Cooking
Rod Stewart spoiled my dinner at Tru. Ok, that's not exactly true. Let me just start by saying that as good as my dinner was, I lost a lot of my focus once I spied Rod the Mod from across the room. So with that out of the way, on to the review. Tru is a very elegant restaurant. The dining room feels spacious and has striking contemporary art work on the walls by big name artists like Maya Lin, Gerhard Richter, and Ed Ruscha. It is clean and bold and feels like a sophisticated art gallery. The service is impeccable, well-trained staff strike just the right balance of being cordial, helpful and unobtrusive.
My dining companions and I chose to order the Grand Seasonal Collection for $110. In addition to a couple of amuse bouche, we began with a selection of sashimi then saddle of Rabbit in a Rabbit Consommé, with Morels, Pea & Lavender Emulsion. This was light in texture but rich in earthy forest flavors.
Next came the tagliolini with a chunk of peeky toe crab and a creamy vibrant uni sauce. The pasta was a little overcooked but it was delicious nonetheless.
The British Columbian King Salmon, Red Wine Bouillon, White Bean was one of two main dishes and it was great, perfectly cooked salmon, surprising and unexpected contrasting flavors all worked well together and felt very satisfying. The crisp tapioca chip garnish was very unusual but also very good and beautiful to look at, like a glittering piece of pink pearly jewelry.
The Braised Veal Shank, Sweetbread Cappelli, Carrots, Veal Bouillon was the other main dish, and here the pasta was cooked al dente the veal was tender and the carrots super sweet. This was a very comforting dish.
We opted to skip the cheese course and it was lucky that we did. A rose champagne foam with a piece of grapefruit was heavily scented with a house made grapefruit oil that was as refreshing as a glass of juice in the morning. The rose napoleon was very sweet and so the unsweetened foam cut the intensity and balanced each bite.
After that came a ridiculous succession of divine mignardise and chocolates. Thank goodness for restaurants that still value the pastry chef! What wonders they can achieve. Gale Gand pulls out all the stops. Thanks to Tim for choosing a Crozes Hermitage Rhone that was dry and pleasant and worked with everything. And thanks to Nancy for indulging us by ordering off the "left side of the menu". Perfect choices and a perfectly indulgent dinner.
FOOD
- Canteen: Restaurant Review
You've got to admire a chef like Dennis Leary who goes from working in a prestigious and elegant restaurant to taking over a diner with only four booths for four and a counter. Eating at Canteen is always a treat because even though it looks like...
- Masa's: Restaurant Review
Recently I got a chance to eat dinner at Masa's. So I was a bit surprised when the San Francisco Chronicle reviewed what they consider to be "four star dining". Masa's was left off the list. Unlike the Chronicle reviewer, I was "wowed" by more...
- Isa: Restaurant Review
Much as I complain about the Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurant list, I can't help but want to try every restaurant on the list, just to be sure. The Chronicle has been raving about Isa for years and chef Luke Sung was twice nominated as a rising...
- Aziza:restaurant Review
I am so enamored of Morocco. It's the rich super-saturated colors and the flavors that appeal to me, I can't imagine it ever being bland or boring. I know I romanticize the place but I've never been, so indulge me. The closest I've been...
- 1550 Hyde:restaurant Review Closed
What makes a neighborhood place a neighborhood place? My neighborhood has a lot of good and even some great restaurants but 1550 Hyde is a classic neighborhood place. Here's why I think it qualifies. It's cozy and warm and the staff greets you...
Cooking
Tru: Restaurant Review
Rod Stewart spoiled my dinner at Tru. Ok, that's not exactly true. Let me just start by saying that as good as my dinner was, I lost a lot of my focus once I spied Rod the Mod from across the room. So with that out of the way, on to the review. Tru is a very elegant restaurant. The dining room feels spacious and has striking contemporary art work on the walls by big name artists like Maya Lin, Gerhard Richter, and Ed Ruscha. It is clean and bold and feels like a sophisticated art gallery. The service is impeccable, well-trained staff strike just the right balance of being cordial, helpful and unobtrusive.
My dining companions and I chose to order the Grand Seasonal Collection for $110. In addition to a couple of amuse bouche, we began with a selection of sashimi then saddle of Rabbit in a Rabbit Consommé, with Morels, Pea & Lavender Emulsion. This was light in texture but rich in earthy forest flavors.
Next came the tagliolini with a chunk of peeky toe crab and a creamy vibrant uni sauce. The pasta was a little overcooked but it was delicious nonetheless.
The British Columbian King Salmon, Red Wine Bouillon, White Bean was one of two main dishes and it was great, perfectly cooked salmon, surprising and unexpected contrasting flavors all worked well together and felt very satisfying. The crisp tapioca chip garnish was very unusual but also very good and beautiful to look at, like a glittering piece of pink pearly jewelry.
The Braised Veal Shank, Sweetbread Cappelli, Carrots, Veal Bouillon was the other main dish, and here the pasta was cooked al dente the veal was tender and the carrots super sweet. This was a very comforting dish.
We opted to skip the cheese course and it was lucky that we did. A rose champagne foam with a piece of grapefruit was heavily scented with a house made grapefruit oil that was as refreshing as a glass of juice in the morning. The rose napoleon was very sweet and so the unsweetened foam cut the intensity and balanced each bite.
After that came a ridiculous succession of divine mignardise and chocolates. Thank goodness for restaurants that still value the pastry chef! What wonders they can achieve. Gale Gand pulls out all the stops. Thanks to Tim for choosing a Crozes Hermitage Rhone that was dry and pleasant and worked with everything. And thanks to Nancy for indulging us by ordering off the "left side of the menu". Perfect choices and a perfectly indulgent dinner.
FOOD
- Canteen: Restaurant Review
You've got to admire a chef like Dennis Leary who goes from working in a prestigious and elegant restaurant to taking over a diner with only four booths for four and a counter. Eating at Canteen is always a treat because even though it looks like...
- Masa's: Restaurant Review
Recently I got a chance to eat dinner at Masa's. So I was a bit surprised when the San Francisco Chronicle reviewed what they consider to be "four star dining". Masa's was left off the list. Unlike the Chronicle reviewer, I was "wowed" by more...
- Isa: Restaurant Review
Much as I complain about the Chronicle's Top 100 Restaurant list, I can't help but want to try every restaurant on the list, just to be sure. The Chronicle has been raving about Isa for years and chef Luke Sung was twice nominated as a rising...
- Aziza:restaurant Review
I am so enamored of Morocco. It's the rich super-saturated colors and the flavors that appeal to me, I can't imagine it ever being bland or boring. I know I romanticize the place but I've never been, so indulge me. The closest I've been...
- 1550 Hyde:restaurant Review Closed
What makes a neighborhood place a neighborhood place? My neighborhood has a lot of good and even some great restaurants but 1550 Hyde is a classic neighborhood place. Here's why I think it qualifies. It's cozy and warm and the staff greets you...