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| TOQUE
OF SAN FRANCISCO |
By
Carol and Joe Davis - Dining Detectives |
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“Dining About Town"
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| Happy
New Year 2007!!!
San Francisco continues to have a vibrant dining
scene with Cuisine from around the world. We dined at Asian,
Hawaiian Fusion, Indian, Turkish, Vietnamese, French and English
restaurants over the past few months. Chefs from around the
globe love to come to San Francisco to offer the delicacies
of their homelands to the discerning diners of “The City
by the Bay”.
We
met Famous Chefs, Aspiring Chefs and Almost Famous Chefs. January
is always a great time to try new restaurants and visit favorites
as The San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau www.onlyinsanfrancisco.com
sponsors
“Dine About Town” where for the Sixth year over
100 local restaurants offer prix-fixe menus with 3 course lunches
for $21.95 and 3 course dinners for $31.95.Reservations can
be made by contacting the restaurants or at www.opentable.com.
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Roy’s
Restaurant
We attended the Asian Chefs Association Annual
Gala www.ACASF.com
at
Roy’s in San Francisco. The Asian Chefs
Association is a community of Asian and Asian inspired chefs,
hospitality professionals and food writers who joined together
to create a community to share their passion for Asian Cuisine.
We enjoyed the tasting where we were able to sample Asian cuisine
from over a dozen restaurants. We met Roy Yamaguchi
who was the host of the event and is the founder of the 33 Roy’s
Restaurants worldwide. Roy’s Misoyaki Charred
Butterfish and Mongolian Grilled Baby Ribs were
delicious. Some of our other favorite tastes were the Marinated
Atlantic Salmon wrapped with Pandan Leaf and honey dipping sauce
created by Executive Chef/ Owner Weerayut “Oudi”
Uted from Flavor in Dallas, Texas and the Organic
Chicken Liver Mousse with spiced Brioche Serrano ham apple skewers
created by Executive Chef Jonnathan Leiva
from Jack Falstaff in San Francisco. The most unique and tasty
dessert was the Caramel Lady Apples with Pistachio from Bacar
Restaurant in San Francisco.
Roy’s
Restaurant
575 Mission St.
San Francisco, Ca. 94105
415-777-0277
www.roysrestaurant.com
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La
Provence Cuisine Soleil
There is a fun casual bistro atmosphere and delicious
cuisine from the South of France at La Provence
in Noe Valley. Co-Executive Chefs Mikael Audrey
and Lionel Balbastre recently came
to San Francisco from France and are very talented, as well
as young and eager to please. We started out with the La Pissaladiere
Appetizer. It was a fabulous Provencal Pie garnished with caramelized
onions, bell peppers, olives and anchovies and is a true South
of France style dish. Next we loved the taste and fabulous texture
of the Montagne de Piquillios which is a Skinless Sweet Pepper
stuffed with Cod “brandade”, red pesto and a cold
yellow pepper coulis. A house specialty that you will adore
is the Saumon aux Herbes Anisees, which is made in-house. It
is a delicious cured salmon (salt and anis herbs) smoked on
a pine branch with fennel salad and sumac. For a Main Course
you’ll enjoy the Soupe de Poissons Canebiere, which is
a homemade soup of clams, shrimp, codfish, scallops, and anglerfish
perfumed with saffron, tarragon with “rouille” crouton.
It had an excellent broth and inspired us to make a similar
dish at home. The Dessert we enjoyed was the Panna Cotta with
shredded cocoanut and mango. Don’t be afraid of the French
Wine list, just let them know the type of wine you like and
Proprietor Lionel LaFite will suggest wines that pair
with the Provencal Cuisine and match your taste. We gained a
new appreciation, as now we know that there are many types of
French wines. We loved the Chateau Fontvert Cotes du Luberon
Vermentino which paired perfectly with the La Pissaladiere and
the Chateau Fontvert Cotes du Luberon Syrah which paired perfectly
with the Soupe de Poissons Canebiere. La Provence
also shows classic French Movies at the Bar and we love their
flair and slogan “You’ve got taste. We’ve
got flavor”.
La
Provence Cuisine Soleil
1001 Guerrero St.
San Francisco, Ca. 94110
415-643-4333
www.LaProvenceRestaurant.net
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Pisces
Pisces is Aqua’s
upscale Seafood Bistro in Burlingame where you’ll find
a great selection of fresh seafood and an excellent wine list.
We met Aqua’s Corporate Executive Chef Laurent
Manrique who is famous for his inspired seafood
menus and culinary passion, as well as Pisces Executive
Chef Dmitry Elperin who gained valuable experience
as the Sous Chef at Aqua in San Francisco. The first course
we enjoyed was the Lobster Salad with butternut lettuce,
ruby red grapefruit and tarragon vinaigrette. Next we were
treated to Dungeness Atlantic Crab Cakes with Piquillo Pepper
Aioli Sofrito Vinaigrette. The entrees that we loved were
Atlantic Skate Wing in a classic Grenobloise sauce with
Pickled Ramps, French Fingerling Potatoes and the Pan Roasted
Bass served with Bay Turnips, baby carrots, pearl onions, sauce
Matelote. You must save room for the Pumpkin Pot de Crème
dessert which was luscious.
Pisces
1190 California Drive
Burlingame, Ca 94010
650-401-7500
www.PiscesRestaurant.com
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Troya
We enjoyed a great meal at Troya
on Clement St where we had a chance to experience Turkish- Mediterranean
Cuisine. Chef Mehmet Vural was born
in Turkey and learned his craft at his family’s restaurant
and has brought his experience to Troya. We
loved the Turkish Lentil Soup. It was made with pureed
red lentils, red pepper paste, cooked with mint, black pepper,
cumin and garlic. Another unique and delicious starter was the
Mucver, which are zucchini cakes made with egg, green
onions, dill and mint and served with homemade garlic yoghurt.
Our favorite entrée was the Iman Bayildi which
is a fabulous Eggplant sliced lengthwise, stuffed with fresh
tomatoes, onions, garlic and parsley, cooked with olive oil
and served with rice. The dessert we found to be truly exceptional
was the Kunefe. It was made from freshly shredded kadayif
dough, unsalted cheese inside and topped with pistachios and
homemade syrup. It was quite delicious, unique and light. We
loved ending our meal with the strong taste of Turkish coffee.
Troya
349 Clement St. (at 5th Avenue)
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-379-6000
www.troyasf.com
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Hue
L’Amour
We enjoyed Vietnamese Cuisine on Van Ness Avenue
in San Francisco at a new restaurant called Hue L’Amour.
Executive Chef Doanh Huynh grew up
in Hue, Vietnam and is realizing his dreams by bringing the
recipes of his homeland to San Francisco. The interior of the
restaurant is inviting with stylish comfortable custom furniture
from Vietnam, large murals on the walls depicting life in Vietnam
and the Bar which looks like a ship. For Appetizers we enjoyed
the Beef Carpaccio which was thin sliced beef marinated
in lemon juice topped with peanut, onion, mint leaves and sesame
seeds, served with a fish sauce. Our favorite Entrée
was the Saigon Chicken marinated with white onion,
and a special spicy homemade sauce served with spinach and lemon
dipping sauce. The Stuffed Squids with ground chicken,
black mushrooms, onions, cilantro and whole black pepper in
a spicy shrimp base sauce was also quite tasty. Make sure you
have the Hue L’Amour Special Rice. A great way
to finish is dessert and Vietnamese Coffee. You’ll enjoy
the Fried Banana which comes with cookies and cream Ice Cream
Hue
L’Amour
2080 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, Ca. 94109
415-567-1700
www.huelamour.com
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Mantra
Restaurant and Lounge
There’s a buzz about Indian Food and for
good reason, as Mantra in Palo Alto has a new
Executive Chef Sachin Chopra. Chef
Chopra began his culinary career in Delhi India where he received
his Culinary Degree from the prestigious School of Pusa. We
had enjoyed Mantra’s cuisine on a previous
visit but it was even better the second time. Mantra
has great atmosphere and we found it to be livelier and less
formal than before but the service and attention to detail were
still very professional. For Starters we loved the Garlic
Chili Flake Naan, which is baked in-house and was the best
we had ever tasted! The Dal, which is a seasonal lentil
dish, was a perfect compliment with the Naan. Next we enjoyed
the Large Day Boat Scallops marinated with mustard,
coriander and fennel sautéed and served with melted leeks
and a light onion soup and salmon caviar. A glass of the Pomelo
2005 California Sauvignon Blanc paired perfectly. We were
impressed that our wine was served in Riedel glasses. We also
enjoyed the clay oven roasted Rosemary Ponzu- Mustard Lamb
Chops served with raw papaya, spices, cilantro salsa verde,
roasted mashed potatoes and Banyul’s sauce. The Joseph
Drouhin, Chorey les Beaune 2003 Burgundy paired perfectly
with the lamb. The refreshing finish to our meal was Indian
Kulfi Ice Cream and sorbets.
Mantra
Restaurant and Lounge
632 Emerson Street
Palo Alto, CA 94301
650-322-3500
www.mantrapaloalto.com
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Pelican
Inn
This year we enjoyed Thanksgiving Dinner on a
spectacular sunny day at the Pelican Inn in
Muir Beach. This wonderful country inn captures the spirit of
a 16th Century English Inn and Restaurant and is only about
thirty minutes from San Francisco. We sat by the fire with other
happy diners and enjoyed a fabulous and all too filling traditional
Thanksgiving Dinner. The Starters included Smoked Salmon
Pate, Butternut Squash Soup, English White Chedder, Stilton
and Grapes. The Entrees were Roasted Turkey, Prime Rib with
Au Jus and Horseradish and for the vegetarians Vegetable and
Ale Shepherd’s Pie. The Sides were Whiskey Yams, Corn
Pudding, Red Beets, Minted Peas and Carrots, Cranberry Sauce,
and Mashed Potatoes. Dessert was Pumpkin Pie, Apple Crisp or
Chocolate Cake. It was a great way to enjoy Thanksgiving!
Pelican
Inn
Muir Beach, Ca. 94965
415-383-6000
www.PelicanInn.com
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Almost
Famous Chef Competition
We attended the People’s Choice Tasting
Gala and National Finals of the S. Pellegrino Almost
Famous Chef Competition at The Culinary Institute of
America at Greystone, in St. Helena in the Napa Valley. Each
of the 10 regional winners had to prepare their signature dish
for the 200 guests who were there to judge and vote for the
“Best” that evening. Celebrity judges chose the
overall winner after 3 days of competition. The Almost
Famous Chef Competition Winner was Ranbir
Batra who was from Chicago and had qualified as
the North Central Regional Winner. He won $10,000 and a job
for one year working for a Celebrity Chef. His signature dish
was Tandoori and Tamarind Lamb Duo served with a Cauliflower
Puree and Crimson Lentils. It was a delicious Australian Lamb
Rack coated with a Tandoori paste and Lamb Sweetbread glazed
with Tamarind on a bed of Crimson Lentils and Cauliflower and
Almond Puree and Brussel Sprouts. This was a worthy choice
but we also have to mention our favorite of the evening, Mohammad
Assi’s Pistachio-Sumac Crusted Lamb, which
was served with Middle Eastern Couscous and summer vegetables
drizzled with Pomegranate Dei Glace.
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