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Bay Area Dining Hall of Fame

Friday, 20 October 2006
Aqua
252 California Street
San Francisco, California 94111
415-956-9662
Website: www.aqua-sf.com/
Zagat rating: F26 25 S25 ($69)
Cuisine: Cal-French/Seafood
Synopsis:
Considered by many to be the city's greatest seafood restaurants -- and recently announced as one of only four Bay Area recipients of Michelin's coveted two-star rating -- Aqua had been near the top of my dining list for a long, long time.  An early celebration of my and Victoria's two-month anniversary proved to be the perfect occasion for finally finding out whether Aqua was worthy of its exalted status.  Here's what we ordered:

Appetizers
- Hamachi (with Sharlyn Melon, Avocado, Kaffir Lime, Piment d'Espelette) - $16
- pea/corn soup (with lobster and unagi) - $13

Entrées
- Hawaiian Walu (with Potato & Fennel Fondue, Mussels, Golden Raisin Emulsion) - $25
- Wild Sea Bass (with Calamari Stuffed Piquillo Peppers, Arugula, Pepper Nage) - $23

Wine
- 2004 Riesling, Saint M, Pfalz, Germany - $9

Desserts
- Gâteau Basque (with Poached Peach, Rose Sorbet) - $11
- Strawberry Glacé (with Rhubarb, Pistachio Meringue) - $10

The meal started off with two complimentary cups of toasted pumpkin soup with crème fraîche.  These were "really creamy, but not heavy, and definitely whet our appetite" for what would turn out to be a truly impressive series of dishes.  As we wrapped up our soup, we got some of Aqua's excellent bread; all throughout the meal, staff wandered from table to table, carrying platters adorned with three different kinds of rolls -- black olive, whole wheat, and sourdough -- and politely inquiring as to whether you'd "like another roll." 

First up were our appetizers, which the chefs kindly split onto individual plates for myself and Victoria.  On the left - the hamachi; on the right - the pea/corn soup:

The hamachi was "very fresh, and came with a sprinkling of citrus" -- a very nice touch.  The accompanying melon was, in my opinion, a little too similar to your standard cantaloupe; however, the sprouts atop the hamachi and melon were surprisingly tasty, even for a self-avowed sprout non-fan (myself).  Along with all this was a line of avocado paste that was also seasoned with delicious lime.  The hamachi really carried this appetizer, and even if the melon was not terribly impressive, it was a winner by virtue of the fish.

The pea/corn soup, one of the day's specials, was a real treat.  At first, the waitress brought out a pair of seemingly spare bowls, with only some shreds of lobster and pieces of unagi lining the bottom, with no soup in sight.  However, then came the show: balancing two separate pitchers in the fingers of a single hand, she dexterously poured in the contents of each -- one filled with pea soup, the other with corn soup.  These simultaneously filled up the bowl, but somehow the two soups did not coalesce, each occupying one side of the bowl for an aesthetically impressive result.  And the best part was that the soup tasted even better than it looked.  Served up cold, the pea and corn portions were individually very distinct, but each brought out the flavor of the featured ingredient in a way that surpassed anything we'd had in previous incarnations of these seemingly basic soups.  The soups' "texture was a lot like that of the pumpkin soup; it was really smooth.  I think soup might be one of the chef's specialties, because I've never had anything quite like it."  And we haven't even gotten to the lobster and unagi yet.  The lobster, however limited in quantity, was exquisite; the unagi was "so good!"  Basically, we were blown away by this soup.

Next up: the entrées.  On the left - the walu; on the right - the sea bass.

The walu was cooked to perfection; it was just the right tenderness -- "the perfect balance on the spectrum between raw and well-done.  It did not have the fishiness of raw seafood, nor did it have the thickened texture of cooked fish.  It was tender and succulent and just perfect."  Accompanying the walu was a combination of mussels and, in a shocker, some of the tastiest potatoes you possibly could have imagined.  The golden raisin emulsion, poured around the perimeter of the plate upon the dish's arrival, "was softly absorbed by the walu and veggies," adding a flavorful and "colorful new dimension" to the fish. 

The sea bass, in my opinion, tasted even better than the walu, though Victoria thought they were "both comparable."  Minor quibbles, of course -- you couldn't go wrong with a fish whose "flesh was bursting with its own juice, under a moist yet crispy skin."  Between the pieces of fish was a pepper stuffed with calamari and onion, and some yummy arugula.  Around the edges of this plate was a pepper-based sauce, which -- like the golden raisin emulsion for the walu -- was an excellent match for the flavor and texture of the primary elements of the dish.  Upon comparison, we found that the walu plate had a little more nuanced subtlety, while the sea bass dish had a little more spice; overall, "you couldn't say one was better than the other, because they each had their own personalities."

Last up: dessert.  On the left - the gâteau basque; on the right - the strawberry glacé.

The gâteau basque was a lot like a "madeleine with custard, though it tasted a lot better than that description would make you think.  The poached peaches and rose sorbet were my favorite part.  The ripeness of the peaches was brought out by the poaching; the sorbet had a really strong essence of rose, but not in an overpowering way, as in most perfumes.  It was quite an experience tasting the roses."  The sorbet was topped by two slices of freeze-dried peaches, whose "main contribution was texture and aesthetics."

"Basically, the whole thing can be described as a tribute to strawberries.  The sorbet was just jumping with strawberry flavor, and the fresh strawberries on the side were very ripe and sweet.  The real kick in this dessert was the pistachio belt in the middle of the sorbet.  It not only was a great complement to the strawberry, but it was greatly enhanced by the pistachio nuts embedded within the sorbet log.  The sorbet was really milky too -- unlike the rose one, which was very light -- and I think this quality was a great match for the strawberry and pistachio."  Similar to its rose counterpart, the strawberry sorbet was topped with freeze-dried strawberries, which "were a lot easier to taste than the freeze-dried peaches, I think because strawberries just naturally have a stronger flavor." 

The desserts were a great close to the meal, or so we thought -- along with our bill, we received yet another complimentary plate, this time featuring five bite-sized sweets:

All of these were pretty good, though the highlight was the coconut macaroon (second from the right).  "I liked that the chocolate (second from the left) was a dark, semisweet chocolate -- it was an elegant touch." 

Overall, this meal met our lofty expectations.  "It wasn't just tasty -- it was an experience"; I would definitely agree.  I was most impressed by the attention delivered to even the most minor touches of each dish; I would have never guessed that one of the best elements of a fish dish at Aqua would be the potatoes.  "It was also surprising that the food came out so quickly, given the ornate style of preparation."  The two of us were definitely the youngest people in the dining room; our immediate neighbors were a pair of French-speaking businessmen who were personally greeted by the restaurant manager and Chef Laurent Manrique.  But even then, we didn't feel out of our element, because the service was incredibly gracious and friendly for a place with such a reputation.  When it came time to rate the meal, Victoria and I both came up with a rating of 9.5 -- it was pretty much near-perfect, though (as I put it), "you just know when it's a 10," and our lunch fell just short of that caliber.  That said, we couldn't identify any real flaws in the meal, and perhaps a subsequent trip will net Aqua the coveted E-V perfect rating.  Overall grade: 9.5/10.


26 July 2004
Chez Panisse Café
1517 Shattuck Ave
Berkeley, CA, 94709 
510-548-5049
Website: www.chezpanisse.com
Zagat rating: F27 D22 S24 ($43)
Cuisine: California fusion
What we ordered:
- Lillet blonde
- Prosecco di Valdobbiadene, Brut, Adriano Adami, Italy
- Navarro Pinot Noir, Mendocino, California
- Star Route Farm escarole with garlic, crème fraîche, basil, and cherry tomatoes
- Baked Sonoma goat cheese with garden lettuces
- Riverdog Farm corn soup with Marash pepper
- Hand-cut pasta with morel mushrooms, rocket, toasted bread crumbs, and herbs
- California white sea bass roasted in the wood oven with shellbeans, little onions, and salsa verde
- Hoffman Farm chicken al mattone with frisée and sweet pepper salad, tapenade, and fried potatoes
- Sartori Farm strawberry and blackberry shortcake with lemon verbena cream
- Bourbon-pecan ice cream with bittersweet chocolate sauce


11 August 2004
Evvia
420 Emerson St. 
Palo Alto, CA, 94301 
650-326-0983
Website: www.evvia.net
Zagat rating: F25 D23 S22 ($43)
Cuisine: Greek
Synopsis:
Aditya and I just had dinner at Evvia, a fabulous Greek restaurant in downtown Palo Alto that I'd always heard great things about but only tried for the first time tonight.  To my great enjoyment, it lived up to all the hype.  We split a bottle of Beyer pinot blanco and started off with two great appetizers: the Spanakotiropita (phyllo stuffed with spinach, Epiros Feta, dill, and herbs) and Dolmathes (grape leaves stuffed with rice, currants, and pinenuts).  My main course, the Solomos (grilled wild king salmon with lemon potato purée and tomato ouzo sauce), featured the best mashed potatoes I've had in my entire life.  Aditya, meanwhile, had the Pilafi -- a tomato saffron risotto with English peas, snap peas, snow peas, and halloumi cheese.  For dessert, we ordered the Galaktoboureko (traditional semolina custard wrapped in phyllo and served with toasted pistachio parfait) and Yiaourti Sorbet (yogurt sorbet over blackberry granite with fresh strawberry and mint essence), respectively.  Along with dessert, we each got a glass of Michele Chiarlo, Moscato di Asti.  A type of Grappa, an intense Greek wine, this was definitely one of the strongest drinks (by both flavor and alcohol content) I've had in a long time.


Monday, 30 January 2006
Foreign Cinema
2534 Mission St. 
San Francisco, CA, 94110 
415-648-7600
Website: www.foreigncinema.com/
Zagat rating: F21 D24 S19 ($41)
Cuisine: Cal-Mediterranean
Synopsis:
Wow.  Foreign Cinema is another of those restaurants that I've heard so much about; tonight, Heather, Rachel, and I went down to the Mission to check it out -- and we were blown away....  The food alone merits a 9, but the incredible decor pulls Foreign Cinema up to a full 10 out of 10.  This ranks among my top all-time food experiences. [For the full blog entry, visit Wining and Dining 2006]


Spago
265 Lytton Ave. 
Palo Alto, CA, 94301 
650-833-1000
Website: www.wolfgangpuck.com
Zagat rating: F22 D22 S20 ($52)
Cuisine: California fusion
Synopsis (9 August 2004):
I just returned from an outstanding dinner with Ursula and Andy at Spago in Palo Alto.  For appetizers, Urse and Andy had the tomato gazpacho with ceviche, cilantro, and crème fraiche; I enjoyed a caesar salad with heirloom tomato bruschetta. Our main courses were excellent.  Urse and Andy had slow braised beef short rib with parmesan potato puree, broccoli rabe, and cipollini.  Never one to order beef at a fine restaurant, I got the sautéed Alaskan halibut with stir-fried green beans, jasmine rice, and coconut curry sauce.  We each finished off the meal with an order of fresh fruit "pavlova" brown sugar meringue, chantilly cream, and strawberry sorbet.  My dessert wine, a sparkling Veuve Clicquot Demi-Sec, was fragrant and delicious.
General comments:
I've been to Spago Palo Alto a few times, and each time I've received a complimentary appetizer from the chef.  That is part of a package of top-notch service you can expect to receive from the Palo Alto branch of this famous culinary institution.  While Spago is not the best the Bay has to offer, it is consistently excellent — and that is good enough for a spot on this list.


19 July 2004
Tamarine
546 University Ave. 
Palo Alto, CA, 94301 
650-325-8500
Website: www.tamarinerestaurant.com
Zagat rating: F25 D23 S22 ($41)
Cuisine: Vietnamese fusion
Synopsis:
Wow.  One of the best meals I've ever had.  Valerie started off with an absolutely brilliant lychee martini; I had a Truchard pinot noir.  Our first dish was a delectable bowl of Ha Long Bay Soup -- "crab wontons served in a consommé, infused with lemongrass and coconut milk."  We ordered two entrees: the Red Lantern Duck and the Lemongrass Bass.  The latter was among the most incredible fish dishes I've ever had.  The bass was seared to perfection with garlic and lemongrass.  Wow, that was some good fish.  We closed on a high note with an order of coconut ice cream with roasted figs.  Pure bliss.

The Zagat rating system:

F=Food
D=Decor
S=Service

$=Average price of dinner (including one drink and tip)

All ratings are on a scale of 0 to 30:
0-9: poor to fair
10-15: fair to good
16-19: very good
20-25: excellent
26-30: near perfect


Links:
Zagat.com