Acquerello, San Francisco (September 2008)

My Acquerello seed had been planted about four weeks ago when I made my reservation, which required the risky, even if only temporary, suspension of my Francophilia. Upon walking past the posh streets of downtown San Francisco, I strolled through Russian Hill's Polk Street befuddled by droves of schizophrenics, so I increased my pace, hurriedly arriving at Acquerello. Never would I have imagined that the schizophrenia would persist, afflicting the Acquerello kitchen. Some dishes left me yearning for one more bite, while others hardly merited more than one bite.

Moments after sitting down, a server delivered an apéritif of orange juice, sweet vermouth, and a splash of pellegrino.

Before the tasting menu courses would begin, I enjoyed a refreshing cup of shrimp, cantaloupe, honeydew, and aioli.

First course: Foie gras torchon sitting on a roasted fig with black truffle, wrapped in duck prosciutto. This dish was well conceptualized. I especially savored the smooth textures of the foie gras and duck prosciutto.

Second course: Lobster salad with lemon cucumber, purslane and lemon oil. I accidentally dismantled the lobster tower before taking a picture. The cucumber pieces were cut into the shape of peas, which provided an unexpected sensation.

Third course: Pancetta wrapped trout with white corn succotash and a Hatch chili.

This dish just did not do it for me. The fish could not compete with the corn's sweetness or the pepper's kick.

Fourth course: Sweet prawns risotto with prosecco and English peas.

Without question, the meal's nadir. Risotto easily qualifies as one of my top ten favorites dishes. When I look at this picture, I think, hey, that looks good. Sadly, it was not. I hated it like poison.

Fifth course: Veal and artichoke ravioli in tomato and basil sauce with shaved Parmesan.

The parmesan's sharpness really elevated this dish. After the insipid risotto, I craved a flavorful dish, and the ravioli delivered.

Sixth course: Duo of ribeye and basil crusted lamb loin.

I would have preferred a more equitable meat distribution. The paper thin lamb loin approached transparency.

The two desserts left me nonplussed. After seven paltry courses, I could not understand why the kitchen would serve such large dessert courses. Maybe a defiant pastry chef felt the need to compensate for an otherwise prosaic menu.

Seventh course: Lavender gelato in a cinnamon tuile and an apple torta

Homemade almond biscotti.

Acquerello belongs in the one Michelin star second tier along with Chez Panisse; when dining at these two places, one can expect good food, but little beyond that. Improving service would be a good place to start. The maître d' greeted me as if I had stumbled in the wrong building. The meal's pacing was terribly inconsistent - at times, plates would emerge from the kitchen within minutes, but as the dining room filled, the wait between courses became interminable.

It seems that the seed I planted four weeks ago failed to germinate. My disenchantment will soon fade, though, for San Francisco has plenty more restaurant seeds to sow.

The Dining Room at the Ritz Carlton, San Francisco (August 2008)

When one thinks of a Ritz-Carlton, ostentation springs to mind posthaste, and it is certainly on display throughout the hotel. The dining room, however, does not embody the same pretense. In fact, the furnishings seem dated and could profit from a makeover.



Before dinner, I sat in the dining room's vestibule - a tenebrous place analogous to John Malkovich's poker room from Rounders. The bartender dashed over with a bar snack trio: cashews, olives, and potato chips. Of course, he was unaware of my pre-prandial fasting, which at that point hovered around 27 hours, and I knew it would only be a matter of minutes before I was luxuriating in a sublime meal. The salt and pepper tasting menu to be precise.

Commencing the meal with warm squash dumplings with their crisp, salty exterior and faintly sweet interior made for a good start.

Chef Siegel's appreciation for Japan manifested early, beginning with the seared ayu (Japanese river fish), tomato gelée, wild basil seeds, basil oil, and heirloom tomato compote. The fish's flavor was a bit too subtle to stand up to the accoutrements, and the utensils served along side were too large for the lilliputian contents.

Poaching the quail egg at 64 degrees and serving it with osetra and brioche made for a silky mouthfeel. This dish is just too clever to capture in a photo. When I lifted the spoon and lightly tapped the transparent film, the smell of a cedar smoke secreted from a tiny whole, delivering a campfire-like ambiance.

First course: Blue Fin Tuna and live spot prawn sashimi, pink peppercorns, crispy prawn heads, japanese sea salt, meyer lemon reduction, and three year old wasabi root. This seemingly unprepossessing sashimi dish might just be the most memorable for its sheer grandiosity; three servers delivered it - one holding the sashimi, one holding the crispy prawn heads, lemon reduction and salts, and one holding a shark skin grater with a three year old wasabi root. When I dipped the sashimi pieces into the concentrated lemon juice, citrus exploded on my palate.

Second course: abalone, gazpacho terrine, basil emulsion, lime salt, and alepepo pepper. The gazpacho terrine took center stage on this dish, overshadowing the prostrate abalone.

Third course: Foie gras, peach, pineapple jus, vanilla salt, and tellicherry peppercorn. Few things make me as happy as foie gras, but this one just cannot compare with the one served at La Folie. In addition, the duck liver was not thoroughly deveined, making it rather challenging to cut through what should have been a buttery texture. Before I go too far pilloring this dish, I should note that the pineapple jus was great, forcing me to violate my bread consumption rule so that I could sponge up every last ounce.

Fourth course: Maine lobster, crispy pork belly, baby fennel, pink pearl apple reduction, smoked sea salt, and tasmanian peppercorn. The lobster was good; the pork belly - cooked sous vide and then seared to give it a crispy crust - was tender enough to slice with the side of my fork.

Fifth course: poussin, pimento peppers, leeks, white corn purée, garlic salt, and sancho peppercorn. Sous vide cooking technique recrudesced with the chicken course. I really liked the viscous white corn purée; the peppers, though, were a bit harsh for my taste.

Sixth course: beef ribeye, cranberry bean purée, green beans, chanterelle mushrooms, Bolivian rock salt, and green peppercorn. This dish might just be good enough to convert a vegetarian. Think about it: unctuous bone marrow atop a perfectly cooked piece of ribeye.

Seventh course: plum sorbet, melon seltzer, melon sea salt, and white muntock peppercorn. I could have eaten three or fours of these piquant palate cleansers.

Eight course: white chocolate pavé, raspberries, milk chocolate cream, coconut foam, soy salt and pink peppercorn. My usual insouciance for chocolate receded upon tasting the velvety pavé.

Mignardises, delivered on a trolley of all things, made me want to genuflect to the pastry chef.

Chef Siegel has a wonderful establishment: a well developed theme inspired by Japanese ingredients, a devoutly authoritarian wait staff, and food bordering on perfection.

Providence Lunch, Los Angeles (August 2008)

Before heading back to school, my mother, brother, and I decided to enjoy a Michelin-star restaurant in Los Angeles that served lunch. Providence met that criteria.

After placing our À la carte order, an amuse bouche of trout tartare and fennel soup with saffron cream arrived.



I ordered the tuna tartare with guacamole and radishes and green peppercorns, while my mom and brother went with the foie gras. Creamy avocado coupled with creamy tuna made for an incredible combination.

Since Providence is known primarily as a seafood restaurant, we all chose fish: basil crusted wild halibut with tomato compote, clam tempura, and roasted baby artichokes, wild king salmon with parsnip purée, king trumpets, crispy salmon skin and wasabi, and wild striped bass with roasted sweet peppers, chorizo, olive mashed potatoes, and cipollini onions. Everything was delicious, save for one peccadillo when an unpalatably large garlic slice - large enough to impair one's palate - surfaced in the tomato compote.

Dessert more than compensated for the aforementioned blunder. Innovative and chemistry laden, the milk chocolate-whisky panna cotta with Bailey's ice cream, and a coconut raviolo brought the meal to a cheerful close.

La Folie, San Francisco (July 2008)

When I first dined at La Folie, Opentable's Best Food category undoubtedly influenced my decision. Starting the amuse fusillade was an heirloom tomato salad with red peppers, cucumber, and a tomato gelée.



Next came a poached egg with leek cream, a thin potato crisp, chive, and brioche.



The third amuse bouche was a dungeness crab salad atop an English pea panna cotta. Layers of sweetness did not become overwhelming due to three piles of briny roe.



I ponied up the $10 supplement for the foie gras, which came in a peach consommé. This remains the largest piece of foie gras I have ever been served in a restaurant, although Picasso might be in contention.



For the second course, I went with the trotter, sweetbread, and lobster terrine. It is a dense terrine, but the frisée dressed with hazelnut vinagrette cut through the richness, as did the lentils, carrots, and crisp applewood smoked bacon.



Yet another magnanimous portion for the entrée from Chef Passot. The rabbit leg was stuffed with three kinds of mushrooms; the stuffed loin pieces burst with carrots, garlic, and spinach; the infinitesimal rack evinced superb knife skills but had little meat to show for it. At this point in the meal, my liver felt like the goose's I had consumed earlier, unable to store any more fat, so the lean rabbit was an appreciated course.



The cardamon pudding and cherry granita supplied a necessary palate cleansing.



A savory dessert peaked my interest: Edam cheese soufflé with fromage blanc sorbet, crispy bacon, and a white sesame tulie. Edam has a mild flavor to it, in contrast to stinky cheeses. Given the amount of food I had eaten in the first four courses, the modest sized portion was a relief.



Among the mignardises, I liked the dark chocolate hazelnut ganache and passion fruit jellies.



La Folie definitely gives patrons their money's worth. Passot's menu has plenty to chose from. The restaurant, moreover, may not be in the poshest area - Russian Hill - yet upon entering, one is greeted warmly by a French maître d' and other francophiles. If you happen to mosey through this San Francisco neighborhood and have two hours to spare, this is the place to go.

Michael Mina, San Francisco (July 2008)

For my first two-star Michelin meal, I opted for Michael Mina. The first amuse bouche to arrive was a sashimi trio. At twelve o'clock sits the albacore with mango and nuoc mam cham. On the left is fluke with grilled pineapple and jalapeno gelée,. Finally, to the right is the kampachi topped with coconut gelée, and vindaloo curry. Each piece delivered a fiery kick.



Following the palate jolt, the kitchen sent out a second amuse bouche of citrus bread and foie gras topped with apricot gelée. The foie gras' velvety texture melted in my mouth.



For my first course, I decided to go with the scallop trio. On the left is a scallop amalgamated with three purees: pea, carrot and onion. The middle scallop has fingerling potatoes, leeks, and black truffle. The bacon wrapped scallop with fava beans and pork jus proved most satiating. My only gripe was that the scallops were too small.



I chose duck for my main course. To the left is a piece of duck breast on top of a bed of apricot puree and farro as well as an apricot halve with a grilled foie gras cube. In the middle, underneath the duck breast lies shaved cherries and wild rice along with leg confit at the plate's top. The last preparation included nectarine and peach compote, polenta, and turnips. Perfectly cooked, the oleaginous duck was tender with a slight coppery note.



Summer berries and cream three ways rounded out my selections. On the left lies blueberry cake with crème fraîche and lemon verbena. The middle vessel houses a raspberry cream with rooibos gelée and two sweet cookies. The final item is a robiolina cheesecake, fresh strawberries, and a tarragon meringue. The tarragon's earthiness worked well to offset the cheesecake's richness. The sweet creams coupled with the tart fruits worked well.



After finishing the cheesecake, I neared total satiation. Two bon bons - a dark chocolate one filled with hazelnut ice cream and one with white chocolate and green tea ice cream - rounded out the meal. Mina has earned his two Michelin stars, perfecting both service and gastronomy.