^_^

REPEAT OFFENDERS: VILLAIN'S TAVERN, BEER BELLY, TOMMY'S, SPRINKLES CUPCAKES, KOGI TRUCK(S), TIKI-TI.

Live Blog: Vegas! (DAY 1)

2011-09-08T09:50:00.000-07:00

Heading to Vegas for our annual Labor Day Trip where The Meat Guy flies in from L.A. and we stay up waaaaaay too late while eating & drinking ourselves silly (mixed in w/blackjack, shopping & pool time @ The Hard Rock). For a change, we plan on eating on the 'cheap'. Cheap being a relative term for The Foodie, as we still plan on going to some high end places (Fleur by Hubert Keller, China Poblano, Simon, American Fish, Estiatorio Milos, Julian Serrano & Seablue are on the Hit List) but take advantage of the special offers, happy hours & promos floating around.

MON, SEP 5

11:37 – Quick stop @ Raiders Image to get a polo for The Meat Guy. See, we plan on wearing NFL gear on THU since it's the season kickoff but, apparently, he has no decent gear. Actual exchange:

Hottie: Do you have this in a 3x?
Raider Image Employee: On the rack behind where you found that one we have sizes 3x to 6x.
Hottie: [Kind of shocked that they carry 5 & 6x's]Seriously?
Raider Image Employee: Yeah...[pause...shrug] Raiderfan.

That being said, don't mock Fattie the Raiderfan. He's got a blade or a gun and so do his 6 drunk friends. Just sayin'...

11:43 Since the polo side quest took no time @ all we swing by In-n-Out for a Animal Cheeseburger & Arnold Palmer. Beats the hell out of Overpriced Airport Food!

11:58 – Luck be a lady tonight! Out of the 4000ish parking spots @ OAK we are in spot #8! Seriously, it's like winning the lottery or something. I'm closer than Handicap parking spots and could spit on cars in the Hourly Lot. I'm hoping the luck continues.

11:59 – Lucky streak over >_< As I get out of the car I notice that the front of my shirt got a good dosing of In-n-Out sauce while I was eating my burger on the way to the airport. The Hottie chides me for getting an Animal Style Burger on the run anyways, 'You were asking for trouble'. Meh.

6:02 – You can tell we're NOT in L.A. Or Frisco 'cause the amateurs in Vegas are stopping at the metering lights. Problem is...IT'S LABOR DAY YOU NUBS, the metering lights aren't on! Doesn't keep them from stopping though. /facepalm

6:10 – Since the Human Time Warp took so long “putting away his clothes” (something he's NEVER done crashing at our place), we're @ Frankie's since we couldn't have gotten to any of Happy Hours w/o being rushed. That's okay, gives him a chance to add to his Tiki Mug Collection...

9:05 – I know it's not a Michelin-y place, but there's not much to complain about @ Johnny Smalls. Good staff, slick décor & some interesting smalls plates. And, at only $25 ($20 with your Players Card), it's dumb NOT to do the All-You-Can-Eat.

10:28 – A large party with a hot, tall blonde and & dude that looks like Carrot Top gets sat next to us. Oh wait! I'm in Vegas...that IS Carrot Top' [Insert Prop Comedy Joke Here].

10:37 – The bill arrives and it feels like we've gotten away with something ^_^ $125 for a dozen food items; 2 cocktails, 3 beers and a giant bottle of Pellegrino. Granted, The Meat Guy helped inflate the stats, but since a lot of the plates come in multiples of 3 (3 lettuce cups, 3 salmon tater tots, 6 pieces of sushi, etc.) it's perfect for us. I leave a fat tip & we're off!

11:22 – Luck be a lady tonight! I've lost, maybe, 2 hands in 10 mins @ the Hells Belles Tables and doubled my $$$! Time to get the %*@# out of Dodge, particularly since some withered, old creepy guy sat down with $125 in singles and the poor dealer had to count them out one by one. Side Note: I really like the yellow chips ^_^

11:29 – No joke, after cashing in my chip & heading up to the room we pass the same withered, old creepy guy shuffling through the casino with a soulless, dazed look. Dude! It was only a $10 table! How did you blow through your stack THAT fast? Now I'm extra glad I left when I did.

Jose Andres Loves Me!

2011-07-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

No seriously, he does! And here's the proof: Jose Andres <3 The Michelin Star. Or, for those of you who are too damn lazy to click a link, here's the photographic evidence ^_^

Of course, if he'd read my Blog Entry from 2009 @jose.andres G that "Club" the TFO of your "Restaurant" he prolly wouldn't lurve me. But he hasn't, so he does. So there!

P.S. And, YES, while I haven't posted anything in months I DO still eat out WAAAAAAAAAAAY too much and, when noteworthy, tweet about things I like (or things that EPIC FAIL) via @The MichelinStar, so check it out if you want.

Live Blog: Happy B-Day Meat Guy (DAY3)

2010-11-23T14:37:00.000-08:00

Live Blog: Happy B-Day Meat Guy (DAY2)

2010-11-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

Since the O/G Live Blog for L.A. was a ginormous Wall of Text, I made the executive decision to break it down into 3 posts for each of the 3 days. That should make it a little more palattable. If you didn't read the first day (SAT), scroll down & read that first.

11.07.10 (SUN)

10:58 - The Meat Guy is 30 mins late picking us up and blames it on OBI SHWN. No seriously, Google OBI SHWN and look for the Honda that looks like a Rebel Alliance Vehicle. I'll wait...

...

...so yeah, either Shawn lives in Tinseltown (which would make sense with all the F/X jobs here) or there's some sort of Sci-Fi con going on, cause he was on the road this AM and, well, The Meat Guy was speeding up and slowing down alongside him to take it all in.

Regardless we're on the road again to yet another Food Truck and we brought The Meat Guy's nemesis, Gemma (a.k.a. our GPS), mostly for entertainment value.

11:24 - It doesn't take long for a payoff as Gemma's pronunciation of La Brea annoys The Meat Guy. I'm not sure where "Lay Bree" Avenue is but it seems to be near La Brea Avenue. Silly Gemma!

11:33 - The champagne "brunch" organized by Domaine L.A. is a bit of a clusterfuck as it seems that you can't actually GET the brunch unless you pre-ordered. Of course that wasn't stated ANYWHERE on their site or announcement of the event and, if you could ONLY buy tix in advance, why would you put down that "savings" you were getting by buying advance tickets? That kinda implies buying tix the day of event is possible. FAIL!

In spite of the confusion, the Lardon end of the event is fine. We can't order the Brunch Bento of Pumpkin French Toast but the rest of the menu is available and...NO LINE! The Egg slut that she is, The Hottie gets the B-Fast Sando on a Cibattia Roll and I try their signature Baco (A B-Fast Taco with a Bacon "Shell"). It's a challenge to eat, for sure, as the shell lacks any real structural integrity but they get an A for effort. Plus, any combination of eggs, fried potatoes & good, quality bacon is going to taste yummy after a late nite out, amirite?

11:55 - The theme of the trip continues as we're now in line @ Pink's. Yes, this wasn't really planned but the Lardon Truck was only a few blocks from Pink's and I'm always down with Meat in Tube Form. Plus, I went for the classic Chili Dog last time & want to try one of the wacky creations this time. Sadly, the Wendy Williams Dog is no more so we opt for the Ultimate HoffDog: 2 Dogs, 1 Bun, Kraut, Swiss & Pastrami. The Hottie wants some of their Orange Neon Fries and, at the last minute, I order a Chili-Cheese Stretch Dog too cause that's how I roll. The Meat Guy orders a behemoth construct called The America The Beautiful Dog with Bacon, Pastrami, Lettuce & Tomato on a Jalapeno Dog that isn't a hot dog at all...it's a friggin sausage. It's yummy but waaaaaaaaay more than anybody should be expected to eat, especially 30 mins after a visit to the Lardon Truck.

1:11 - The Meat Guy somehow breaks Gemma who now refuses to show anything in front his BMW. The route and surrounding DO get drawn in...AFTER he passes them. Since she's never exhibited this behavior before, he's convinced that our GPS is out to get him.

1:47 - We stop @ Santa Monica Hooters to watch the Raiders/Chiefs game and while it's hardly a Foodie destination it IS a great place to watch football. The Hottie's decked out in her Raider's gear and, since LA was home to the Raiders for a decade, there are plenty of Raiders fans to cheer on the Silver & Black. Layoutwise, this Hooters is the best I've seen: A big circular bar along with a large, funky, multi-leveled layout and a crapton of TV's. $12 Shocktop pitchers don't hurt either.

4:23 - I've been in Santa Monica Place (an upscale, outdoor "mall") less than an hour and just saw my FIFTH dog wearing clothing! Seriously SoCal, WTF is up with dogs in clothing? It's friggin' 70+ degrees in NOV FFS. Your dog aint cold (it has fur, after all) and it now dreams of killing you in your sleep. And, honestly, no jury is going to convict Prince Puppykins when he tears out your larynx - you deserved it!

6:33 - Gemma tells The Meat Guy to turn at Lay Ti'Jerra Blvd. I think he's developing a nervous tick at this point.

6:39 - Here's the truly amazing thing about L.A. Traffic, there's a 24-hour, dedicated carpool lane PLUS six regular lanes and the 405 is STILL jammed on a SUN nite? There's a reason you pull up a Goggle Map for directions and while it says the distance is 20 miles, the time, in traffic, is over an hour to get there. W. T. F.

7:07 - When people said that Animal had no decor, they weren't kidding. No color, nothing to speak of on the walls, there's not even signage! Oh, and the Men's Room was positively scary. Seriously, the crapper at your local AM/PM was in better shape than theirs o_O. Layoutwise, it reminds me of SPQR and Commis: A long, narrow space, crammed with tables and a tiny bar with no place to wait for your table (barely a host stand, for that matter). But, it's Animal. You're not here for the amazing view, the decadent marble tiled loo or white truffles shaved tableside by Garcon. You're here for Pig Tails "Buffalo Style" & Pig Ear with Chili, Lime & topped w/a Fried Egg. Personally, I went for the Poutine with Oxtail Gravy & thought it was the best dish of the night. Long story short, Poutine is (more or less) a Canadian version of Chili Cheese Fires with Gravy instead of Chili. Not upscale by any means, but Animal elevated it to ZOMGBBQ status. The "gravy" wasn't gravy so much as oxtail braised to fall-apart-to-the-touch status (think braised short ribs) in a thick, rich sauce. There was definitely more meat than gravy in this "gravy", but one should expect no less from Animal. I also got to check another dish off my Best Thing I Ever Ate List (The Bacon Chocolate Crunch Bar), but it wasn't. It's good, but you're talking to a guy that has at least a couple of Vosges Bacon/Chocolate bars on hand @ any given time, so the 'WOW' factor of the Bacon/Chocolate/Salt combo is long since gone for me. Tasty, yes. Best. Thing. Ever? Hardly.

8:37 - On my way back from the Scariest. Loo. Ever. I see not one but TWO flashes as people take pics of their food. Okay people, I know it's a Foodie destination and J-Gold called Animal the most influential restaurant in L.A.,"...the one where visiting chefs go when they have time for only one dinner in town" but, seriously kids, KNOCK IT OFF WITH THE EFFING FLASH! You want a pic, fine? I take pics too. But I don't need to be blinded in the process.

8:52 - We arrive at our most disappointing stop of the trip, The Tar Pit, for some drinks, but the surprisingly smallish bar is packed and what looks like open lounge seating is oddly unavailable. No matter, The Hottie doesn't really care that some self-important douche is trying to "save" 3 seats for his buddies and squeezes into the bar. The drinks are good enough, but the Pickled Deviled Eggs pale next to the Wayfare Tavern version we had last month and, frankly, the live music is meh & too loud for such a small space. Also, the band clearly invited all their friends (and co-workers & neighbors & twitter followers & that guy the on the corner they talked to once before...) to see them play, so all the overly-loud, fake enthusiasm is annoying. We bug out quickly as everybody looks at us like we're crazy. Sorry people, we came to the bar to drink (novel concept, I know) & I don't really care about your friend/co-worker/dude you talked to once.

Live Blog: Happy B-Day Meat Guy (DAY1)

2010-11-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

This weekend, The Foodie is using The Meat Guy's B-Day as an excuse to head to SoCal and check off some more squares on the Culinary Bingo Card. Target #1 is Animal which, for some bizarre reason, THE MEAT GUY has never gone to. Let me repeat that...somebody that happily wears the moniker of THE MEAT GUY hasn't gone to Animal, easily the single most carnivore-tastic, meat-centric restaurant in L.A. if not the entire West Coast. I suppose it's because he's a social retard but, come on, he's been to Simon L.A. on his own and that place is waaaaaay more trendy/douchebag than Animal. I have no words.

Also on the Hit List: The Tar Pit, Culina, Wurstkuche, Villains Tavern and, since it's IS L.A., as many Food Trucks as we can track down (I'm talking to YOU Ludo Truck, Nom Nom & Lardon! Grill Em All can Die in a Fire for all I care...).

NOTE: If you want to check out The Hit List (or just stalk us this weekend) here's a Google Map for the trip:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104410773067872259158.000494444fef7f11b1fab&ll=34.000304,-118.296318&spn=0.241078,0.467262&z=12)

11.06.10 (SAT)

9:31 AM - Normally weekenders, by their very nature, run FRI-SUN, however by flying SAT-MON we gain a few more hours (and, thus, another meal) in L.A. and saved a huge chunk of $$$ on airfare (and, thus, $$$ for another meal). Also, Cal is playing Washington State today, which means we're not missing much on the College Football Front. As trips go, I have surprisingly few OT reservations although that has more to do with our destinations being Bars and Food Trucks. That and, for some bizarre reason, L.A. has a freakish amount of bars & restaurants that are closed on SUN & MON. Seriously: The Edison, Tiki-Ti, Villains Tavern, Cana Rum Bar and a lot of the Food Trucks are ALL closed SUN & MON? WTF L.A.?!? MON I can kinda get...but SUN??? Yeah...nobody wants to drink on the weekend. This just means that The Meat Guy & The Lush -err- The Hottie will end up getting smashed today as they cram all their bar hopping into 6 hours and then spend the rest of the trip recovering.

Anyways, I'm quickly having to change my gameplan as the Food Trucks are bailing on me! Seriously, Ludo Truck has a private event & Nom Nom has nothing listed for today, so it looks like they're taking the day off >_< We CAN get to a Kogi Truck but, well, there are FIVE of them these days so that's not a shocker and the Grilled Cheese Truck is supposed to be parked by the 69 Adult Toys Shop on Ventura. Yes, there's a Food Truck that sells nothing but Grilled Cheese. Yes, it's parked outside a Porn Shop. No, I couldn't make this sh|t up if I tried. Dogtown seems M.I.A. & the Venice Beach Mr. Beef is temporarily closed, but at least we've got a hook-up for Lardon tomorrow, so I'm not worried about them ATM.

9:44 - Note to Southwest: Don't call people to start lining up and then disappear for ten minutes. If we're boarding, we're boarding...otherwise let us sit with our wireless devices that we won't be able to use for the next hour and a half.

Also, somebody is bringing a crapton of Sourdough to La-La-Land cause I can easily smell the loaves even though I can't see them.

11:58 - First stop in L.A. is the aforementioned Grilled Cheese Truck and the line is GINORMOUS! We drop The Hottie off in the mass of humanity as we try to shark a parking spot.

12:14 - Not only is the line long, but this line is S.L.O.W. SLOW! Seriously, 15 minutes in line and we've moved 10 feet as most. It's not just us noticing either, pretty much everybody else in line is wondering what's up.

12:43 - STILL in the line to nowhere, so The Hottie heads across the street to Walgreens to get some Zeroes...not like there's anything else to do, amirite?

1:11 - I just spent $26.50 on 3 Grilled Cheese Sandos after waiting over an hour in line. Mind you, we don't HAVE them yet - that'll prolly be another 15-20 mins - we just have the order in. At this point Thomas Keller could be crafting the sandwiches with cheese made from Christina Hendricks breast milk and using the searing hotness of Angelina Jolie to melt the damn things and it STILL wouldn't be worth it.

1:29 - 90+ minutes since we arrived, we've got our Sandwiches & Tater Tots. My Cheesy Mac Sandwich is a nice blend of Mac & Cheese and, well, Cheese Cheese. It's gooey but not too messy and it has a really nice crust. The Hottie got the Special of the Day (Turkey, Cheddar & Apples on Walnut Bread) and thinks her sandwich is better than mine. She's wrong...but it's still tasty. Worth 90 minutes? No...but still yummy. The Meat Guy, naturally, opted for the Fully Loaded which was my sandwich with the addition of BBQ Pork & Carmelized Onions. He doesn't like it and claims he can't really taste the pork and didn't see that it had Mac & Cheese on it. IDK on either count. It's plenty porky and we TALKED about how his sandwich was mine with pork and onions while standing in the Line From Hell. I didn't get it simply because it seemed like overkill, and it was. The flavors got too muddled with THAT much stuff crammed between 2 pieces of "sourdough". Sounds good on paper but, in the end, it doesn't deliver. Oh and the Tater Tots were soggy and yucky. We had two orders and left about an order and a half in the garbage...and the Meat Guy loves Tater Tots! Bottom Line: For a Food Truck it's got some tasty product, but it's simply not worth the wait. Honestly, I can't think of much that's worth an hour and a half in line...

2:24 - We're @ the Tory Burch Outlet Store in Camarillo. Why? Well, it's the only one on the West Coast and The Hottie has thousands of dollars of Tory Burch Product. Then again, we're talking shoes, tunics, purses & dresses in the $200-$500/range, so thousands of $$$ isn't that hard to reach. Let's put it this way, The Hottie is WEARING her new Neiman Marcus Exclusive Tory Burch Camo Jacket (because military it totally showing this season...no, I'm not making that up) as we walk INTO the store. Let the shopping begin.

5:01 - Two Tanks, One Polo, One Tee, One Ring, One Necklace, One Kimono Dress, One Bracelet, One Purse, One Set of Cufflinks & One Pair of Flip Flops later we're finally done at what The Meat Guy called 'A Mall Amusuement Park'. It is a massive, impressive, sprawling center to be sure. Even The Meat Guy bought stuff and dude RARELY buys new clothes. Sadly, 1.5 hours @ Grilled Cheese + 2.5 hours @ the mall have left my feet in serious pain. The hour plus ride back to our hotel sounds pretty good right about now.

5:11 - I'm eating a McRib...deal with it. I was thirsty & the food court @ the outlet shops made The Hottie queasy, so we headed to McD's for a $1 sweet tea (a guilty pleasure of The Foodie) before heading onto the freeway. Anyways, they're plugging the McRib and it's been all over the news and practically viral on the web so I got one for the first time in...well...at least a decade? I'm sure the 'pork' is of dubious quality and the closet it ever got to a BBQ is when the frozen patties were driven past a genuine BBQ joint but it's still messy, tasty & oddly satisfying. Granted, there isn't much there, there but, then again, there isn't much to Megan Fox or Best Thing I Ever Ate and I still like them.

6:40 - In line @ the Kogi Truck in Inglewood and it smells sooooooo good. We found an amazingly close parking spot, which is good cause the area seems to have The Meat Guy a little freaked out: "I really don't trust street parking here." Whatev...at least this line moves.

6:51 - 10 mins later & our order is in. We opt for the Kogi Dog, a BBQ Pork Taco & Chicken Taco for less than ten bucks. Cheap eats, ftw!

7:07 - The Hottie is really digging the Kim Chi Slaw on the Kogi Dog and barely lets me get a bite of it before it's gone. POOF! It's tasty, but I prefer the sweet/savory combo of the BBQ Pork taco. I've had it once before, but this time it wasn't the end of service, so the meat's a little fresher and they were far more generous with the slaw. The chicken taco was a chicken taco /shrug. Not bad, but it didn't really have the Korean/Mexican fusion aspect of the dog and the pork.

7:28 - We got the Short Bus Room. No really, it's the handicap accessible room which means it's actually a little bigger than a normal room, so not a bad thing at all. It's kind of like a mini-suite & much nicer than our disappointing Four Points room last trip.

9:44 - I learn what a Ghetto Bird is (apparently it's a Police Helicopter). Even in the 510 we don't see Helis flying overhead with spotlights shining down on the streets like you see in the movies but, in The City of Angels, it's so common they've got a nickname for them. Who knew?

10:06 - After trying to shark a spot for over 10 minutes The Foodie makes the executive decision to bail on Wurstkuche in favor of Villains Tavern. There's simply no parking in a 4-5 block radius and it's not like we're the only people looking for parking either. Wurstkuche is open on SUN, so we could always try them manana.

10:10 - Villain's Tavern is very loud (live music you can hear a block away) and very kewl. A new kid on the block, VT went for a vintage, Steampunk vibe and managed to pull it off without coming across too Goth or cheesy. Their "thing" is Shots & Beer (about a dozen of each, so TONS of combinations) in 3 different sizes and served in mason jars along with handcrafted cocktails with obscure ingredients & villainous names like Cerberus, Poison Apple & Belladonna.

10:49 - Although the outside of Villain's Tavern can hold about five times the amount that the inside can, seating in both places is virtually non-existent and highly sought after. Somehow we managed to snag an inside table though our luck ran out there as they were out of two different beers we wanted as well as the Bourbon Bacon Caramel Corn. Instead we got the Wicked Fries with Parm & Parsley which were okay, but lacked any real flair. The deep-fried Chickpeas with Chili-Lemon Sea Salt were a much better choice.

11:26 - JACKPOT! We left VT in hopes that we could find a spot near Wurstkuche & we did. It may not matter to The Hottie though as the overproof whiskey shots & beer have clearly taken their toll.

11:58 - The theme of the day continues we we stand in a long @$$ line...again! I opt for the duck & bacon sausage that tastes like neither duck nor bacon but is tasty nonetheless. The fries aren't what I expected (skin on and not uniformly cut) but are seriously good frites! The walnut/blue cheese dipping sauce is equally good but I'm not feeling The Meat Guy's selection of Curry Ketchup. As for The Hottie, she's passed out on the bench complaining about the cucumber infused H20 they serve. Lesson learned, next time Food THEN Shots. Vice versa doesn't work nearly as well...

Feel Free To Call Me A Genius

2010-10-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

Savant. Soothsayer. Prognosticator. Oracle. They all fit ^_^ Around this time last year, The Foodie was quite excited about Luce getting a Michelin Star. Not JUST because he felt they deserved it but, also, because he predicted it. See, it doesn't take a genius to know that a Thomas Keller restaurant will get favorable reviews or that Mary's Pizza Shack won't make the Michelin Guide. Those are a given. But knowing what places deserve a star -rather than merely a mention- is a far more subtle thing. Last year, I argued that Chef Crenns cuisine was as creative as any in the city and she deserved a star, which she got. This year, I wrote the following about the Michelin-Starred Range:

"Range left The Foodie a bit confused. More often than not, when you're dining at a place with a Michelin Star, you KNOW it. From the moment you walk into a place like Quince, Madrona Manor, Michael Mina or Ritz-Carlton you KNOW you're about to have a high-end dining experience. To a lesser extent this is true at slightly more casual/business friendly places like Boulevard, Commis, Luce, One Market, Redd & The Village Pub. Range seemed MUCH more like a "mention" than a true Star. Now, don't get me wrong, the food we had was good BUT nothing about Range (the space, the service, the creativity/technique of the food - the 'stuff' Michelin normally loves) screamed Michelin Star. The overall experience was no more Wow-worthy than recent trips to Chez Papa Resto & Thermidor and, honestly, if I'm going to go out of my way to dine in SF I'd much rather go to mere Michelin Mentioned spots like SPQR or Baker & Banker (which, yes, isn't technically rated yet but will be). And, yes, The Foodie realizes he didn't mention ANYTHING about the actual food. He's okay with that."

Fast-forward to today when the 2011 guide hit the shelves and, predictably, Range lost their star and was relegated to a mere mentioned status. So HOW did I know? I can't really point to any one thing and it might simply be a function of going to so many Starred places that I have a pretty good feel for what they look for. It's not like Range had telltale signs like chef drama (e.g. Aqua & Fifth Floor) or moving locations (e.g. Michael Mina & Quince) that caused their stock to drop, they just didn't have "IT". When discussing it with The Hottie, I compared it to the NCAA Tourney and said that Range MUST have been the last team in. In other words, they were the lowest rated place to still merit a Michelin Star and, clearly, they were.

And while I'm busy basking in my teeny-tiny sliver of glory don't give me "Well, why didn't you predict that Meadowood would get a 3rd star?!?" or "You didn't say Chez Panisse would lose THEIR star too!!!" as I haven't been to either. Simply check the list on the right. The Foodie has been a busy boy this year but even HE can't go to EVERY Michelin-Starred place in a year...or CAN he??? /queue foreboding music.

Tasting Notes - SEP 2010

2010-09-30T21:35:00.000-07:00

09.06 - Since The Meat Guy still has dreams about the Buffalo he had a couple of years ago @ miX, I knew we'd have to return once I saw that it was now a regular menu item. Would it be as good as he remembered? Of course not. Once you elevate something to Best Thing I EVER Ate status, you've doomed it. It will most likely be very good, maybe even awesome, but the surprise and 'WOW!' factor are gone - you now know what to expect.
Best part of the meal? The service. We got the SAME server from our JUL trip (who had remembered us from a previous trip), so we once again got the V.I.P. service & bonus courses (Rock Shrimp & Dayboat Scallop Ceviche + the Warm Coconut Foam/Mango Puree pallette cleansing concoction). Also, our table wasn't quite ready upon arrival, so we waited in the lounge which, oddly, The Foodie had never done before, but now highly recommends. The views in the bar area (of both the landscape and the ridiculously hot servers) are awesome and while Bauer The Cheapskate might whine about the cocktail prices, we happened to be there during Happy Hour (which, in Vegas, is, like, 8-10...Prime-time everywhere else), so we got a deal on the drinks too. miX remains The Foodies Go-To Vegas Restaurant.

09.07 - After MANY failed attempts, The Foodie FINALLY got his Best. Eggs. EVER. again. I sadly found out that the Oeuf Au Gratin are too labor intensive to serve on weekends (which is the majority of our Vegas excursions) & the last time we showed up on a weekday we missed b-fast by fifteen minutes & ended up eating a box lunch by the Venetian Pool -_-

Much like The Meat Guy's miX Buffalo, I KNEW it wouldn't be AS good as the first time (and it wasn't) but it didn't matter, the eggs were still spectacularly creamy and worth getting up @ 8:00 AM for (yes, they're THAT good). The Hottie had the Bouchon French Toast which, of course, was nothing like French Toast as you or I know it. In The Kellerverse, "French Toast" is about 3 or 4 rounds of custard soaked brioche with layers of baked, caramelized apples in-between each layer sitting in a pool of warm maple syrup. Each bite prolly had about a thousand calories and it's even better than it sounds. It's "Breakfast" only in the technical sense, kind of like the classic Bill Cosby Chocolate-Cake-For-Breakfast Routine.

Food Porn: 4505 Meats Fritolicious Dog

2010-09-02T16:49:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, The Foodie has a tendency to go to the Ferry Building on THU's & spend way to much coin in a very short amount of time. One of the main culprits is Ryan Farr's 4505 Meats & his ridiculously good Chicharrones. ANY time I hit his stand I need at least a bag for me & a bag for The Hottie (maybe 2) plus whatever wonderful concoction he's dreamed up for that given THU. On this THU, it happened to be the Fritolicious Dog: A SF Golden Dog topped with Beef Brisket AND housemade corn chips DUSTED in Chicharrones Powder!!! He had tweeted earlier in the week that he was working on the Chicharrones Fritos earlier in the week and I knew THEN what I'd be doing on THU afternoon ^_^

Tasting Notes - AUG 2010

2010-08-31T15:45:00.000-07:00

AUG left The Foodie wondering how Range haz a Michelin Star, exactly how much StarCraft one has to play to disable ones hand & if Marlowe will ever get sick of slinging burgers.

08.06 - Range left The Foodie a bit confused. More often than not, when you're dining at a place with a Michelin Star, you KNOW it. From the moment you walk into a place like Quince, Madrona Manor, Michael Mina or Ritz-Carlton you KNOW you're about to have a high-end dining experience. To a lesser extent this is true at slightly more casual/business friendly places like Boulevard, Commis, Luce, One Market, Redd & The Village Pub. Range seemed MUCH more like a "mention" than a true Star. Now, don't get me wrong, the food we had was good BUT nothing about Range (the space, the service, the creativity/technique of the food - the 'stuff' Michelin normally loves) screamed Michelin Star. The overall experience was no more Wow-worthy than recent trips to Chez Papa Resto & Thermidor and, honestly, if I'm going to go out of my way to dine in SF I'd much rather go to mere Michelin Mentioned spots like SPQR or Baker & Banker (which, yes, isn't technically rated yet but will be). And, yes, The Foodie realizes he didn't mention ANYTHING about the actual food. He's okay with that.

08.08 - Since Range left The Foodie feeling gypped this weekend, so a trip to Ad Hoc for brunch was in order. For the first time in...well...forever nether Katie NOR Trevor was our server and, ironically, as we were telling our waiter this, Katie swung by with two House Special Sangrias to welcome us back. Trevor (sporting an arm brace from playing too much StarCraft - no, I'm not making that up) also popped over to say hi and explain his injury.
Foodwise, the menu was extraordinary. We started with the Ad Hoc version of a Breakfast Pizza which was much like the vaunted version down the street @Redd, just minus the scrambled eggs. Redd's might be better, but nobody's going to kick the Ad Hoc version out of bed, especially with the deft addition of Chili Oil that added just a t-o-u-c-h of heat. We then moved on to Housemade Waygu Corned Beef that was brined for 7 days and THEN sous vide for over a day!!! That means that, over a week ago, the back of the house had to start making food they were going to serve in, like, ten days o_O Served with fluffy, velvety eggs and crispy potatoes roasted in duck fat it might well be the best meal I've EVER had at Ad Hoc.

08.10 - SF Chefs Week ran a promo where participating restaurants offered special deals (think Dine About Town) featuring pork & thus The Foodie found himself tucked into one of those novelty-sized white booths @ XYZ. The Fig & Pig Salad with crispy pig parts was well balanced as a starter, but The Hottie's Pork Tenderloin was a bit overcooked for the main (for the record, mine wasn't nearly as dry, thought it was still on the well-done side of the meter). But the star of the nite (aside from the remarkably stellar service for a "hotel restaurant") was the Warm Nectarine Tart with Corn Ice Cream & Candied Bacon. They had me at the mere mention of Corn Ice Cream but the surprisingly complexity of what was essentially jumbo bacon bits dipped in simple syrup added a contrast of textures and flavors with it's salty/smokiness w/o overpowering the dessert. Just a very well though out dessert that XYZ should consider putting on their regular offerings.

08.19 - First off the Burger @ Marlowe might well be worth all the hype if you're looking for a hi-end restaurant burger. It's certainly better than the more hyped (and more expensive) burger @ Father's Office which many consider to be the best patty in La-La-Land. And they are BEYOND popular to boot. I didn't see a single table that didn't order at least one and, in some cases, the entire table got burgers. The Foodie actually felt a bit guilty ordering the burger but since that's what they're known for, why fight it? I promised our server I'd order something different next time. FYI, the Brussels Sprout Chips (if available) are not to be missed. The Hottie, who hasn't voluntarily eaten a brussels sprout in the last 20 years, was stuffing her face with them as she tried to explain how there was something not quite right with them. MUNCH*MUNCH*MUNCH* The Foodie is not big fan of said Sprout either, but they were terribly addictive & creative although I sincerely feel for the poor cook that has to take apart each sprout leaf by tiny leaf...

Tasting Notes - JUL 2010

2010-07-31T17:34:00.000-07:00

Any month that starts with SPQR and ends with Commis is going to be a good month :D Throw in a Vegas Road Trip, TWO visits to newly opened joints and a "themed" dinner @ Orson and you're pretty much guar-damn-teed an awesome month! Did I mention we saved about $75 using Blackboard Eats to boot?

07.01 - Finally tried SPQR sans Appleman and was happy with virtually everything about the place (except maybe the uber-cramped seating - but it is what it is). The prices were EXCEEDINGLY reasonable which was good because The Foodie couldn't decide which pasta he wanted so, predictably, he got both: Tagliatelle with Sea Urchin & Spicy Tomato Sauce AND Pappardelle with Lamb's Quarter & Summer Truffle. Of the two, the Pappardelle with the better choice (the spiciness of the sauce NUKED the Urchin into submission and was barely noticeable) but both paled compared to The Hottie's choice, Beef Cheek Pyramids which was the daily special. Just imagine tender, falling apart short ribs tucked inside pyramids of lightly sauteed pasta in a browned butter sauce. If you're lucky enough to see it as a special, get it! Ditto on the fried-to-order Cherry Pie Thingies...they were awesome. Also worth noting, this was the first SF location to be on Blackboard Eats and it's v-e-r-y simple to use (no "embarrassing" coupons to hand over) and saved us well over $30 on the meal.

07.08 - The Foodie broke the Unwritten Rule about not going to new restaurants until they've had a chance to iron out the kinks and had lunch at brand spankin' new Thermidor @ Mint Plaza. As it was lunch, there was no Lobster Thermidor to be had BUT The Foodie still got his lobster fix in the form of a very tasty Mini Lobster Roll. Better still, it came with airy Pommes Dauphine & Lobster Butter which meant I didn't have to order them as my app. Instead I got the Goat Cheese Fritters with Summer Peaches which was an interesting, well balanced dish. The sweet/savory hot/cold & crunchy/creamy contrasts all left me wanting more. Cocktails are a big part of Thermidor and The Hottie LOVED her 1865 Cup (Pimms, Gin, Blackberry Syrup, Lemon, Soda & Cucumber...I told you they were serious about their cocktails) which sounds weird but tastes...well...delightful and refreshing. Also, don't miss their signature dessert: Coffee, Cigarettes & Doughnuts - Coming Soon to a Food Pron post near you!

07.11 - The Foodie got to check off another box on his To-Do List by visiting Baker & Banker. The old-school space (formerly occupied by Quince) is very nice, if a bit small, and filled up quickly even on a SUN nite. The namesake Baker (the pastry chef...no joke) was running the front of the house and while The Foodie HAD planned on doing the tasting menu, there were simply too many good items to try on the regular menu. The Duck Liver Pate w/Roasted Fig Jam was our fave starter and both mains were worth getting again: Black Cod with Foie/Shitake Sticky Rice and Sausage Stuffed Quail served atop a Wild Rice Pankcake that the Hottie absolutely loved. Worth noting that I got bonus Bok Choy as the chef wasn't happy with what got sent out but didn't want our meal to be delayed, so a few mins after our food arrived I got a plate of beautiful, freshly prepped Bok Choy that, I must admit, really made the o/g look kind of sad. Finally, Baker knows her s#|t! The PB&J (Strawberry Filled Doughnuts with a Peanut Butter Dipping Sauce) and Giant Creme Brulee Cupcake were both awesome! Even though we were both stuffed by the end of the meal, we MADE room for dessert (and it was worth it).

07.16 - When the new Mandarin Hotel in Vegas announced that Pierre Gagnaire (pronounced gon-YAIR - you may now duly impress all the Food Geeks you know) would open a restaurant for them all the North American Foodies collectively drooled on their keyboards. Not only does his namesake restaurant have 3 stars, but Pellegrino ranked it #13 in the entire WORLD ahead of other 3 star places like Le Bernadin, L'Astrance, St. John and French Laundry. The food @ Twist is both extraordinary AND overwhelming. When you first sit down you're not presented with an amuse bouche so much as a TASTING of amuse bouches (Five to be precise) and that, in a nutshell, was The Foodie's evening: Lobster Five Ways followed by Foie Gras Four Ways followed by a Food Coma so intense that it kept The Foodie from both the Cheese AND Dessert courses. Sadly, the richness of THAT much Lobster and THAT much Foie was simply too much to take. I actually couldn't finish my foie gras and, seriously, that's something that has NEVER happened before. The Foodie blames the Lobster-Kobe-Bacon-Avocado Burger (@ Burger Bar) from lunch :*(

07.17 - The Vegas Trip continued with a visit to one of The Foodie's fave places, miX. I noticed the new menu and, upon mentioning it to our server, got tabbed as a "regular". Turned out he spent some time in The Bay which led to talk of the local food scene which led to extra mystery courses (a re-imagined Pina Coloda with Mango Puree and warm Coconut Foam) and wine pairings to go with dessert (their signature miX Candy Bar). See, sometimes it's good to be a Foodie! While the new menu no longer had the insanely good re-imagined southern style BBQ (Pork Three Ways) it did have half portions of some appetizers which we both took advantage of in the form of Bigeye Tune Tartare w/Taro Chips (had before on the Tasting Menu - very tasty) and a Charcuterie Sampler (New to the menu and well worth getting for the Duck Prosciutto alone - just awesome). Also, the Bison Tenderloin that The Meat Guy had many moons ago as a special is now on the regular menu as well. To this day he still salivates in a very Pavlovian manner upon merely mentioning that dish. It's amusing.

07.21 - Beast, Booze & Backs was FAR more crowded than last month's Pig + Booze @ Orson. The concept is the same - 4 courses of meat paired with booze - just not purely pork AND the addition of backs (the trendy drink that you have with your drink 'cause Xhibit heard you like drinkin'). For example, "Road Kill & Cavatelli" (a.k.a. Rabbit Sugo w/Pasta & Leek Ash) was paired with Bacon Infused Bourbon which was paired with a Pickle Back (a.k.a. sweet watered down pickle juice). It may sound out there but, then again, Out There -wherever that is- is where Susan Falkner has a Summer Home, so it fits. The aforementioned pasta and Black Sugar-Glazed Eeel w/Watermelon and Sake Rice Cream (paired with Citrus Vodka & a Kombucha Back) were the clear winners tonight. Sadly, the "Cookie Monster" failed to live up to the name: 2 cookies randomly iced together with a tulle top was disappointing given that Orson rarely fails to impress in the Dessert Department (where Falkner has a Beach House).

07.24 - Broke the Unwritten Rule by going to yet ANOTHER brand spankin' new place - the much hyped Prospect. In general we liked the apps more than the mains (the best thing about my Chicken dish was, sadly, not the protein, but the Cheddar Broccoli & Grits). The Hottie's Green Goddess Salad (which TOTALLY sounds like it should be on Thermidor's menu...make it happen Mr. Binn) was very well done and re-imagined while my Heirloom Beets w/Manchego & Spiced Walnut Brittle was the best thing I ate that night. The Hottie also loved the Petit S'mores so much that she felt complelled to tweet about them. In the end, while I liked Prospect well enough, there are simply too many other places in the same general area (One Market, RN74, Boulevard, Town Hall) that I'd go to before heading back. Sorry.

Chicago Gets a Michelin Star (or Two or Three)

2010-07-13T10:37:00.001-07:00

It's all over the Foodie Blogosphere, but Chi-Town will be getting their own Michelin Guide later this year. Can't say I'm surprised as I always thought Chicago was more of a Food Town than L.A. (which got and then immediately lost it's guide after only one year). Sadly, Vegas will remain without a guide for at least another year /cry.

The Twenty Ten Halftime Report

2010-07-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

JUL 1 marks the halfway point of Twenty-Ten and, thus far, even without the impetus of an A to Z type challenge, The Foodie has had a rather epic six months. Looking at the tally on the right hand side, even I was amazed at how many times I'd gone out to “Noteworthy” places 49 times in 6 months?!? That's an average of 8+ places a month or a little more than twice a week - that's just not right. Somebody OBVIOUSLY has a problem, if you know what I mean. Plus, the train aint slowing down: #50 happens tonight when I head into The City to try SPQR for the first time.

Speaking of which, The Foodie has been particularly good about trying new places this year. Both in terms of existing places I simply hadn't gotten to yet (Absinthe, Commis, Fifth Floor, Cheese Board Collective, The Artist Formerly Known As Taylor's Automatic Refresher, etc.) and brand spanking new places that don't even rate ratings yet (American Grilled Cheese Kitchen, Baume, Smuggler's Cover, Humphry Slocombe, etc.). Not only does that trend continue tonight with SPQR, but The Foodie would be shocked if Thermidore, Baker & Banker, Marlowe and Boot & Shoe Service weren't knocked out this Summer (if not this month).

But Foodie? How does one find places that are so new that they aren't in the guides when your blog is named after said guides? Good question! The answer: The Blogosphere! And I aint talkin' about Yelp. In my humble but deadly accurate opinion, Yelp is a poorly constructed weapon of last resort leaking waste all over the interwebs. The resources I use -and have the shiny icons right on my Chrome toolbar to prove it- are Eater SF (which isn't quite as good as it used to be), Inside Scoop (which is basically run by the guy who USED to run Eater SF...which explains why it isn't quite as good as it used to be) and, to a lesser extent, OpenTable and the brand spanking new BlackBoard Eats. I would have included Michael Bauer's Top 100 List too, but since he's part of Inside Scoop it's a bit redundant. If you're a serious foodie, I'm aware you already know about these sites. Nothing to see here...move along to the next Blog Entry. But if you don't scour the Information Super-Highway on a daily basis for restaurant dirt, 411 and deals then they can definitely point you in the right direction, because when places like American Grilled Cheese Kitchen or Plum (The Coi Guy + The Ubuntu Guy) even think about starting up, Eater SF & Inside Scoop will be all over it like an Avatard on a limited edition replica chunk of Unobtanium signed by J-Cam.

The Foodie's Twenty Ten Halftime report has been brought to you by: Duck Fat, Popcorn Ice Cream and The Vuvuzela of Knowledge.

Tasting Notes - JUN 2010

2010-06-30T21:55:00.000-07:00

06.01 - Started off Dine About Town 2.0 with lunch @ Luce and had the typical Luce-ian experience: Beautiful plates of fresh food served by Remind-Me-Again-How-These-People-Are-Servers-At-A-Michelin-Starred-Place help. They were bad today. Really, really, XXL Bad. Like, server apologized twice, the maitre d' once and then took the Wine and Pellegrino off the bill bad. At least they realized their own mistakes and took measures to rectify it. We didn't gripe or ask for anything comped - they did that on their own. Regardless, the food was photo-worthy (and, no, I took no photos for Food Pr0n). The Hottie had Sardines with Potato Confit as her app and followed with Artic Char, Figs and White Asparagus in spite of her disdain of asparagus (she REALLY likes Artic Char). My "Garden Soup" did, in fact, taste like Chef Crenn had raided a faeries garden and pureed it into a bright green liquid. As old-school, o/g (i.e. Japanese Fuji TV) Iron Chefian as it sounds, it truly did Speak of Spring. It's prolly the healthiest TASTING thing I've ever consumed.

06.04 - Dine About Town continued with a FRI trip to One Market which means we had THREE special menus to choose from: The standard DAT, their Deluxe DAT menu ($10 more for more choices of higher end dishes) AND their FRI/SAT regular special $50/5-course Weekly Beast that, this week, featured lamb. The Hottie went for the Deluxe mostly on the basis of the main, a Smoked Black Cod dish with Pork Jowel, Pea Puree and Crispy Pork Skin. Both The Foodie & The Meat Guy unsurprisingly went for 5-courses of meat with the earlier courses (Lamb Tongue & Cheek Salad and Lamb Neck Cannelloni) outshining the later "main" courses (Lamb Loin with Mint Couscous and Morroccan-Spiced Spit-Roasted Leg of Lamb). The "Deluxe" DAT may not be as big a bargain as other menus (basically five bucks off the manufacturer suggested retail price), but The Weekly Beast remains the best bargain in The City at a Michelin Starred place.

06.08 - So The Foodie finally made the trek out to Berkeley to try out the supposedly awesome pies @ Cheese Board Collective. As you may know, they make only 1 type of pizza per day. Period. If it's Summer Squash, Onions w/Basil Pesto day and you don't like Summer Squash, Onions OR Pesto, well, you're S.O.L. The interwebs claimed that parking and lines were terribad, so we took BART, which turned out to be unnecessary - lots of parking available (at least this time of year). Line was non-existent when we arrived (though out-the-door-and-down-the-street when we left) but tables were packed. Spotted one, lone table right away and had The Meat Guy lay claim to it while I ordered. Now, I never-EVER would have ordered a Corn, Onion, Pasilla Chiie and Feta Pizza given a choice BUT, that being said, it was a r-e-a-l-l-y good pizza. The corn was fresh and you could really taste it. The Meat Guy complained about not tasting the pasilla, but he's a bit of a spice/heat junkie and if his lips aren't tingly he aint happy, so feel free to discount his opinion. It was good pizza and, at $2.50/slice, a good bargain to boot.

06.10 - Went to The MUCH hyped American Grilled Cheese Kitchen with The Meat Guy and, well, it's still very hyped. We got their 5 mins after opening and, by the time we ordered, there was a line out the door. By the time we left, there was a line out the door, onto the street & down to the end of the block - maybe 50-60 people. And all this for a place that serves NOTHING but grilled cheese sandwiches. Either way, the grilled cheese is prolly the best I've had (not that I really order a lot of grilled cheese when I'm out, but still). I had the Red, White & Blue Plate Special with the Piglet (Tilamook Sharp, Artisinal Ham, Apple Mustard and Rosemary Butter). It was SUPPOSED to be a half sammy to go with my tomato soup, but I got a whole sandwich. This annoyed The Meat Guy who got the Mousetrap (Tillamook Sharp, Havarti & Jack) w/Bacon and paid the same price as me, but got no soup. As for the meal, the butter laden toasted bread left my fingers shiny and my tummy happy, plus you could REALLY taste the rosemary in the butter. It's not hard to see why their Commander-In-Cheese (their title, not mine) is a big deal on the Competitive Grilled Cheese Circuit.

06.16 - Had a rather eventful Pig+Booze Dinner @ Orson that saw The Hottie get hammered and Chef Elizabeth Falkner spend about 10 mins at our table talking about celeb chefs, reality TV and what makes people do things like take a completed Monte Cristo Sandwich, batter it, deep fry it and blanket it in powdered sugar. That, btw, was our dessert. Made with house cured Canadian Bacon and served w/Smoked Almond Ice Cream (think Blue Diamond in a creamy, frozen form)...it was even more awesome than it sounded. That and the misleading labeled "Amuse" - a Mini Pork Tounge Bahn Mi - were the stars of the night. MUCH bigger than an amuse, it was pretty much a Spicy Bahn Mi Slider...and should be on the regular menu along with the Monte Cristo! Also of note, when the waiters @ Orson offer to pour you a little more Riesling while you wait for your next course...they mean another full glass. Which is always a good idea when each of the 4 courses comes paired with booze (even the "amuse") AND you've had 2 Happy Hour cocktails (+Duck Fat Fries, of course) @ the bar while waiting for your table.

Food Porn: Father's Office Fries

2010-06-22T15:42:00.000-07:00

Okay, so their vaunted burger may not have won The Foodie over, but the fries (both shoestring potato and sweet potato) at Father's Office are something special. First off, the baskets they come in are straight up cool. I mean, look at them! They're friggin miniature fry baskets. As soon as The Foodie finds out where to purchase them *BAM* done deal. The second thing (which isn't very noticable in the extreme close up) it that they really ARE shoestring fries. Not McD's "shoestring" fries that most people think of, but truly, teeny, tiny, thin-thin-thin fries that they manage to fry up perfectly WITHOUT being overly crispy. So try the famed F.O. Burger if you want, but DO NOT skip the fries.

EDIT: *BAM* Done deal. Found the Mini Fry Baskets on eBay less than 10 mins after posting this. Gawd, I love eBay!

Tasting Notes: MAY 2010

2010-05-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

05.01 - Went to the closest thing The Bay has to Alinea tonight and, not surprisingly, had a mixed bag @ Baume. First off, the concept is just, plain kewl: 5, 10 or 15-course menu...but you don't know what you're having - just a listing of possible ingredients. For example, early in the menu you have a savory, bite-size scallop dish served in a spoon and then, a few courses later, you have a sweet lychee dish that looks IDENTICAL. The main component, condiments and plating are manipulated to look EXACTLY the same, but the flavor profile is completely different. We also had a frozen licorice cloud that tasted like nothing until AFTER it was gone and an amazing pinapple/foie gras dish that they paired with pineapple wine. With ten, small "experimental" courses - a couple of our dishes had debuted JUST that weekend - you're bound to miss occasionally (yes, I'm talking about YOU, bizarre Thai influenced "salad" with coconut water and an offputting granola texture that looked just plain unappetizing when mixed together), but at least there are plenty of opportunities to make up for it later...

05.14 - Landed in L.A. and bolted to Campanile to make our nine-o-clock reservations. It was good, not great and I was expecting a bit more...something, although the "space" is a great place for a restaurant. On FRI they have a Friday Night Flights (3 wines paired with 3 small plates all served at once) for around $30, so we pretty much knew what we were going to get. The Burgers & Beers pairing went much better than the German Wines/Raw Seafood one but the star of the nite was the Sauteed Trenne Pasta which is an app that I wanted to try but our most excellent (if slow) senior server suggested getting a main-sized portion and split it 3 ways. It was the right call as it was easily the best thing we had that nite. Dessert looked uninspired and overpriced, so we headed out the have Pink's for "dessert".

05.14 - [Copy/Pasted from the LA Live Blog]
The Foodie just spent thirty minutes in line for a Hot Dog, so you can prolly guess where he is. Resisted the urge to try the Wendy Williams, Lord of the Rings and Hasselfhoff 'Hoff Dog' and went for the classic 10-inch Chili Dog (along with their battered, off-putting orange-hued fries and a bottled pink drink that claims it's peach...which it isn't...it's just really, really sweet). I must say it IS a really good, snappy dog with a good hot dog chili to boot. Better yet, unlike Taylor's Automatic Refresher where a burger runs you ten+ bucks, the Pink's dogs are all reasonably priced - mine was three bucks and change. Seriously, The Hottie would pay a lot more for the same thing in Downtown Frisco that wouldn't be nearly as good. And, unlike TAR, the wait in line is kinda fun. It's an interesting mix of tourists, locals, hipsters, businessmen, people coming FROM a bar and people headed TO a bar. The Foodie didn't really "get" Taylor's, but he definitely "gets" Pink's.

05.15 - The newer, larger Father's Office is supposed to have the best burger in LA...but I'll keep looking. Known for their beer and burgers, I was expecting a variety to choose from, but there's only one burger available. It's good, moist and flavorful but it just wasn't ALL that. I'll still take a Taylor's (now Gott's) or Nation's Burger thank you very much. Beer however wouldn't disappoint ANYBODY unless they wanted a Corona, Heineken or Bud. If you're looking for an obscure, limited production microbrew on tap, this is the place to go. Seriously, the Beer Loving Meat Guy was in Hoppy-Malty Heaven with the dozen of choices. IMHO, small plates are the way to go here: Fries (both micro-shoestring and sweet potato), Bone Marrow and the Soft-Shell Crab with a spicy asian sauce and corn salad all get thumbs up.

05.15 - I'm very sorry to say the Providence didn't bring their A game tonight. Sat us v-e-r-y late and, even then, we still didn't have a menu (or a visit from anybody save the sommelier - and he met our menu-less status with indifference) for a good 15 minutes. The Hottie finally asked a suit "Could we possibly trouble you for something resembling a menu" and got going...about an hour after we arrived. Fortunately, whatever bad juju the front of the house was having didn't spread to the back. Both my choices (Spot Prawns baked in salt and Foie Gras Raviolis with shaved Black Truffles) were 'WHOA!'-worthy. I had the Steamed Lobster @ RM Seafood (another Seafood 'Place' helmed by a Seafood 'Guy') a few weeks back and this DESTROYED that lobster - Like, LA Lakers vs. LA Clippers level of destruction. Should you ever be fortunate enough to see either of those dishes on the menu, I can't recommend them highly enough :D

05.15 - By blowing off dessert we had j-u-s-t enough time to jet across LA and make it to the Kogi BBQ Truck @ Abbot Kinney before they stopped service. This wasn't THAT big a sacrifice as we'd had the seven-course dessert tasting @ Providence before. Kogi was parked next to the very popular Brig along with the Dogtown truck. There were several other Food Trucks parked on the street (about seven total), so next trip I'll have to make a special visit JUST for the trucks and hit them all up - but I digress. I got the Kogi staple, the Short Rib Taco, and I must say it deserves the hype. It was, however, missing the "Asian Slaw" that people rave about (or, if it was there, it was such a small portion that it was invisible in the poorly lit parking lot), but I have a feeling that service @ noon to businessmen lined down the block is different that service to drunk people in Venice @ midnight, fifteen minutes before they're about to close. Regardless, the Korean-Style Beef, cooked twice and chopped up carnitas style is pure genius when paired with two tiny corn tortillas (even w/o the slaw). I <3 the old-school Taco Trucks in the 510 & I've got nothing bad to say about the Upscale Food Trucks in the 310, there's room for both in my world :D

05.22 - I Haz a New Favorite Restaurant (sorry Luce) and it's name is Commis!!! Been there twice in the last month and both experiences were transcendent (particularly for a tiny restaurant in the shadows of the Kaiser Oakland parking lot). Much like The Fifth Floor, there's too much to write in a short space, so I'll post an OT/Director's Cut Review later with all the juicy details. Mmmmm...Pork Jowl Salad...

Live Blog: Weekender in La La Land

2010-05-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

Since The Foodie has already lamented the fact that there was no Live Blog for last year's rather eventful trip to SoCal (The Clusterf*ck that was The Bazaar, 3 Michelin-Starred Restaurants in one afternoon (Gordon Ramsay @ The London, Sushi-Zo and Providence), Dodger Dogs @ Chavez Ravine, etc.) and the snazzy new phone has a Blogger app, this mistake shall not be repeated! Note: This is a short trip. As in, The Hottie gets off work and we IMMEDIATELY book it to the airport for a Seven-o-clock flight short. Our total time in SoCal will be less than 48 hours, but we're still going to Campanile on FRI and have rather hard to get SAT reservations @ Providence. Also on the menu, a trip to the LA “institution” Father's Office, an A's/Angels game in Anaheim and Iron Man 2 at one of those swanky, hi-end LA theaters. Plus, Tiki-Ti's, Pink's and some of those LA Food Trucks that are all the craze (I'm talking about YOU, Kogi BBQ!). So sit back and see just how much “stuff” The Foodie can cram into 48-hours in The City of Angels...

05.14.10

3:56 P.M. - Red Bull + Mountain Dew is Made of Win!!! Seriously, it may sound nasty, but it's actually a tasty concoction that's loaded with Vitamin Ca (as in, Caffeine - try and keep up with me here, it's going to be a fast paced trip!) which I'm definitely going to need tonight as we prolly won't be checking into our hotel until Midnight...

5:58 P.M. - Good News: OAK has free Wi-Fi. Bad News: It comes with a constant 100 pixel banner ad that really, REALLY blows when you're on a Netbook with 800x460 rez. Seriously, my browser is, maybe, 300 pixels tall >_< On the upside our flight is on time for the first time in the last six+ months. If only the line @ Gordon Beirsch wasn't so frelling long...

9:12 P.M. - We get a very nice seat @ Campanile and go for the Friday Night Flights which are 3 wines paired with 3 small plates. Except tonight is The Meat Guy's Lucky Night as they have a B&B pairing going on: Burgers and Beer. Long story, short, we split an entree potion of an interesting, sauteed pasta (Trenne w/a Bolognese that was reduced to, basically, a-lump-of-falling-apart-braised-meat) and the boys get the Beer & Sliders (Duck Confit, Beef & Lamb) while The Hottie opts for the German Wine & Seafood pairing - I posted a .PDF of the menu here.

11:29 P.M. - The Foodie just spent thirty minutes in line for a Hot Dog, so you can prolly guess where he is. Resisted the urge to try the Wendy Williams, Lord of the Rings and Hasselfhoff 'Hoff Dog' and went for the classic 10-inch Chili Dog (along with their battered, off-putting orange-hued fries and a bottled pink drink that claims it's peach...which it isn't...it's just really, really sweet). I must say it IS a really good, snappy dog with a good hot dog chili to boot. Better yet, unlike Taylor's Automatic Refresher where a burger runs you ten+ bucks, the Pink's dogs are all reasonably priced - mine was three bucks and change. Seriously, The Hottie would pay a lot more for the same thing in Downtown Frisco that wouldn't be nearly as good. And, unlike TAR, the wait in line is kinda fun. It's an interesting mix of tourists, locals, hipsters, businessmen, people coming FROM a bar and people headed TO a bar. The Foodie didn't really "get" Taylor's, but he definitely "gets" Pink's.

5.15.10

12:12 A.M. - Meh. Apparently there's more than one Four Points near the airport, so when I booked our trip for the same hotel we stayed at last time, I didn't. So we tried to check into the wrong hotel at midnight and end up trudging off to the OTHER Four Points that is, well, older and dingier and has no parking for The Meat Guy. The Hottie is not pleased...

11:18 A.M. - While it might be the Charlie Brown X-Mas Tree of hotel rooms, apparently there's nothing wrong with the beds. We w-a-a-a-a-y oversleep and let The Food Guy not to pick us up @ 11:30 as planned. IDK what's up with that either, we NEVER sleep in that late. Even on Vegas trips when we're up to 2 or 3 in the morning we're always up before 10. I'm blaming jet lag...

12:47 P.M. - We make it to the newer, shinier Father's Office @ Helms Bakery a little later than planned, but still manage to snag the last remaining four-top. Their extensive beer list is as advertised and they still have some of the extremely limited (and bizarre) sage, rosemary, thyme Saison brew on tap that they tweeted about last week. The fries (both sweet potato and shoestring) are killer and they have w-a-a-a-a-y more small plates than their on-line menu mentions - it could use an update. Predictably, The Meat Guy would like another beer, but we need to get going and he IS the driver this trip.

2:35 P.M. - Only in L.A.: Our popcorn and drinks are delivered to us as we watch the trailers before Iron Man 2. I guess when the city is pretty much powered by "The Industry" I shouldn't be surprised, but multiple restaurants and bars (along with the aforementioned reserved seating - like a ballgame or ACTUAL theater) is still kinda weird. As for the movie, it's good, not great and needed more Scar and less Gywnn.

5:42 P.M. - Sienna, our British GPS (No, I'm not making this up...we set the voice to 'UK Female' and had a couple of options. The one we chose was called 'Sienna') with whom The Meat Guy has a Hate-Hate relationship starts literally sending us in circles as we try and get to Tiki-Ti in time to still change for Providence. For some reason we never figured out, Sienna KNEW the addy of Tiki-Ti but, whenever we pressed 'GO' she plotted a course back to where we had just been. Maybe it was her idea of a practical joke, but I think it's more likely that Sienna's just a bitch.

6:40 P.M. - Only in L.A. Part Two: Between Sienna's hijinx and L.A. Traffic (possibly caused by a Jonas Brothers concert at a mall. No, really. The Jo-Bro's are really playing at a SoCal Mall tonight and it snarled up already terribad traffic) it took us just under an hour to travel 7 miles!!! As a result, we only have time for one drink (Shark Tooth & Cobra Fangs, for the record) at Tiki-Ti's before heading back out. So we spent 50 minutes getting to a bar that we only spent 10 minutes at. Making our 8:30 reservations @ Providence is going to be a real challenge at this point and for the second time today The Meat Guy r-e-a-l-l-y wants another drink, but we haven't the time and, again, he's driving. Oh well, at least we got a souviner Coconut Mug...

8:55 P.M. - The maitre d @ Providence brings over a small marble table to sit our drinks on and assures us that out table will be ready in a few moments, but I don't believe him for a second. We DID make it in time for our 8:30 reservations, but it's a moot point while we wait in the tiny bar area. Same thing happened last trip to Providence too. Maybe it's an L.A. thing but that sh|t wouldn't fly in NorCal - if you can't seat your table at the time of the reservation, don't take the friggin reservation. Simple. So I sit there watching my opportunity to hit Kogi BBQ slowly slipping away minute by minute. Urge...to...kill...rising...

9:26 P.M. - Providence did not bring their A Game tonight. Even after we were seated we didn't get menus for a good 10-15 minutes after we were sat (in fact, The Hottie finally just asked the manager looking dude if we could trouble him for some menus in a rather snarky tone) but we DID have the wine list...that was missing the Wines by the Glass section which made us think they didn't HAVE Wines by the Glass. That made for a rather awkward exchange when the sommelier came over and we had no idea what kind of wine we wanted because A)We didn't want an entire bottle and B)WE COULDN'T "PAIR" ANYTHING BECAUSE WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WE WERE EATING BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY FRELLING MENUS!
When things finally got on track, the food was what you'd expect from a Two-Star restaurant (Clam "Chowda" re-invented with broth poured tableside, Foie Gras Ravioli with Black Truffles shaved tableside and an intermezzo of Margarita and Greyhound "Bubbles" served in saw-off spoons), but it's pretty hard to come back when the front of the house has dug such a deep hole. The star of the show ended up being my Spot Prawns which were completely buried in salt, baked in a large copper skillet and then the whole thing was wheeled out to the dining room where the manager expertly dug up and "carved" the prawns with surgeon-like precision. We ended up skipping dessert in favor of going to a Food Truck parked outside a bar in Venice. Yeah, it was that kind of night for Providence.

11:56 P.M. - Even dressed for Providence we weren't the best dressed people at the Kogi BBQ Truck - there as a dude in a tux and a girl in a wedding/bridesmaids gown (she had a mens jacket draped over it to stay warm - so hard to tell) mixed in with all the drunk and soon-to-be-drunk people popping out of The Brig looking for some good, cheap, eats. Again, I didn't give into temptation of their other offerings and went for the Kogi Classic: The Short Rib Taco. The spicy, sweet flavor was distinctively Korean but the chopping of the meat to a carnita-like consistency combined with the two, tiny corn tortillas that served as it's base gave it the mexican spin. It was tasty and lasted less than a minute. Ironically, this means I've now been to more of EaterLA's top 38 restaurants (8) than EaterSF's top 38 (6) even though The Foodie has been to LA only twice in the last five years, but LIVES in the SF Bay Area. Weird.

05.16.10

2:43 P.M. - The A's have tried their best to put a damper on the entire trip. They lost 4-0 to the Halos and only had four hits the ENTIRE game, so there really wasn't anything to cheer for. Even worse, the lack of runs made for an incredibly short game, so we're stuck in the O/C with nearly five hours to kill because The Meat Guy suggested we fly out of John Wayne instead of LAX. If you're eight years old (or the parent of an eight-year old) Anaheim has lots of ways to spend your time. If you're a Foodie...notsomuch. Seriously, it's a fine dining black hole. There's a reason the SoCal Zagat Guide has 304 pages devoted to Los Angeles and 12 for all of Orange County. I'm serious! Twelve! I counted (it didn't take long). Urge...to...kill...rising...

3:13 P.M. - The Meat Guy has re-established his Hate-Hate relationship with Sienna as we head to a SoCal MegaMall to kill some time. Sienna wants him to turn right on Shoppertainment Drive which he refuses to acknowledge as an actual street name. He's yelling at her and wants to know the 'real' street name. Sadly, the name of the street actually is Shoppertainment. Nonethless, we do manage to kill some time at said mall even thought The Hottie is creeped out by the whole Disneyland vibe of it's design and decor. It's Anaheim, I think they only have the one speed. Regardless, we leave with a pair of shoes, jeans and three shirts we don't really need. Thanks A's!

4:44 P.M. - Our weekender comes to an end on a rather un-foodielike and anti-climatic note as we head into Hooters of Anaheim. Even two hours after the game, the place is PACKED with Angels fans, but honestly, we took more grief from Dodger fans last year and they aren't even division rivals! At least it's easy to kill time drinking mid-grade beer and so-so chicken wings while watching the same three channels on twenty+ tv's. At this point, I don't even have anything snarky to say about the tiny orange shorts or surprising lack of cleavage our servers are sporting. Yes, I did manage to hit ALL the spots I wanted in rather limited amount of time, but at this point Anaheim has drained me of my will to live...I just wanna go home.

Food Porn: Saag's Big Atomic Dog

2010-05-12T14:27:00.000-07:00

So The Foodie got a new phone (not an iPhone, as The Foodie has issues with touchscreens) which meant taking the old, dusty files off the old phone and saving them to the PC. And what image files do you suppose The Foodie found? Trips to the beach? No. Amazing art from a historic museum? No. Wedding/Bar Mitzvah/Concert footage? No. Extreme close-up shots of Sous Vide Steak & Eggs from the Las Vegas Bouchon? I think you're getting warmer :D

And so I kick off the new Food Pr0n feature with the single best thing you can get at an A's game: The Saag's Big Atomic Dog. Besides that fact that meat in tube form is awesome in general, both the cost (seven bucks - pretty fair pricing for a place where a 12-ounce beer costs nine bucks and a Pepsi runs you five) and exclusivity (you can ONLY get it at the Coliseum) make it noteworthy. Oh, that and the fact that's it's A WHOLE FRELLING POUND!!! The image doesn't do it justice, it's a massive freaking piece of meat over a foot long [Insert off-color penis joke here]. That isn't a regular old hot dog bun pictured...that's a Hoagie style roll you'd normally have a beefy sandwich on and it STILL can't contain the Big Atomic Dog! Bonus: Saag's makes good product. Just ask Hofbrauhaus, the o/g, Michelin-rated beer & sausage King of Germany. When they built their first Beergarden outside of the EU, they tabbed Saag's as their sausage provider [Insert second off-color penis joke here].

Tasting Notes: APR 2010

2010-04-30T21:52:00.000-07:00

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 : /

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

2010-04-15T10:22:00.000-07:00

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

Tasting Notes: MAR 2010

2010-03-31T17:54:00.000-07:00

MAR was a pretty solid food month with an Anniversary Dinner @ La Fondue and a Weekender in Vegas for March Madness:

03.06 - We've wanted to go to La Fondue for quite some time but, for us, it truly is a destination restaurant since it's a good hour plus drive. First off, the funky, artsy decor/ambiance is amazing even down to the water glasses and salad plates. We started with a Buttermilk-Bacon-Cheddar-Beer Fondue (1 of 20 or so cheese choices) and went for the Korean style grill-it-yourself entree: Jumbo Shrimp, Teriyaki Beef, Calamari, Wild Boar, Buffalo & Duck. And we didn't even touch the tip of the exotic meat iceberg - Kangaroo, Alligator, Ostrich and Elk were other options. The dessert fondue (we went for the Chocolate Turtle) was amazing not just for the smooth chocolate lavaness, but for items you dunk into it. Snickers Bar, Cream Puffs, Frozen Cheescake and Rice Krispy Treats accompanied the more mundane Strawberries, Mandarin Oranges and such. Bonus: it's cheap! All that, plus a healthy portion of salad while your cheese course is melting, runs under $100 for two and we were Absosmurfly stuffed too! Did I mention the free champagne with dessert since it was our anniversary?

03.19 - March Madness = Vegas Road Trip, so tonight we found ourselves celebrating Cal's victory @ Nobu. Even with a late (9:30) reservation, the place was completely PACKED with it's typical hot and noisy crowd, but service never faltered. The Lobster Tacos and Kumamoto Oysters were awesome (as always) and the Miso Cake with Edamame Ice Cream remains the Single Best Dessert You Will EVER Consume At An Asian Restaurant. Period! It's not even close. New items we tried included the signature Yellowfin Sashimi w/Jalapeno (which had just the right balance of heat) and the Tasmanian Ocean Trout Yakimono which was 2 nice chunks of perfectly cooked fish over a delicate teriyaki sauce so you could enjoy with or w/o said sauce. Nobu is quickly becoming one of my Go-To Places in Vegas :D

03.20 - Vegas Road Trip = B-Fast @ Bouchon because (as you might have heard me mention once or twice (or fifteen times) before) MY BOUCHON IN YOUNTVILLE - THE FRIGGIN ORIGINAL FFS - DOESN'T SERVE BREAKFAST!!!!! Not that I'm bitter or anything >_< Anyways, everybody but The Much Better Half got the same thing: Chicken & Waffles and it did not disappoint. First off, it starts with THE. BEST. CHICKEN. EVAH. - the same one they serve @ dinner - and adds savory waffles with herbs and bacon to the mix. And, when eaten they way our server instructed us to (chicken. waffle. chasseur sauce. syrup. mouth.) it was a damn near a Flavorgasm. The individual components were awesome but even better when combined and The Foodie NEVER puts syrup on ANYTHING either. Oh...and we had an order of Frites of course...DUH!

03.20 - Went to B&B before seeing Lion King and we decided to try their Pre-Theater Menu. Honestly, it was lacking in both selection AND value compared to other Dine-Early-Save-$$$ Prix Fixe Specials you can find in Vegas although they did offer The Much Better Half a veggie option for her main (which, honestly, should have been there to begin with). High points: The Charcuterie was stellar, The Hottie got more 2-Minute Calamari than she could possibly eat, the portions on the gelato were quite generous and the service (as always) was impeccable. The Deceitful One even said he wished he loved his job as much as the servers clearly loved theirs. Low points: My Bolognese and The Liar's Short Ribs were just okay and The Better Half wanted more sage on her pasta.

JACK & COKE BBQ SAUCE FTW!

2010-03-29T09:25:00.001-07:00

I'm posting this here for three reasons. 1) Many consider me to be a BBQ Master and this is my "Go-To", crowd-pleasing sauce, so I figured I share. 2) Many consider me to be a BBQ Master and ask for various recipes. This will keep me from having to copy/paste this recipe into an e-mail EVER again! 3) With this posted on the Information Super Highway, I can load it on The Hotties Mini PC and have it handy in the kitchen. Enjoy!

JACK & COKE BBQ SAUCE

1 1/4 C COKE (1 CAN MINUS 1 SWIG)
3/4 C KETCHUP
1/4 C JACK DANIELS (2 SHOTS - NO SWIG)
2 TBS WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE
2 TBS STEAK SAUCE
2 TBS DARK BROWN SUGAR
1 TBS LEMON JUICE
1 TBS PREPARED YELLOW MUSTARD
1/2 TSP ONION POWDER
1/2 TSP GARLIC POWDER
1/2 TSP LIQUID SMOKE
1/2 TSP BLACK PEPPER
1/2 TSP CHILE POWDER
HOT SAUCE TO TASTE (THIS SAUCE HAS ZERO HEAT - IF YOU LIKE SPICY SAUCE, THIS ISN'T FOR YOU)

COMBINE ALL INGREDIENTS IN SAUCEPAN EXCEPT THE JACK DANIELS OVER MEDIUM HIGH HEAT UNTIL MIXTURE COMES TO A BOIL. REDUCE TO LOW HEAT AND SIMMER UNTIL REDUCED TO A GOOD CONSISTENCY (ABOUT 20-30 MINUTES). ADD WHISKEY AND CONTINUE TO SIMMER ANOTHER 10-20 MINUTES, ADDING WATER TO THIN IF SAUCE BECOMES TOO THICK. COOL AND STORE IN AIRTIGHT CONTAINER IN FRIDGE FOR UP TO A MONTH.

Tasting Notes - FEB 2010

2010-02-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

FEB was a pretty food intense food month with a weekender to Napa with The Professional Liar and The Much Better Half, a quick visit by The Meat Guy and a rather disappointing V-Day :(

02.05 - So we're kicking off FEB with a weekender in the Wine Country with The Professional Liar and The Much Better Half in spite of thunderstormy weather. First stop, Ad Hoc (The Liar's Fave Place in the Universe ATM) for Chicken & Dumpling Soup, Lamb Sirloin with Red Pepper Jelly, Sweet Potato & Black Garbanzo Hush Puppies and Sticky Toffee Pudding. As always, service was awesome and the fare was even better. Katie's suggested wine pairings were on point and she even brought me and The Liar a second helping of Lamb (and The Liar normally DISTAINS lamb)! Also worth noting - the ultra-picky Better Half seemed duly impressed with her pescatarian options (Veggie Dumpling Soup and Steelhead Trout). Off to a good start...

02.06 - Cross another restaurant off my 'On The Radar' List, I just went to Taylor's Automatic Refresher for "breakfast" @ 11:00 AM even though we've got reservations @ Bottega in 2 hours. ProTip: If you want to go to TAR and not wait in a horrific line, go @ 11 AM. Only 1-2 people in front of me. 2 hours later - a line 30 people deep even in the pouring rain. Is it worth it? Honestly...no. Prices are steep ($10 for my burger), the lines are insane and you're still waiting 10+ mins for your food AFTER you negotiate that line. Don't get me wrong, it's a DAMN good burger, but I'd MUCH rather grab an Ole Cheeseburger @ Nation's for a fraction of the price.

02.06 - So, yes, I double-dipped again by going to Bottega for lunch after TAR for breakfast (triple-dipped if you include my crossaint from Bouchon Bakery). Went 2 for 2 with The Much Better Half this trip - she loved the house cured olives and her Squash Filled Tortelli with Sage Browned Butter. I generally l-o-a-t-h-e polenta, but my "Polenta Under Glass" was easily the best I've ever consumed. The Professional Liar ate himself into a food stupor of EPIC preportions. Seriously, after he had the Burrata & Butternut Squash app and a Whole Roasted Dungeness Crab main he could barely communicate. He absolutely LOVED both his choices but had that total I-Can't-Believe-I-Ate-The-Whole-Thing thing going on.

02.06 - Third post today and we finished with a trip to Bistro Jeanty. Everybody had the signature Tomato Soup en Croute except for The Professional Liar who (still reeling from Bottega) opted for the ruffage of a Butter Lettuce Salad. He then wanted to stay away from "heavy" dishes like Cassoulet and Coq au Vin and opted for a "lighter" option, the Sole Meuniere - LOL. I'm not sure where they get their ginormous, mutant sole filets, but this was a truly massive portion of fish. On the upside, it was spot on and he finished it. The Much Better Half also had the Sole while I went for the Ham and Leek Quiche. Shockingly, The Hottie went for the Bone Marrow special...the same special they have EVERY night and she orders EVERY time they feature it as a special. I'm 3 for 3 on my restaurant picks so far!

02.07 - Finished the Napa Weekender with brunch @ Redd which was e-a-s-i-l-y the Most-Likely-To-Disagree-With-The-Better-Half place of the trip. Luckily, they were more than happy to make a quarter of their signature Breakfast Pizza prosciutto-less for her. Even better, the Sweet Onion Jam that came with the Pretzel Croissants was so OMGWTFBBQ good that we asked if we could get some to take home and left with a friggin pint of the tasty stuff! Other highlights - The Pork Buns, Chicken Hash and Lobster Club. Also, the evil bastards now have Dessert To-Go so, even when you're stuffed to the gills, you can take home a 1/2 lb. bag of Saltine Toffee with you (which, of course, we did). Bottom Line: I went 4 for 4 on my restaurant selections this trip although The Professional Liar said it felt more like 6 for 4.

02.08 - Yes, even by MY standards the last few days have been culinary overkill, but Jardiniere had their three-course Bocuse d'Or (i.e. the Culinary Olympics) Benefit Dinner tonight, so give me the Metamucil iv drip and bring on the food! Like their 'normal' MON prix fixe dinners, each course was paired with a wine that matched perfectly. I found the Brioche Rounds that came with the Foie Gras Terrine a little too dry/crispy for my taste (to the point that I thought it was MUCH better just spread on the french rolls they bring to the table) but that was the only 'miss' of the night - and a minor one at that. Truffle Stuffed Hoffman Hen and Basque Cake with Kumquat Preserves and Creme Fraiche Anglaise rounded out the meal. The latter paired SO well with the Ey Muscat that The Hottie wanted to just dunk the cake INTO the wine!

02.11 - Long story, short: The Meat Guy is up for the Holiday Weekend, so my culinary Tour de Force continues. Two things were re-enforced by going to the Ferry Building today. 1 - I CANNOT leave for under a Benjamin (SF Golden Dogs, Chicharones, Lardo and Cheese were the main culprits this time). 2 - The Meat Guy has his name for a reason. See if you can spot a trend in his purchases: Beer Sausage (topped with Kim Chi and Chicharones), Maple-Bacon Beinet, Housemade Sausage (purchased from a cheese vendor) and Spreadable Salami. Oh, and he had the Steak Frites @ Chez Papa Resto for lunch too (as did I).

02.14 - The Foodie is once again reminded why we dislike dining out on V-Day. The combination of annoying, photo-taking diners who only eat out once-a-year, packed to the gills dining rooms and in-the-weeds kitchens make even normally solid restaurants look like jittery opening night rookies. Such was the case at the Michelin-starred Madrona Manor. This place was my #1 Dining Experience of 2009 and I even lobbied for them to receive a second star during my Foodie Awards but they were really, r-e-a-l-l-y off their game today. Thirty minutes between courses (or visits from our server), wine pairings not poured for their respective courses were a couple of the culprits. I'm still giving them a pass...The Chronicle's Food Snob reported he had to wait an HOUR between courses @ his V-Day choice, so apparently it's an industry standard. Next year: romantic dinner for two @ home FTW!

The Foodie Awards: 2010 PART II

2010-02-22T15:27:00.000-08:00

A pox on you if you missed Part I of the 2010 Foodie Awards. Go read them now so you can be one of the kewl kids and don't end up sitting with the chess club in the crapeteria.

Like Part I, I'll add a new award each day this week. Unlike Part I, these are all new, shiny categories. Bon apetit...

FRIGGIN' AWESOME FRITES AWARD:

WINNER: HOBNOB

In general, Yelp is about as useful as a splotchy pile of steaming poo. This poo over here might be a different color or texture than the poo over there but, in the end, it's all the same sh|t. That being said, once you get thought the 'OMGWTFBBQ THIZ IZ THE BEST PLACE IN THE UNIVERZ!!!' and the 'This place kicked me out for no reason, the server stole my baby and the cook spit in my food and then ran it over with a car' bu||sh|t you will find a VERY common thread about HobNob: Order the Truffle Fries or you are a retarded noob. Even if you're there just drinking, you can't help but see order after order of these fries leaving the kitchen and being delivered to salivating customers. Imagine a substantial batch of piping hot fries pulled from the Fryolater then IMMEDIATELY dropped in a bowl with grated parmesan and truffle oil and tossed until well coated and then put into a serving bowl the size of Christina Hendricks breast (or a small chicken if you live in a cave and don't want to Google Christina Hendricks). As a result, the cheese has melted BUT then re-hardened so the fries are stuck to one another in tasty, crispy fry clusters, but not to the extent that they're overpowered by the cheese or oil. It's friggin' genius is what it is! And it comes with a super tasty Truffle Aioli to boot! Trust me, get whatever the nightly four-dollar drink special is and an order of Truffle Fries and you will be a very Happy Panda.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: BOUCHON

Now I've heard people crack on Thomas Keller's french fries, saying there's nothing 'special' about them. He||, I've even talked to a former employee who claimed they're little more than McD's frozen spuds fried up in peanut oil. To that I say,“I don't care...they're friggin' awesome dude”. Whatever is happening in the back of the kitchen @ Bouchon, it's French Fry Sorcery, because you have to look long and hard to find spuds better than this. Plus, there's very little in this world better than a cone of piping hot, salty pomme frites...especially at breakfast. I swear, if “The Most Important Meal of the Day” came with TK's fries then Americans would stop skipping breakfast. And, for what it's worth, Orson's Duck Fat Fries prolly would have had this spot but, inexplicably, The Foodie didn't go to Orson in 2009. INORITE!?!? I didn't believe it myself, but I checked out my OpenTable history and nada...my last visit there was DEC of 2008.

IN THE CONVERSATION: ANY FRENCH PLACE THAT SERVES THEIR FRIES IN A PAPER CONE.

BEST QUOTE ABOUT THE GREEN/SUSTAINABILITY TREND:

WINNER: BARTON SEAVER (BLUE RIDGE RESTAURANT)

“You want to save the oceans? Eat more broccoli. Change the topography of your plate. Sixteen ounces of shrimp on a plate is not the best nutrition. And you don't have to eat farmer's-market organic broccoli or participate in some green revolution. Just eat broccoli. They have it at Wal-Mart.”

FIRST RUNNER-UP: NATE APPLEMAN (FORMERLY OF A16 & SPQR)

"In San Francisco the audience is easy. You put tripe in a bowl and tell them it's from a humanely raised cow and they're going to eat it."

IN THE CONVERSATION: DAVID CHANG (KING OF THE MOMOFUKU EMPIRE)

“I call bullshit on San Francisco ... There's only a handful of restaurants that are manipulating food ... fucking every restaurant in San Francisco is serving figs on a plate with nothing on it."

Yeah...so...I don't really have much to add here as those quotes r-e-a-l-l-y speak for themselves. I could quibble with Chang's oversimplified vision of Frisco, but he already took his lumps from the cranky locals with cyber-pitchforks. Plus, he does have a point: we're geared more towards Alice Waters and less towards Grant Achatz. It is what it is /shrug. Also, that “They have it at Wal-Mart” line is just effing priceless. It's like people that buy a third car and think they're being “green” by buying a Prius. Dude, you really wanna be green? Get rid of the other two cars or, better yet, walk more.

The Foodie Awards: 2010 PART I

2010-02-08T11:12:00.000-08:00

If it's FEB, it must be awards season, so it's once again time to give out some Foodies! If you're familiar with this blog then you know I visit a mind-numbingly, how-can-you-afford-that, dude-do-you-ever-NOT-eat-at-Michelin-starred-places number of restaurants during the year - it's just how I roll (c.f. NomNomNom 2010 and Foodie: A to Z). And, just like last year, awards are for restaurants The Foodie dined in in 2009 EXCEPT for The French Laundry. TFL is in a class by itself. The whole bringing-a-knife-to-a-gunfight thing. It just wouldn't be fair. Also, restaurants that received Foodies last year CANNOT repeat in the same categories this year. We want new blood...

This week I'll be posting an award in a returning category every day, and the following week will feature posts in all new categories. So, if you're the type of person who likes checking blogs daily for new stuff, you're in luck. If, however, you think it's a lame gimmick well...come back in a couple of weeks :p

HOTTEST HOTTIE HOSTESS AWARD:

WINNER: STACK

It should come as no surprise that a corporation that operates some of the hottest clubs in Vegas (The Bank, Haze and Jet among others) stocks their restaurants with some of the hottest front of the house personnel known to man. And this award could pretty much go to ANY of The Light Groups dining properties (particularly Fix) but since Stack is where we went, Stack gets the award. I could talk about the smoking hot blonde cocktail waitress that was 'filling' in as the hostess until the actual smoking hot brunette hostess showed up and the, third, equally hot front-of-the-house-manager-type who moved at speeds normal humans should never reach in heels, but I'll just leave you with this quote from the ZAGAT guide (circa 2009, since ZAGAT bailed on LV for 2010), “...service is mostly 'helpful', though some wondered if 'stacked referred to the hostesses' and not the layered mahogany decor”

FIRST RUNNER-UP: SIMON

Frankly, last year, it was a bit of an upset that NEITHER the Winner or First Runner-Up in this category was from Vegas. No such upset this year and, if you've EVER been to a Kerry Simon restaurant you know that, like The Light Group, you're going to have sleek, modern décor a kewl, club-like atmosphere and a young, hip staff. We went there twice last year and even though the hostesses were different both times, they were ridiculously hot both times. It's worth pointing out that for their SUN Pajama Brunch (where the staff all wears pajamas and the customers are encouraged to do the same) that the hostess outfit is an oversized mens dress shirt, tiny boxer shorts...and pumps. Now, either this offends you or makes you go “!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”. Either way, now you know and...wait for it...wait for it...Knowing is half the battle.

MOST BANG-FOR-YOUR-BUCK:

WINNER: JARDINIERE (MON PRIX FIXE DINNERS)

I'll admit it...I've been holding out on you. Not intentionally, mind you, but for some reason I've gone to at least a half-dozen of Jardiniere's “Themed” Monday Dinners and never really mentioned it in the blog. My Bad. There are a lot of things to like about these dinners, but number one with a bullet has to be the price: Three courses, $45 and that INCLUDES a wine pairing with ALL three courses (yes, even the dessert) from their extensive cellar. The bizarre thing is that this is a place where a main EASILY runs $30-40 on a regular day and I'm not talking a kobe beef or lobster main either. I'm talking Steelhead Trout with Savoy Cabbage, Rose Finn Potatoes and Rock Shrimp - $36. And since you'd be hard pressed to find ANY decent wine for nine bucks, that one course with a glass of wine is going to cost you more than the ENTIRE three-course menu on a MON. I'm honestly not sure how they do it.

The other kewl thing is that it's the ONLY menu they have AND they always have a “theme”. To give you an idea, I've been to a Tiki Dinner (with Smuggler Cove's Martin Cate as guest bartender), A T-Day Dinner (described as a “Plymouth Dinner”...but it was Thanksgiving), A Swedish Holiday Dinner (that coincided with St. Lucia Day) and a German Dinner that was paired with rare, obscure beers instead of wines, among others. So, basically, you're trying a lot of stuff that has NEVER been on the Jardiniere Menu and won't EVER be on the Jardiniere menu. It's almost like being in an Iron Chef/Top Chef event where you have top flight chefs doing things out of their comfort zone...and it's awesome! How many other times are you going to get the chance to see a chef the caliber of Traci des Jardin's re-create a Pu-Pu Platter?

Anyways, it's a steal, It's got a Zagat , it's a gorgeous Pat Kuleto designed restaurant AND since they don't serve anything BUT the $45 special on MON, there's zero chance of feeling like you're a bottom feeder that the help will look down upon – EVERYBODY'S having the exact same thing :D

FIRST RUNNER-UP: ONE MARKET (THE WEEKLY BEAST)

So in contrast to Jardiniere running their special menu on the s-l-o-w-e-s-t night of the restaurant week, One Market has their steal on the BUSIEST nights: FRI AND SAT. The Weekly Beast features “Dining from Head to Hoof” of a different animal each week with five courses for $49 (and a mere $20 more for wine pairings). They haz a . It's a steal. Make your OpenTable reservation now...I'll wait...

…

Anyways, even though five courses of a single animal (and, yes, even the dessert) might sound overwhelming, it's not. While some courses will feature the protein front and center (like Spit Roasted Leg of Lamb with a Coffee Rub and Black Trumpet Mushrooms) others will use the animal in a more supporting role (Sheep's Milk Ricotta Gnocchi or a Sheep's Milk Ricotta Tart with Mandarin Honey Gelee). I've personally had the Lamb and Pig but the promotion also includes boutique beasts from local ranches and farms including Duck, Rabbit, Goat, Suckling Pig and Steer. Now aren't you glad you've made your reservations already?

IN THE CONVERSATION: MICHAEL MINA (PRE-THEATER MENU)

DON'T MOVE MY CHEESE AWARD:

WINNER: JOEL ROBUCHON

The Hottie has this habit of saying “I'll take one of each, please”. It doesn't matter if she's in a Tory Burch Boutique, Sephora, Bouchon Bakery or BevMo. When the help asks her what she'd like, more often than not, that's her joking response. So when we were @ Joel Robuchon in Vegas with The Meat Guy and our server brought out the cheese cart that had 26 different french cheeses (which he described each in detail – what region of France it was from, what type of milk, how it was made, etc.) The Hottie gave her “normal” response. Except we were @ a restaurant so he thoughtfully laid out the cheeses on multiple plates, organizing then by their type and we tried twenty-six different french cheeses in the middle of a tasting menu. I couldn't make this sh|t up if I tried!

FIRST RUNNER-UP: MADRONA MANOR

Honestly, I though that Josef had this one in the bag UNTIL The Hottie pulled her little “I'll take one of each” stunt. Seriously though, if you should ever have the good fortune to find yourself @ Madrona Manor do NOT opt out of the optional cheese course. Not only is their resident cheese expert a character-and-a-half but he is RIDICULOUSLY passionate about his cheese. I'm talking about a wide variety of domestic and imported cheeses and insane knowledge behind them. He||, he even had a wheel of cheese that the local artisanal cheese-maker made exclusively for him (that, of course, he was sharing with his guests)!

IN THE CONVERSATION: GUY SAVOY, QUINCE, DINING ROOM AT THE RITZ-CARLTON, CYRUS

RESTAURANT THAT MOST DESERVES A MICHELIN STAR (BUT DOESN'T HAVE ONE)

WINNER: BOTTEGA

I like this particular category because, frankly, I nailed it last year by calling on Luce to get a Michelin Star...and it did! I also called for Bouchon (Vegas) and B&B Ristorante to get stars but, since Michelin bailed on the Las Vegas guide this year, we'll never know if I was right about them as well. No matter, I can happily rest on my Luce laurels for now.

To me, Bottega is an easy call for a star and, frankly, I was surprised they ended up with merely a mention. Granted, Michelin isn't big on giving out stars right out of the gate, BUT that didn't stop them from giving Commis a star in it's first year of operation. Anyways, the chef has a pedigree, it's located in the epicurean center of the Wine Country (if not all of California), has a solid wait staff, interesting and colorful décor and, most importantly, incredible cuisine that elevates antipasti and pasta to something otherworldly. It's the Adriana Lima or Marisa Miller of the Italian Food Scene – it's what all the other Italian Ristorantes and Tratatorrias want to grow up to be.

FIRST RUNNER-UP (TIE): MADRONA MANOR & QUINCE

Yes, they both ALREADY have stars but, dammit, they both deserve more! I'm not saying they're French Laundry/Joel Robuchon level, but they both need that second star. I've been to more than enough starred places to have a good feel for what separates a one-star place from a two-star place and both Madrona Manor and Quince have “it”. Superior fawn-all-over-you service (which isn't supposed to play a part in the rating...but it does) and breathtaking locations (Quince is now in the old Myth space on Pacific and Madrona Manor is a gorgeous mansion built in 1881 on 8 acres of grounds in Healdsburg) certainly help the cause, but both feature the type of refined, creative, OMGBBQ cuisine that The Guide tends to drool over. Seriously, if either place DOESN'T get a second star in 2011 I'd be surprised.

IN THE CONVERSATION: THE DINING ROOM AT THE RITZ-CARLTON

MOST DISAPPOINTING DINING EXPERIENCE:

WINNER: THE BAZAAR

If you read my rant back in June, you could see this one coming the proverbial mile away. I was really, REALLY excited about going to Jose Andres' L.A. Hotspot, but it blew chunks. Not the food, mind you. What little of it I had was tasty and inventive, but virtually EVERYTHING else was a pricey (but really pretty) clusterfuck. From seating us an hour after our reservations, to there being nowhere to sit while we were waiting because there's a club in the middle of the restaurant, to closing the kitchen on us because we had to wait so long and service was slow (and inaccurate) on top of that. Worst of all, we weren't an isolated case. There were plenty of other people with the same experience which simply says to me that they think they're hot sh|t and don't really care. I'm quite happy that they didn't get a Michelin Star or I would have had to change the name of the blog to I Can Haz Good Yelp Ratingz and that name sucks almost as hard as their front of the house.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: CYRUS

It pains me to say this because, much like The Bazaar, I really, REALLY wanted to like Cyrus, but the experience simply didn't match the hype – and that was the crux of the problem. Now, don't get me wrong, Cyrus is an awesome restaurant that deserves to be mentioned among the best restaurants in NorCal, the problem is that SO many people talk about it being the equal (if not superior) to The French Laundry that, well, I expected something the equal to TFL and it simply wasn't there. And since this isn't the 'Worst Place I Ate' but, rather, 'Most Disappointing', it sadly qualifies. The champagne/caviar cart that started the meal was awesome and the flaming rum sauce that got tossed on the first dish was a spectacular touch but, after that, the courses were either unmemorable or what I DO remember was bad (like the Kobe Beef dish that was a total waste of Kobe Beef). Sorry, but at least I'd go back and give it another shot (unlike, The Bazaar which The Hottie wants to Die In A Fire).

Tasting Notes - JAN 2010

2010-01-31T21:39:00.000-08:00

Here's a re-post of Tasting Notes from JAN 2010 just in case you missed something. JAN was a pretty terribad month for me, BUT it did feature Dine About Town and a trip to the Ferry Building's Farmer's Market, so there were some bright spots. Bring on FEB!!!

01.15 - Went to Amber India with The Professional Liar, The Much Better Half and Two New Friends From Across The Pond. Butter Chicken and Frontier Lamb kicked @$$ (as always), the Tandoori Sea Bass and Stuffed Alloo were both big hits and my Shalgam Nalli (Braised Lamb Shank) was the single hottest thing I have EVER consumed that was still tasty. It was blazingly hot, yes, but not simply for the sake of being Man-vs-Food-we-put-10000-ghost-chilis-in-the-sauce-and-made-it-inedible-hot.

01.18 - Sad But True: I know the One Market Daily Roasts by heart, so it's no coincidence that I chose MON (Berkshire Pork Saddle) to kick off Dine About Town. The Hottie went for the 'Deluxe' version (One Market offers a regular DAT menu as well as a 'deluxe' version with higher tier items for $10 more) with a Sardine app and Black Cod main with the wine pairing for $60. Not surprisingly, I stuck with the Pork and tried the Foie Gras Terrine which was quite good (although I AM a Foie Gras Terrine mark). Also not surprising - The Valrhona Chocolate Souffle with Baily's Whipped Cream and Salted Carmel Ice Cream was lick-the-plate-clean good.

01.28 - The Ferry Building is a dangerous place for a Foodie under normal circumstances, but it's even more lethal on a THU because it's the Farmer's Market. Long story short: The Professional Liar gave me a $50 Gift Certificate to Far West Fungi (which I easily spent) along with 4 cheeses from Cow Girl Creamery, a Maple Bacon Beignet, a 1/4 lb. of Capricious Cheese, a couple of kitchen gadgets from Sur La Table and a visit to 4505 meats. That meant Chicharonnes and Fried Mac and Cheese (the lunch of champions!). I WANTED some of their Golden Dogs to-go, but they didn't have any today, so I got some fat, chubby Chicken & Beer sausages instead.

01.28 - As I am wont to do, The Foodie dipped today (see below) by going to Luce for Dine About Town for lunch (and a pre-lunch lunch @ 4505 Meats). The beet hating Hottie skipped the Beet Salad app and went for the Kampachi Crudo with Yuzu Pudding. Her loss - the "Rye Dirt" that comes with the salad is always a winner. Not surprisingly, both mains were Chef Crenn "re-imagining" classics. The Hottie's Bouillabaisse of Prawns, Mussels, Baby Octopus and Branzini had the broth poured tableside (of course) and my Pork Belly Cassoulet was two carefully constructed piles of pork with an artistic smattering of beans and liquid. Fortunately, Luce is NOT a place where the portions are going to be huge, so the fact that I had downed a brick of Fried Mac & Cheese an hour before didn't hamper my appetite :D

01.29 - My Dine About Town Tour de Force concluded tonight at LarkCreek Steak. Easily the best "deal" of the promotion, the regular menu price of the steaks we had (the 10 oz. Strip and the 16 oz. Rib Eye) were the prices of the three-course meals so, basically, you got a free app AND dessert! The Hottie went for the Little Gem Chopped Salad and Bread Pudding while The Foodie opted for the Onion Soup and Chocolate Trifle. Everything was tasty and our "regular" server made sure to swing by and chat even though we weren't his table. Also worth mentioning, The Hottie LOVED the Merlot (Swanson, Napa Valley 2005) that came with the wine pairing. Normally $15/glass the ENTIRE wine pairing was only $18, another bargain!

TFL FTW!!!

2009-12-02T17:14:00.000-08:00

Today is one of the happier days of my Food Year as I managed to snag reservations at THE best restaurant on the West Coast (if not the U.S.): The French Laundry. I've gone there a few times before and know what to expect (i.e. I've pretty much starved myself for two days) but that doesn't make it any less special ^_^

In a V-E-R-Y Un-TFL move they haven't posted their menu yet for dinner even @ 5:00 P.M. so you get to look at LAST nite's menu until I post the menu I'll actually be eating.

And, of course, I'll post the full OpenTable Review here later this month...

EDIT: J-U-S-T before we left for Kellerville, TFL posted their menu online :D If you want to take a more in depth look at what we gorged on, the menu above links to a PDF of their menu for 12.02.09.

Black Friday: Lush/Enabler Style

2009-11-27T15:49:00.000-08:00

So The Hottie, The Foodie and The Meat Guy are still in a food stupor from T-Day but in need of SOMETHING before hitting One Market for Round Two of The Weekly Beast (this time, Suckling Pig) later tonight. BevMo on-line says they have the new Kraken Rum in stock at the local branch, so I suggest going to Nation's for burgers and then swinging by the nearby BevMo to pick up the rum and maybe some Jubelale.

I might have mentioned this before, but it bears repeating: The Lush (a.k.a. The Hottie) and The Enabler (a.k.a. The Meat Guy) go through a RIDICULOUS amount of alcohol when they're together. Ungodly, Why-Aren't-You-Blind-By-Now Amounts. If you needed any proof, I submit Exhibit A, our trip to BevMo for a bottle of rum and a six-pack of specialty beer:

I have no words...

Good News. Bad News.

2009-11-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

Good News: I'm taking The Professional Liar to Ad Hoc today for his B-Day and the RNG menu looks r-e-a-l-l-y good tonight! Bonus: He's a member of Coppola's highest level Wine Club so we get in to Rubicon for free and get to sample his $$$ wines in a private parlor to keep the riff-raff away.

Bad News: His wife, The Much Better Half, is a pescetarian that doesn't eat shellfish and abhors bananas, so pretty much the only thing on the menu she'd eat is the cheese course -_-

Tastes Like Halloween

2009-10-31T11:25:00.000-07:00

I like Holidays waaaaaay more than I should. And not just the “big” holidays either (as you might have gathered from my Shamrock Shake post back in MAR). I blame The Social Parental Unit for this. You see, we had a HUGE picture window in the front of the house and EVERY holiday brought another display for the window. X-Mas, The Fourth, St. Paddy's, Easter, Valentine's Day, Memorial Day, even the beginning of baseball season brought new decorations for the house. So, yes, for the better part of the year the front of my house looked like the window display of a florist shop (minus the flowers) and, of course, I thought this was totally normal because, well, it's the only home I ever knew.

The first year I moved out I repeated the process. I happily bought my OWN decorations for the new apartment and plastered them all over the place for various holidays. However, I quickly figured something out: TAKING decorations down (and storing them) sucks ba||s >_< As such, my decorations are more scaled back these days (but still undoubtedly exceeding the “norm” for my demographic) however, when it comes to food, well, that's a different story. You don't have to put away and store food, now do you?!?!

Right off the bat, I'm not pretending that ANY of this stuff is particularly high-end or gourmet and fully admit that's high on the cheese factor. But that's OK. If you don't want to try a Jack In The Box Pumpkin Shake or Jones Candy Corn Soda, don't. But know that the stuff listed is pretty damn tasty if not kitschy.

I'm a sucker for pumpkin and, fortunately, our forefathers (or, at the very least, people that wrote the history of what our forefathers did) had the foresight to include pumpkins in Turkey Day, so the pumpkin flavor stretches well beyond OCT. So, if you buy a six-pack of pumpkin beer for Halloween and find it noxious, guess what? Bring a Holiday Five-Pack to a Halloween Party, a College Football Game or Thanksgiving and it's gone and you look like a thoughtful guest. The Hottie prefers a local Pumpkin Brew from Buffalo Bill's and it has pretty wide distribution on the Left Coast although she warms “it tastes VERY pumpkin-y” but, hey, if you're a purist, you probably aren't willing to give pumpkin beer a shot anyways :p Blue Moon and Sea Dog also make pumpkin beers with decent distribution as does Anheiser Busch under the Jack's Pumpkin label. I'm not going to bash Bud, per se, but just be warned that while it's meant to LOOK like a microbrew, it not...so don't spend microbrew $$$ on it.

If you're German (or simply abhor the idea of pumpkin beer) that's okay too. There are LOTS of true, non-seasonal microbrews that fit the Halloween theme: Arrogant Bastard, Dead Guy, Pete's Wicked, the Hobgoblin & Scarecrow brews from Wytchwood among others. In fact, most places that you'd buy hard-to-find liquor from (i.e. BevMo and Cost Plus in these parts) will have displays FEATURING beer with names or packaging that's lends itself to All Hollows Eve. Now, this option is going to cost you more $$$ since a lot of bottles retail for five bucks (or more) a pop but, in general, it's worth it AND a good excuse to try a couple beers you haven't had before.

Sadly, wine doesn't fare as well for Halloween. Thankfully there is no pumpkin wine (yet /shudder) but most spooky/halloween wines that we've tried aren't much better than Two-Buck Chuck at Trader Joe's. The bottles for Vampyre Merlot or the Evil Wines might look good, but that's about it. And, once you pour the wine out, it's just middle-of-the-road wine that you spent $$$ on. At least the pumpkin beer still TASTES halloweeny and the microbrew in the wicked bottle still tastes like a high end craftbrew after it's poured. Still, if you INSIST on getting a Halloweeny wine, go for the Black Cat Reisling from Germany. It's decent, not particularly expensive AND the black cat shaped bottle is seriously kewl and you'll prolly hang on to it for years to come.

On the non-alcoholic front, there are a surprising number of choices beyond kid friendly “punch” of dubious origin. Jones soda is always a solid choice and has wide distribution of it's Halloween sodas through Target. Four, eight-ounce cans in Halloween packaging will only put you back a buck fifty and come in favors like Candy Corn, Lemon Drop-Dead and Buried Pomegranate. And, like the pumkpin brews, if you try a can and don't like it, you've got spares to take to a party. Or, even better, they're good mixers for a drink! Just do what The Meat Guy (who found them too sweet) suggested and add coordinating vodka or schnapps and BAM instant mixed drink! In the half-sized cans they're ideal for this purpose. Beyond Jones, there are plenty of botiquey sodas that have offerings like Black Lemonade that you'll tend to find at high-end grocers.

On the hot beverage front, Spiced or Mulled Cider is a pretty common option. The pre-made Spiced Apple Cider at Trader Joe's is a fave of The Hottie's but, honestly, almost any cider warmed on the stove with the appropriate spices will do. Bonus, it makes the house smell r-e-a-l-l-y- good while it's simmering. If cider isn't your thing, Pumpkin Tea (Adagio & Lupica both have season varieties) and Pumpkin Coffee aren't that hard to find if you know where to look but my current favorite is Halloween Hot Cocoa. What makes it Halloween, you ask? Well, it's an odd white crystalline powder that turns bright orange when mixed with Hot H2O. Now, there is NO chocolate in this creation and it doesn't really taste like cocoa but, whatever is in it IS tasty and it's hard to beat a steaming cup of orange liquid with whipped cream on the Halloween-o-meter. Both Crate & Barrel and Sur La Table carry the seasonal beverage for as little as $1.25/pouch. Give it a shot and, if you don't like it, plop some pumpkin schnapps in it :D

EDIT: This year Papa Murphy's colored the pizza dough orange for their Pepperoni Jack O'Lantern Pizza (it's normally uncolored). At $7.99 it's always a crowd pleaser BUT make sure you phone in ahead - Halloween (along with the Super Bowl) is their busiest night of the year...

Live Blog: Happy B-Day To Me!

2009-10-23T10:28:00.000-07:00

When you go to Luce for no reason other than it's THU and Michael Mina so often the Maitre'd recognizes you, WHAT do you do for a special occasion meal? That's what I have to ask myself every B-Day. I can't really complain about last year, I went to Aqua for their Lunch Tasting Menu (back when they had and still served lunch) and a local place, Pappo, for dinner. You've never heard of Pappo, but it merits a ZAGAT 26 and is arguably the best food here on Silicon Island, but I digress...

This year the plan is to hit two of my perennial favorites. With The Grumpy Parental Unit involved I don't want to visit places TOO far out there (both in terms of cuisine and location) and my A to Z has ALREADY sent me to plenty of new places this year. So Bouchon for lunch and dinner at One Market for their tasting menu it is. It's a FRI, so The Hottie took the day off and I made the One Market reservations well in advance. Nomnomnom...

9:43 A.M. – Now normally, my B-Day B-Fast begins with something(s) The Hottie bought the day before in The City and then heats up along with some tea or hot cocoa. If it hadn't been firmly established before, The Hottie does NOT and canNOT cook. Period. Canned soup and microwave meals are pretty much her limit, but she can heat up chocolate croissants and bacon cheddar scones with the best of them!

This year, however, I knew what I was having in advance: Ham Biscuits. I've never had this staple of The South, but The Meat Guy (who's also never had them) sent me two dozen of them as my B-Day gift, so having them as B-Fast on my birthday was a no-brainer. They're from Callies of Charleston and, supposedly, are some of the best Ham Biscuits known to man. They're a bit smaller than I had imagined, really, REALLY savory and, surprisingly, not particularly hammy. The Hottie's addition to my breakfast is a Japanese “Pound Cake” in one of the kewlest boxes I've ever seen. Seriously, this box is a keeper. It was purchased from a Japanese candy shop in The City where EVERYTHING on the packaging is in Japanese. So, yeah, it's an authentic bean paste cake. Yum? Anyways, it's about what would expect from a Japanese “cake”: small, pretty, dry, crumbly and only the teeniest, tiniest bit of sweetness. My favorite? No, but some Pumpkin Spice tea pairs rather nicely with it and, honestly, the subtle flavors are a pretty solid yin to the incredibly flavorful yang of the ham biscuits.

10:04 A.M. - Not food related BUT we watched Modern Family on DVR while chowing down B-Fast. If you aren't watching this show already, you should. I LOL IRL and snort more during that half-hour than the rest of the week combined. Modern Family. ABC. WED. 9:00. Have I ever let you down before?

11:34 A.M. - Starting out a little later than I had planned, but the GPS (The best invention EVER) says we'll arrive @ Bouchon @ 12:32, so we're GTG. Itinerary includes Bouchon (and, of course, the Bakery), a couple of Gourmet-type stores (Napastyle, Sign of the Bear and the Sonoma Cheese Factory) and prolly a couple of wineries (Cline and Gloria Ferrer).

11:42 A.M. - The GPS lies. Traffic has ground to a halt for no apparent reason. Seriously, there shouldn't be any traffic on the road this time of day >_< In just eight minutes we've tacked five more minutes on the arrival time...

11:48 A.M. - Well there's the culprit - a carbeque. Looks like they're cleaning up after the burning car that was on the morning news. Lanes closed and people in orange vests spreading tons of that powder that sucks up liquids. The Hottie claims that the carbeque was on the Bay Bridge, not the approach to the Bay Bridge, so this is something else. I ignore her, because a carbeque makes a better story.

12:46 P.M. - We make it to an extremely packed Bouchon a good fifteen minutes after our reservations but since Bouchon is Bouchon our table is still waiting for us. I've gone through at least two-thirds of the Bouchon menu but my B-Day brings me two good specials on the old-school chalkboard: Salmon Tartare and Boudin Noir (a.k.a. Blood Sausage) - I'm a Happy Panda. The Hottie predictably goes for her go-to dish, the Croque Madame, but also gets a chalkboard special, Escagot.

12:50 P.M. - The Hottie informs me that Ashley is at one of the tables behind me. Since I don't KNOW any Ashleys, I'm a bit confused. Ashley Who? Ashley from Top Chef. I turn around and, sure enough, it IS the Top Chef contestant. Upon further review, she's dining with two other contestants Preeti and (just eliminated last night) Laurine. The "celeb" sighting isn't nearly as interesting to me as the fact that they are HERE and this season takes place in Las Vegas which tells me that the Finale -which is always in a different city- might well be in Yountville!!! Yes, they're eliminated, BUT Top Chef has a history of bringing back the eliminated contestants to help as Sous Chefs for the finale, so it makes sense. Granted, both Preeti and Laurine are "local", so they might be friends with Ashley who just came to visit, but I doubt it. Hopefully, I'll bump into Padma at Bouchon Bakery and then I'll KNOW I'm right :D

12:58 P.M. - The Hottie is SURE that Ashley keeps looking at her. Seemingly every time she looks at the Top Chef crew, Ashley is looking at her. Granted, their seats ARE facing each other but I remind The Hottie of two things: 1)She's a smoking-hot redhead and 2)Ashley likes girls. She's prolly just checking her out the same way guys tend to do. "Oh yeah. I forgot". So, if for some reason Ashley stumbles upon this blog, the Hot Redhead @ Bouchon in the orange Tory Burch-ian dress says "Hi!"

1:10 P.M. - Bouchon recently started using local wineries as "House Wines" that they serve by the glass, carafe or half carafe. Today's is a Yountville Semillion that The Lush -err- The Hottie got a half carafe of. Math not being her strong suit, she didn't realize a half carafe = 500 ml (i.e. 2/3 of a full bottle of wine). Somebody's going to fall asleep in the car...

2:05 P.M. - ZOMG!!! Birthday wishes DO come true (no, not Padma). I was hoping against hope that Bouchon Bakery might have some Halloween type creations and they do! Selections include a pumpkin "cupcake", that looks nothing like a conventional cupcake, pumpkinseed brittle, giant shortbread cookies decorated with a candy web and spider, bat shaped TKOs (Thomas Kellers interpretation of an Oreo) and, The Hotties fave, a giant candy apple. It should surprise nobody reading this blog that I get one of each.

2:22 P.M. Having visited Michael Chiarello's Napastyle recently, there isn't a whole lot on my shopping list. Regardless, I do overfill a 1l bottle of Unfiltered Sicilain EVOO. Yeah...that's messy. Still, picking your own apothecary-type bottle and filling it with one of six different olive oils from a giant metal dispenser is pretty damn kewl. Messy...but kewl.

3:28 P.M. If your local, old school hardware store and Sur La Table had a love child, it would be Sign of the Bear in Downtown Sonoma. Thousands upon thousands of kitchen gadgets you never knew existed or needed (until now) randomly crammed into narrow aisles. I get a cutting board that folds into a scoop, a reversible, silicone jigger, a double sided rubber spatula/scraper thingy and a turkey baster with a giant silicone turkey as the bulb. Oh, did I mention they're ALL bright orange (the predominant color of my kitchen)?

3:50 P.M. I can't go to Sonoma without visiting the Sonoma Jack Cheese Factory. I've been coming here since I was a wee lad and they actually made the cheese on the premises. They've since moved the cheese making operations and replaced it with froo-froo wine/cheese boutiquey retail space but the sandwiches (featuring their cheese, of course) are still a picnic must and they have over twenty cheeses to try. There's fudge to sample too but cheese>fudge and we need to get home. The Hottie forgot how hot the Habenaro Jack cheese was. Heh. Silly girl.

6:19 P.M. My birthday loot is, predictably, foodcentric as has been the case since...high school...maybe even earlier? The new Ad Hoc cookbook, the reprinted (and no longer $200) Fat Duck cookbook, a pair of Himalayan Salt Plates and a set of Staub Mini-Cocoettes are among the haul. Non food items include stuffed murlocs, a WoW Loot Card (the Ogre Pinata) and a Cal Polo Shirt!

7:12 P.M. Chef Mark Dommen vexes me!!! You see, I've NEVER had his tasting menu because, frankly, there's ALWAYS some special going on that looks even BETTER. Dine About Town, a knock-off of Dine About Town or, the most frequent offender, The Daily Roast >_< Could I interest you in a tasty Pork Saddle today? Or perhaps a 10 oz. Filet of Beef slow-roasted in our fire pit! He always makes me change my mind. Well today I went to get his tasting menu, dammit! So I refuse to be tempted by...oooooooo...what's this? The Weekly Beast? A new FRI and SAT only special during OCT where he picks a different animal and makes a 5-course Head to Hoof tasting menu. And tonight is...Lamb!!! DAMN YOU MARK DOMMEN!!! DAMN YOU!!!!!!

So, yeah, I'm having lamb tonight. Did I mention the wine pairing is only $20? So, yeah, The Hottie is having more wine. Whee!

9:55 P.M. Even though I'm stuffed and, yes, there was a lamb dessert (Sheep's Milk Ricotta Fritters) we still have to have B-Day Cake. It's a tradition, after all. Now, I'm still fuzzy on the details but, apparently, there was some sort of mishap on my birthday cake and the box was too short and/or it got slammed around in the back seat and the frosting got smudged on the lid or some junk. So The Grumpy Parental Unit decided in his infinite wisdom to just smear the entire top rather than leave it be with a couple dents. I can still make out some balloons, but whatever writing was once there looks like hyperactive finger painting hit with an Adobe blur filter. I have no clue. I gave up trying to figure out his "logic" many moons ago. Bottom Line: It's a tasty three-layer chocolate cake from the same old-school bakery my B-Day Cake comes from EVERY year. And The Puppy likes the finger painting frosting once we scrape it off, so it's all good.

Happy Birthday To Me.

LUCE HAZ A STAR!!!

2009-10-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

ZOMGWTFBBQ!!! I can hardly believe it!!! I JUST (literally, 3 min ago) opened my shiny new Michelin Guide, found the page that listed the Starred Restaurants and, upon seeing my fave/underrated place on the list, exclaimed "LUCE GOT A STAAAAAAR!" out loud IRL. My next thought was to start texting people to tell them the news...and decided this was easier :p Remember, this was the place that was First Runner-Up for my RESTAURANT THAT MOST DESERVES A MICHELIN STAR (BUT DOESN'T HAVE ONE) AWARD. /happydance. And, for the record, the winners of said award (Bouchon & B&B Ristorante) are in Vegas which doesn't get a guide this year, so we'll never know if I was right about them too...

Much more to follow, including a new Live Blog tomorrow that you won't want to miss...

Edit: The Professional Liar will be happy to know that HIS fave/underrated restaurant, Chevalier, made the Michelin Guide and even received a . That makes us both happy pandas...

Look Out Below + Justifying The 9

2009-10-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

It occurred to me that some of you (and by some, I mean all) probably didn't notice last week that I added some new features to the blog. You hit your bookmark, saw the cute picture of The Puppy and moved along to your next time-wasting bookmark, incorrectly assuming there was nothing new. Shame on you! Now scroll down, look at the new content and then come back here. Go on! I'll wait...

…

Done? Good. So, now you know that other parts of the blog get updates (like A to Z) even if I don't have some overly-long entry on the Main Page. So, if you do a drive-by, you might miss something and I'm NOT going to post here EVERY time I change something. You have been warned.

So, obviously, the most interesting content is the ranking of Th3 n1n3. And, like most lists it's sure to piss off plenty of people. 'ZOMGBBQ!!! HOW DARE YOU HAVE CYRUS RANKED LAST!!!! U R A N00B!!!!' my comments section would read (if I allowed commenting, that is). First off, this is MY top nine EXPERIENCES and only for THIS year. That doesn't mean that Micheal Mina > Redd > Guy Savoy. It means my experience(s) @ Micheal Mina this year were superior to my visits to Redd and Guy Savoy THIS YEAR. You had different experiences and, six months from now, I could very well have different experiences at the exact same places, but I can only go but what happened to me. Ordering the wrong dish, having a server in the weeds, being sat next to loud/annoying people on cell phones and such can ruin a fine meal at a truly great restaurant. It happens. But enough of my “disclaimer”, on to why I ranked places where I did...

Number one was a no-brainer. There are a lot of little things I like that really help enhance a meal. Extra intemezzo courses, things done tableside, cheese courses, visits from the chef, molecular gastronomy (done correctly – not just for the sake of doing molecular gastronomy) are some of those things and ALL of them happened @ Madrona Manor. Plus it happened to be our anniversary at a restaurant that we had visited on our honeymoon. It was pretty much a perfect meal.

Madrona also shows that, even though my blog is named after the Michelin Guide, I don't pay much heed to their scoring system. I mean, ranking single-star Madrona Manor ABOVE three-star Joel Robuchon and two-star Guy Savoy, Michael Mina AND Cyrus! Sacre Blue! Just keep in mind the Michelin Guide is just that...a guide. While some might view it as a bible, I think it's healthier to view it as a very descriptive map. The difference between a two-star and a one-star is mostly subjective anyways...which brings us to number two and number three.

We've gone to Michael Mina so many times in '09 (mostly because of their ridiculously affordable Pre-Theater Menu) that we practically have our own table. The hostess recognizes us, the mater die recognizes us as does the waitstaff. Needless to say, that is very kewl. Went went to The Dining Room once and had one of the best meals of the year with a-l-m-o-s-t French Laundry type ninja servers. To me, EITHER would make a solid number two but I give the edge to Micheal Mina for consistency.

That a three-star restaurant ranked as “low” as four is a bit weird even to me (and I wrote the list), but I simply had a better time at Madrona, Mina and the Ritz-Carlton. That being said, Robuchon was a VERY memorable meal with courses that looked like each dish had it's own creative director. Number five, Sushi-Zo, was on the opposite side of the spectrum. Tiny plate after tiny plate of fresher-than-should-be-possible seafood and rice with the terse instructions of “Soy sauce!!!” or “No soy sauce, please!!!”. It's a trip and, without a doubt, the best sushi I've ever consumed.

At this point, the list gets a lot more murky. Madrona, Mina, Ritz-Carlton, Robuchon and Sushi-Zo were EASILY the best five places I went this year. They were memorable, had impeccable service and creative, perfectly executed dishes that, to this day, I still crave and probably remember them as being even better than they actually were. I might struggle with who's #2 vs. #4, but they're all Top Five. Picking six though nine was kid of like pulling teeth. I really, really liked Gordon Ramsay BUT that was only for High Tea...so not really a fair assessment. Same is true of Providence BUT that was only for dessert. The Village Pub was truly memorable and left me wanting more but was it really better than Guy Savoy's bread pairing or the Champagne and Caviar Cart @ Cyrus? This is where the list stopped being fun >_<

Redd, like Mina, gets high marks for consistently great food on multiple visits (it's become my Go-To place in Kellerville). Guy Savoy merits number seven for the service, bread and cheese carts. Plus his son, Frank, loved my silver velvet Armani jacket and the Foodie A to Z thing. So, yeah, he knows about the blog too. (Hi Frank!). The Plumed Horse ranks number eight in SPITE of so-so service. It wasn't bad...just nowhere near the ninjalike servers of the restaurants higher on the list. Foodwise though, the tasting menu was spectacular. Tighten up a few things and it moves up the list. Which brings us to number nine, Cyrus. Now MANY people would have you believe that Cyrus is the equal, if not superior, to The French Laundry. I don't see it. Aside from two-renowned chefs cooking in the NorCal Wine Country, I don't see the parallels and, frankly, I think the comparisons hurt Cyrus. With all the hype and fanfare I was EXPECTING a transcendent experience and I got a tasting menu with...two, maybe, three good courses. It was still interesting and memorable, but on the expectations vs. reality scale it really under delivered. Sorry.

But, like I said, six through nine was really a crap shoot, so if it makes you feel any better, go ahead and pretend that you fave was #6 or JUST missed the list because, frankly, you could six through nine in a Yahtzee dice cup and re-number them and I wouldn't have much to quibble about. Redd, Cyrus, The Plumed Horse, Guy Savoy along with the others mentioned above are ALL worthy of being an anybody's Top Ten list.

Puppy Day!

2009-09-22T22:34:00.000-07:00

In case you missed it, The Puppy is featured for today, SEP 22, in The Cute Overload Daily Calendar (picture to follow)...

OT Review: Brunch @ Redd (Director's Cut)

2009-09-05T11:58:00.000-07:00

As you should know by now, I took out both the 'R' & 'U' in my A to Z over the weekend by dining at Redd and Ubuntu. Nomnomnom!

REVIEW OF REDD AS POSTED ON OPENTABLE:

“Sunday Brunch at Redd is a perfect way to kick off a day of wine tasting in Napa. If the weather is nice, get there early and request an outside table as these tend to fill up quickly. I've consumed at least half the items on the menu and have rarely been disappointed by Chef Reddington's versions of classic American dishes. Dishes like Steak & Eggs, Huevos Rancheros, Hangtown Fry and Poached Eggs & Hash are elevated to haute cusine. My personal favorites are the Breakfast Pizza (a buttery crust with cheese baked in, topped with creme fraiche, perfectly fluffy scrambled eggs and prosciutto) and the made-to-order donut holes with 3 dipping sauces. They're rarely on the menu, but ask anyways - they've always come through. You won't regret it!”

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

THE DIRECTOR'S CUT/COMMENTARY:

I got most of what I wanted in, in, although there are two things I would have added. One, the sauces for the donut holes: Strawberry Jam, Cinnamon Sugar and Dulce de Leche. They are ALL quite good but, honestly, they don't even need them. The dozen piping hot donut balls are perfectly tasty as is. /drool

The second thing was edited out because of both space and the fact that I wanted to focus on Brunch (the meal I had been there for). But my Gentle Readers deserve to know this: If you have a small party and you're going there for dinner, DO NOT overlook the Tasting Menu. I know it's a bit odd that it won't have the courses listed, but DO NOT let that dissuade you. We went with The Meat Guy for the Tasting Menu and were each served a DIFFERENT dish for all five courses. Yes, that's 15 different dishes brought to the table. They were all, more-or-less, tasting portions of menu items so, by the end of the night, we had essentially tasted everything on the menu :D It also made for a bit of fun at the table. If The Meat Guy got something he didn't like, he'd simply trade with one of us and vice versa. It was kind of like grade school all over: I'll trade you my peanut butter and jelly sandwich for your pudding cup and grapes. It was also amusing because we had gotten there early and the dining room had yet to fill up and we could see Chef Reddington peering into the room to spy on us! I'm not sure if he was looking to see if we were happy with our dishes (which, of course, we were) or how far along we were in our progression, so he knew when to fire up the next trio but, regardless, it was very kewl to have the Chef poking his head around the corner all night :D Keep in mind, it seems unlikely this would happen if there had been four (or more) of us, so if you go with more people or later in the night when it's packed all bets are off on getting different dishes...

Seemingly, all and places in The Wine Country have excellent bars and outstanding wine lists. Redd is no exception. Cocktails are solid, if pricey and the wines by the glass list is large enough that it should have something for everybody (both in terms of varietals and price). I can't vouch for the sommelier one way or another...never used him :p

It c-a-n be a hard reservation to get, but, if you get shut out (or just want something a little more casual), there is a bar menu available that I've heard is quite good (although I've never eaten at the bar). Service tends to be solid, if not spectacular and can be “casually” paced which would be annoying if, say, you were trying to drive to Geyserville, hit some wineries in Alexander Valley and make it BACK to Napa for an early dinner reservation (although, in all seriousness, no real complaints here). The decor is okay, in an IKEA kind of way, but, as long as the weather is nice, outside seating is definitely the way to go - request it when making your reservations. Finally, the sinks in the loo are rather kewl. Seriously...go wash your hands. Have I ever let you down?

EXPANDED ZAGAT-STYLE RATINGS:

FOOD: 26
DECOR: 21
SERVICE: 23
PRICE: E

Live Blog: Wine Country & The Elusive 'U'

2009-08-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

So, in my quest for the Elusive 'U' I am, indeed, going to Ubuntu in Napa. And, as I stated in the Elusive U Post, there's no way in hell I'm going to an upscale vegetarian place in Napa without also hitting one of my fave places as well. The choices are many, but the logical choice is Redd: it counts as my 'R' and their brunch is just plain awesome. The breakfast pizza is a must and even if you don't see the made-to-order "donuts" on the menu, ask for them - you won't be sorry.

So we've got brunch reservations @ Redd and early (5:30) dinner reservations for Ubuntu. That gives us a decent amount of time in the Wine Country to kill without The Hottie hitting eight different wineries and having to be poured into her seat for dinner. My Plan? Head to Geyserville in The Alexander Valley and hit some of the wineries that we rarely go to because they're so far out of the way. It'll take at least an hour to drive there from Redd and it should be a beautiful, if extremely hot (100+ is a distinct possibility), day for an extended drive in the Wine Country. Hanna, Clos du Bois and the newly remodeled Francis Ford Coppola Winery are all on the itinerary. Now if I can just remember where that frelling speed trap is BEFORE I get to it this time...

8:29 A.M. - Yay! It's overcast! And I'm not being sarcastic either. It's been inhumanly hot here in The Bay for the past 2-3 days and The Wine Country will run a good ten degrees warmer than here, BUT if it's overcast in the AM then we won't have to deal with 100+ weather today. /happydance

9:02 A.M. - Good news, bad news. Good news: As I was jotting down addys for the wineries we're going to (just in case the GPS doesn't have them) I find a free tasting certificate for one of the places! Bad news: Our cranky H2O Heater is dead. Like, the thing that sparks to light the pilot light dead. So no hot water today. On balance, pretty bad news. Ten bucks saved < Cost + Hassle of new water heater. Meh...

9:39 A.M. - ProTip: If you're going Wine Tasting for any length of time, make sure to bring some portable carbtastic, fatty snacks with you to help absorb the alcohol (The pours might LOOK small, but they add up). That's why we're at Trader Joe's buying Pretzel Slims w/Everything (always a fave) and Salty, Sweet & Nutty Trek Mix (never had b4, but looks nut heavy and tasty). And DON'T forget the water either! We've got a small cooler that will be filled with ice, H2O and Frostie's Blue Cream Soda.

11:29 A.M. - Crossing the Carcinas Bridge. The best advice The Professional Liar ever gave me was to get a Fast Pass to zip thru toll booths with zero hassle. It doesn't cost anything and saves a lot of time! Even if you only use the bridges a handful of times a YEAR it's still worth it.

1:38 P.M. - Brunch at Redd was tasty as always, but the "casual" pace of the service leaves our trip to Geyserville in jeopary. Google said it would be a 70-80 minute drive but our Garmin claims we'll be there in 45 mins. We shall see. As for the food itself, I'll post the Director's Cut Review later this week, but I'll leave you with this: The donuts aren't EVER on the brunch menu anymore, but order them anyways. They will make them for you and they are awesome :D

1:55 A.M. - The A's Radio Network sucks like a Dyson. I don't mean the broadcast itself, I mean the transmission on the 60-watt "station" they moved to this year. Being the Minor League affiliate for MLB, the A's have had, like, three different stations in the last five years and the latest one is beyond awful. Seriously, I'm driving HOME from a game and get static less than 1-2 miles FROM the ballpark. Anyways, the transmission has finally become too bad to hear anything resembling speech, so we switch to Radio One. This is fine cause it's The Chart Show with Fearne (sans Reggie, who's at Festival in Reading) which means I'm assured hours of La Roux, Little Boots, Cascada and other acts you're never heard of. And if you haven't figured out by now that I have a thing for Euro Techno/Pop, then you just haven't been paying attention. Plus, the A's went from a one-run lead to a three-run deficit in the short time I've been listening since brunch. Nothing good will come of this >_<

2:01 P.M. - This is the original Taylor's Automatic Refresher in St. Helena. Has The Foodie ever eaten here? No. Why not? Just look at that picture...do you SEE that line? The place is CRAZY popular with locals and visitors alike and while an unbelievably long line can indicate really good food, it also indicates...well...a really long wait :p Some day yes, just not today...I snap my shots and move along.

2:56 P.M. - Leaving Hanna Winery with "merely" three bottles of wine. As always, we bought wines that have little to no distribution or are sold exculsively at the wineries. As "locals" to the region, we can pick up most wines at BevMo, Trader Joe's or the local supermarket (and, generally, cheaper too) so if we're going to drive two hours to a winery, might as well get something special, amirite? Oh yeah, and The Hottie got an extra pour.

WINE-O-METER:

6 "Tastes".
3 Bottles Purchased.

TOTAL:

6 "Tastes"
3 Bottles Purchased.

3:39 P.M. - Our pourer @ Clos Du Bois went CRAZY. I think he was more impressed with our wine knowledge than The Hotties cleavage but, either way, she was SUPPOSED to get 3 samples and ended up tasting 6 (2 of which weren't on ANY of the tasting lists). On top of that, he INSISTED on pouring ME two tastes even though I was refraining as the driver, which means The Hottie got my pours as well. Thank gawd we've got water and snacks in the GTI! Oh yeah, and he comped the tasting as well...so no charge :D FYI, the sectioned wine bag they give you instead of a traditional wine box is pretty slick.

WINE-O-METER:

8 "Tastes".
4 Bottles Purchased.

TOTAL:

14 "Tastes"
7 Bottles Purchased.

4:19 P.M. - Finally headed to The Elusive 'U'. We hadn't been to the recently re-named Francis Ford Coppola Winery since is was Chateau Souverain many, many moons ago and it's STILL undergoing major renovations. Sadly, they didn't have many of the interesting wines for sale (let alone tasting) that I had seen on their website (like the Skywalker Ranch and the Alicante Bouschet wines), so we were a little disappointed. Tasting was comped yet again (which means we paid for zero tastings today) and though we only picked up one bottle of wine, I did snag a jar of their branded pasta sauce. I don't know if it really uses Francis' mother's "secret" recipe, but it was damn tasty regardless ^_^

WINE-O-METER:

5 "Tastes".
1 Bottles Purchased.

FINAL TOTAL:

19 "Tastes"
8 Bottles Purchased.

19 Pours + The Ginger Bloody Mary @ Brunch = A Well Lubricated Hottie. We tried our best to keep the consumption low by only hitting three wineries far, far away (so lots of driving time) but the trigger-happy pourers worked against us and, seriously, what are you going to say. "Oh no! Don't give me another taste of a special wine that isn't even on your wine list. Away with you, heathen!" I think not. As for wines purchased...yeah...thank goodness we got MORE wine. You know, CAUSE WE ONLY HAVE OVER 100 BOTTLES IN THE HOUSE ALREADY. I'm not joking. We easily have that much. Seriously. Don't make me get up and count them all, 'cause I will!!!

5:18 P.M. - Handyman 408-472-1442 needs to die in a fire. I've been stuck behind this truck going consistently five to ten miles UNDER the speed limit for the last half hour. He's completely destroyed ANY chance of shaving time off of my Ubuntu arrival time and actually ADDED time. And, for some reason, Sonoma/Napa have surprisingly few dotted/passing lanes (i.e. two in the last thirty mins and neither were clear as we passed them) for a two-lane highway. Grrrrrr!

5:29 P.M. - Yes, my reservation at Ubuntu is in one minute and I'm in line @ Bouchon Bakery, but that just tells you where the two rank in my food chain: Bouchon Bakery >>> Ubuntu. ANY trip to The Wine Country involves a trip to Bouchon Bakery, so if you wanna know how many times I've been here this year, just check the A to Z. If it's a Napa/Sonoma County restaurant, then it included a trip here - NO exceptions. And I'll be damned if that Sunday Driver was going to keep me from my Sticky Bun, Nutter Butter, Walnut Bread and Neapolitan Rice Krispie Thing. A pox on Handyman 408 and his children's children! DOUBLE BONUS: After not having their Foie Gras Dog Treats all year they FINALLY have some in stock!!! Granted they're smaller and in different packaging, but I don't care. I get a dozen. The Puppy will be dancing a Snoopy Dance when we get home ^_^

6:58 P.M. - Like Redd, I'll post a Director's Cut Review about Ubuntu later this week but, suffice to say, a would not be undeserved. If anybody tells you otherwise they are haters, have a limited palette or simply allow their preconceptions of what food "should be" to stunt their ability to enjoy food that's outside the box. I don't care if it's upscale bio-dynamic vegetarian/vegan, bbq from a strip mall, pretentious molecular gastronomy or food served on a paper plate from a taco truck: at the end of the day, good food is good food. Period. Rant aside, The Hottie got the Rose Wine Flight (three wines) with dinner, so she'll be "sleeping" most of the ride home...

7:15 P.M. - We're now passing the only Sonic with 100 miles of us and we're NOT stopping for the $2.99 Burger and Shake Combo. This is significant for two reasons: 1)The Hottie loves Sonic and rarely misses the opportunity to go (see the Vegas Blog for more on this) and 2)It means Ubuntu did not suck. Seriously, we had Sonic in mind as a back-up in case the Elf Food blew chunks or left us hungry. I mean, even vegetarians were warning The Hottie that upscale veggie cuisine always left you hungry. Well, not Ubuntu.

OT Review: The Village Pub (Director's Cut)

2009-08-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

As you should know by now, The Foodie is a BIG advocate of OpenTable. If I CAN use it to make a reservation, I do. It just makes things much simpler. A few months back they started sending out e-mails after you'd dined at an establishment asking you to rate the restaurant...which I promptly deleted. However, a few weeks ago it occurred to me that I probably SHOULD leave feedback. I mean, I AM an OpenTable VIP, have racked up hundreds of thousands of OpenTable points and eat out way more than any human should. I would like to think my A to Z list alone would give me some street cred, amirite? And I'll DEFINITELY leave more insightful/helpful comments than "corkage at $30 is outrageously high". Seriously...that was this schmucks ENTIRE review of The Village Pub. How was the service, Barry? THEY CHARGED ME $30 CORKAGE!!!!! Um, okay...but was the food any good? $30 – THAT'S TOO HIGH!!!! Yeah...that's useful. I'll bet the same noob spammed Yelp and Chowhound with similar posts. Made him feel better, I'm sure - “I'll get those bastards for charging me so much on corkage – MWAHAHAHAHA!!!”. But, I digress...

So now I AM posting reviews for some of the places I dine, but something else occurred to me: my Gentle Readers have NO idea that its me. For all they know, I'm the douche complaining about corkage fees. I'm just 1 of 72 seemingly random reviews, so I decided to re-post them here. But, of course, reviews on OpenTable are...simple, so I'm not entirely happy with that format. One to five stars isn't much of a range and the character limit make the posts more Twittery than my typically verbose blogs. I understand WHY OpenTable wants everything to be concise, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy with it :p So, as a result, you get the Director's Cut! The stuff I WANTED to say, but couldn't for lack of space/resources.

Now, I NEVER intended to have “reviews” as part of my blog – I wanted it to be more about my experiences, insights and snark but, honestly, if I can keep diners from having a gawdawful dining experience (or, conversely, point them in the direction of a fantabulous meal they wouldn't have otherwise experienced) then I'm okay with that...

REVIEW OF THE VILLAGE PUB AS POSTED ON OPENTABLE:

“Don't let the name fool you: Woodside m-i-g-h-t be a "Village", but there's nothing "Pub"-like about this Michelin Starred gem. I live in the East Bay, so it's a fairly long trek to get there, but it was DEFINITELY worth the drive. I dined on a SAT and while the place was packed, you'd never know it from the flawless tag-team service. Our server encouraged us to order from both the (more casual) Bar Menu as well as the Dining Menu which gives you more options. Highlights included a Heirloom Tomato Salad with Burrata and 12-year Old Balsamic (made tableside), Charcuterie featuring 9 types of cured meat and a fantastic Buttermilk Panna Cotta served over a Blueberry Cake with Warm Almond Soup. We're already planning our next trip back!”

Overall: 5 Stars.
Food: 5 Stars.
Ambiance: 4 Stars.
Service: 5 Stars.
Noise: 3 (Energetic).

THE DIRECTOR'S CUT/COMMENTARY:

Okay, the only other thing I r-e-a-l-l-y wanted to post (but ran out of space) was the noise. I have no idea why OT uses 1 to 5 for everything else but only 1 to 3 on noise, but “energetic” doesn't do justice to just how loud The Village Pub is. Even half full, it was hard to hear The Hottie and it only got worse as the place filled up. Now, I'm not suggesting that it's a bad thing, but I really wanted to point it out. It is a truly great restaurant worthy of it's Michelin Star, but if you're looking for an intimate experience or a romantic place, look elsewhere.

As noted, the tag-team service was spectacular (seriously, we had no less than ten different people dropping off dishes, taking away dishes, replacing utensils, re-filling the sparkling H2O, etc.) and The Hottie was duly impressed by Max their sommilier. Granted, it didn't hurt that her pour was ginourmaous – as least 1 ½ the amount you'd expect for wine by the glass. The kitchen, however, made the slickest move of the night. I ordered one more dish than The Hottie, so when they brought out my Shaved Foie Gras Torchon they presented The Hottie with the cutest little Caesar salad in the history of Caesar salads as a “gift from the chef”. It was 3-4 small pieces of romaine tied together with an anchovy and drizzled with parmesan, mini-croutons and dressing. Foodwise, it wasn't much more than a jumbo amuse bouche but for Style Points, it's off the charts. That sort of thoughtfulness can easily make the difference between a good meal and a great one.

Foodwise, I liked everything I ordered. Of the three things mentioned in the review you c-o-u-l-d skip the Tomato Salad and just go with the Torchon, but I have a fondness for the tomato/cheese/basil/balsamic combo. However, the best thing I ate that night I haven't even mentioned yet: The Braised Lamb Shoulder that was part of the Spring Lamb Trio. Of the three preperations, it was clearly the best. Deep, instense, melt-in-your-mouth meaty goodness. Think of a lamb version of braised short ribs on steroids. If my 'trio' had been three servings of that, I would have been a happy man.

The Hottie went 100% French on the night: Veal Sweetbreads with a Slow-Poached Egg, Charcuterie (which had 4 different accompaniments to go with the 9 types of meat), Three Preparations of Rabbit and the aforementioned glass of Côtes du Rhône. We fully intended to do the full cheese tasting as well but, sadly, ran out of room.

Finally, The Village Pub had all the little extras you'd expect from a Michelin Starred establishment: White Gazpacho as an amuse, Mini-Lemon Madelines with the check and they stored the “Doggie Bag” at the front desk and handed it to The Hottie as we left the building (while opening the door, of course). All in all, one of the best meals I've had in a while and I wasn't kidding, we ARE already planning a return trip. Just too many good things to try on the menu that we just didn't have a chance to get to.

EXPANDED ZAGAT-STYLE RATINGS:

FOOD: 26
DECOR: 21
SERVICE: 26
PRICE: VE

Live Blog: Las Vegas Road Trip

2009-07-30T18:55:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm doing a lame "Live" journal type thing for my Vegas Road Trip. I s-e-r-i-o-u-s-l-y thought about doing one on my L.A. Trip, but didn't and kinda regret it. A LOT of stuff happened in L.A. that would have been fun to save for posterity, so I guess Vegas will have to do instead. It may suck like a Hoover or it might make for awesomely snarktastic cheesy goodness, IDK. We'll see how it goes...

07.30.09

11:58 A.M. - The Foodie is a Happy Panda! While buying my $50 Gift Certificate for miX at restaurant.com I notice that they have a slot for discount codes so, on a whim, I Google 'restaurant.com discount code' and find a code (NAPKIN) for EIGHTY percent off! So my fifty dollar credit costs me all of FOUR DOLLARS! That's, basically, a main and an app for the price of one of The Hottie's Grande Skinny Vanilla Lattes at Starbuck's (and at a Michelin starred restaurant no less). Can you say steal? On top of that, I was going thru the Shopdiscover.com site and get 20% cash back too boot. Granted, 20% back on four bucks aint much...but I'll take it ;p

1:18 P.M. - WTF is wrong with Southwest? I go to use their on-line check-in and copy the confirmation number directly FROM the e-mail they sent me and the website keeps telling me it's not valid because it doesn't have the proper/correct number of characters o_O Really? You SENT me that combination of numbers/letters Southwest!!! But when I finally manually TYPE in the exact same characters it takes it no problem /smack

6:32 P.M. - While looking over the menu on-line @ Memphis Championship BBQ, I start SERIOUSLY considering packing some heavy-duty Tupperware so I can snag some BBQ to-go on SUN and pack it in the checked luggage on the way back. I've got a limited number of meals to enjoy over the weekend and it's not like I can take Wing Lei's Duck Tasting Menu home with me, now can I? Plus, it's supposed to be 106 this weekend in Sin City, so while The Hottie's wardrobe will still be vast it will also be...well...tiny. As a result, there will be more available room than normal in the luggage! This idea is starting to make more and more sense to me...

8:59 P.M. - No, this pic isn't staged. Whenever we pack for a trip, The Puppy leaps into the open luggage as if to say, "Okay Mommily, I'm all packed. Let's Go!". Granted, it's kinda weird...but mostly cute.

And, yes, I realize there's no pic here at present...I don't have what it takes to post pics on the road, so just IMAGINE a super-kawaii pic of a Peke sitting in a giant piece of pink luggage :p

07.31.09

12:31 P.M. - The Kia Spectra sux. That is all.

1:04 P.M. - My Angus Burger topped with Swiss, Prosciotto and Foie Gras arrives. Nom nom nom. The Hottie, being the Egg Slut she is, went for a burger topped with Cheddar, Bacon and...a Fried Egg. It's been a while since I've been to Hubert Keller's Burger Bar and I'd forgotten a couple of things. One - The server's outfits are HOT (as are most of the servers) and Two – Their beer selection is insane: two dozen beers on tap and over one-hundred bottled beers.

2:38 P.M. - It takes The Hottie less than 3 hours in Vegas to suggest we go to Sonic. She definitely has a Sonic fixation - so sad. Then again, it is 106 degrees and half-price drink happy hour, so the idea of a super-sized, cold, refreshing beverage isn't without merit.

4:30 P.M. - Upgrade! The Hard Rock must really like me! Not only is our room comped for our stay, but I got upgraded to a Pool View Room on the Third floor. My room is closer to the pool than some of the “poolside” cabanas. Seriously, I could TALK to people at the pool from my balcony if I wanted...

8:33 P.M. - I check the A's score while waiting for Glasvegas to start @ The House of Blues. My $100 bet looks pretty secure as Oaktown has an 8-1 lead. BTW, this also means that, over a ten day span, I will have seen Ada Maria, La Roux and Glasvegas live. This means diddly squat to 99.9% of the Americans reading my blog, but to any music-loving Euros it will prolly impress them /flex.

10:04 – w00t! We score one of the Austin Powers Egg Booths @ miX. If you've ever been to miX, you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. Also, my Beef-Topped-With-Foie-Gras-Day at The Mandalay continues as they have a beef tenderloin special topped with seared fois gras and truffles. The Hottie gets duck and, as always, the sommelier's suggestion for a wine pairing is top notch. The wine team @ miX is consistently one of the best we've encountered anywhere...

DAY ONE LUSH-O-METER:

BEER: 2.
COCKTAILS: 1.
WINE: 1.

TOTAL DRINKS: 4. Don't worry, she may be off to a slow start, but I'm sure The Hottie is just warming up...

08.01.09

12:58 A.M.– We're calling it a nite. I've been up since 5:00 A.M. And just had a r-e-a-l-l-y nice streak where, with my A's bet, I'm even after being down $600 earlier in the day. I don't WANT to leave Danielle (one of my fave dealers who knows us on sight) but even SHE tells me I should leave before giving all my winnings back. Good call. After cashing in my chips I see that they replaced Danielle with their resident Cooler. Bitch is hot as hell, has a sick body and is cold as ice. If somebody told me she was an android I wouldn't flinch. She deals cards at an inhuman clip and sucks up your chips like a Dyson. Can you tell she's taken my money many, many times before?

5:15 A.M. - I just found out The Hard Rock has no cold water. You can turn on what they CLAIM is cold water, but when the 'low' for the day is 84 degrees, the supposedly cold H2O is lukewarm at best. As for what The Foodie is doing in the oversized tub @ five o'clock in the morning I'll simply quote Barry and Levon, “Shhhhhhhhhhhh. Don't worry your pretty little head about it.”

10:58 A.M. - The pool @ The Hard Rock hasn't even been open an hour and, already, EVERY spot/lounge chair has been claimed. Fortunately, I had detected the insane influx thirty mins earlier and claimed our spots while The Hottie got ready in our room. I also realize that weeks of dieting, hours on the recumbent bike and miles walking on the sandy beach don't mean squat. With The Hottie laying next to me in her Victoria's Secret bikini, I could be a glow-in-the-dark Jabba The Hutt and nobody would notice.

3:39 P.M. - Five hours at the insanity that is The Hard Rock pool is about our limit (especially in 100++ weather). We haven't even collected our stuff or put on our cover-ups before somebody pounces on our prime seats. Bonus: Some of the Hells Belles now work as bikini-clad dealers at he pool during the summer. Amy and her buddy Susie treat me very well, as does the Cocktail Waitress. As I've said many times before, if I'm going to lose money, I'd at least like to have fun doing it!

5:05 P.M. - I make the biggest mistake of the trip so far and decide to go back down to the pool for some more Blackjack while The Hottie is resting (i.e. passed out) in our room. The $100 tables at the pool are E-V-I-L! AVOID AT ALL COSTS!!!

7:42 P.M. - My last trip to Nobu didn't leave me terribly impressed, but I must say The Black Cod marinated in Miso is a signature dish for a reason. I skip most of the sushi selections (my mind is still haunted by the unforgettable omakase @ Sushi-Zo) and must say this is the way to go. Sushi, once ZOMGUNIQUE, is pretty commonplace now and IMHO the sushi @ Nobu is overrated - good, but not great. As a result, I am rewarded with Spicy Miso Lotus ‘Chips’ with Tuna, Three ethereal Kumamoto Oysters with signature sauces and a mind-blowingly good miso-almond cake with japanese rice puffs and...wait for it...wait for it...EDAMAME ICE CREAM!!!

DAY TWO LUSH-O-METER:

BEER: 1.
COCKTAILS: 4.

TOTAL DRINKS: 9. Ordering back-to-back Bacardi and Diets before noon (in the Super Big Gulp Sized Poolside Tiki Cups no less) took their toll early or The Hottie would have consumed more, I assure you.

08.02.09

12:21 A.M. - Pretty much the first thing The Hottie squealed when I told her (weeks ago) that Leno was playing at The Mirage was "We can go to BLT Burger!!!", so I'm not suprised at all to find myself here. And, mind you, we're not r-e-a-l-l-y here for the burgers, per se. The Hottie wants her Malibu Barbie: A vanilla shake with pineapple juice, coconut milk and...Malibu Rum. Yes, The Hottie is drinking a spiked milkshake...I'm sure you're all so very, very shocked. I try the Twinkie Boy: A vanilla shake blended with caramel sauce and Twinkies! It's even garnished with the tip of a twinkie and tastes really, really good with an interesting mouthfeel. This is the perfect food to be eating in Vegas @ 1 in the morning (which is probably why there's a line to get in at 1 in the morning, eh?)...

11:22 A.M. - It should surprise absolutely nobody that I find myself @ Bouchon this morning. Damn them for not taking reservations! It'll be a 30 min wait...

11:27 A.M. - I mock "Allison, Table of Three" for pulling out her best Sunday sweats for brunch. The grubby, heather grey sweat top is at least ten sizes too large, but the burnt orange jogging shorts with the peeling off Texas Longhorns logo really complete the ensemble. Somewhere, Stacy and Clinton's collective Spider Sense starts tingling...

11:55 A.M. - The Foodie is a Sad Panda : ( Being sat outside (normally a prime spot) in 100 degree weather isn't fun but, far worse, The Best. Eggs. EVAH. is no longer on the menu. Why does Keller hate me? First he stops making foie gras dog snacks for The Puppy and now THIS! I'll try the French Toast, but I'm still bummed...

12:04 P.M. - The Foodie is a Happy Panda! ^_^ It turns out that there are specials today that our in-the-weeds server didn't tell us about. I overhear him mention them to another table and my ears perk up when I hear the words "Sous vide sixteen hours". Seriously, if my head didn't rotate to maximize my listening skills, I'm sure my ears would have started springing up like some cartoon character. My order is now changed to Sous vide Steak and eggs. Also, I am informed that the Oeuf Au Gratin (i.e. Best. Eggs. EVAH.) are simply too labor intensive to have on the Brunch Menu but, I am assured, they remain on the Breakfast Menu. /cheer

2:02 P.M. - I'm at Sephora. Yay! I'm sure nobody is shocked to hear that The Hottie is some sort of Super V.I.P. in their Insider Reward Program. Thirty minutes later, $100+ is dropped on products that fit in a bag the size of a DVD case. At least the tiny bag is stylish!

3:13 P.M. - I'm at Memphis Championship BBQ! Genuine YAY! I did, indeed, pack a couple of jumbo Rubbermaid containers to fill with 'que. I go with a pound of brisket, a pound of rib tips, a bottle of regular sauce and a bottle of spicy sauce. I also get some of their sweet tea that they serve in a mason jar while I wait for the order cause, well, did I mention it's 108 degrees outside today?

3:26 P.M. - As I'm transferring the brisket from the Styrofoam take-out container to the Rubbermaid, The Hottie announces 'OMG that smells so good' as she jams her hand into the brisket and tears off a not-so-small piece. It's gone before I can blink. I'm pretty sure wolves take longer to eat meat than that. I'm not really sure if I should be proud or frightened at this moment?

5:48 P.M. - The schlubs who show up at Wing Lei in t-shirts and shorts are politely redirected to a Drive-Thru Panda Express. The amount of schadenfreude I experience from this is disturbing, but I'm okay with that.

5:51 P.M. WOW! The single-best looking/smelling duck I have EVER seen/smelled is wheeled out tableside and starts getting expertly carved up on the spot as part of our Imperial Duck Tasting. Nom nom nom.

6:21 P.M. Did I mention that The Hottie ordered a glass of champagne even though the Duck Tasting comes with two glasses of sommelier paired wine? I guess I just did...

DAY THREE LUSH-O-METER:

COCKTAILS: 1.
WINE: 3.
SPIKED MILKSHAKES: 1.

FINAL TOTAL: 14. A solid but not spectacular performance by The Hottie this trip. If The Meat Guy or Fun Bandit were there to enable her, the total would have been higher. Still, fourteen drinks is a respectable amount...

08.03.09

12:05 A.M. - The Puppy is insanely happy to see us. Nothing should have this much energy @ midnight. He'll be even happier when he finds out that The Hottie hit The Wall on course 3 of the Duck Tasting, so we have Wing Lei leftovers in the carryons. Last trip he got leftovers from Bradley Ogden. Can you say spoiled?

12:13 A.M. - @TSAmorons: If you INSIST of going thru my luggage and open up my Rubbermaid containers can you PLEASE at least put the lids back on?!?! WTF! Like we were trying to hide Al Qaeda Baby Bomb Ribs in the pink luggage? Thank Allah we double-wrapped them in shopping bags too. If BBQ sauce had gotten on The Hottie's Shearling Boots I'd be calling The Professional Liar for legal counsel right about now.

Bib Gourmand: Vegas, Baby!

2009-07-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

So, once again, The Foodie and The Hottie are headed to our home away from home this weekend which means I scoured The Information Super-Highway to see what's hot, what's new and what bargains can be had. For this trip, at least, the bargain hunting is merely so-so for me BUT I figured, hey, just because I'm “pinned” in to certain restaurants doesn't mean you are. SOMEBODY might as well prosper from my hours of research, amirite?

First off, don't cry too many emoticons for me since I'll be going to a Michelin-Starred place every night: miX , Nobu and Wing Lei . If you're reading this the week I posted it, you'll notice that (N)obu and (W)ing Lei nicely fit in the N & W category for Foodie: A to Z (as documented in the Elusive U Post earlier this month). But, I digress. This isn't a Look-At-All-The-Kewl-Places-I've Eaten-Blog this is a Get-The-Word-Out-About-Culinary-Steals-Blog. Now, normally, my Bib Gourmand blogs feature a single deal on a place I love. In this case, because Vegas is hurting so much for business, I'll just give you a summary on places with some pretty spectacular deals as long as you can plan ahead:

ALEX , DANIEL BOULUD , WING LEI (among others) AT THE WYNN.

At present, pretty much EVERY restaurant at The Wynn/Encore has some sort of Dine-At-An-Off-Time Deal in place. At Wing Lei you can have a 5-course Duck Tasting w/a glass of wine for $69 OR a 3-course Prix Fixe dinner with a specialty cocktail for $49. Do I really need to tell you how good a deal this is or remind you that they haz a Michelin Star? The “catch” is that it's only available before 7:00, but if you're catching a show or, say, taking a late flight back home and want to “sneak” in one, last good meal before heading home, it's ideal. The DB and Alex deals are similar: Eat before 7:00 and have 2-courses ($36) or 3-courses ($42) at Boulud's or 3-courses at Alex for $89. I can't personally vouch for Alex since I haven't been there but, hey, it DOES have TWO Michelin Stars. Boulud's place is one I've been to many times and that deal is DEFINITELY one I recommend without hesitation.

BTW, the Wynn stie is an EXTREMELY irritating Flashsite where Wynn wants you to hear him wax poetic about how amazing, interesting and unique he and his resorts are, so I couldn't link directly to the menus. So, much like the Mina Pre-Theatre menu, don't rely on the menus I linked if you're reading this blog a month after I posted it. YOU'LL have to take the hit and listen to Wynn's cheesy voice while you try and find the elusive Taste of Wynn promotion – I've already taken one bullet for you, I can't take the whole clip :p

AUREOLE , FLEUR DE LYS, miX (among others) AT MANDALAY BAY.

Much like the Wynn, a lot of the foodie destinations at The Mandalay (little 'f' foodie, a foodie in general, not me in particular) are having a 'Lion King Pre-Theater' dinner special which, of course, means dine before 7:00. Stripsteak and RM Seafood join the places listed above for having deals at this time. Frankly, The Aureole dinner sounds too good to be true: 3 course Prix Fixe for $45!!! Seriously, the last time we dined at Charlie Palmer's place, The Hottie spent more than that on a glass of wine and, sadly, I'm not exaggerating. It is the home of the Wine Angels after all. miX's offering is a little more vague: a half-dozen shared plates and two glasses of wine for $40/pop. So if you're looking for a “meal” this might not be for you, but if you're looking for a “steal” then go for it. miX is one of my fave places in all of Vegas: Awesome décor, creative, well-executed food and unsurpassed people watching 64-floors above the city. Bonus: This deal is offered ALL night long in the bar which, btw, is one of THE places to be seen in Vegas. Seriously, ZAGAT had it rated as their #1 destination for Nightlife in LV, no small feat. Chef Hubert Keller's SF transplant has deal similar to Aureole, 3-courses for $45, though it does lack the Michelin Star of the o/g. Still, star or not, a good deal is a good deal.

BTW, unlike the Taste of Wynn or the MGM Grand Summer Deals coming up, it almost seems like the Mandalay DOESN'T want you to know abut these deals. They pretty well hidden and most searches for said deals will send you to other blogs and websites. Weird. It's also worth noting that most of the Prix Fixes ARE still available after 7:00, you just pay more for them (~$10) which still makes them a bargain. Also, if you want a REAL steal, all of the Mandalay places have certificates available @ Restaurant.com (though the “special menus” are generally excluded from coupons). More on that below...

JOEL ROBUCHON , L'ATELIER DE JOEL RUBOUCHON , SEABLUE, CRAFTSTEAK (among others) AT THE MGM GRAND.

First things first, NO you shouldn't go to Creaftsteak. As I've said MANY times before there are WAY too many good places to go to in Vegas to dine @ Craftsteak. BUT you if INSIST on trying Colicchio's place, you might as well take advantage of their new 'Halfsteak Menu'. Think of it as a parent giving his kid protection: I don't want you going all the way with Tom Colicchio, but if you're not going to listen to me, I STILL want you to be smart about it :p

Good, got that out of the way. Now on to places worth my keystrokes...

Joel Robuchon has graced us with a couple of deals at his one and three star establishments @ the MGM. First is the new L'Unique menu at L'Atelier which runs 3 courses for $39 before 7:00. It's also his “express” option: the food is served all at one in a bento-style box within 15 mins so, if you're looking for a night out, this isn't the option for you. If, however, you're looking to taste Joel's food at a fraction of the price, then this is for you. If, however, you want to go all the way with one of The God's of French Cuisine, might I point out that he just introduced new, smaller tasting menus @ the THREE-STARRED restaurant starting at...$89??? Now, don't get too excited, $89 is the starting point for two courses. However, the fact that you can now pick the level of commitment from two courses ($89) to six ($195) is a bonus. Don't get me wrong, I ADORE Robuchon's stuff, but a SIXTEEN course menu is just a bit much - I do need to fit in my trunks the next day, after all. Nobody wants to look like a bloated whale at The Hard Rock Pool.

Lastly, if you want you some bargain Mina, both of his places @ the MGM have affordable prix fixe deals: 3 courses @ Nob Hill for $39 and 3 courses @ Seablue for $45 as part of the MGM's Summer Tasting Menu Promotion. As I've said before, I haven't gone to either place and it's unlikely I ever will simply because I'm spoiled and go to his two-starred SF namesake enough that I'm a regular. Still, anything under $50 for 3-courses at ANY Mina restaurant, regardless of it's location is a deal. Seablue's Happy Hour (5:30-7:00), however, is another story: two-dollar Stella Artois, one-dollar/pop for oysters or shrimp plus half-price on Mina's signature Lobster Corndogs and Salt and Pepper Calamari is prolly TOO good a deal fro The Hottie to pass up if we're in the area...

AUREOLE , miX , STRIPSTEAK, LITTLE BHUDDA, CAFE BA BA REEBA (among others) VIA RESTAURANT.COM.

Note: As of the time of this entry, Restaurant.com is running a promo for 80% of their certificates. In other words, you can get a $50.00 Gift Certificate for $4.00 by using promo code 'NAPKIN'. I know it sounds to good to be true, but it's not.

Now, some of you might find using a 'coupon' cheesy but, to you, I say go bury you face in the latest issue of Saveur and leave my blog alone. I hear that creepy judge from Top Chef Masters that looks like the 'Mmmkay' Guy from South Park is their editor-in-chief and he is SUCH a pretentious douchesnob that I'm sure you'll get along famously. Money saved is money saved whether it's a promotional menu or an e-mail link you clicked and, face it, you've read thru a blog about SAVING MONEY on dining out so, clearly, it interests you to some degree. Now, where was I? Oh yeah...saving benjamins. In a nutshell, you pay restaurant.com a fraction of the value of a gift certificate from participating restaurants and print them from your computer. Generally there are restrictions (the time of day or dates it can be used or minimum amout you need to purchase are fairly common) and the restaurants participating can be few and far between but, lately, they added a few more high end places that, frankly, I was shocked to see @ Restaurant.com. Bottom line, if I can pay $20 in advance for a $50 dining credit @ miX, Aureole or Fleur de Lys, why wouldn't I? We use a certificate from Cafe Ba Ba Reeba nearly every time we go to Sin City (The Hottie is a sucker for their Sangria/Tapas and the fact that's it's as The Fashion Show Mall doesn't hurt either) and the inclusion of some higher end restaurants can only makes things better. Just make sure you read the fine print and you're gtg.

Tiki Time!

2009-07-07T11:15:00.000-07:00

With Summer in full effect, The Foodie has found himself bitten by the Tiki Bug. Why? I'm not sure. We do have a solid Tiki history here in The Bay, what with Trader's Vic's originating here and that tradition being carried on with places like The Forbidden Island (arguably one of THE best tiki bars on the left coast) right here on Silicon Island. In fact, while merely prepping to write this blog entry last nite, I got the urge to GO to Trader Vics's so, just one hour later, there we were with a Suffering Bastard and Coral Reef in hand. Bonus: It happened to also be a 1000 point OpenTable rez. Cha-Ching! But I digress...

So hot days need cold drinks so, without further adieu, here are a few adult beverages for you to enjoy that are Hottie (and Meat Guy) approved. Plus, with them posted here, The Meat Guy can stop calling me and asking for the recipes :p

So why not start with the Mother of all tiki drinks, the venerable Mai Tai, invented by Trader Vic himself. Now many, many people have tried to figure out the EXACT blend of juices and syrups he used for the mix but, to that, I say eff it. Argue on your tiki forums all you want, but just buy a bottle of the mix for $5 at your local supermarket or specialty store and be done with it. If you follow the directions on the mixer it claims to use Trader Vic's Dark Rum, which you can, and it turns out tasty. HOWEVER, below is the recipe for what you'd be served if you were to actually have it at a Trader Vic's:

- 2 oz. Meyer's Dark Rum
- 1 oz. Trader Vic's Mai Tai Mix
- Juice from 1 lime (~1 oz.)
- Splash of Demerara 151 Rum (optional)

Put the Meyer's, mixer and lime juice into a cocktail shaker with crushed ice and shake vigorously. Pour contents into a rocks glass (adding more crushed ice if necessary) and splash a floater of the 151 rum. Garnish with a mint sprig and skewered pineapple chunk and stemless maraschino cherry.

The Banana Cow, on the other hand, is not something you can have at Trader Vic's any longer. They have an extensive drink list to be sure, but just because is isn't served any longer doesn't mean it's not tasty! This recipe is s-l-i-g-h-t-y modified from Vic's original because I use Trader Vic's Banana Rum instead of the generic “light rum” it calls for and I also add a couple drops of Tahitian vanilla in it as well. Feel free to omit it.

- 1 banana
- 1.5 oz. Trader Vic's Banana Rum
- 3 oz. Milk
- 2 tbs. Powered sugar
- Dash of vanilla (optional)
- Plenty of crushed ice (his words, not mine. I'd say ½ cup crushed or 4-5 big ice cubes)

Put the mess in an electric blender and mix hell out of it. Pour in a large glass and have at it.

Best. Instructions. Ever. Seriously, those are the instructions. I use my Magic Bullet and put it into a Trader Vic's Coconut Mug but, whatever. As long as it fits in the glass and you “have at it”, it's all good.

So this drink is one that I stumbled upon @ the tikitender site while searching for new “beachy” type drinks. He calls it a Suntanned Surfer Girl but, when I read the ingredients, I said to myself “Hey! That's really just a Malibu Barbie, but with a spray-on tan.”. DING! DING! DING! The lightbulb went off and it had a new name. A Malibu Barbie is a well-established drink of pineapple juice and Malibu (coconut) rum over ice. This adds a splash of (Diet) Coke for a little cola/caramel flavor and color (hence the “spray on”). A Malibu Barbie is normally 8 oz. juice to 2 oz. Rum but I scaled it down a teeny bit simply because the small cans of pineapple juice are 6 oz. and most people making drinks at home don't have large amounts of pineapple juice sitting around in their fridge ;p And regular cola is fine too, I just use Diet Coke 'cause what else would Barbie drink? Duh!

- 6 oz. Pineapple juice
- 1.5 oz. Malibu (coconut) rum
- Splash of Diet Coke

Stir ingredients together with ice cubes in a collins glass, and serve.

Midge, of course, is Barbie's redheaded best friend...or at least, she was until they shipped her away to the same place McDonald's sent Uncle O'Grimacey and Hasbro banished Spike Witwicky before resurrecting him as Shia LaPoof. If Midge were still around today, everybody would know her as Barbie's anchor 'cause, frankly, she was. She had red hair, a little pug nose, lots of freckles and while she was cute in her own right, she had nothing on The Blonde Bombshell. This drink, however, is no anchor. It's the same basic concept, but with the new Bacardi Dragonberry/Strawberry rum (don't let the “Dragonberry” part fool you – it's strawberry rum. I'm guessing the marketing geniuses at Bacardi thought Dragonberry sounded more “exotic” or something. Whatev, it's strawberry.), and splashes of oj and pomegranate for a different flavor combo. Plus it comes out redheaded, rather than blonde :D If you don't have pomegranate juice handy, you can use a cosmo mixer in it's place OR a few drops of grenadine if really in a pinch, but be careful not to use TOO much.

- 6 oz. Pineapple juice
- 1.5oz. Bacardi Dragonberry Rum
- Splash of Orange Juice
- Splash of Pomegranate Juice
- Splash of Diet Coke

Stir ingredients together with ice cubes in a collins glass, and serve.

Yes, this drink is decidedly NOT tiki, but it's summer and it's good on a hot day. Now most of you prolly think I'm insane for suggesting you mix beer and...7-Up?!?!? I mean what insane culture would do such a thing to beer? Would you believe...the Germans? Yeap, that's right, the same country with the centuries old “Purity Act” that prevents you from using anything but four ingredients in beer (water, barley, hops and, later, yeast) are perfectly happy with mixing it with lemon-lime soda. I couldn't make this sh|t up if I tried! Anyways, The Hottie tried this at the local German place (Speisekammer) on a particularly hot day while we were eating outside and was immediately sold. It also makes a hefty 20 oz. drink (or 2, 10 oz. if you're the sharing kind) which is convenient because the drink calls for a 3:2 ratio of beer to soda and, of course, beer comes in 12 oz. bottles and the little half cans of soda stocking bar fridges across the nation are 8 oz. Traditionally, a Radler is made with a medium-dark beer (like the marzen pictured) but, these days, is commonly made with light beers, which is particularly good for summer months. We'll be using a local microbrews summer offering but any light/summer beer would work. He||, you can use Bud Light Lime and Diet 7-up for all I care 'cause pretty much ANYTHING added to Bud Light would make it taste better :p And, duh, since there's no shaking with ice in a shaker nor any ice IN the drink (that would just be crossing the line, amirite?) make sure both the beer and soda are ice cold before mixing...

- 12 oz. Pyramid Curve Ball
- 8 oz. Lemon-Lime Soda

Pour into a large, frosty pilsner glass and enjoy.

Foodie A to Z and the Elusive U

2009-07-01T08:48:00.000-07:00

Well, it's July first and we're officially halfway thru the year which means I've had six months to work on my Foodie A to Z “challenge” which was pretty much the impetus for this blog to begin with. If you've been tracking it on the sidebar this year you'd know that, by nearly anybody's standards, The Foodie has had a pretty spectacular half-year. All total, I've eaten at 23 Michelin Stars worth of restaurants with an average ZAGAT rating of 24.7 (and, yes, I did the math, time consuming as it was). And that's even with places like In-n-Out (21), Hofbrauhaus (20), XYZ (20) and, inexplicably, One Market (21) dragging down the average. Also, I went to a handful of brand spanking new places (The Bazaar, Luce, Gordon Ramsay, Palette Food + Wine, etc.) that don't even have ZAGAT ratings yet and would have likely moved the number higher.

Even more impressive to me, is how much of the alphabet I've destroyed! 18 of 26 letters down in six months, including some really difficult letters like E, G, J, X and Z. Sadly, even though I've run through 70% of the alphabet in 50% of the time allotted, I definitely have my work cut out for me. Most of the letters left are belong to places I never go to or are simply weird/rare letters, so they will be extra, EXTRA out of the way for me (which, of course, was the whole point of this exercise). So what's a Foodie to do?

Well, there's a decent chance we'll be going to Vegas later this month and, even if we don't, Labor Day and X-Mas are other “traditional” times for us to go to Sin City. Vegas tend to be less crowded with more bargains to be found in the off-season although, apparently, I now rate at the Hard Rock and get comped rooms even when they're at their busiest. Either way, that should leave more than enough time to hit up, at the very least, (N)obu , (R)estaurant Charlie or (W)ing Lei from the Michelin Starred set. Other potential Michelin non-starred targets include: (K)oi, (N)ob Hill (but only if r-e-a-l-l-y desperate. Seriously, going to a Michael Mina S.F. “themed” restaurant in Vegas when I'm practically a regular at his two-star namsake?!?), (V)alentino (although, if I really wanted to go there, I would have hit the o/g on my L.A. Road Trip) and (Y)ellowtail. This is where the letter limitation really starts to be a pain – The Vegas Michelin guide doesn't have a SINGLE entry for Q or U o_O. Frankly, I'm lucky that XYZ and Quince are in The City or I'd really be hosed.

Locally I've got more options – we simply have more places to eat in the Bay Area and, obviously, I spend a lot more time here (duh!), so I don't have to try and squeeze 6 restaurants into 2-night, 3 day weekenders. Sadly, the alphabet pwns me on the Michelin Star front even on the domestic front. There are no starred K, N, Q, U, W or Y's. Of the letters I need, only (R)edd and The (V)illage Pub rate stars. Redd's a no-brainer and, honestly, I had to go back and look at my OpenTable history because I couldn't believe I HADN'T gone there yet this year (for the record, we went there 12.28.08...so really late last year). But despite the lack of bonafide starred places, there are still plenty of good places to be had. (Q)uince is a no-brainer -it's just a little more out-of-the-way than I like to go- and the same can be said of (Y)oshi's in San Francisco which I find amusing that it rates MUCH higher than their original location at Jack London. The same is true the aforementioned (N)obu – the Vegas outpost has a star while the o/g has none. That's just plain weird, but I digress. A more likely candidate is (Y)ank Sing (the biggest, baddest dim sum place in a city FULL of great, authentic Chinese food) which I've really wanted to go to for a long time and this would be the perfect excuse.

The single ickiest, annoying letter has turned out to be one with a Scrabble value of...1??? Yes, the dreaded U >_< While it might be used (it that a pun? U-sed /shrug) IN a lot of words, it rarely seems to START them...at least for the names of restaurants anyways. The only starred restaurant in the entire U.S. with a U is (U)rasawa in BevHills and I already wrote that off. Waaaaaay too hard to get in even if you dismiss the uber-uber-price tag. Some day, yes - I'll want it for my culinary Bingo Card. This year, not gonna happen. Heck, I was lucky to get reservations at the bar at Sushi-Zo on a SAT night. So, if it's not a starred place, what else is out there? Honestly, there are only a handful of U's that would even qualify for consideration, so the choices are carpaccio thin, but (U)nbuntu seems like the likely candidate. Granted, I couldn't tell you the last time I went to a vegetarian place (i.e. never) and it'd take a t-r-e-m-e-n-d-o-u-s amount of will on my part to drive up to Napa and NOT go to one of the places on Washington Street or thereabouts, but it does make the michael.bauer Top 100 list and is the highest rated ZAGAT 'U' with a 24. My guess is I'll kill two birds with one stone and have SUN brunch @ Redd (which is beyond awesome, btw. Get the breakfast pizza and made-to-order "donuts" and you'll be happy the rest of the day), hit some wineries on the Napa side and then head to Unbuntu for a late lunch/early dinner. Yeah, I guess that's a sacrifice I'll have to make!

NOTE: The Foodie would like to deny the rumors that Michelin and ZAGAT Guides were harmed in the writing of this blog entry. There was no furious page turning, spine bending or a haphazard pile of dark red guides plopped two feet from my chair. And not once did I b|tch about Michelin's idiotic way of breaking S.F. Into forty-six different areas that are THEN broken down in alpha order which makes it oh-so-easy to find restaurant listings. None of this occurred. Screencap or it didn't happen!

@jose.andres G that "Club" TFO of your "Restaurant"

2009-06-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

At least I was prepared for The Bazaar last night. In prepping for my visit to Jose Andres L.A. Hotspot, I had searched Al Gore's Information Superhighway and found plenty of reviews: The L.A. Times gave it four-stars, many said the food was outstanding but the service was uneven but the most worrisome thing was the seating issue. There were plenty of horror stories about how people were seated thirty mins, forty-five mins, even an hour and a half AFTER their reservations. And I'm not talking about some post at Yelp where a bunch of wannabe foodies all got aboard the Bitchtrain and tried to one-up each other about how long they had to wait. Just lots of different descriptions of people experiences at The Bazaar with a common thread.

That being said, even though I was braced for a long wait, that didn't make it that much better. Granted, I was in a slightly better place than the couple that were standing in front of us who probably believed the hostess when she told them 'It'd just be a few minutes'. I knew better.

The basic problem is twofold: they're taking reservations they shouldn't actually be taking (i.e. overbooking) and there's no place to sit while you wait you extra 30-60 minutes (for the record, we waited until 10:50 for 10:15 reservations although we did arrive ten minutes early). The latter is the ironically amusing part because the bar area is HUGE – at least as big as the Rojo area we dined at, but the Bar Centro is, currently, one of THE hotspots in L.A., so it was packed with douchebags and tanorexics. Seriously, by the time we finally got a place to sit in the bar area on the outer, outer edge The Hottie had already gone over to talk to the hostess to see how much longer it would be (i.e. 20-30 mins). Now, normally I LIVE for places with eye candy as does The Hottie but, sadly, I was so annoyed that I couldn't even really enjoy the scene (and it IS quite the scene) :*(

The overbooking problem is something they COULD do something about but, apparently, they just don't care. The Bazaar is a new restaurant but it's not THAT new that it shouldn't have simple aspects like reservations figured out by now, so, clearly, they're fine with making reservations they shouldn't be taking and having patrons wait. It also self perpetuates: when people have to wait what they perceive as too long a time for their table they tend to stay at said table for an extra-long time to justify the wait. One might argue that it's a very Euro/Spanish thing to do but, to that, I call bullsh|t. If Keller or Mina opened an “New American Style” restaurant in Spain, they wouldn't expect the patrons to follow U.S. style dining rules and make them show up on time, order quickly and leave promptly. Slow and casual may be the norm in Spain, here it's just bad and, at a restaurant like The Bazaar that has visions of Michelin Stars dancing in it's head, simply inexcusable.

So while I SHOULD be writing about the awesome Cotton Candy Fois Gras, the frozen caprahina drink made tableside with liquid nitrogen or the Tortilla de Patatas “New Way” but, instead, I'm ranting about the craptacular clusterfuck that is The Bazaar's front of the house that took so long to seat us that The Bazaar's back of the house closed on us. Yeap, we never even had a chance to go to the Blanca “formal” part of the restaurant or the Patisserie for desserts. We were still at Rojo (tapas/small plates) when we were informed that the line was shutting down so, if we had any more items we wanted to try that we should get the order in ASAP.

Bottom Line: If THAT'S what passes for four-stars in La-La-Land they must be R-E-A-L-L-Y desperate for places to eat or have the bar set short-bus low. FAIL!

P.S. Still on track for 3 Michelin starred places in one night. /fingerscrossed.

Hard Target: Los Angeles

2009-06-15T15:16:00.001-07:00

If you've paid attention to the 'In The Crosshairs' section of my A to Z Challenge, you might have noticed that I've had a few locations there for a couple of months now that require a bit of a drive. Neither Gordon Ramsey nor Jose Andres have a location in The City OR Vegas, which can only mean one thing: Road Trip!

Oddly enough, the impetus for said trip has little to do with food and more to do with...sports? Yes, for those of you who know me solely via the blog this will come as a surprise. Those of you who know me IRL, notsomuch. The Meat Guy graduated from and works for the University of Spoiled Children and while he spends well over one month of every year up here in the Bay Area with us, we pretty much never go to La-La-Land. Like, the last time we did was at LEAST five years ago and, even then, it was a one-night stopover with a trip to The Magical Kingdom. I did however tell him that when the A's (a.k.a. The Oakland Atheltics of Major League Baseball) played the Dodgers in L.A. we'd come down. This, however, happens less often than a presidential election: they play each other only once every three years and, even then, it's a fifty-fifty chance they play on the road, so once every six years. Well, this is that year. You can take your finger off the StumbleUpon button now, I'm done boring you with baseball scheduling talk...

It wasn't that long ago that The Meat Guy lamented to lack of decent eateries in Los Angeles. He wanted Mina and Keller to come to L.A. but, as I explained, there was no reason to go there. A restaurants 'hotness' often had more to do with who DINED there or what celebrity OWNED the place rather than who prepared the food. You think anybody really thinks the food at The Ivy or Mr. Chow's is the be-all-end-all of cuisine? If you were a chef and wanted to expand, you'd open a place in Vegas to prove your culinary mettle and pad your income statement. L.A. wasn't even in the conversation. This wasn't to say that there weren't any good places in L.A., just not as many as there SHOULD be for a city of that caliber. That, however, has all changed.

L.A. now HAS it's Mina (XIV) and, come this fall, will have it's Keller (BevHills Bouchon). It also has it's Andres, Ramsey, Colicchio, English and Batali, among others. The latest ZAGAT guide even proclaims that LA is the new Las Vegas, and it's hard to argue with so many high-value targets being added to the Los Angeles landscape.

As for the Road Trip, we're mixing in some of the touristy stuff with the haute cuisine. You see, The Hottie never really did any of the L.A. tourist stuff as a kid beyond Disneyland, so La Brea tarpits, Knott's Berry Farm (where everybody keeps telling her, 'You've gotta do the Chicken Dinner' – which we are), Venice Beach, Griffith Park Observatory and Pink's are all on the itinerary (plus the A's vs. Dodgers, of course). Culinary highlights include going to Jose Andres new place at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, trying the french dip at Philippes (the alleged birthplace of said sandwich), Sunday brunch at Joe's in Venice (26 ZAGAT rating) and, quite possibly, THREE MICHELIN STARRED RESTAURANTS IN ONE DAY!!!

Yes, gentle reader, on SAT we plan on going to Gordon Ramsey for high tea followed by Sushi-Zo for omakase and then the two-starred Providence for a eight-course dessert tasting menu. Now, I'm not 100% sure my stomach capacity will allow said adventure and, if there's an odd man out, it'll be tea. I love tea...I love fancy high tea even more BUT Sushi-Zo has an ungodly 29 ZAGAT rating and some argue it's even better than Urasawa. Personally, I seriously doubt it, but even going to the second best sushi place in, arguably, THE best sushi city in North America is good enough for me. And I've got reservations at the Sushi Bar on a SAT nite to boot, so no way I'm blowing that off. As for Providence, ZOMGWTF is all I could say when I saw they had a dessert tasting menu. Culinarily speaking, if that doesn't get you excited then you're at the wrong effing blog dude. Do a google search on 'Bobby' 'Flay' 'Fan' 'Fiction' - that'll prolly appeal to you more. /shudder

See you when I get back!

The Dine About Town Halftime Report

2009-06-09T09:37:00.001-07:00

The OpenTable Dine About Town Halftime Report is brought to you, in part, by VISA, The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau and The Letter D.

So we're one week into Dine About Town and I've already hit up three restaurants in seven days: XYZ, Luce and One Market. I would have hit a fourth but, sadly, Jeanty at Jack's closed the weekend before I called it one of my go-to places for downtown dining. Bistro Jeanty in Y-Ville remains open, so I can still get my tomato soup fix when needed, but I'll prolly never see The Secret League of Culinary Francophiles Robohostess again! /cry. And, let's face it, Yountville is a serious trek compared to hopping on a BART train, but in an age where places like Aqua are (allegedly) having financial problems it's not surprising to see places close their doors for good. Still, it will definitely be missed.

But, on to better news! First off, my assertion that Dine About Town more or less amounts to getting a free dessert or starter was wrong, particularly at lunch. It's more like $5+ of your meal AND a free dessert/app. For example, the tuna that The Hottie had at Luce is normally $19. You don't need to break out the spreadsheet app on your Blackberry to see that 3-courses for $21.95 is therefore a he|| of a deal. And, thus far, it's the same sizes as regular menu items as well. In fact, when the server from XYZ brought out The Hottie's ginormous ham croque & salad he commented that “I thought we were giving half-portions for Dine About Town...I guess not”. (BTW, the same server gave The Hottie the single largest pour of wine in the history of dining out. Seriously, there was m-a-y-b-e 1 cm left empty in the glass by the time he was done pouring – and it wasn't a particularly small glass. Best of all the “Wine - LUNCH” as it showed on the receipt was a whopping six bucks. The Hottie went back to work happy)

Also, places seem to have embraced Dine About Town a little more. XYZ and One Market had the Dine About Town Menu's printed on the regular menu while Luce had a separate menu presented to us as we were sat – so no 'asking' for the special menu was necessary. In fact, One Market had two different offerings (one with pricier mains and desserts for an additional charger) AND a special wine pairing. Much like the aforementioned tuna, the wine was a steal. It's was $14 for the pairing but the first glass (a pinot grigio) was regularly $12 so, basically, the second glass was free. And this was AFTER The Hottie has a Green Flash at the bar. A delicious concoction of Hendricks gin muddled with cucumber, kiwi that had something to do with San Francisco Happy Drink Special Time (or some junk). Apparently, One Market is too upscale for a “Happy Hour”, so they give it a different euphemistic name so we won't notice o_O

And if you're beginning to notice that The Hottie is a bit of a lush...yeah. I'm not saying she is...I'm just sayin'

Finally, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if Dine About Town got “extended” an extra week or two. L.A. extended theirs last year and, if it's packing the booths and making less Open Tables (That's a pun, son - get it! Okay...that was pretty lame...but I'm not taking it out...so there) I can easily see restaurants wanting to keep it going. In fact, One Market had a little insert with the check, announcing that they would already be extending the promotion AND debuting a new Dine About Town menu for the extra two weeks. Nomnomnom.

Next week: Hard Target – L.A.

Where to Dine About Town?

2009-06-01T09:53:00.001-07:00

Yes, Gentle Reader, it's that most Wonderful Time of the Year once again! Dine About Town is upon us and my surgical strike on The City's Epicurean Centre starts tomorrow – but I'm getting ahead of myself...

For those with little or no memory retention, Dine About Town is a citywide promotion to get people to go out to eat. It's the winner of my Bang For You Buck Foodie Award and lasts JUN 1-15. This year it features 127 restaurants offering 3-course prix-fixe menu for lunch ($21.95) and dinner ($34.95). Pricewise, it generally amounts to a “free” app or dessert and some places will have bonus/prestige menus where you can add another course or wine pairings at a discounted price as well. Also, AmEx has a promo where if you use your card 3 times at participating restaurants you'll get a $15 credit. But enough marketing schpeil, if you want that go to their website :p The REAL question is WHERE to go to Dine About Town.

Okay, at first glance, the list can seem a bit imposing. You see 127 restaurants BUT how many do you recognize? Where to start? If you're a true foodie you really only recognize a few truly outstanding restaurants and if you're not really into the SF dining scene your eyes probably glaze over as you try an process random names that you THINK you might recognize (but aren't really sure).

First off, what is it that you want? Do you want to try a cuisine you've never experienced? Do you want to maximize your bang for the buck and go to a place you'd normally only go to for a special occasion on the cheap? Or do you want to try a place you've been curious/heard good things about, so this would make it a perfect time to go? So make sure know what you're looking for because (say it with me) Knowing Is Half The Battle. Personally, I've gone for ALL these reasons. In fact, some of my fave go-to places in The City (One Market, Chez Papa Resto, Jeanty at Jack's) are all places I first tried as part of Dine About Town.

For the TRUE foodie, you can whittle nearly 100 names off the list right off the bat (sorry, San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau). Of the 100+ restaurants participating, only 50 merit mentions in the Michelin Guide (And, yes, I went through the ENTIRE 2009 Michelin Guide. ZAGAT too). And, of those, only ONE received a Michelin Star: One Market. If there's one area where the aforementioned Bureau really needs some work on the promotion, it's getting the higher end places to participate. I'm not saying Aqua and Coi should let people eat for $35, but BOTH L.A. And Vegas have FAR more Michelin starred restaurants participate in their Dine About events, despite having fewer Michelin starred restaurants to work with. So step it up!

Okay, so besides One Market, what other places should you be looking at? Well, if you go by the ZAGAT , you can add Absinthe, Ana Mandara, Big 4, Foreign Cinema, Fringale, Scoma's, Spruce, Town Hall and Yoshi's to your Hit List. Likewise, aziza, Chez Papa Resto, Foreign Cinema, Spruce and Yoshi's join One Market as the only places on Michael Bauer's list of Top 100 Bay Area Restaurants. But before you get TOO excited, Absinthe and Spruce are ONLY participating for lunch so, like I said, for the TRUE foodie, the options are limited.

That being said, there are till more than enough excellent eateries to fill your culinary dance card over the next 2 weeks. I start tomorrow with lunch in The City with The Hottie at XYZ. It's a perfect multitasker: Counts as the x-tremely hard to fill 'X' in my A-Z (that was a pun – get it? x-treme...nvm), is literally just down the street from where The Hottie works and is a place I've wanted to check out for a while now. If you'd like my humble (but deadly accurate) opinon on where to go, I think One Market, Chez Papa Resto, Luce, LarkCreek Steak and Jeanty at Jack's are all great downtown options. None of those places have ever disappointed me nor anybody I've recommended them to. Obviously, Absinthe and Spruce are high value targets but, the 'Lunch Only' tag crimps the ability to eat there. And if you're looking for further dinner options, aziza, Foreign Cinema and Yoshi's are no brainers. Want to make up you own mind? Check out the list below. It's all the participating restaurants that are , , , or .

Also, keep in mind that to GET the prix-fixe menu, you might have to request it (it's not automatic at all places) and that many restaurants only offer said menu early in the week (i.e. M-Th), so check out the level of participation on the Dine About Town website before making reservations...

Absinthe: /
Ana Mandara: /
Americano:
Anchor & Hope:
ANZU:
Asia de Cuba:
Azie:
aziza: /
Bacar:
Big 4:
Cafe de la Presse:
Campton Place:
Chaya Brasseerie:
Chez Papa Resto: /
Circa:
Colibri: /
Cortez:
Crustacean:
1550 Hyde Cafe:
Fish & Farm:
Foreign Cinema: //
Fringale: /
Grand Cafe:
Isa:
Jeanty at Jack's:
LarkCreek Steak:
Le Colonial:
Luce:
luella:
Maverick:
Maya:
Mexico DF:
Namu: /
One Market: /
Paul K:
Plouf:
Poleng: /
Pres a Vi:
RNM: /
Salt House:
Scoma's
South Food + wine bar:
Spruce: //
Sutro's:
Tommy Toy's:
Town Hall: /
Universal Cafe: /
XYZ:
Yoshi's: //

Bib Gourmand: Dining About Town BEFORE Dine About Town

2009-05-12T09:32:00.000-07:00

Today, Gentle Reader, The Foodie brings you the second installment of the Bib Gourmand Series (The first being Affordable Michael Mina: Unpossible!). Eating well isn't particularly difficult...just pricey. He||, with Opentable and an iffy economy, even getting tables at places that were unpossible have become very possible as long as your plastic can take the hit. I have no problem dropping $400 on a dinner, BUT if I can get a $100-200 dinner and only PAY $75-100, well, it makes me even happier and the food taste, somehow, a little tastier. And, that, in a nutshell is the Bib Gourmand Series: Top Food at Top Restaurants on the cheap - “cheap” being a relative term here :p

So, Dine About Town S.F. Is coming up next month (JUN 1-15) BUT I've got a deal for you that's SUPERIOR to Dine About Town at one of Michael Bauer's (a.k.a. SF Gate's Food Snob) Top 100 Restaurants: Chez Papa Resto (at Mint Plaza).

First off, The Hottie loves Chez Papa - It's prolly her go-to place in The City for dining out. And, seemingly, everybody she's told about Chez Papa now loves Chez Papa as well. Seriously, she told her boss about it and, like, two weeks later she took a call for her boss and before she could transfer the call, the person was “OMG, thank you so much for pointing out Chez Papa. We love it!”. Mind you, The Hottie didn't tell this person about Chez Papa...she told her BOSS about Chez Papa who then told THAT person about Chez Papa and, apparently, gave The Hottie credit for the find. And then, that person liked it so much she wanted to thank The Hottie so, yeah, I'm guessing they REALLY liked it. And, unless you're a tard, you will too.

Okay so here's the deal, Chez Papa has a traditional tasting menu ONLY late in the week (like FRI-SUN) but has introduced a lighter 3-course Prix-Fixe Dinner for $34.95 on MON-WED. Sound familiar? As in Dine about Town's 3-course Prix-Fixe for...$34.95! Imagine that. HOWEVER, if you compare their “normal” Prix Fixe to the one they offer for Dine About Town, you'll see that it has more options. Now, this might just be laziness on their part and they truncated the menu at the Dine About Town site but, either way, it'll be AT LEAST as good a deal and, more importantly, you can do it now before the crush of Dine About Town. And the stuff available on the menu is tasty too. I've had the Kobe Beef Tartare, Duck Confit, Lamb Daube, Panna Cotta AND the Profiteroles and I licked my plate clean each and every time. In fact, we're taking The Meat Guy there next week as part of a Culinary Bingo Week (the previously mentioned Micheal Mina deal, The Plumed Horse and a trip to the Wine Country -so something Bouchon/Redd/Bistro Jeanty- are also in the crosshairs) and I don't expect anything to be left on his plates either.

BTW, Chez Papa Resto is a bit of a Hot Spot and fills up early with people that just got off work and pretty much stays crowded the whole nite thru. This means it's loud and tends to be full of pretty people (or, at least, people that THINK they're pretty). Fortunately, they DO have outside seating when the weather is nice like, oh say, right now. So if a bustling scene isn't your thing, just grab a table outside. Oh, and Happy Hour (5:00-7:00) is also good for the prudent diner: $6 cocktails, $3.50 Full Sail Draft and lots of affordable wines by the glass. The Hottie highly recommends the Raspberry Gimlet. See you there!

Plz Excuse The Mess - Elective Cosmetic Procedures Underway

2009-05-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

While the Blogging-With-Training-Wheels that Blogspot provides to the masses is fine for most, the Web Designer in me (the one that edits fully-functional, commercial websites in raw HTML) has been generally annoyed at the limitations imposed by them. Granted, the blog looks fine...prolly better than most...but I'm still not happy >_<

And so, I'm taking the next few days to tear down the generic Blogger format and rebuild it into something I like. Hopefully, this doesn't result in me losing posts, graphics or my A to Z tracker, but who knows? Check back in a few days and see if I accomplished anything more than wasting my time while raising my blood pressure...

Bib Gourmand: Affordable Michael Mina? Unpossible!!!

2009-04-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

Yes, “Michael Mina” and “affordable” are rarely found in the same sentence (and by “rarely”, I mean never-ever) however, allow me to be the first. You see, I feel kinda bad that my Bang-For-Your-Buck Award (The Power Lunch @ Aqua) is no longer available. It's not like I wanted to taunt you with “Neener-neener gentle reader. I took advantage of this awesome find, but didn't share it with you until it was gone – MWHAHAHA!”. I didn't want to make anybody a Sad Panda. Fortunately, The Foodie has found a suitable replacement! If 3-courses at a 2-star Michelin restaurant for $45 for lunch sounded good, then 3-courses (with more selections) at a 2-star Michelin restaurant for $55 for DINNER should sound at least as good, amirite? Even better, a wine pairing for the 3-courses is merely an additional $20. AND, assuming you're an Opentable user (and if you're not, you're a tard...I'm just sayin') you can get 1000 points (i.e. $10 worth of credit) at the same time, bringing the net cost to $45. “Unpossible!”, you say. I assure you it is, indeed, very real. In fact, I'm going there again tonight :D

The hidden gem I'm speaking of is the Pre Theater Tasting Menu At Michael Mina and you can view the current menu right here. (And by current, I mean, as I type this. If you're reading this three months later it might be completely different, so just check their website @ michaelmina.net). Go ahead, view it...I'll wait...

…

I'll bet you're hungry now, right? I don't blame you. Seriously, it's like a Now That's What I Call Music compilation of Michael Mina's greatest hits. Signature dishes like the Ahi Tuna Tartare, Maine Lobster Pot Pie and Root Beer Float are all there! They are, of course, paired down in size from the regular menu, but that's kind of the point of a tasting menu anyways. You still get all the flavors and techniques, just in more elf-like portions (but not TOO small). Let's put it this way, The Foodie is a big guy (and has been know to order TWO main courses @ One Market because he couldn't decide which to have) and left plenty satisfied with this menu.

And the wine pairing is DEFINITELY something you should take advantage of. Mina's flagship restaurant is known for having one of the best wine lists in The City, if not the state, and each dish is paired with a wine specifically chosen to go with it. It's not like the wishy-washy sommeliers that do that touchy-feely 'well-what-do-you-like' thing.And, for the record, if I KNEW what I liked/wanted, I wouldn't NEED the sommelier! Stop it already! YOU'RE the expert!!! YOU tell ME what wine would go best with this dish!!! It's not therapy and I don't want my hand held...I want your expert friggin' opinion!!! So just tell me, pretty boy! And why the If You Seek Amy don't you wear giant KEYS around you neck any more!!! I LIKED those novetly sized keys that opened nothing you pretentious poof!!! Ooops...sorry about that. I kind of went off there. Where was I? Oh yeah...the wine pairing. Better still, it's all food wine. That is, you taste it and you're like, 'It's okay. Pretty good, but not something I would have picked.' but THEN you take a taste of the food and 'BAM!!!'. The wine makes the food taste better and the food makes the wine taste better and there's a party going on in your mouth.

Alas, there is, of course, a “catch” to this menu, but for some (i.e. me) it works to our advantage. The Pre Theater Menu is available ONLY from 5:30 (when they open) to 6:00 – a 30-minute window of opportunity. Given it's title, it kind of makes sense, they have a lot of similar deals at places in Vegas. I mean, you're not likely to show up at Michael Mina @ 7:00 to catch the 8:00 show of Wicked, now are you? So, if you work in The City, it's perfect. Dress extra-nice for work, get off work and show up for your early reservation. Simple as that. If you DON'T work in The City and have a nine-to-five gig...yeah...more problematic. You'd prolly have to bust @$$ thru commute traffic just to make it there at the crack of six. Do-able, but not quite as easy. In that case, you could always go on a SAT (they're closed SUN and MON. Yes, I knew that off the top of my head. I'm a geek.). Reservations might be a little tougher to get and you can't get the 1000 bonus Opentable points, but it might be better than trying to rush thru reverse-commute traffic on a weekday. But, either way, Micheal Mina is one of those places you HAVE to try to fill out your Culinary Bingo Card and when you can do it for a fraction of the price, you don't want to miss out!

The 2009 Foodie Awards Complete 411

2009-04-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

Sadly, I now bring you the single most boring blog entry I shall ever write -_-
However, some of you will find it the most useful so, without further adieu, I bring you a condensed list of the winners and first-runners up of the Foodie Awards complete with links to their websites, digits, ZAGAT/Michelin ratings and OpenTable pages:

WINNERS:

ADAGIO TEA
adagio.com

ALIZE
andrelv.com/alize/
4321 West Flamingo Road, Las Vegas, NV 89103
702.951.7000

AQUA
aqua-sf.com
252 California Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
415.956.9662

B&B RISTORANTE
bandbristorante.com
3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
702.266.9977

BOUCHON AT THE VENETIAN
bouchonbistro.com
3355 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89109
702.414.6200

CHEVALIER
chevalierrestaurant.com
960 Moraga Road, Lafayette, CA 94549
925.385.0793

JEANTY AT JACK'S
jeantyatjacks.com
615 Sacramento Street, San Francisco, CA 94111
415.693.0941

LUCE
lucewinerestaurant.com
888 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
415.616.6566

MICHAEL MINA
michaelmina.net
335 Powell Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
415.397.9222

ORSON
orsonsf.com
508 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA 94107
415.777.1508

THE FRENCH LAUNDRY
frenchlaundry.com
6640 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
707.944.2380

FIRST RUNNER-UP:

AD HOC
adhocrestaurant.com
6476 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
707.944.2487

BUTTERCUP CAFE
buttercupgrillandbar.com
1000 Cotton Street, Oakland, CA 94606
510.535.1640

KINDER'S BBQ
kindersmeats.com
43761 Boscell Road, Fremont, CA 94538
510.440.1510

miX
chinagrillmgt.com/mixLV
3950 Las Vegas Boulevard South, Las Vegas, NV 89119
702.632.9500

NUESKE'S
nueskes.com

POSTINO
postinorestaurant.com
3565 Mount Diablo Boulevard, Lafayette, CA 94549
925.299.8700

VOSGES HAUT CHOCOLATE
vosgeschocolate.com

And, yes, Craftsteak is TECHNICALLY a “winner”, BUT the two awards it won were MOST DISAPPOINTING DINING EXPERIENCE (/golfclap) & BEST DESSERT for a dessert that hasn't been on their menu for over a year now. So, instead of leaving it off the list entirely, I just redacted the 411 cause The Foodie in no way, shape or form wants you to go to Craftsteak. Right this instant I could list off a dozen places you should visit in Vegas before even CONSIDERING thinking about the remote possibility of searching for Craftsteak's phone number.

Here...watch. Right now I'm typing a dozen Vegas places better than Craftsteak off the top of my head: L'atelier De Joel Robuchon, Olives, Daniel Boulud, Mix, Bouchon, B&B Ristorante, Nobu, Simon, Alize, Prime, Fix, Little Buddha, Bellagio Buffet...

...yeah...so that was 13...but you get the point. He||, the FIRST one is in the same casino as Craftsteak, so there's no reason to go there. Seriously.

Okay, so maybe that was kinda entertaining /shrug. Now please excuse me while I edit that list 'cause I SERIOUSLY mangled some of the restaurants names while typing off the cuff. Damn I'm dependent on spell check >_<

P.S. You might have noticed that it's 4/21 and I didn't post anything about Eric Ripert's 4/20 SF dinner @ Aqua so, yes, you can safely assume that I didn't make it onto the list /cry /wrist.

The Foodie Awards: 2009 Technical Awards

2009-04-01T15:58:00.000-07:00

The ~~Academy’s Scientific and~~ Foodie's Technical Awards honor the men, women and companies whose discoveries and innovations have contributed in significant, outstanding and lasting ways to ~~motion pictures~~ The Foodie's culinary experience's in 2008. Each year’s honorees are celebrated at a ~~formal~~ dinner held two weeks prior to the ~~Oscar~~ Actual Foodie ceremony. The Foodie ~~Sci-~~Tech Awards presentation has become a highlight of the ~~Academy~~ Awards season.

The 2008 Foodie Technical Awards was held at the Oakland In-n-Out (Hey! It's merits a ) and hosted by Celebrity Chef Rocco DiSpirito...because we were paying cash and promised to let him plug his latest book: Rocco Gets Real (currently ranked #7540 in Bestsellers at Amazon.com – get yours quickly before they sell out!).

KIRBY SAYS (>^.^)># HAVE A WAFFLE AWARD:

WINNER: LUCE.

Yeah, you should have seen this coming. I S-T-I-L-L dream of the Chicken & Waffles from Luce with the Indian twist. Just an awesome, awesome dish.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: BUTTERCUP CAFE.

This, however, nobody should see coming. The location and decor are very Denny's, the service is, at best, passable and the coffee is SO bad that The Hottie refuses to order it anymore. That being said, whatever it is that they put in their “Malted” Waffle batter is just plain tasty. Like better-than-the-sourdough-waffles-at-my-beloved-Bouchon-in-Vegas-tasty. And THAT'S saying something. Trust me, order the Waffle Sandwich, skip the coffee and you'll be well on the way to a great day.

BEST USE OF BACON IN A NON-TRADITIONAL MANNER AWARD:

WINNER: LUCE.

Four Words: Maple. Bacon. Ice Cream.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: VOSGES.

Leave it to a chemist-tuned-chocolatier Katrina Markoff to create the deliciousness that is Mo's Bacon Bar. If you haven't heard of Vosges Haut Chocolat, go now. No, seriously. Click here, visit the site and look at her creations. Honest...I'll wait! It's worth it...

Back yet? No?

…

Alright. SEE! Is that not EXACTLY what foodies dream of? Chocolate Covered Tortilla Chips dusted with Chili Powder! Chocolate Bars with Mushrooms and Walnuts! Truffles with Taleggio cheese or 12-year aged Balsamic Vinegar! Mind-blowing combinations of foods that actually work! I have eaten nearly everything in their retail store in Vegas and it's nothing less than amazing. Seriously, they know me when I walk in...and I don't even LIVE in Vegas. I ask what's new in stock, taste them all, buy $100 worth of stuff (because shipping from their site is $$$) and blissfully wander back into The Forum Shops. In fact, I've got a package of the Tortilla Chips on my desk as I type :D

So, while it might sound odd, the Mo's Bacon Bar (Applewood Smoked Bacon, Alderwood Smoked Salt and Milk Chocolate) is probably the best $7.50 you'll spend this year. It's like that chocolate bar in the o/g Willy Wonka movie. You just need a little bite to get all the flavor and it'll last you a good, long time. Take a nibble here and there, let you friends have a little taste, debate about what makes it work so well. It's like a conversation starting coffee table book you can eat! And, fortunately, it has reasonably widespread distribution. Look for it a Whole Foods-esque places or boutiquey food/kitchen shops and you can prolly find a bar.

BEST WINE PAIRING AWARD:

WINNER: AQUA.

Not only is the wine pairing at Aqua reasonably priced AND well paired with their tasting menu BUT they tend to use unusual wines that you've probably never seen before, let alone consumed. Sake, obscure varietals normally reserved for “blending” and bottlings from tiny wineries are all likely to make their way into you glass. Salud!

FIRST RUNNER-UP: miX.

Like Aqua, the wine pairings at miX are also reasonably priced and well paired but what the may lack in quality (which isn't much) they DEFINITELY make up in quantity. We hit Vegas on a FRI nite ready to have a good time and started with the tasting menu (which happened to have Kansas City Waygu Beef topped with Fois Gras as the protein, but I digress) at miX. The Hottie decided to have the wine pairing which seemed reasonably priced. Well, turns out it was a bargain! You see, normally when you get the wine pairing with a tasting menu, you get tasting menu sized pours as well. Well, not on that nite! The Hottie got a FULL pour to go with each of the FIVE courses. That, my friends, is a whole freaking bottle of vino and she was...well...let's just say it was an early nite since she fell asleep in the rental car :p

IN THE CONVERSATION: LUCE. ONE MARKET.

BEST DESSERT (WITH TWO S's FOR A DOUBLE SCOOP)AWARD:

WINNER: MICHAEL MINA.

Mina's Flagship in The City is a must for everybody looking to fill out their Culinary Bingo Card. By many people's standards (including Michelin) it's the highest rated restaurant in San Francisco and deservedly so. His “gimmick” at the Flagship is that most courses are served as trios. In fact, it's almost impossible to NOT order foods that come in threes. Well, The Hottie got a dessert trio that was Breakfast-As-Dessert and it was beyond awesome. Suffice to say, when Mina's crew serves it's take on Yogurt and Granola it's not Yoplait. And I still yearn for the homemade Frosted Flakes with Cereal Ice Cream. /drool. Just a very, very inventive course, perfectly executed.

Note: Crap! In visiting Mina's site to write this entry I saw that the current menu has Steelhead Trout on it (quite possibly The Hottie's fave protein). So now she's going to read that last line, let out a 'Squeee!' and send me a text/e-mail asking when we're going before it's out of season. I'm not making this up. It will happen. I lead a hard life.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: CRAFTSTEAK.

Yeah, after I ripped Craftsteak a new one with my very first “award”, I doubt you'd thought you'd see them again. Well, while the meat was underwhelming, the Red Bull Sorbet was a highlight of the year. Yes...sorbet made from Red Bull. It sounded weird, so I had to try it and it worked! Even The Hottie (who detests Red Bull) liked it. Whatever fruit and sweeteners they added were perfect. It was tasty, innovative and refreshing while still tasting like Red Bull. So, of course, they took it off the menu >_<

/target Craftsteak

/em slap

IN THE CONVERSATION: ORSON.

BEST ON-LINE RETAILER E-AWARD:

WINNER: ADAGIO.

Now here's a site you probably haven't heard of: Adagio Teas. They're in New Jersey and sell really good, really affordable teas in unusual flavors and hard-to-get varieties. It probably won't surprise you that I enjoy unusual tea flavors. Just black tea infused with flavors like banana, rum, vanilla and cream. Or, better still, you can custom blend your OWN tea and have them make a batch of Banana- Rum-Vanilla-Cream tea. You even get to upload your own graphics to use on the tea canister if you want! In fact, The Hottie made some Mai Tai Tea using rum tea as a base and adding their citrus flavored teas in the same ratio as the Trader Vic's recipe. Turned out very tasty and some other people even bought the blend :D

Best of all, they sell sample sizes REALLY cheap. Like $2 cheap! And the “sample” still makes 8-10 cups and shipping is reasonable too. Try the combo sampler packs OR the ingenuiTEA Starter Sets that feature their nifty sci-fi teapot for under $20. You won't be disappointed.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: NUESKE'S.

Mmmmmmm. Bacon. Lots and lots of bacon. Tasty bacon that Tomas Keller uses bacon. And once you're done drooling at the seemingly endless types of bacon, you'll find that they also sell meat with bacon inside the meat! Seriously! Breakfast sausage...with ham and bacon inside the sausage! Burgers...with the bacon already inside the burger! It's enough to give any foodie a culinary boner.

Now, the site IS kinda ugly. It's not the most intuitive place you'll visit, but they're mostly a catalog operation trying to have an on-line presence, so I'll cut them some slack. And the bacon will quite possibly be the best you have ever consumed. They also offer promos like free bacon and reduced shipping if you order enough (which is very easy to do...you'll want one of each), so keep an eye out for them. Very little in this world can compete with FREE BACON!!!

IN THE CONVERSATION: BUFFALOGAL.COM

KEWLEST VIBE/DECOR AWARD:

WINNER: ORSON.

I'm not entirely sure what Susan Falkner was trying to do when she designed Orson but, whatever it was, it works. Part bar, part lounge, part foodie destination...all next to a dive bar in a sketchy area of The City. It's very dark, very sleek and very modern. Kind of what IKEA furnishings would like , to be when they grow up, but can't cause they're not kewl enuff and way too mainstream. Even the random elements like the Digital Wall screen playing transPoP: Korean Vietnam Remix (don't ask) and the (now-defunct) Schnapps and Schnitzel special for just one day a month still work. Whatever 'It' is that makes some people sexier or kewler than other people, Orson has 'It'.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: miX

Everybody raves about the view at miX and it's easy to understand why: they're 40 floors up with mostly unobstructed views of the neon that makes up Las Vegas. Throw in egg shaped booths that look like they belong in an Austin Powers movie and about a gazillion and a half glass balls hanging from the ceiling that evoke images of champagne bubbles and it's not hard to see what makes this the place to be. Add all the pretty (or at least “interesting”) people from their previous award and a vibrant bar scene and you've got a winner. Honestly, you could swap places with Orson and I don't think anybody would complain. They're both friggin awesome...just in different ways.

IN THE CONVERSATION: SLANTED DOOR.

BEST BBQ WEST OF KANSAS CITY AWARD:

WINNER: ME.

Yeap, I'm giving myself an award! Hey! There's no rule against it and, in all honesty, the best BBQ I ate in 2008 was, in fact, prepared in my backyard on my CharGriller Outlaw with the Offset Side Fire Box. Ask The Hottie, The Meat Guy or The Professional Liar and they'd all tell you the same. My BBQ is the best they've ever had.

Now, I take BBQ serious. Like heart attack serious. I got the aforementioned BBQ as an anniversary gift. I spent W's tax rebate on a portable grill for tailgating or extra cooking space when one grill isn't enuff. Shipments from BuffaloGal.com are a common B-Day/V-Day Gift for me. As such. When there are parties, I am the one called upon to provide the 'Que. Last year I got a little crazy and agreed to”cater” for 100 people at a friends engagement/housewarming party. They rented some charcoal grills the size of a picnic table and I worked my magic. I seriously had people asking me if I had a card so I could cater their parties. Most of them were shocked when I told them I wasn't a pro and was just doing this as a favor. So, sadly, you'll never taste my Smoklahoma Beef Brisket that I have to special order from my butcher and, literally, let smoke overnight. Nor will you taste my patented Dry-Rub Baby Back Ribs with Jack & Coke BBQ Sauce (yes, actual Jack and actual Coke – served on the side, of course). /pity

FIRST RUNNER-UP: KINDER'S BBQ.

IDK what it is about sushi joints and BBQ restaurants, but the best ones ALWAYS seem to be located in some wonky strip mall near nothing of particular interest. Sushi Zo in L.A. is like that, so is Memphis Championship BBQ in Vegas. You'd drive right by them and never even know they were there. Kinder's is the same way. It's located way off the beaten path in a Fremont strip mall, oddly enough, filled with asian restaurants and stores. It's truly bizarre.

Kinder's claim to fame is their sauce (winner of the Nugget's 'Best of the West' competition – the Biggest competition west of K.C.) and you're damn right I left with a bottle of the hot sauce, a bottle of the mild sauce AND a jar of their spice rub after I gorged on their meat. Now, the place isn't much, but they tend to have a TON of combos and specials. So whatever your level of hunger, taste or $$$ you can pretty much get what you're looking for so long as they haven't run out. Like most BBQ joints, they make what they make once a day and that's it. So get there early for the good stuff!

IN THE CONVERSATION: BO'S BARBECUE. EMIL VILLA'S HICKORY PIT.

HOTTEST HOTTIE HOSTESS AWARD:

WINNER: JEANTY AT JACK'S.

You have to hand it to the French. It's almost IMPOSSIBLE to go to a truly French restaurant/bistro and NOT have the hostess be a very well put together, dark-haired French chick wearing some chic black clothing. The degree of the accent may vary. It might be a knit dress or fitted pantsuit but it WILL be black and it WILL be stylish. Guy Savoy. L'Atelier de Joel Rubuchon. Chez Papa Resto (current winner of Esquire's Hostess of the Year). They ALL help enforce the stereotype.

That being said, the Hostess at Jeanty at Jack's with the accent SO thick you could barely understand her and the heels SO high you wondered how she maintained such perfect posture takes the prize. Besides being a classic beauty, she was flawless at her job. Greet us the moment we walked in, check the coat, show us into the elevator to the top floor, give us arguably the best seat in the house (directly under the skylight). Simply perfect. It's like she was some French robohostess that The Secret League of Culinary Francophiles had designed in their hidden underground laboratory.

Sadly, I think she had to go in for repairs or further testing because I haven't seen her since /cry.

WINNER (MALE SUB-DIVISION): CHEVIALIER

If a hot French girl with flawless skin and radiant black hair doesn't do it for you, well then how about a thin, tanned, bald French guy with personality? While technically not the Hostess, he's also NOT a server. Kind of a combo Host-Maitre-Di-Head Server kind of thing. At any rate, he's pretty, metrosexually groomed and really good at his multitasking job. He's the kind of guy that says a few words in his thick accent and makes girls swoon. He's also the kind of guy that if you were told he was gay you wouldn't be surprised in the least. Visually speaking, he's the French Ken Doll to Jeanty at Jack's French Barbie.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: POSTINO.

On the other side of the spectrum was the young duo hosting on a busy weekend at local fave Postino. They were NOT particularly good at their job and didn't seem to have a good grasp of what they were supposed to do, but they weren't hired for that. They were hired because they were young and hot. And when you have to wait twenty minutes for your table even though you have reservations, it's better when you have something nice to gaze at, right?

The best thing about the twosome is that they were yin and yang. It's like they were hired as a unit and told “Okay...blond one...you dress in all white and wear bright, glittery make-up and the dark-haired one will dress all in black and try to channel the Hostess from Jeanty at Jack's”. Well, on a visual level, it works. Really, really well. And, honestly, it's not like they're looking for it as a permanent gig. Just 20-somethings happy to have a job in a pretty ugly economy. Sometimes, all you want in the front of the house is a pretty face and that's what they've got. Times two.

MOST BANG-FOR-YOUR-BUCK AWARD:

WINNER (PROMOTIONAL CATEGORY): DINE ABOUT TOWN.

Once or twice a year, Cities across the U.S. hold a promotion that encourages people to go out to eat at restaurants they might not otherwise go to. In S.F. It's called Dine About Town and has a similar title in cities like N.Y., L.A. And Vegas. In a nutshell, you can eat a 3-course meal at any number of local restaurants (including many Michelin Starred establishments) for around $22 for lunch and $35 for dinner. In The City, places like One Market, Chez Papa Resto and Lark Creek Steak participated. In Vegas, Michelin-Starred restaurants L'Atelier de Joel Rubuchon and Daniel Boulud Brasserie were on the list. Do I really need to tell you that this is a steal? Opentable is prolly the best way to keep track of the promotion but, when it comes, don't miss out. It's an unbeatable value.

WINNER (NON-PROMOTIONAL CATEGORY): AQUA.

And if it's wasn't the two weeks of Dine About Town but you still wanted a steal, Aqua was the place to go for lunch. The tasting menu and Power Lunch were both bargains for a place with not one, but TWO Michelin Stars! Sadly, Aqua stopped serving lunch in JAN of this year, so it's not a deal you can get any longer BUT since these are the awards for 2008 and it it was the best lunch I had in 2008 at ANY price, I don't see any reason to exclude it. Maybe it just makes my birthday lunch that more memorable...

FIRST RUNNER-UP: LUCE.

So that means in my humble (but deadly accurate) opinion Luce has the best Bang-For-Your-Buck deal going. The “Farm To Table” Sunday Supper is only $45 for 4-courses, $65 with the wine pairing. Are you kidding me? Forty-Five bucks for four courses in The City?!? Keep in mind, this is the same “Farm To Table” menu that won my Waffle Award, Bacon Award and was runner-up in the Chicken Award. So it's not like you get second-rate food just because you're getting the special. The food has the same creativity and quality whether you're getting the special, the tasting menu or the regular menu. There's no price discrimination here :D

DON'T MOVE MY CHEESE AWARD:

WINNER: ALIZE

Yes, it's shocking that (arguably) the best Traditional French restaurant in Vegas had the best cheese course, eh? This is my shocked face -_-

Now, I'm a cheese course kind of guy. Lot's of times, my dessert will be cheese. If a tasting menu has an “optional” cheese course, it is in no way, shape or form “optional” to me. Alize wins on the merits of it's quantity (nine different cheeses!!!), quality (there was this one cheese made by monks and “carved” to look like a rose. Simply amazing.) and service. The French server was obviously waaaay into his cheese. Again, shocking, right? He explained each variety very carefully, gave us the preferred order to consume them and even pointed out the dreaded “stinky cheeses” so The Hottie could avoid them. Top notch across the board.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: AD HOC

It might be TK's take on traditional, homey American food BUT you're still not leaving without a cheese course dammit! Yes, as one of the four courses you'll have at Ad Hoc, the third one will be cheese...and you'll like it! Actually, unless you're a total nublet, you will like it. While it will only be one type of cheese, it's always an interesting artisinal selection and comes with very tasty honey and marcona almonds. Seriously, the haut almonds alone are droolworthy, but when it all comes together it's a welcome respite from the massive onslaught of family-style food you just gorged on.

ZOMGWTFBBQ!!! ERIC RIPERT IN THE CITY!!!

2009-03-31T12:05:00.000-07:00

If there's one person that could actually make me go to NYC /shudder, it's Eric Ripert. Most chefs who's cuisine I really want to try are either local (Keller, Mina, Ogden) or have branches in Vegas or the Left Coast (Andres, Robuchon, Boulud, Savoy) so I've had no real reason to leave my comfy time zone. Still, there are two White Whales that elude me: Grant Achatz and Eric Ripert. Apparently they don't NEED to prove themselves out here >_< A pox on them both!

Well, Ripert is coming to my neck of the woods for a one-time-only, first-ever-in-SF rock star type event at Aqua. MON April 20th, $130. Had I learned about it before today I'd already have reservations but, sadly, I am currently wait-listed. /cry

Is he cooking his dishes? IDK. Is he taking Aqua's menu and doing his spin on them? I don't care. All I know it's it's Ripert @ Aqua on the 20th and the website had no 411 so I called about 3.8 seconds after the letters formed on my screen. Honestly, he could toss a grain of Fleur de Sel on each dish as it goes out for service (while grinning that patented Eric Ripert grin) and I'd be happy. I'm a total food geek...sue me.

I shall keep you posted...

WTB [Shamrock Shake] - PST

2009-03-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

(We interrupt The 2008 Foodie Awards for this special St. Patrick's Day Rant. The Foodie Awards can be seen, in it's entirety, next week at it's regular time)

Where the frakk are my Shamrock Shakes? Seriously, McDonald's. It's bad enough you amputated two of Grimace's arms and then deported Uncle O'Grimacey back to Ireland BUT do you have to completely attempt to retcon my childhood by removing all evidence that The Shamrock Shake ever existed?

Now, I know a lot of you will fall into two camps. Camp A lives outside The Left Coast where they have unlimited access to The Shamrock Shake and have no idea what I'm b|tching about. Camp B is the food snob crowd that thinks “McDonald's. Ewwwwww!!!! And you call yourself a Foodie. A pox on you, heathen impostor!”.

I'll address Camp B first:

If you think you're a Foodie and summarily dismiss food because it comes from a fast food joint, is made to appeal to children, is located in a seedy area or is served from a cart or the back or a truck, you aren't a Foodie...you're just a pretentious snob. David Chang admitted he loves Chicken McNuggets with Sweet and Sour Sauce. Anthony Bourdain goes crazy over street food, including such high-end items as Deep-Fried Twinkies. Micheal Mina wouldn't have a trio of deserts based on breakfast cereals if he didn't like them, nor would Thomas Keller feature his version of an Oreo (The TKO) if he didn't have a fondness for the o/g mass-produced cookie. So you just zip it. Or go away. I'm sure there are STILL plenty of seats on Opentable for The Mesa Grill.

Camp A:

I envy you. It's St. Patrick's Day and YOU have full access to The Shamrock Shake and you don't even know how lucky you are. He||, you prolly haven't even though about that neon green concoction in years. But, for me, it blows. We're not like you out here. At best, St. Patrick's Day is met with indifference if not outright contempt. No parades. No green bodies of water. Hardly anybody is sporting green and if you actually want corned beef or green beer you have to go out of your way to find it. Now, I'm under no delusions that The Shamrock Shake is the pinnacle of culinary enlightenment. I'm not entirely sure WHAT flavor “Shamrock” is supposed to be (mint, I assume, but it's not terribly minty) and I realize that green hue is more artificial than Pamela Anderson's rack. Regardless, I still like it and I still miss it /cry. It's a guilty pleasure. /sigh.

You see, sometime in the last decade or two, old-school things like Drive-Ins, The Shamrock Shake and Two-Parent Families became passe' on The Left Coast. Apparently, it was decided that they couldn't co-exist with hybrid cars, 8-years olds with Blackberry's and Wheat Grass Juice. I wish I was joking...but I'm not. There are at least 2-3 places I could drive to within 5 minutes of my house that serve wheat grass juice. AND if I sat outside in our persistent Cloud of Smug (South Park reference...look it up) while drinking my vile green “juice” for longer than 10 min, I guarn-damn-tee you I'd see a kid under 10 texting somebody with their cell. But, I could drive an hour in ANY direction to any of the zillions of McD's in the Greater Bay Area and if I ordered a Shamrock Shake, all I'd get is a blank stare.

That being said, don't cry into your green beer TOO much for me. I've still had a corned beef stewing in a Crock Pot of Guinness since 7AM, ate a Shamrock Shaped Krispy Cream Donut (complete with white a green sprinkles) with my Irish Breakfast tea and picked up a 6-pack of Harp in Limited Edition green packaging while sporting one of my many A's t-shirts. So I'm still having a Green day! Heck, while I was picking up a green Loofah Dog (yes, the same one from the old PetCo commercials) for The Puppy and getting some gifts for The Hottie (yes, I bought her St. Paddy Day gifts...sue me) there was an elderly Asian woman looking feverishly among the Hallmark St. Patrick's Day display for some green beads. “To keep from being pinched”, she explained. So maybe there is hope after all, inside our Cloud of Smug...

EDIT: Shortly after I posted this blog, www.shamrockshake.com was brought to my attention (which is pretty amazing for a blog with zero comments). Lo and Behold I WAS able to find a place within driving distance that had the "Triple-Thick" Shamrock Shakes. I have no idea what's "Triple-Thick" is besides a lame marketing term, but it was still tasty and hit the spot. It made me so happy, in fact, that I resisted the temptation to run over toddlers yapping on their cell phones :D

The Foodie Awards: 2009 PART II

2009-03-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Obviously, if you missed PART I of the Awards, go read it first. If not, carry on!

INCREDIBLE, EDIBLE EGG AWARD.

WINNER: BOUCHON AT THE VENETIAN

“Foodie”, you say,”Incredible, Edible, Egg? Seriously, WTF! An egg 'Award'”. Yes. An egg 'Award'. Sometimes the simplest ingredients take the most skill to do correctly. There's less margin for error and, seriously, how bad a chef do you have to be to eff up a well-marbled piece of Kobe tenderloin or lobster fresh from a tank? Even Wylie Dufresne has a professed love for eggs and wanted it for his proverbial last meal. So there :p And, if you don't like it, go away. I'm sure there are plenty of seats on Opentable for The Mesa Grill. Enjoy.

That being said, the Oeuf Au Gratin at Bouchon in Vegas was beyond awesome. I know I said this about the chicken at Bouchon already, but it applies to the eggs as well: it was not simply the best egg dish I had in 2008...THEY WERE THE BEST EGGS I'VE HAD...EVAH!!! In fact, breakfast at Bouchon is so amazing in general that:

A)We called it a night early the previous day just to make sure we'd be able to get up in time to make it to the Venetian for b-fast. (Yes, you read that correctly. We're on a Vegas vacay and going to bed EARLY just to make sure we can get up for breakfast. Hey! Sometimes it's not easy being a foodie.)

And

B) As we were eating our way through the menu and realized that there were still lots of items/specials we desperately wanted to try that we decided to come back the next day. So, yes, another early nite :p

The odd thing is, I live in the Bay Area. Less than an hour away from the o/g Bouchon in Yountville so why would I cut Vegas nightlife short for eggs, sourdough waffles and fresh baked dough nuts?
Because, for some reason known only to Thomas Keller (and possibly his accountant) himself, Bouchon doesn't serve b-fast. >_< Even on weekends. I have no words. So, whenever I'm in Vegas, I try to make room in my itinerary for breakfast at Bouchon. Do yourself a favor and do the same. You won't be disappointed.

Note: Bouchon at The Venetian does NOT take reservations for breakfast or brunch, so first come, first served. Now this wasn't a problem in '08 with a recession and Vegas hurting for biz but, in the future, who knows.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: ORSON

Like the previously mentioned Dominique Cren, Elizabeth Falkner is a innovator that thinks outside the box. But no matter HOW far outside the box she goes there's no way in he|| the Orson's food deserves the pathetic 16 that ZAGAT gave her. Granted, it's new and they did have that funky little triangle icon to denote a low response but, still, c'mon ZAGAT! Sack up and give the little marketing schpeil you gave to Luce, Candybar and 25 Brix with no ratings attached. They ALL opened the same time and you KNEW you didn't have enough reliable votes on Orson, ESPECIALLY when it was THAT low. You're lucky Falkner didn't show up with a rocket launcher full of extra dense, fudgy cookies and pelt you to death for that injustice. Scrubs. Michelin > ZAGAT

Yeah...so...where was I? Oh yeah!!! That un-effing-believable Tempura Egg at Orson. Again, it's one of those things you eat and then wonder “How the hell does somebody think of that in the first place...and then actually pull it off?” The egg, sitting in a small pool of miso broth and sprinkled with nori chibbles was not only visually impressive, but when bitten into, revealed a perfectly cooked soft boiled egg. Seriously, how the eff do you batter dip a shelled egg in a manner than, once the outside is browned and crispy that the egg isn't hard cooked? We spent the better part of that course trying to reason it out (and I'm sure some molecular gastronomy geek that doesn't like being called a molecular gastronomer could tell me) but then we were distracted by the arrival of charcuterie. Oh! Shiny!

Oh yeah! The area is kinda skivvy, but the decor is just plain kewl and the duck fat french fries are to die for.

RESTAURANT THAT MOST DESERVES A MICHELIN STAR (BUT DOESN'T HAVE ONE)

WINNER (TIE): BOUCHON AT THE VENETIAN, B&B RISTORANTE.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Couldn't see this one coming, right? Winning all my other lame awards, so why not this one too? I can honestly say I have NO idea why Bouchon in Yountville has a star when it's younger sibling in Vegas merely gets a mention. It's certainly not the French Bias at work since it's virtually the same restaurant (on steroids – the Y-Ville version is tiny...even AFTER a re-model), with the same style and the same people at the helm. And Michelin certainly has nothing against Keller: There are only six, three-star Michelin restaurants in the entire U.S. And Keller has two of them. I honestly don't get it. If anything, I think the service is better at the Vegas version and, as previously mentioned, they have a broader menu. This one stumps The Foodie.

Equally egregious is the lack of a star for Mario Batali's Vegas entry. Honestly, after eating there, if Michelin gave them TWO star's I wouldn't have deemed it unworthy, so the lack of a star entirely is baffling. We had the tasting menu there and it was spot on. The dishes were clean, distinct and very well presented by our server who was almost TOO knowledgeable about the varieties of pasta and ingredients used. He was clearly a foodie who enjoyed his job and one of the best servers we've encountered in a city where customer service is second to none. The tables were perhaps a little packed together (but no more so than other starred restaurants like the o/g Bouchon) or maybe the French Bias reared it's ugly blue, white and red head. Regardless, the food was at least as good as other one-starred restaurants (if not superior) and the staff, from the hostess to the sommelier, was equally skilled. Michelin missed the mark on this one.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: LUCE

Sadly, I think Luce is off to a shaky start, but not because of the food. The service is iffy which, of course, can really impact the entire dining experience. This might be a function of being a “hotel” restaurant or simply being new but, either way, it needs to be ironed out. And opening a high-end restaurant at the beginning of a recession is just plain, bad timing. Even in the best of times, the restaurant biz can be dicey. I just hope Luce can hang on and weather the storm.

But enough doom and gloom. Luce has had plenty of accolades (Esquire Chef of the Year among them) and the kitchen consistently puts out some of the more creative dishes in The City. And, when you take price into the equation, it's a steal. Besides the aforementioned $45/four-course Supper on SUN, the regular tasting menu is $85 for so many courses I lost count. No, seriously. I did. Three courses at Mina's place is well over $100 and many of the dishes at Luce were at least the equal in terms of creativity and flavors (if not superior).

Unlike the restaurants above, however, I can see how Michelin left Luce with merely a mention. It's barely gotten it's feet wet and some of the dishes look a bit...dated presentation-wise. You know, long horizontal plates with three or four components running from left to right. Like when deconstructed food was all the rage. Not necessarily bad, but in the age of gee-whiz molecular gastronomy and green/sustainable cuisine, its looks like been there-done that. That and the hit-or-miss service. Okay, so I realize I'm making a really bad argument for Luce here but, trust me, it'll get more love later on :p

BEST THING TO HAPPEN AT A RESTAURANT THAT HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH FOOD:

WINNER: THE FRENCH LAUNDRY.

(Yes, I'm breaking my own rule here BUT since it had zero to do with the food, service or scene, I'm giving TFL a break.)

So, I need to take a break from the Tour de Force that is the TFL tasting menu and decide to use the Little Gentleman's Room outside. And, as I pass though the lobby I see two trendy Euro looking dudes staring blankly at each other. They're dressed very nicely for South Beach or perhaps to host American Idol but, for TFL, notsomuch. No, not only did the douchebags not bring a jacket (which could probably be rectified) BUT they were both wearing...JEANS!!!! Granted a pair of their high end designer jeans most certainly cost more than my entire Burlington Coat Factory suit ensemble, but going to TFL in jeans is Made of Fail.

Now, first off, you shouldn't be going to ANY place the caliber of The French Laundry wearing jeans - That's just common sense. But, realizing that the dress code of America is going the way of leaded gasoline, TFL lets you know that jackets are required AND jeans are not permitted when you make your reservations many moons in advance. And, just in case you lack common sense AND have no long term memory, they remind you once again when they call to confirm your reservations just a few days before. So, in essence, these frosted hair d-bags were told not once, but twice not to wear jeans and thought to themselves “Pfft! These jeans are so cool and I look so hot. What are they going to do? Not seat me?”

Yes. Actually, that's exactly what they will do. And /cheer to them for doing it.

FIRST RUNNER-UP:
miX

Take your pick: The rail thin California Brunette wearing the chain mail dress that barely covered her @$$ (Real chain mail too. Made an odd clanging/chinging noise as she swished on by) or the old guy with the Muppet face who's eyebrows were so unbelievably bushy they made Martin Scorsese look like he's a manscaping metrosexual. Seriously. They were the Triple-D's of the eyebrow world. If they were breasts, they'd be soooooo obviously fake that NOBODY would think they were real. Either way, those two provided conversation for at least half the dinner. Plus the always fun “He's just behind you to your left. No wait! My left. Sorry.” as you try and have your dining companion check out the “scenery” without being TOO obvious. Ah memories...

The Hottie wanted to make sure that everybody knew that my wardrobe has been upgraded since then. The jacket is Armani, the shirt Ben Sherman, the shoes Hugo Boss and the accessories (watch, billfold, shades, cufflinks, etc.) are Dolce and A/X. Seriously, she read the post and immediately complained, "Your outfit isn't from Burlington Coat Factory! It's Armani!!! The Meat Guy's is from there."

Actually, The Meat Guy's is from Men's Wearhouse /shrug.

The Foodie Awards: 2009 PART I

2009-02-19T16:33:00.000-08:00

By nearly any foodies standard's, 2008 was a banner year for The Foodie. For once, I made a New Year's Resolution I actually kept. In the name of filling out my Culinary Bingo Card, I vowed to go to a highly rated Michelin/ZAGAT rated restaurant at least once a month for 2008. Well, not only did I KEEP my resolution, I completely pwned it :D

By my count, the places I dined at had over 25 Michelin Stars combined in what have to be two of the best foodie regions in the nation: S.F. Bay Area and Vegas. I ate at the only 2-Star rated restaurants in The City. I ate up and down Washington Street (pat your culinary boner on the...um...back if you got that reference). I traveled an hour in commute traffic to eat BBQ at a strip mall. I tasted the old (One Market, Boulevard, Aqua), the new (Orson, Luce) and everything in between. Keller, Mina, Batali, Robuchon. Check, check, check and check. I earned well over 10,000 Opentable points. I avoided anything associated with Bobby Flay like the proverbial plague. I ate at The French Laundry...TWICE!

“Okay, okay. We get it Foodie.”, you say. “Your Epeen is huge...good for you.” Ah, but it's good for you too. For without further ado, I give you my Foodie awards for 2008. If not entirely education, I hope you'll find them at least mildly amusing. If not, there's always ihazahotdog. Awards are for restaurants The Foodie dined in in 2008 EXCEPT for The French Laundry. TFL is in a class by itself. The whole bringing-a-knife-to-a-gunfight thing. It just wouldn't be fair.

MOST DISAPPOINTING DINING EXPERIENCE:

WINNER: CRAFTSTEAK

We'll start with the bad news first and piss off the Bear Community in the process but, sadly, there's no other way to describe my -not one but- two visits to Craftsteak in '08. Now, I love Tom Collichio. I respect what he stands for in American Cuisine, I've watched EVERY episode of Top Chef (even dreadful Season Two), I own his cookbooks and I liked what I had at his lone S.F. Offering: 'wichcraft. BUT, I had steak for 3 straight nights in Vegas: L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Bouchon and Craftsteak and Craftsteak's was the clearly the odd man out...and it's supposed to be a STEAK place! I was so surprised that it had under delivered that I gave it a second chance when we went back a couple of month's later with The Meat Guy. But even The Meat Guy -an unabashed steak lover- had the same take. Three consecutive nights of steak at miX, Bouchon and Craftsteak and the beef there was his least fave.

Now, keep in mind, this isn't the award for 'Worst Dining Experience' - Far from it. Craftsteak is a solid restaurant, BUT in a town with SO many other dining options it's not really worth a special trip. We had high expectations and they simply weren't met. In the end, both me and The Hottie were far more impressed with the very simple (and tasty) Arugula Salad we ordered as a side than any of the meat we sampled at Craftsteak. And, if this were Top Chef, even Tom would blast somebody for making a steak dish that was out shined by a simple side of leaves, oil and seasoning. Tom. Please pack your knives and go.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: RUBICON

Forgive me for piling on a dead horse (and mixing metaphors) but Rubicon was easily the least impressive One-Star Michelin place I ate at in '08. You remember that VISA commercial about the couple that got their reservation at the impossible-to-get restaurant and got served teeny-tiny portions? Well, that was Rubicon in a nutshell: Elf food. Overpriced and Undersized is a bad combo, so I can't really say I was surprised to hear that they closed their doors for good.

Oh yeah, and the chairs were uncomfortable too :p

IN THE CONVERSATION: N/A. Of all the places I went to eat in 2008, those were the only two that truly failed to deliver.

BEST. CHICKEN. EVER. AWARD:

WINNER: BOUCHON AT THE VENETIAN

Straight off: I am NOT a chicken guy unless I'm counting calories. And when I'm at a place like Bouchon, I'm sure as he|| NOT counting calories. It's not that I dislike chicken, it's just that I could easily name a dozen proteins off the top of my head that I'd rather have than chicken. That being said, the chicken at Bouchon in Vegas is not JUST the best chicken I had in 2008...IT'S THE BEST CHICKEN I'VE HAD...EVAH!

Not surprisingly, I didn't even order the chicken, The Hottie did. I got the Steak Frites 'cause I'd seen Bourdain go on and on about how frelling good the frites were at Bouchon (and they are, indeed, quite tasty). So when The Hottie went OMG IRL upon tasting the chicken I had to try some and, yes, it was OMGWTFBBQ delicious. Lots of times when we go out to eat, we trade bites of the dishes and The Hottie will simply say, “You Win”, meaning I picked the better dish. Well, this time she won. By a wide margin. And I was having steak. At Bouchon. The same one Anthony Freaking Bourdain practically licked the plate on national TV (well...extended basic cable, at least). This was the same steak that made the buffalo at Craftsteak seem like the $9.99 special at Sizzler. And this chicken pwned it's @$$. So, if you're keeping score at home: Bouchon Vegas Chicken > Bouchon Steak Frites > Craftsteak.

It's also worth noting that The Meat Guy had the exact same reaction. He was dubious about our claims that the chicken could possibly be THAT good. He too ordered the Steak Frites on the merits of the Bourdain Vegas episode. The Hottie, once again, got the chicken and, once again, she won. All the stunned Meat Guy could do was chuckle in disbelief, mutter something along the lines of “Wow. That's reallllllly good chicken” and look dejectedly at his steak that, somehow, didn't taste quite as it did moments earlier.

Note: The chicken at Bouchon in Vegas is different than the o/g in Yountville. We were saddened to learn this. And, while I'm reasonably sure the chicken itself is brined/cooked in the same manner, the presentation and ingredients differ enough to make the Vegas version superior.

FIRST RUNNER-UP: LUCE

Dominique Cren likes to take risks, culinarily speaking. Sometimes she hits it out of the park and sometime she strikes out swinging, but she's always aiming for the fences and is never an easy out. Well the Chicken and Waffles she had as part of her four-course “Farm to Table” Sunday Supper was a Grand Freaking Slam . It's also one the the best deals in The City at only $45, but I digress.

If you've sampled Cren's fare before, you'd know well in advance that this wouldn't be the Chicken and Waffles traditionally served in the south or at Roscoe's on the left coast. No, it was a huge boneless, skinless chicken breast, marinated in yogurt and Indian spices and perfectly cooked with some sort of crispy, corn-flake-esque coating that you'd SWEAR was deep fried chicken complete with skin. To this day, I'm still not sure how she got the coating to stay on so well. But, the goodness didn't stop there, of course. The waffle had a chickpea batter and was served with...wait for it...wait for it: Maple Bacon Ice Cream! If there's one Universal Truth in the universe, it's that EVERTHING is better with bacon, and this was no exception. EVERY individual component was outstanding (if a little bizarre sounding) but, when combined, it was truly one of the single best courses I had in 2008. Sadly, the concept behind the Sunday Suppers at Luce is that they cook what's in season at it's peak. As such, the menu changes weekly, so the odds of getting it again are very, very slim. /cry

IN THE CONVERSATION: N/A. You're joking, right? You're lucky I even TRIED two chicken dishes worth having in 2008. Don't push it.

Still To Come: Restaurant That Most Deserves a Michelin Star (But Doesn't Have One), The Best Thing To Happen at a Restaurant That Doesn't Involve Food and...The Incredible, Edible Egg Award?

Coi didn't get it's second star until the 2009 guide...so don't quibble with me. You'll get pwned.