Mustard Seed

In Davis, there are about four notable restaurants for guests and Mustard Seed is one of them. So when Feen-dizzle said he was coming in our neck of the woods for dinner, we figured to go somewhere nice. This is where the professors bring their guests, so most of the patrons are residents and professionals, not students or young people. The menu covers a wide spectrum of dishes, so there's something to like for everyone. The prices are pretty standard for "high end" dining in Davis, but reasonably for the three of us with three courses each and a couple of drinks the total cost was about 150 bucks, not terrible. 


I had a Sudwerk's Marzen to drink, the crab cake for an appetizer, the half order of rack of lamb, and the apple tart for dessert. None of my dishes stood out in particular, but all were well executed and  pretty good. For Davis, it was a good example of well cooked, classic Californian cuisine. 
Chu-Toro had a glass of rose, the tomato bisque with puff pastry, the half order of duck breast and the chocolate croissant bread pudding.  I wasn't very fond of her duck, which tasted gamy to me, but the bread pudding was excellent. 
Feen-dizzle went with the apple and walnut salad, the gnocchi and the creme brulee. The gnocchi course was huge. Really mammoth. Like a family style offering for the whole table.


In general, all the courses were huge, our half orders of lamb and duck seemed like full orders, and the desserts were equally gigantic. Covering every inch of the plate, the bread pudding could have been enough dessert for the three of us. By the end of the meal, we were all bursting at the seams, pretty satisfied with the quality of food, the huge portions and the kind service. Not  a place we would go out of our way to have again, but if we needed to pick a place to take visitors to a nice meal, Mustard Seed would make the short list.  


December 6, 2010
Rating 6.5/10

Canteen

San Francisco, CA

Canteen is a small 15 person restaurants that offers simple, well-made, California cuisine. Michael Bauer has recently even credited owner/chef Dennis Leary as one of the original visionaries of the shift of fine dining to a more casual setting. Since it was only blocks away from the hotel I was at this past week, I finally got a chance to give it a try. Accompanied by Doctor Phil (he’s not a doctor, that’s just what we call him), we arrived on a Tuesday evening and sat at the bar. Tuesdays they have a fixed price menu for $40, so ordering was simple. Every seat was filled for the evening and on the menu was a Squash Soup with pumpkin seeds and pomegranate for starters. A Roasted Swordfish with greenwheat, kale and artichokes for the entree, and for dessert an almond cake with roasted pears. We also had a couple of beers, an amuse bouche and a very buttery soft roll.

Squash Soup with pumpkin seeds and pomegranate

The soup was rich but not heavy, combined with a unique combination of pumpkin seeds in the center, and a noticeable tart flavor for the pomegranate reduction. It was good, not great, and was a substantial sized offering. 

Roasted Swordfish with greenwheat, kale and artichokes

The roasted swordfish was next, simply prepared, lying atop a mirapoix with kale, artichokes. The fish was firm, but tender on the inside, so not overcooked, but due to the firm texture of the fish, not delicate either. It was satisfying and filling. 

Almond cake with roasted pears

Last was a good square serving size of almond cake, completely covered by a huge dollop of whipped cream and a small half roasted pear covered in a ginger candy sauce. The cake was moist and well flavored by almonds which contrasted interestingly with the ginger pear.

There wasn’t anything I didn’t like, but nothing that particularly stood out either. If you live in the area and are looking for a reasonably priced meal made with quality ingedients, kind service, and sound culinary techniques, Canteen is a good option. But it’s not something to go out of your way for and I probably won’t be back.

December 14, 2010
Rating 6/10

Sushi Zone

San Francisco, CA

Although I had made reservations to go with Doctor Phil to Sons and Daughters, he was in the mood for some San Francisco sushi, so although I knew there’d be a wait, we headed over to the zone.  I’d recently heard that one of the chef’s had retired and it wasn’t as good as it once was, but I needed to find out for myself. We waited for a good hour, but when we were seated, we had the best seats in the house, right in front of the new chef. I order the classics, large Asahi, miso soup, hamachi kama, baked sea bass, Hawaiian #2, Spicy Hamachi, two orders each of Tuna, Hamachi, Salmon and albacore.

Hawaiian #2 and Spicy Hamachi Roll

Nigiri - Tuna, Hamachi, Sake, Albacore (Top to Bottom)

The food was good, good quality fish, perfect executed original rolls, and thick, meaty cuts of nigiri. Here are the two differences that I noticed. The baked sea bass seemed to be heavy on the mango and light on the bass, flavor unchanged otherwise. The Hamachi nigiri, usually amazing, was just good. It was missing something, maybe the slice of lime, I’m not sure, but it just wasn’t the same. I met a couple who spoke about how this and Sushi Puzzle were the favorite places in the city. Another couple was there for the first time, reading about the Zone from the Zagat guide. It seems like the word is out, so although my special trips to the zone will probably become more infrequent as time passes and the popularity continues to grow, it will always be a nostalgic go to pick for affordable fish and friendly service.

December 13, 2010

Rating 8/10

Commonwealth

San Francisco, CA

So what do you do to follow-up an excellent meal at Frances, one of the hottest restaurants in the city? Well, you go compare it to another really hot restaurant. Jason Fox's Commonwealth, located in the Mission is another example of the fine dining movement deviating towards a more casual appeal and price point. Why can they charge less? Probably because Commonwealth is located in the heart of the Mission, next to bars, taquerias, and dirty streets. Thankfully, that doesn't ruin the decor or ambiance of the restaurant which is beautifully designed, contemporary and simple. We arrived for an early Sunday dinner at 5:30 and by 6:30, every table and bar stool was filled. 

Nori dusted chips

They started us off with Nori dusted chips, basically seweed flavored potato chips. Addicting and plentiful since they offer refills. 

The Gozer

Ichtegem's Grand Cru

While we mulled over the menu, that was filled with plenty of interesting items, we ordered some drinks. Chu-Toro went with the Gozer, probably the coolest name drink ever, which consisted of Floc deGascogne, pomogrante, kaffir lime liquid nitrogen.  Basically, it was a really good alcoholic slushy which she finished in about ten minutes. I had the Belgium beer, like i usually do, and it had a quite sour, fruity undertone. 

Porcini churros, thyme, huckleberry jam

We started with a shared bouchee, the porcini churros. It came with three curled pieces of dough with a huckleberry jam. The jam was the best part of this tasting, but the churro itself was quite doughy in the middle and reminded me more of funnel cake at the fair. It was okay, but not something we'd order again. Surprisingly, it ended up being the only poor dish of the night.

Slow cooked farm egg, matsutake mushrooms, Jerusalem artichoke, barley, yuzu 

It probably doesn't look like much, but my appetizer was pretty awesome. Sure the fresh farm egg was perfectly cooked, and the mushrooms and artichoke just worked, but it was the combination of it all in one bite with the yuzu undertones that made this dish amazing. A really perfect starter.

kabocha pumpkin, black kale, yubu, sprouting broccoli, coconut milk, peanut

As much as I liked my course, Chu-Toro loved her kabocha pumpkin even more. It was the dish of the night for her. It had undertones of Indian flavors, almost familiar, laced into incredibly fresh organic vegetables.  And although it doesn't capture great on camera, it was an awesome dish. We only selected it to be different and because it seemed to be featured on the tasting menu instead of a salad, and we were really glad we did.

sea urchin, sweet potato tempura, chrysanthemum leaf, shiso, scallion, yuzu kosho

I was torn between the sea urchin and the squid, but being the perfect wife that she is, Chu-Toro got the squid so I could try it. Let's start off with the uni dish. As individual items, it was good. As a combination of balanced flavors which I would have never expected to be put together, it was great. This dish challenged my pallet and introduced me to flavor contrasts that just melted together in perfect harmony.  Jason Fox's dishes were eye opening and wonderful, in essence, the whole reason I love food so much .

squid and pork belly, jidori egg salad, potato crutons, herb vinagarette

Now while the uni dish really exposed me to something unique, the squid and pork belly did the same in a more comforting fashion. This was my favorite dish of the night, because every component on the plate tasted amazing, and together were unbelievable. I kept waiting for something to disappoint me, but each bite of the food at Commonwealth made me fall deeper into its trance. The squid was perfectly tender, not overly seasoned, while the pork belly provided the flavor punch and also crunchy texture. The egg salad was also a very cool preparation that I'd never had before. Overall, perfect balances in every regard.

grilled lamb cheeks, chanterelles, cauliflower, almond crumble, douglas fir

So something has to be subpar right? I mean, let's not jinx it, but main entrees are usually our downfall in our meals. Cheek meat seems to be the hot item on menus lately and can you blame them, they're so tender and delectable. I didn't need a knife or a fork to break them up, I could've used a thread to break apart the ridiculously tender lamb cheek. The same effect can be found on short ribs that are braised for 48 hours. It was a very good dish although Chu-Toro doesn't like lamb, she did enjoy bites of this dish without the protein which can attest for dish overall.

pork, mustard greens, turnips, onion soubise, mustard caviar, juniter jus

Pardon the picture, because it doesn't do the dish justice. Pork is how it's described on the menu. It's actually three cuts, the loin, shoulder and ear. Chu-Toro really liked each preparation, although the loin with a good layer of fat was the star, very moist and tender. The other standout on the dish was the mustard caviar, which did not overpower the course, but added the perfect flavor profile at the end of your bite.

yuzu curd, olive oil cake, huckleberries, pinenut brittle, cream friache ice cream

We'd generally share a dessert, but everything had been so awesome, we decided to roll the dice with two desserts. We got a balance of light and heavy options. The olive oil cake was not why we order the above dish. It was for the yuzu curd. Chu-Toro immediately declared, it's exactly like Zo, referencing the shot of yuzu we receive at the end of a perfect sushi meal in LA. She wasn't exaggerating, it was perfect emulation of yuzu in dessert form. I could eat it every night. The cake itself was a conduit to sop up the huckleberry sauce, cream friache ice cream and yuzu, and in that regard served it's purpose well.

cinnamon mille-feuille, cardamom marshmallow, chocolate ganache, burnt honey ice cream

The most popular dessert was the mille-feuille, sold to us as a deconstructed smore. It totally was, except way better than a smore. The homemade cardamom marshmello was beautifully plated, under it, the cinnamon mille feuille, then bitersweet chocolate ganache layer. It also came with a burnt honey ice cream, tasting like carmel and was a rich satisfying end to a perfect meal. What? A perfect meal? Those were the words from Chu-Toro's mouth. I'm not sure it was perfect, but it was pretty damn amazing. It definitely shot up the charts to one of our favorites with Manresa, Benu, Zo, and Mozza in one unsuspecting Sunday dinner, but probably going to have to dine here again real soon to ensure it wasn't a fluke. Real soon could even be next weekend if we're lucky. 


12/12/2010
Rating 8.5/10

Taiwan Restaurant

San Francisco, CA

Everybody has childhood favorites and Taiwan restaurant is that place for Chu-Toro. She's been coming here with her family ever since she was a young girl and started sharing the tradition with me six years ago. Ever since, I've been hooked as well. It's just so nostalgic and classic, that it's pretty hard to curb the craving until we make a special trip to Clement. Sure, it's super oily and fattening, but would you want your Chinese breakfast any other way? In a huge wok filled of oil in the front window, you can watch them fry up Chinese donuts fresh on the weekends. Our order is always the same, and although we've had other lunchtime menu items, we come here for breakfast.

Soy Milk and Chinese donut

The soy milk is usually made fresh, but during this visit, they've done something recently that tasted kinda powdery. That's a shame because it's usually perfect. The Chinese donut is also usually made fresh and dripping with oil when it's served, but this one must have been sitting at the window, because it was cold. Pretty unfortunate that the first time I had my camera, the meal wasn't perfect. Still better than anything we could get in our neck of the woods, so we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Potstickers

We never order potstickers, unless we're here. You can see the great pan fry they do on only one side of the large perfect dumpling. It was awesome.

Green Onion Pancake

The green onion pancake, perhaps the oiliest of them all, is a crunchy dough with green onion bits on the inside. A classic and perfect Chinese breakfast dish.

Beef noodle soup

This one's not oily, but is still very fatty. Not just from the meat which comes laced with tendon and fat, but from the msg in the broth. Chu-Toro mentions she thinks the noodles recently changed, not as chewy which she dislikes, but this is our favorite soup noodle dish and always warms our soul. 

Food is really about the memories it invokes, and despite its recent drop off, it remains one of our go to spots in the city for breakfast. 

12/12/2010

Rating 7/10

Frances*

San Francisco, CA

The hardest reservation to get in the city? Arguably, Melissa Perello's restaurant Frances in the Castro. The newly minted Michelin recipient serves unpretentious California cuisine in a casual, affordable setting. No wonder it's so hard to get a reservation. The few reservations that you can get are usually at 5 PM when they open or 10 PM before they close. Located on a quiet street near residential homes, the place was packed when we arrive at 6 PM with a lone table unoccupied for us, perfectly isolated from the other tables, lucky us! The menu was small, with four options for bouchees, appitizers, entrees and desserts. But there was a good variety of options under each section which made choosing a challenge since everything sounded pretty good. We started with a couple drinks, the Magnolia Brewery weather report wheat, Haight & Masonic, a nice light finish beer on tap for a steal at $5 a glass. Chu-Toro went with APPLES & HONEY, (sparkling wine, house white wine, Bonny Doon Pommeau, Martin Gol). 

Grilled Calamari, preserved lemon, shaved fennel, radishes, wild arugula 

Our first bouche was the Grilled Calamari salad. The calamari was lightly grilled and perfectly cooked, a really nice flavored start. This is the kind of salad I could get used to, great balance, great flavors and fresh ingredients.

Applewood smoked bacon beignets - Maple creme friache and chives

The most ordered dish on the menu, the bacon beignets, were bursting with bacon goodness. The creme friache dipping sauce offered a nice balance to the heavy flavored bites, which were gummy and yummy inside, built with a crunchy bite sized exterior. 

Crisp Red Garnet Yams - Meyer Lemon, Parmesan, Calabrese Chili Aioli

After we ordered, we regretted that we didn't get the Yams, which we've been on a big kick for lately, so we  made a quick addition. It was a good one, although simply prepared, the standout flavor was the yam itself which was sweet and creamy. The slice of meyer lemon, was a fragrant and a perfect accompaniment. 

Parmesan and Ricotta Gnocchi - Boccalone Panchetta, Chanterelles, Napa Cabbage

Thinking back on when we first started ordering gnocchi, we recalled the awesome ones at Biba in Sacramento that turned us to the dish. However, since then, we've had some pretty big hits (Bottega) and misses (A16). So, I had controlled expectations for Frances. I was pleasantly surprised by the lightness of the well made gnocchi which made the dish very enjoyable. The panchetta bits and chanterelles added a nice earthly and salty combination, launching Melissa Perello's gnocchi to my top three list. 

Salsify and Pacific oyster chowder - melted leeks and creme friache

The oyster chowder was probably the worst dish of the evening, although "worst" is probably a really relative term. It wasn't a standout dish, but a solid offering, a surprisingly light chowder lacking the contents I'd hope to bite in a chowder. Instead, it was a thin oyster soup, but could not stand up to the one we've had at Hog Island, and pretty one dimensional.

Five Dot Ranch Bavette Steak - Toasted Farro Ragout, Maitakes, Fava Greens

We're learning that meats from Five Dot Ranch speak for themselves. The quality of the product is unbelievable, and really just needs to be well cooked to be appreciated. The steak was just that, perfectly medium rare, bursting with natural juices and able to stand on its own. I could've had the dish again if I wasn't so full. The toasted farro and maitakes presented a earthy tone to the dish, reminded Chu-Toro of the goat in whey at Meadowood. The quality of the beef also reminded us of the perfect steak we had at Benu. All in all, a very excellent entrée. The only downside was the wait time to receive the steak. It was a half hour layoff between our appetizers and the entrée. Our server was kind enough to notice and offered us a free dessert to make up for the delay.

'Malva' Pudding Cake - Toasted Almond, Fuyu Persimmon, Vanilla Bean Creme Friache

We chose the super moist malva cake, a almond flavored cake slice with a strong vanilla cheme friache to coat. It was a dessert that deviated from our norm of chocolate desserts, but was a nice light finish to an excellent meal.

It's hard to say it met all expectations, but Frances certainly did not disappoint. It's a perfect neighborhood restaurant that I'm sure we'd dine at once a week if we were within walking distance. The food is well prepared, staff is kind and attentive and the prices are reasonable. The flavors are very homey, and although, not going to surpass those of a Benu or Manresa, that's not what Melissa Perello is trying to do. She's cooking the way she wants, excellent fresh ingredients in a well presented, well flavored manner, placed in a casual setting and achieves that perfectly. If the evolution of fine dining is moving into a casual setting with lower prices and unpretentious service, Frances has embodied that with precision. It was surprising how excellent the service was, changing dish ware constantly, folding napkins, filling drinks, crumbing off the table, while maintaining an excellent, casual, comfort demeanor, which were all greatly appreciated. It's not a destination meal, but if you're looking for a bargain of excellent food, service and can catch an open table, Frances is a very good choice.

Rating 7.5/10

December 11, 2010.

Sushi Zo

Los Angeles, CA

After much research and debate on picking the best Sushi place in LA (sans Urasawa) we opted to have lunch at Sushi Zo. A couple of apprehensions to selecting Sushi Zo were there; are no menus, everything is omakase, thus you don't the costs, so you don't know how much you're spending,  plus apparently the sushi chef is really mean. No use of phones, not letting the sushi sit for more than ten seconds, he's been depicted as a sushi nazi. In reality, Keizo, who is actually a very cordial man, simply does not want to make any sacrifice to the product he is offering. He simply wants you to respect the skill involved in his profession and enjoy the food exactly the way it's prepared, no extra soy or wasabi.  For Chu-Toro and I, we're totally fine with that mentality because out of respect, he knows best, and there's no reason to argue with that. For a Michelin starred sushi restaurant in LA, there's no glitz or glam to the location of Zo, it's literally in a strip mall. Next to a Starbucks in a Rite Aid shopping center, we almost didn't go inside at noon on a Friday for lunch because it was completely empty. We even made a reservation, but sat alone at the empty sushi bar. We were almost frightened, thinking we were in the wrong place. How did we end up picking this place, we thought? Well, we're glad we did, because the next two hours were like losing our sushi virginity. Unbelievable. 

Kumamoto Oyster

I can't remember the description of ever course, there were almost 30 offerings in total, but can tell you, every bite was the freshest quality product I've ever had. We had never been to any sushi place up to the quality of Zo   and Mori Sushi (also in LA) is the only thing in the same argument. We're saving the $1000 meal to Urasawa when we decide to have our first kid (can't have sushi while you're pregnant). Anyways, we were started with the best Kumamoto oyster i've had in my life, sorry hog island. 

Toro Shashimi

Next up was four luscious pieces each of toro shashimi. Melt in your mouth, amazing. 

Abalone

The abalone was interesting. Simply and beautifully presented, it was crunchy, with a sea water sweetness, but not something I would specifically order. The green, spicy pickled sauce was also interesting.

Uni Ika noodles

Uni ika noodles was next, I dream of this bite all the time. Mixed fresh in front of you, you never want to see a beautiful piece of uni crushed into little bits, unless its for this dish. Great texture, smooth, cool, almost light flavor, perfectly capturing and balancing the uni with the squid and freshly grated wasabi, real wasabi, grated by shark's skin. Wonderful. This is the dish that made me fall in love with uni. 

Halibut

Halibut was the first piece of nigiri. We were instructed to dip a little soy sauce. Nice start.

Albacore

Still the best Albacore, I've ever had, you can see how fatty it is. Hmm...

Spanish Mackerel

I didn't know I like Spanish Mackerel until I had this one. I basically had to throw out all my prior experiences of what I thought I liked, because tasting a high level quality fish can basically make any nigiri taste amazing.

Hotate

A very good, smooth, tender piece of hotate was next continuing the excellence.

Hamachi

Hamachi, a  regular staple for us was good, but not amazing. I guess when you get some better quality from other fishes, you realize how much more there is that hamachi and toro. 

Chu-Toro

Just look at the Chu-toro, it could not be any more beautiful.Really fatty and superb. Still haven't been able to find any toro that comes close to how amazing this was.

I don't recall the next piece of nigiri, but it was topped with the same pickled spicy topping as the abalone.

I also don't recall the next piece of nigiri, but it looks good too.

Ohno - Butterfish

The Ohno was delightful. You can see from the picture, it's exterior had been slightly cooked with a hand torch, but the interior remained cold and fresh like a normal nigiri piece. The large piece of butterfish was melt in your mouth excellent.

Cod Smelt

I don't get excited about the idea of having smelt, but it turned out to be really great. Tying items you would never normally order yourself is part of the eye opening experience here. It really makes you appreciate and like things you thought you never would, like cod smelt.

I don't recall this nigiri, so I can't claim to have liked or disliked it, but I'm sure it was good.

Giant Clam

The giant clam was interesting, lots of bite,almost chewy, not the greatest, but nice to try.

Sake

Salmon was up next, and was very good. It was not as fatty or perfect as the toro, but pretty damn good nonetheless. It was topped by fresh seaweed. 

How could I forget this one? It looks really good, but don't remember what it was.

Ankimo

One of the memorable firsts that I had at Zo was the ankimo, which I look for on the menu at any sushi restaurant now. None of them have been able to meet up to this first taste, which was rich and creamy, but not overly fishy like over servings I've had. Really amazing.

Red Snapper

Apparently this is what red snapper is suppose to look like. It tasted equally awesome.

Uni and Ikura

Ikura's not exactly my fav, just because I don't appreciate it. Zo's offering exposed us to what it's suppose to taste like, sweet, salty, cool, ocean sea water. Although its still not in my top ten, I really liked tasting a good example. The uni, was then, the best uni I've ever had.

I don't recall this one either, but it was really beautiful as well. The items that I don't recall were still excellent, since everything I had was amazing.

Orange clam

The orange clam was lightly covered with sea salt and was a little gummy and chewy. It was nice to try, but wouldn't order it again.

Blue Crab Hand Roll

Hmm...blue crab hand roll. Have you see how small blue crabs are? Imagine how difficult it is to get out any meat. My presumption is there's at least three crabs worth of meat in this little hand roll, which was wonderfully delicious.

Tamego

Tamego is the sign for the end, although we weren't quite done yet. Keizo's preparation was very good.

Halibut fin

One of my favorite bites of the entire meal was the Halibut fin. Gentle, soft, tender small pieces of the fin were quickly cooked with a hand torch and topped with sauce. Just unbelievable. I have yet to have another item like it.

Halibut fin 2

The whole intact nigiri version of the halibut fin was completely different. Topped with sea salt, it was similar to the orange clam, crunchy, chewy needing a strong bite. I preferred the previous preparation, but it was nice to experience the contrast.

Yuzu

Keizo tops off the meal with a small shot of yuzu, which is the perfect balanced pallet cleanser after a stuffing of nigiri. 

Keizo at Sushi Bar

All my sushi experiences are compared to Sushi Zo. The consistency of excellence is there (testament by an equally amazing second visit). The quality is always superb and the preparation perfect. The weakness of this Michelin starred establishment is the variety in the menu. During our second visit, the omakase was nearly the exact same menu, with only 5 different offerings (amaebi, needlefish, baby squid, ika, and toro hand roll). For those who like variety, this would constitute as an extremely repetitive meal. With that being said, I'd still come here at least once a year to drop $300 (for two) for an amazing sushi experience. It may be my sentimental connection that I have with Sushi Zo that makes me prefer to all other sushi bars (since it first exposed me to really amazing sushi) but isn't that what food is about anyways? I can't wait to travel to Japan to have my eyes opened again to what I'm missing, but until then, Zo is my standard for excellence.

Rating 9/10

December 28, 2009

February 27, 2009