“Almost
Famous Chef Competition”
and San Francisco Fine Dining
Winter
2006
By Carol and Joe Davis - Dining Detectives
Click
on Images for Captions
“Almost
Famous Chef Competition”
S. Pellegrino recently held their 2006
5th Annual “Almost Famous Chef Competition”
Northern California Regional finals at The California
Culinary Academy in San Francisco. S. Pellegrino, known
for their sparkling natural mineral water, created the
competition, which includes over 20 culinary schools across
the US, and Canada to foster mentoring and communication
between established celebrity chefs, top culinary students
and the media. The winner of each of ten regional competitions
advanced to the National Finals, which was held October
27-30, 2006 at The CIA at Greystone in the Napa Valley.
The finalists competed for the opportunity to win the
$10,000 cash prize and a job with a nationally recognized
chef for one year along and a media tour.
The student competitors in San Francisco were Cindy Hong,
Jessica Jackson, Jenny Kim, Ronald Lagasca, Rene Luna,
and Sakiko Tani. Each student, who was chosen for their
culinary skills, creativity, presentation, personality
and ability to perform under pressure, had two hours to
prepare their signature dish for the judges. As we watched
them in the kitchen, we could see that they all appeared
to be well prepared and not nervous at all. Each student
presented their signature dish to the judges and answered
questions about their ingredients, preparation and presentation.
The celebrity judges were six highly respected Bay Area
Chefs and three Media Representatives who tasted each
dish, voted and ultimately determined the winner at the
end of the day’s competition. They included Bruce
Hill of Bix, Robert Price of Buckeye Roadhouse, Jonathan
Leiva of Jack Falstaff, Greg Cole of Cole Chop House,
Ken Frank of La Toque, Scott Howard of Scott Howard, Dan
Clark of California Food and Wine, Stephen Oliver of Nob
Hill Gazette and Carolyn Cozad of Safeway.
The winner, who moved on to the Finals, was Sakiko Tani
from The California Culinary Academy who created a fabulous
Shiso Crusted Lamb Chop with truffle oil infused with
fresh yellow corn polenta, lamb staffed cipollini onion,
shaved summer squashes, cranberry sauce and gastrique
with shiso oil. She was all smiles as she accepted her
trophy. Her goals are to gain valuable experience working
with a celebrity chef and to eventually open a California
Cuisine restaurant in Japan.
The winner of the National Finals of the 2006 5th Annual
“Almost Famous Chef Competition” at The CIA
at Greystone was Ranir Batra from Chicago.
Scott
Howard
We felt comfortable right away as we entered
Scott Howard on Jackson Street in San
Francisco. Executive Chef/ Owner Scott Howard
has created a serene environment, which is sleek and contemporary
with a warm touch of color provided by a large distinctive
floral arrangement centered in the dining room. We especially
liked the flow of the room that allowed for privacy. We
started out our dining experience with a Grey Goose Martini
that got us on the right track immediately. Things only
got better as we had Scott’s signature soup, Carrot
Broth with Chervil sabayon and black truffle oil.
It was outstanding. Next came the entrées…The
Maine Scallops were prepared with golden raisin and
caper sauce, potato puree, almonds and herb salad. This
was an exquisite dish which reminded us of the way scallops
are supposed to taste. The Short Ribs were cooked
for over 50 hours and then seared to perfection. They
we served with Orzo ‘Mac & Cheese’,
beech mushrooms and gremolata. The Entrees were delicious
and all generous portions.
The desserts are also over the top. We especially loved
the Apricot Soufflé, which had a lavender
crusted center. It was definitely one of the best desserts
we have had all year. Scott Howard creates a much-needed
dining experience using the best of the natural flavors
of fresh ingredients while being reasonably priced. It’s
great to have a high quality downtown San Francisco restaurant,
where you feel like you are dining on the quality of cuisine
you deserve and can afford to come back to on a regular
basis.
Scott
Howard
500 Jackson Street
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-956-7040 www.scotthowardsf.com
Asia
De Cuba Asia De Cuba at the Clift
Hotel is a sophisticated restaurant and bar. It is the
place to see and be seen. Don’t be surprised if
you see the Hollywood “A” list when they are
in town, as they frequent this upbeat and elegant dining
room, which shares an open wall with the lively bar. Executive
Chef Philip DuBose serves an innovative fusion
of Asian and Latin Cuisine. He honed his culinary skills
in France including internships with Master Chef
Roger Douille at Les Echets and Master
Chef Alain Chapel at Mionnay. We enjoyed
the Tunapica Appetizer. It was a fresh Tuna Tartare
served picadillo style with Spanish olives, black currents,
almonds, coconut, soy-lime vinaigrette and wonton crisps.
It was served with both soy sauce and a Habana sauce giving
it an either Asian or Latin taste.
We loved the Miso cured Alaskan Butterfish. The
Cuban black bean edamame salad and tempura shisito peppers
were excellent and rounded out this fabulous entrée.
A side order of Lobster- Boniato Mash was also
an excellent choice. We had a lot of fun at Asia
De Cuba and look forward to returning soon to
try other dishes! Congratulations to the Clift Hotel as
they are currently celebrating their 5th Anniversary in
San Francisco.
Asia
De Cuba
At The Clift Hotel
495 Geary Street
San Francisco, Ca. 94102 www.morganhotelgroup.com
Faz
Faz is located South of
Market on Steuart Street in San Francisco and overlooks
the Embarcadero and the Bay. Executive Chef- Owner
Faz Poursohi serves Mediterranean-Near Eastern
Cuisine. We started our dining experience with Faz’s
Passion Plate, which is a mixture of fresh garlic,
tabouleh, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, and grated parmesan,
served with house made crispy flat bread and focaccia.
You’ll enjoy the Jumbo Prawn and Grilled Avocado.
It consisted of a grilled avocado filled with Chipotle
Aioli accompanied by plump Jumbo Prawns on a bed of organic
baby greens tossed with citrus vinaigrette. The Jumbo
Sea Scallops were also delicious! They were pan seared
with garlic confit, olive oil and Serrano chiles served
on a bed of linguini. Faz also has outdoor dining which
is great for warmer days.
Modern
Tea
We stopped in at Modern Tea
in Hayes Valley for Weekend Brunch. They are known for
their teas, teapots and teacups, which can be purchased,
to go but we were pleasantly surprised by the quality
of the food. Of course we had to try the organic and sustainable
harvest teas to start. We enjoyed the Warm Breakfast
Jade Tea. The Civil War Waffles, which they
serve only on the weekends were just wonderful! They were
light and tender and came with some fresh fruit. They
were made with cornmeal and fired on the open range, using
irons from the 1840’s and are served with butter
and syrup. The Chicken Meatloaf Sandwich was
another tasty dish. It was made with Organic Chicken with
their special house recipe, chicken sausage, breadcrumbs
and seasonings served on rustic sourdough and house made
mayonnaise. The green salad that came with it was excellent
because of the fabulous beets.
This
is a cute spot in the City to enjoy great tea and food!
Modern
Tea
602 Hayes Street
San Francisco, Ca. 94102
415-626-5406 www.moderntea.com
L’Escargot
We had the pleasure to dine in Carmel on
Bastille Day at Executive Chef/Owner Kericos Loutas’s
L’Escargot. They feature classic Country
French cuisine. We ordered from the very reasonable Bistro
Menu. We loved the Provencal Pistou Soup. It was filled
with tasty vegetables and the broth was excellent. The
Entrées were both delicious. The Scallops of
Veal Sautéed with wild mushrooms and white
wine and the Cog au Vin on garlic mashed potatoes
were both classic French dishes that were done perfectly.
Our
favorite dessert was the Granny Smith Tart Tatin
with vanilla ice cream. You will enjoy an excellent French
meal in a charming romantic setting.
Pacific’s
Edge Pacific’s Edge at
the Highlands Inn in Carmel overlooks the Pacific Ocean
and has fantastic views of the cliffs, rocks and ocean.
Whale sightings are common while you experience elegant
dining including attention to detail and world class cuisine.
Executive Chef Mark Ayers with the able
help of Sous Chef Greg Lopez offer you
the choice of the 3, 4, or 5 course pick your own dinner
menu or a 5 course Prix Fix Chef’s Menu. We ordered
3 courses from the Dinner Menu. We loved the Soup
of White Asparagus with morels and English peas.
Next we had a fabulous Butter Braised Maine Lobster
with potato risotto, pearl onions and sweet corn bisque.
Our Entrée was the Porcini Crusted Rack of
Colorado Lamb with Porcini confit, Gorgonzola Bread
Pudding and rosemary glaze.
We
were too full for dessert so we must come again. Wine
Director Mark Buzan recommended that we have
the 2005 Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc, which was delicious.
View Dining at Pacific’s Edge is exquisite and you’ll
feel that the cuisine is worthy of the view.
Pacific’s
Edge
At Highlands Inn
120 Highlands Drive
Carmel, Ca. 93923
831-622-5445 www.highlandsinn.hyatt.com
