Piperade Fantastic West Coast Basque Cuisine
By
Carol & Joe Davis
Dining Detectives
There
is a consensus among food lovers that Basque cuisine
is some of the best in the world and that Piperade is one of the
best restaurants in San Francisco. Piperade is
owned by acclaimed Restaurateur/Executive Chef Gerald
Hirigoyen. He was named one of the ten best chefs in
America, co-owns a vineyard called Arrels in the Priorat region
of Cataluya, Spain and the Clos Pissarra Winery and has authored
books including The Basque Kitchen and Pintxos: Small Plates in
the Basque Tradition.
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Even
the best restaurants in The City know that they have to expand
or change to stay on top. Piperade which just
celebrated their 10th anniversary wanted to accommodate the needs
of their customers, as well as experiment with new menu items.
They have expanded by opening a lovely banquet / special function
room called Lauburu named after the Basque cross which symbolizes
spirit and life. We were fortunate to attend a recent Luncheon
which showcased Basque cuisine served traditional family style.
The
starters included Piquillo Peppers with goat cheese,
pistachios and golden raisins, fantastic Haricots Vert with
figs, perfect blondes, walnut vinaigrette, delicious tender
Calamari "a la Plancha" with fennel, olive,
caper, coriander and lemon and exceptional tangy Warm Sheep's
Milk Cheese & Ham Terrine with Aged Sherry.
The
2009 Txomin Etxaniz, Getariako Txakolina Gipuzkoa paired
perfectly. The main dishes were fabulous as well. The Whole
Sea Bass with fried garlic vinaigrette was fresh and delicate.
The 2009 Allende Viura, Rioja wine paired perfectly.
The
meat course was a beautiful presentation of succulent Roasted
Rack of Lamb with Merguez, fennel and Cumin-Date Relish.
We enjoyed the 2007 Herri Mina, Cabernet Franc Trouleguy
with this course. Next, we were served the perfect portion of
a Selection of Cheeses from the Pyrenees, paired with a 2006
Arrels de Clos Pissarra, Garnatxa. The Desserts included
Orange Blossom Beignets, Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut
"Biarritz Rocher" and the traditional Basque dessert
Gateau Basque, Cherry Preserves. What can we say, they
were all spectacular! The 2009 Clos Uroulat, Jurancon was
an excellent finish to our excellent Basque luncheon.
We
loved every course that the Chef prepared for the 10th Anniversary
Luncheon and concur that Basque Cuisine at Piperade
is some of the best in the world. Restaurateur/Executive Chef
Gerald Hirigoyen told us that he is thrilled to have added the
new stylish private dining room and looks forward to hosting both
private events, as well as Winemaker Dinners.
Piperade
1015 Battery Street (at Green)
San Francisco, CA. 94111
415-391-2555
www.Piperade.com
