First off, I'd like to thank CK for keeping the blog alive and anyone that still follows it for not giving up on it. I've lost my camera, which subsequently made me lose my motivation to post. Plus, I don't think I have the insight or credentials to get away with posting anything without photos to back it up.
**I have to apologize for the quality of the photos, I had to take them with my cell phone under low light conditions. Trying to adjust the photos with my computer makes them look like I took them with a 1970s Polaroid, but it was really the only way to make the photos not appear as if I took photos of some amorphous blobs of goop. Not that I think that any photos that I previously posted here are particularly remarkable, but these photos certainly don't do this food justice, but I thought I'd share them anyway**
I was planning a trip to Northern California to attend a wedding so I asked CK if it was worth taking an extra day of PTO (paid time off) and paying an extra night in a hotel room in order to spend a day in San Francisco and eat at The Dining Room. I knew what the answer was, but I just needed his affirmation to validate my excuse.
After passing out at my hotel for a couple of hours after arriving in San Francisco on the red eye, I head out and made my way towards the Ferry Building. After a nice walk through Union Square and the Financial District, I arrived hungry. Trying to choose the best things and places to eat was going to prove difficult. After exchanging a series of texts with CK, I had an ambitious plan. Knowing I had reservations at 6 at The Dining Room, I couldn't hit all the spots he suggested, but I got a good sampling of what there was to offer in the building.
First stop was Hog Island Oyster Company:
6 Oyster sampler ~ lime, lemon, "Hog Wash" mignonette
Perfectly briny with just a squeeze of lemon or lime or a dash of mignonette. I texted CK right after this right after eating this. Something to the effect of "It was like I had never eaten an oyster before." I REALLY wanted to go for another half dozen or so maybe even more, but there was more eating to do.
Next stop was Boccalone Salumeria, which is, according to it's website, the "first retail location of the artisanal salumi venture from Chris Cosentino and Mark Pastore of Incanto Restaurant." Knowing of Chef Cosentino's affinity for all things pork and with a slogan that boasts of its "Tasty Salted Pig Parts" I knew I was in for a treat and I wasn't disappointed.
Not being an expert in such "Salted Pig Parts" I told one of Boccalone's helpful employees that I couldn't decide what sandwich to choose, and asked for a recommendation. I pulled up at one of the 4 seats in the stand and in a few minutes I was presented with this:
La Cicciolina ~ porchetta di testa, pickled carrot, radish, chili & mint
Boccalone's website describes their Porchetta Di Testa as pig’s head that has been treated like the traditional porchetta from Tuscany. The meat is seasoned with garlic, rosemary and chili then rolled and tied and then cooked. It is delicious sliced for a sandwich or topped with capers & Parmigiano Reggiano.
A hybrid between a traditional panini and a Vietnamese Banh Mi, the fatty porchetta paired perfectly with the pickled vegetables and the mint.
After another couple of laps around the building marveling at the beautiful bounty of produce, meats, and cheeses I stepped up to the counter at Miette to take some desert back to the hotel with me. I looked over the refrigerated case and I again couldn't come to a decision so I texted CK for a suggestion.
Pot de Creme
After another nap back at the hotel and another walk around the neighborhood, I suited up and headed out to the Ritz. Though I wasn't out of place wearing a suit in the City, I had an unexplainable bout of nervousness hit me on my walk over. I couldn't tell whether it was eager anticipation or if it was because this would be my first ever solo fine dining experience, but I even paced around the lobby of the Ritz before I could center myself and walk in the door.
It didn't help things when I saw the computer screen at the front of the restaurant listing my reservation as the only one in the first half hour of opening. Fortunately, just as I sat down another solo diner walked in without a reservation and was promptly seated, easing my concerns of being the only diner in the whole restaurant.
I was presented with a few magazines and a menu which I looked at for about 15 seconds before closing it. I knew I was there for a tasting menu and I didn't really want any hints at what was coming.
None of the photos came out well, but below is my menu as well as some of the photos where the subject is actually recognizable as food.
The first two dishes that came out were actually presented to all the guests, compliments of the kitchen.
Seared Japanese Ayu ~ white miso gelee, watercress
64ยบ Quail Egg ~ Golden Osetra Caviar, Cedar Smoke
Golden Osetra Caviar. Compliments of the kitchen. To every table. Ridiculous.
The Cedar Smoke filled the contained below and was released when I lifted the spoon, totally changing taste of the dish as the smoke escaped.
White Corn and Pepper Soup ~ dungeness crab, basil oil
Abalone ~ sugar snap peas, mirin and konbu scented rice, dashi broth
Wild Northern Halibut ~ potato croquette, curry essence, pea leaves, stupid clam
Lobster ~ mousseron mushroom, onion, snap peas, cherry
Hot Foie Gras ~ brioche, spicy cherry compote, pineapple long pepper reduction
Absolute indulgence. The perfectly cooked slice of foie was enormous, eliciting an audible "wow" from me as the server placed it at my table. Apparently, they get that a lot. They told me Chef Seigel sliced and cooked this one himself (Didn't I mention that it is good to know people in a much earlier post).
Quail ~ black rice, enoki mushroom, pineapple
Kobe ~ marble potato, porcini mushroom, sancho pepper
Mango Sorbet ~ lime compote, aloe gelee
Chocolate Manjari Cake ~ caramel & sea salt, macadamia nut ice cream, cocoa nib crisp
Mignardises
After I got back home a friend asked me if it was the best meal I had ever eaten in my life. The answer came surprisingly easy to me. "No," I replied.
I had eaten some of the most beautifully composed dishes made with some of the best products I had eaten in my life accompanied by superbly paired wines. I had experienced some of the best service I've had at a fine dining establishment. With absolutely no disrespect to Chef Siegel and his staff both in front and back of house, something was lacking throughout the meal. Though I couldn't have had a better experience dining alone, I had come to realize something that I had thought was true for some time. That sharing a meal with good friends that enjoy the experience of eating is really what makes the experience a joy. Though there is certainly a sense of excitement and discovery in dining alone, those experiences seem fleeting. Whether it is a couple of $1 tacos served on a paper plate or a $300 multi-course meal served on the finest china, sharing these experiences and flavors with someone or a group of friends & family is what really makes those meals the best meals in our lives.
That all being said, would I eat at The Dining Room or another fine dining establishment by myself again given the chance?
In a nervous heartbeat.
