Spring Tasting Menu at AQ..... or as I would like to call it- Eating a beautiful Fairy Garden

Preface: Blogger format is doing weird things and sort of.... smooshing my long pictures into squares....which is the worst because this is a primarily picture post. Hopefully it looks ok on your screens this was the most beautiful food I've ever eaten.

This post is looooooong over due and I think the main reason I have put it off is frankly because trying to describe this meal is one of the most overwhelming things I've ever considered doing. As part of my birthday celebrations I planned a fancy culinary date with myself. Dinner and a Show. Infamous food.... personality Anthony Bourdain and Esteemed Michelin Starred Chef Eric Ripert have taken their unique friendship on the road with a show of sorts "Good vs Evil" in which they discuss their views on the many facets of today's food culture along with other funny life experiences etc. When I saw that it would be in SF the week after my birthday I bought a ticket right away. I wasn't sure this was really the type of thing I could drag anyone else along for (the tickets weren't really cheap) so it became a fancy date night with myself. If I was going to have a proper culinary evening I needed to start it out with a unique dining experience. To my delight AQ restaurant is just a few walkable blocks from the Orpheum theater. Win win!

Situated in a busy but not entirely savory part of the city, walking up to it AQ doesn't seem overly distinct however as soon as you approach and cross the threshold you have entered their world. The decor is adamantly seasonal letting you know that it is indeed spring time. High ceilings, white walls (where there isn't brick) add a lightness and various vegetation both live and cut greet you everywhere you look. Even the bathrooms are beautiful.

The open kitchen surrounded by "chef's table" seats is a show in and of it's self. I'm immediately struck by how YOUNG the staff appears. Fresh faced American culinary school grads to be sure. And with food this exacting they would have to be. The two Garde Mangers couldn't have been a day over 21, at the oldest perhaps the Chef for the evening and his Sous.... neither of them could have been over 30. Dining alone I couldn't have asked for a better seat than right at the edge of the plating station where all the action was going down. AQ's plates are by far some of the most beautiful I have ever witnessed along with the most precisely plated. We are talking tiny flowers placed with tweezers precise people.

My place is set with the dinner and beverage menus but I don't need to look. I've already done my research and thanks in part to my co workers generous gift certificate birthday gift I'm going whole hog and doing the Tasting Menu along with Beverage pairings. Here is where I have to apologize. In my lolly gagging they have changed their tasting menu (as they often do) and I didn't save the exact menu. So some Items may be a bit haphazardly labelled from the best of my memory. Never the less the pictures are beautiful!

The Amuse Bouche: Asparagus Milk "Cloud" with pistachio

First Course: Veal with veal fat and mint "snow" melted with a veal consumme

Second Course: Roasted Beet in Consumme

Third Course (my favorite visually): Strawberry & Watermelon Gazpacho with Sashimi

Fourth Course (my favorite flavor-wise): Beef Tongue with Soft Boiled Egg & Tarragon Cake

Fifth Course: Skate Wing

Sixth Course: Pork Belly

Palate Cleanser before Dessert: Chilled Watermelon consumme With  White Chocolate

Dessert: Chocolate Cake with Lavender Ice Cream, Crisp honeycomb, & Candied Walnuts

To go into great detail on all the flavors and textures would honestly be next to impossible. This full sensory experience was next to overwhelming. Like traipsing through "A Mid Summer Nights Dream" with your eyes and your palate this was a distinctive experience I don't think I'll soon top. The Beverage pairings were exacting and obscure (and I'd embarrass myself trying to type them out to you unfortunately... I could have used a written guide the servers rattled them off pretty quickly).

I was glad by the time I was done that I had arrived a little early for my reservation, my meal took almost 2 hours. Sated and enthused I walked the few blocks to the Orpheum fully of food adventure excitement. The boys did not disappoint with their witty repartee. I couldn't help but tweet a few Bourdain Zingers that stood out such as "Martha- she will shank a bitch" "Cigarettes, why god made salt" and "If their are 5 things I'm proud of one of the was writing a part for Emeril on TV where he could say F@#$" and lastly that an iteration of Tuna Tartare makes him sad. Eric Ripert would like to die the death of an Ortolan Bird.... Fattened up and drowning in cognac. And he enjoys a late night snack of Chorizo.

I hope the excitement of this whole evening stays with me a long time... and that I can somehow budget another tasting dinner at AQ another season soon!

SPQR Cook the Book Class with San Francisco Cooking School

Bright orange awnings welcome as you enter the pristine work space of the San Francisco Cooking Schools showcase Kitchen. Windows encompass the front walls right on the busy corner of Van Ness & Turk just steps away from the iconic Civic Center building giving the passerby the opportunity to perchance see some culinary marvels at work. Tonight's class will be learning recipes from the city's own SPQR restaurant's cook book. A gorgeous tome filled with not only appealing recipes but also information on regional wines and illumination on the areas that inspired the dishes, which may also inspire you to hop on the first plane you can catch to Italy!

As the class trickles in to the space we are greeted enthusiastically by the staff and welcomed to take a seat at one of two long tables set with dinner ware, an apron embroidered with the school's emblem, and our recipes which we are encouraged to peruse. Tonight's class will be preparing:

Scallop Crudo with Sunchokes

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Chilled Asparagus Soup with Lemon Yogurt

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Spring Vignarola Salad

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Fontina & Mushroom Tortellini

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Pork Milanese

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Chocolate Torta with Vanilla Mascarpone

Leading the charge tonight is Amanda Haas who was the recipe tester as the book was in production and knows hands on how to make these formidable delicacies approachable to our mostly untrained crowd. We are an eager and eclectic bunch excited to get to work! I have already eyed the Asparagus soup and quickly shoot up my hand to volunteer when it comes up for selection. It's a popular choice but I luck out and get to work on it. The most hands are needed for the tortellini which will have pasta made from scratch along with filling. Once the recipes are all assigned we get to work! 

After reading over the recipe with my accomplished partner she is pulled away to assist on the dessert where her expertise will come in handy. This leaves me on my own but I'm excited to tackle this recipe. After assessing all the ingredients that have been laid out for me and finding anything else I need I get to work! As I'm chopping Asparagus, Yellow Onion, Leek, & Spring Garlic to be sauteed I glance around the room at everyone else hard at work. The station next to mine is preparing the Scallop crudo and Amanda is demonstrating how to use a small kitchen torch to get a lovely caramelized sear on the outside of the chilled seasoned scollops to get an additional layer of flavor.

On my other side the pasta station is hard at work. Having made pasta before I can empathize with the delicate balance they are working to attain. The recipe in the book calls for very little moisture in the form of egg or water and they are working to get the dough to come together just right.

The first steps in my recipe include blanching the Asparagus Tips (as an edible garnish for the end product) and the spinach & parsley that will add depth to the soup. Our culinary assistant Lauren, who is nearing graduation from the school's professional program, gets me set up at the large range at the back with a boiling pot of well salted water and I haul over my prep and ice bath.

The stove top is beginning to get crowded as everyone is hard at work, one team toasting seasonings another preparing a simple syrup. We all graciously move around one another trying not to get in anyone's way as we concentrate hard on our tasks at hand. At moments people comment how we feel a little like we are on a competition show! But obviously the stakes are null other than all enjoying a fabulous meal.

After I have my blanched elements finished I move on to saute my aromatics (onion, leek, & spring garlic) and the chopped stalks of the asparagus.

While all those ingredients are softening over a medium low heat I get to take a peek at a new preparation for pickling. A scientific wonder when you vacuum seal your cabbage et all in a bag with your pickling liquid (sugar, water, wine, vinegar, salt, & spices) rather than taking hours (or overnight as preferred) the vegetable slaw pickles almost instantly!

My onions, leeks, spring garlic, & asparagus have softened so I turn off the heat and add in the heavy cream and my blanch spinach & parsley. A few good stirs and we are ready to blend the soup! Lauren to the rescue again as she sets me up to blend my soup and gives me an effective method to strain it so that it is silky smooth.

All set up in an ice bath the soup is chilling and it's on to the Lemon yogurt topping! This is my first time working with gelatin and I'm amazed by how easy it was. After letting it soak for a few minutes in ice water it is malleable but not sticky (like I anticipated) you can squeeze the excess water out with your hands and then it seamlessly dissolves into the warmed cream. Once this is room temperature it is whisked into the yogurt & lemon juice mixture and in our case poured into a canister that imparts Co2 into the mix and dispenses it like whipped cream. At a perfect stopping point, I'm able to grab a glass of wine and enjoy the Scallop Crudo appetizer that has just finished plating!

The Scallops are sliced thin and they're tender and fresh, all the many components of the dish adding excitement to each bite. The firm and starchy Sunchoke gives the scallop a back bone, the agrodulce sweet & tangy, the almonds toasty and crunchy.

After this quick respite I'm ready to get my dish plated up! Into cappuccino cups with straight sides I ladle my now chilled soup, the yogurt has set up wonderfully (with an extra dose of Co2) and I get to squirt each with a beautiful little dollop, I place one perfectly blanched aspargus tip and a small spoon full of bright orange fish roe on top of each and voila!

I'm so proud of my work as I can tell are all of my classmates. We all worked hard to create this beautiful meal together and the camaraderie is evident in the room. Everyone presents their dishes so we can all dig in!

The excitement isn't over just yet however, as we are finishing eating Matt Accarrino, Executive Chef of SPQR and author of the recipes we have cooked, has stopped by to say hi! Amanda introduces him and they talk about working on the book together and Matt gives us a sneak peak into his exacting work ethic. A scientist and an artist Matt talks about constantly looking for ways to "change the paradigm" in the kitchen. He walks us through pasta making describing how the level of force that the machine you are using (or your hands if you are needing and rolling) directly effects the need for moisture in your dough. With the strength of industrial machines practically no moisture is needed, with your standard kitchen aid a little more. He also gives us a lesson in the many thickening and binding ingredients out there that the regular home chef may never realize exist but can transform your kitchen. Gracious and genuine it is a pleasure spending this time learning from him and listening to him talk about the craft which he is so passionate about.

The class with Matt

Overall none of us could have asked for more from this evening. The chance to work in this beautiful space with such an amiable and eager to teach staff and enjoying a beautiful meal prepared with love by new friends. What more could you ask for! I am already looking forward to my next chance to take a class at the San Francisco Cooking School!

Matt took the time to sign each of our books after class

Chilled Asparagus Soup with Meyer Lemon Yogurt

From SPQR Modern Italian Food and Wine: Matthew Accarrino

Serves 4-6

Asparagus Soup

1 pound, 12 ounces asparagus
kosher salt
4 cups Spinach or nettles
2 cups Italian Parsley
extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 leek, white and light green part only, sliced thinly crosswise
2 stalks spring garlic, minced
3 cups heavy cream
black pepper

Meyer Lemon Yogurt

1 sheet gelatin
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
1/4 cup Meyer lemon juice
1 1/2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt

extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon for zesting
kosher salt
1 oz fish roe of your choice

To Make the soup:
Prepare an ice bath. Trim the tips and ends off the asparagus stalks, discarding the ends and reserving the tips. Slice the remaining stalks into 1/2 inch thick disks. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus tips (not the stalks) until al dente 1 to 2 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the tips and plunge into the ice bath. Chill completely. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

In the same pot, blanch the spinach and parsley until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the greens and plunge into the ice bath lined with a mesh strainer. When cold, remove them from the ice bath and squeeze out the excess water.

Heat a film of oil in a wide pot over medium-low heat. Gently sweat onion, leek, & spring garlic, taking care not to caramelize them, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in asparagus stalks and cook until softened. Turn off heat and pour in the cream and add the blanched greens. Season with salt and pepper. In a blender, puree the soup until smooth. Be patient- it will take a few minutes. With a rubber spatula, push the puree through a fine mesh strainer, extracting as much liquid as possible. Chill the strained soup over an ice bath. (If the soup seems thick, add a couple of tablespoons water or cream.) Once cold, taste the soup and season with salt if needed. You should have about 6 cups. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To Make the yogurt:
Soak gelatin sheet in ice water for about 2 minutes or until softened. In a small pot, bring the cream to a simmer and remove from heat. Squeeze out any excess water from the gelatin and dissolve in the cream. Let cool to room temperature. In a bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Whisk in the cream and refrigerate until ready to serve. If using a canister, pour in the yogurt and charge the canister; shake well and refrigerate.

Pour the soup into 4 to 6 chilled bowls. In a bowl, dress the asparagus tips with olive oil and grated lemon zest. Season with a pinch of salt and toss until evenly coated. Place a small pile of dressed asparagus into the center of the bowls. Float a dollop of yogurt on top, then garnish with a spoonful of roe.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. I can't wait to make it again! For all the recipes we made along with MANY MANY other wonderful thing buy the SPQR cookbook HERE!

Pliny the Younger Release & SF Beer Week festivities!

I think I drank my weight in beer last week. It started with an early Saturday morning drive to the Russian River Brew co on February 9th.... and ended with a very hung over drive home from SF Sunday morning the 17th. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

Russian River Brew Co for Pliny the Younger :

A little background to start. Russian River Brew Co is a family run brewery initially opened with the support of Korbel Champagne Cellars. Vinnie Cilurzo the Brew-master and his wife Natalie have run the business from it's inception 2003. In 2004 they opened the brewpub in downtown Santa Rosa which sets the scene for our February 9th adventure. Now for the cause- Pliny the Younger. Released for a limited 2 weeks per year at the Brewpub with single kegs distributed locally to the very special few. Named by Beer Advocate as the Best Beer In the World, it truly is a special experience.Using Triple the standard hops of your typical IPA the time and space required to brew this heavenly elixir are what keep it's quantities so limited. For those with true determination however, your prize awaits. And by true determination? I mean a willingness to wait 6 hours in line...

RRBC pours Younger beginning the first Friday in February. Rumor has it the first people in line the first morning arrived at 3am. With a 2 hour drive to get there from San Jose we weren't quite that bold. I had wrangled Abbie into coming with me after two sets of guys friends were being non-committal with their plans. Initially we talked about leaving San Jose at 9 am to arrive at 11, assuming that surely things would be tapering off going into the second weekend. However after scaring ourselves with some online reports we decided to opt a little earlier for an 8 am start. Thank goodness we did. Even arriving at that time as we drove past the brewpub observing the line that stretched a good two blocks and was beginning to accumulate around the corner... I'll be honest we got a little nervous. After finding parking (all the parking is two hour limits... so we did a lot of taking turns to move the car or pay for more time) we dutifully got to the back of the line up. Thankfully just across the street there are 2 coffee shops along with a bookstore so we weren't at a total lose. As Abbie returned from a trip to procure some pastries for breakfast I saw her signaling me to get out of line. Is she crazy? Nope! It turns out our good friend Jared and a group of other college buddies were just around the bend from where we were waiting and we were joining them! They had only arrived about 20 minutes ahead of us however joining them probably cut our wait time for later by an hour. And thankfully gave us a little more flexibility to get out of line and stay entertained. I'll keep the stories of the wait short because I don't want to bore you as much as we were bored (let's just say the last hour of the wait where you stand next to the patio full of revelers is basically torture, I watched a drunk girl spill her Pliny all over the place and I told her she was ruining my life...) Finally at about 4:15 we made it in!

As soon as we made our way to the end of their very long bar the rounds of Younger were ordered and the true festivities began! With cloying aromas of wild flowers and a viscous yet refreshing mouth feel the Younger's flavor is many layered with hints of grape fruit, wild honey, nuttiness, minimal bitterness and basically everything that is amazing about beer. Oh and also at 10% abv... your buzzed almost immediately and you've never felt happier. Although I have never given birth I feel like that first sip is like the first time you hold your child... suddenly those 6 painful prior hours drift away. Ok that is I'm sure an incredible exaggeration. Regardless by the time I was 3 deep I was on top of the world.

RRBC has an extensive portfolio of beers that they produce and you are able to sip them all in their sampler, a STEAL at $15. I appreciated the many unique styles the showcase such as 3 variations of sour style beers, their IPA's, Belgian Style beers and what felt like everything in between. It's no wonder that once people make it inside they aren't exactly eager to leave. After enjoying the many beers, pizza, & wings we finally bid adieu to Russian River Brew with our Growlers filled with Elder, a day not soon to be forgotten!

SF Beer Week: Allagash tasting & 7x7 Bar/Brewery Crawl:

Wednesday night found my roommate and I on dash up to the city after work to the Mission area bar The Sycamore for their Allagash brewery night.  A cozy space with red walls and a chalk board of beverage choices the Sycamore boats a small 6 seat bar, some tables in the main room, and an adorable patio out back. The place was packed to the gills when we arrived. After some wiggling and maneuvering however we lucked out and grabbed a corner of the bar where we set up our tasting. There were no official flights however they were pouring 8 different varieties in your choice of a 4 oz or 8 oz glass. Shannon and I decided to each pick the 2 that we were most intrigued by and share our own custom flight of 4 oz pours!

Pictured were our 4 pours- The James Bean (a Bourbon Barrel aged Tripel with cold pressed coffee added, 10.3% alcohol amazing depth of flavor sweet and smokey my favorite of the night), the Dubbel (tradition Belgian double hopped beer, it was nice but not particularly interesting), the Interlude (a Belgian style farmhouse beer aged in wine barrels with a unique almost cider type flavor, fun and different), and Allagash's most well know beer the  White (a traditional Belgian Wheat beer with the additions of coriander and tropical orange peel, always one of my favorites) we enjoyed sipping tastes and comparing all 4 beers while also sampling their kitchens offering of the night (to celebrate the Portland, Maine brewery) a traditional Lobster roll. ( I took a picture but it was way to dark to make it worth posting). Simply dressed on a traditionally grilled bun with huge chunks of sweet lobster meat it was a fun treat along with these exceptional beers. After doing our flight and lobster roll we grabbed a pint of the Trippel and headed out to enjoy the unseasonably warm night on the patio. Inside there were signs promoting their Sunday brunch specials and we look forward to another warm weekend to spend out on the patio with some mimosa's!

7X7 North Beach Bar Crawl
 

The last event I attended was the 7x7 bar crawl featuring 7 local breweries set up at 7 different bars in the North Beach neighborhood. We didn't end up going to all 7 (we got a little bit later start than intended thanks to construction traffic on the Embarcadero) but had a great time at the ones we made it too! The entry fee was $10 pre paid (you got a tee shirt!) and each bar charged $4 for your tasting flight of 3-4 beers (my educated guess was 4 oz pours, they all had the same little plastic cups they were using specifically for the tasting). Check in was in front of Northstar so of course they had the biggest initial crowd, we decided to save them for later and headed across the street to Boardroom for so Speakeasy beers. I was so caught up in conversation with my Lil' Bro Arthur who I attended with that I have to admit to not taking notes or pictures. However you can never go wrong with Speakeasy beers! From there we headed over to O'Reilly's for some Magnolia beers. They were the only ones I saw pouring 4 and they had some great flavors particularly the Imperial IPA. Next up was Shmaltz Brewers over at Amante a cool old school bar that called to mind Frank Sinatra. They were pouring some of their He'Brews line at the tasting and I didn't realize till the brewer gave me their card that they also brew the "The Freak" Beers which are named and labeled after Circus and Carnival characters. Their Albino Python is one of my favorite Belgian White Ales. We wrapped it up at Northstar with the Laugunitas tasting.  Arthur had actually gone tasting at Laugunitas the weekend prior (after arriving WAY to late to get in at RRBC) and was familiar with the beers we were tasting particularly their "Sucks beer" which is a second run of one of their really good beers. True to name it did suck. This was a great way to spend a Saturday, the weather was mostly sunny and warm and the crowds not overwhelming if you chose your next bar carefully. It was a good value for all we got and I look forward to going again next year!

Beer week is so much fun each year and the list of events I want to attend. Even the little things (beer flavored ice cream at Humphrey Slocombe?! way tastier than you might imagine) make it a special time in the City!

State Bird Provision's: My dinner at Bon Appetit's Best Restaurant in America

It's no secret that San Francisco is a foodie town and has many establishment's that rival or surpass the restaurant mecca that is NYC. Yet there is something uniquely thrilling when a "hometown" eatery is honored with an award from your favorite magazine. In 2012 Bon Appetit named State Bird Provisions their restaurant of the year. Of course I'm sure the first images that cross through your mind are white table clothes, rows of silverware and wine glasses, $50 entrees, and an executive Chef tucked away somewhere on a world tour. Scratch all of that. Instead the Chef is out on the floor talking to diners and suggesting dishes that are being rolled by on an antique trolley for $3, $6, or $9 a piece, the kitchen is open and casual attire is the uniform for both staff and guest alike. Oh and there is a line at the door at 4:30 just waiting to get on the list to sit at one of the 6 bar stools (or 3 standing spots) staring into the kitchen, being served delicacies straight from the cooks. Recogition does come at a "price", reservations are booked out 2 mo in advance, but walk-in's are still taken every meal just be prepared to wait.

After visiting the de Young museum in Golden Gate park during the day I was excited and eager for the dining adventure that State Bird promised me that evening. Since I decided only a few days prior that I wanted to go reservations were unavailable, but I figured as a solo diner I had a pretty good shot of getting in. I followed the advice of a few Yelpers who said to arrive no later than 5 pm to get in the line up for their 5:30 pm opening. As I arrived there were already roughly 4 parties ahead of me and quickly as many behind. I was glad I brought a book. We waited in the chill night air as sunset fell and the anticipation mounted. The unsuspecting denizens of this end of Fillmore street passed by frequently commenting "Damn dis place must be hella good!, yo what they serve here?" ... they were not met with much reaction from our timid lot.
At last the doors opened and we were shuffled in past the open kitchen and bar seats to the hostess who took our names and sat who she could.

As my un-luck would have it the last single seat went to the guy directly in front of me. The very kind host took my cell number (on her iPad booking system) and let me know it would probably be about 7:15 when a table would be ready. They would text as soon as something opened up. Not deterred as I was fully aware this was a possibility I moved down the street looking for a libation to kill time during the wait.

About a block and a half away I happened to glance around the corner to see cute bistro tables sitting outside what looked like exactly what I wanted. Unfazed by the fact that the fire alarm seemed to be going off I headed in to Fat Angel . (As it turned out the fire alarm had been set off in one of the apartments in the building in which the Beer & Wine bar is located and they had been assured there was no actual danger but the fire department has to come turn it off). Inside was in my mind exactly what I want in a bar. Cozy atmosphere with beautiful pressed tin ceilings, AWESOME list of mostly large format beers (don't get freaked out by the price many are 750 mL the size of a bottle of wine and are meant to be shared) and just enough food on the list to get a great snack or even dinner if you so chose while you drink. Although the menu isn't anything unheard of (artisan flat breads, cheese or charcuterie dsplays etc) it is all yummy looking. Since I'd be having a big meal I stuck with snacking on an order of the sweet & spicy Chinese spiced nuts while making friends with three guys who sat down next to me. It turns out they were also hoping to go to State Bird that night but weren't going to be able to get in till 10 pm! It pays to line up at 5 (and dine solo). It felt like I had been waiting only minutes when I looked down at my texts and saw that I had been paged! An hour earlier than anticipated woo hoo! I bid farewell to my jealous compatriots and quickly headed back down the street. As it turned out the guy who got seated right before me had a flight to catch or something and ate quickly, my luck had turned around!

I took my seat at the bar and began to survey my surroundings. Although modestly decorated when you are seated basically in the kitchen there is no end to the things you can see. The place setting has a wonderful farm house vibe and the menu is strapped to a board indicating the items that can be ordered from your waiter and also leaving spaces at the bottom for them to tally the items you get off the cart or more often in my case from the kitchen.

I hadn't been seated long before the cart made its first lap by. Filled with a variety of succulent and brightly colored seafood options I knew exactly what I wanted to start. 1 raw oyster topped with kholrabi kraut and seasame and some amazing looking Lobster with lentils.

It's hard to know where to begin to describe these flavors and textures. The oyster was chill and tangy from from kraut with an enjoyable crunch and hints of the fresh seawater. The lobster was perfectly tender and buttery with herbal notes and the lentils added their own soft textural notes. Both were the perfect light refreshing start to my meal. As I enjoyed both my waitress brought my glass of wine and asked if there was anything I'd like to order from the listed items. It wouldn't be right not not try the namesake dish and so I ordered a half of the fried quail (the State bird of CA... get it?) which is served on a bed of onion jam and topped with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Each bite of the bird is a tender little morsel of crisp and savory goodness. As you all know I'm not one to deal with bones... I put that whole sucker in my mouth once i had done all I could with knife and fork. I wasn't letting any bit go. The onion jam is a perfect tangy sweet balance to the crisp breaded and fried bird, helping cleanse your palate to enjoy the next bite. If I weren't trying to eat as many items as possible I could have easily eaten a full order (but of course the point here is to try as much as you can handle, a dream come true).
While I had been waiting for my bird to be ordered the chef in front of me had passed over an offering of a veal and sweetbreads meatball served atop shaved quince and pickled vegetables, since I knew I would have a little time I thought why not!

Tender juicy and meaty each bite of the meat ball combined with a small piece of the quince was a joy. I tried to make it last as long as possible forking off small bites one at a time. I soon got backed up however as my Bird arrived and shortly after my waitress brought over a dumpling with savory broth to which (surprise surprise) I could not say no to!

In all honesty I was in such a frenzy by this point that I had forgotten what exactly my waitress indicated the dumpling was filled with. The sample menu on line indicates it may have been Guinea Hen but as they change things up frequently it may have been something else. There is a nagging in the back of my brain that says it was short rib. Frankly it doesn't matter it was delicious. I tried my best to break it in half with my spoon to be able to enjoy it in two bites and as soon as the dumpling was finished i was quickly spooning as much of the broth out of the cup as possible. Complex and deep with bright notes of lemongrass and ginger along with other distinctly earthy umami flavors I'd like to bath in that broth. I should have just tipped it up and drank it out but sometimes I like to pretend I'm classy. I doubt anyone would have cared.

I knew soon I would have to slow down. The influx of the last 3 dishes had kept me busy but as the cup for my dumpling was cleared away I couldn't stop my wandering eye from peering around at what might be coming out of the kitchen next.

Was it time for a snack? Well sure after all I had had my fresh and bright "appetizer" courses, my meaty "main" courses, why not delve in a different direction. Being plated up at the end of the bar were golden stacks of house made potato chips and the perfectly spooned egg of porcini mushroom dip. At this point I'm not even sure how one ended up in front of me and frankly I didn't care! If there was one thing I ate this night that I am desperate to recreate so I can enjoy it all the time it was the porcini dip. The pieces of mushroom chopped just big enough that you could enjoy the texture, the substance binding them not overly creamy. Perfectly seasoned to spread across the salty potato chips. It was while I was enjoy this that Executive Chef and owner Stuart Brioza stopped next to me to comment "isn't that the best? If I could only eat one thing for life that would be it". I'm sure I mumbled something stupid, let's be honest I was a little star struck. Having read the Bon Appetit article (which was accompanied by a picture of him and his wife co owner of SBP and pastry chef Nicole Krasinski) and overhearing a few of the kitchen staff refer to him as Chef I had put two and two together. I think the indelible image in my head was of of the table knife tattooed on his right forearm. It seemed an interesting choice (since at least from what I could tell that's what it was vs say a chefs knife). Had I been able to interview him I would have loved to ask about it. But alas I'm not that brave and he was busy being a hands on gracious owner and chef helping out the staff getting things ready to be passed around and occasionally working the crowd.

While finishing up my "snack" course I was comfortably satiated and without an overwhelming amount of thought decided it was time for dessert.

My choice was made easy when I read the ice cream sandwich of the moment was filled with eggnog ice cream. My fascination lead me to order a shot of the Peanut muscovado milk as well, it's sweet creaminess to wash down the sweet creamy dessert. Yum. The sandwiches cookies were crisp and a little chewy and really nice texture to hold in the creamy spicy egg nog ice cream all of which drizzled in rich chocolate fudge with crushed almonds. I love the Stonehenge esque plating. I was about 3 bites in when I realized I had made a horrible oversight.... I had not had the garlic bread with Burrata. The horror!!! The expo had just gotten a request for some and called to make 6 or so so they would have a few to pass. He saw the conflict in my eyes, "do you want one?" ..... of course I did. But I was mid way through dessert ...."You could take it home, just box the cheese and bread separately and heat up the bread at home" Genius. Of course my gluttonous little fingers couldn't help from eating about half before I was about to burst and had to box the remainder.

The bread was a knot of light crisp dough (like pizza dough) garlicky and smothered in a healthy portions of the rich burrata cheese (fresh mozzarella surrounding fresh ricotta it is sealed into a ball with cream) and sprinkled liberally with crushed peppercorns and seasoning along with olive oil. Divine. Before I could order anything else I admitted defeat to my waitress and handed over my menu board so she could tally up my bill. As a warning although you are very aware of what you are spending (it is tallied right in front of you while you eat it's not difficult to keep a running total in your head) it is incredibly difficult not to want to eat everything. And with most items being less than $10 a piece it's easy to be seduced into adding "just one more". Frankly I think this is an amazing way to dine and my dream of how a restaurant would run, my only disclaimer is be prepared to spend money so that way you can have the best time possible! If you come with another person (or two) you are afforded the luxury of trying more items by sharing but most are not that big and many you will probably be too greedy to share much of!

This I think may be my best dining experience to date. This unique approach to serving food was transcendent for me (being the lover of small bites that I am) a choose it yourself tasting menu of complex
 flavors and experiences. The fact that the open kitchen takes up the front 1/4 of the space is a fascinating design concept and quite the show for a home cook like me. Something particularly intriguing that I couldn't help noticing (with my restaurant background) was that the kitchen staff looked very different from many I had worked in. These were all culinary program grads.... and they all spoke English as a first language. Is that here or there? Probably not. But in a Bay Area restaurant is definitely unique.

It should go without saying at this point that I am dying to go back again soon. With so many other things to try and new creations all the time this is one that will keep me coming back again and again!