This was the least surprise of the trip because the whole idea of going to San Francisco came out of our experience here last time for Wife’s birthday in April. So many times when I’ve had a great meal experience and I go back to the restaurant the second experience never seems to match that first one. That was not what happened this time. (I write the rest of this knowing I am going to be getting both barrels from dear old Dad). Chef Michael Tusk has an incredible knack for fulfilling on what many other restaurants only talk about – using the highest quality local ingredients and preparing the food simply with them.
When he says your appetizer is quail with chestnuts and radiccio, you can be sure there is the smallest amount of the latter just to add flavor points to the quail. Same with crab with meyer lemon and avocado – just touches of the other ingredients to accent the crab.
For a pasta course I had taglionline with chantarelles and black trumpet mushrooms. Some dishes, pasta especially, can become weighty as you eat them. This was a dish that came out piping hot and as it cooled got more and more flavorful. Wife had the agnolotti dal plin (that I had last time), tiny meat filled pastas. This dish, compared to last time, didn’t seem to quite have the explosive meatiness of flavor I remembered; but then again last time it came as a complete surprise.
For our main courses, Wife had roasted port and I had lamb. Here, as much as anywhere, the focus on a premium ingredient stood out. The dishes where basically roasted meat with simple deglazing type sauces (the lamb did have some cranberry beans) – but what meat. Both were outstanding.
I love the fact that Quince has an extensive choice of half bottles of wine so we can have different wines with our courses. We started the meal with a 2004 Puilly Fuisse, Tête de Cru from Domaine Ferret and when on to a 2003 Chateau Puy Bardens Première Côtes de Bordeaux.
For dessert, Wife had chocolate pot de crème. I think it must have been really good because she never offered me any and she excused her using her finger to lick out the bowl by saying this was common in higher class restaurants. I went with cheese as they had a number of my favorites; Comte, a Swiss like cheese from Franche Compte region, Mimolette, a dark red hard cheese from Flanders (a favorite of Tim de Buffalo), Mount Tam, a Camambert type cheese from Colorado.
It was 10:15 when we were done. We intended to have an after dinner drink in the fabulous lobby (National Heritage Register Building) of the Fairmont but we were both bushed after the long day and all the food and wine so we just crashed.
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