Dining Room

To get to 42°, you have to drive through random industrial sites and warehouses, and it can get rather perplexing at night, but it's well worth the trip. Named for the latitude of Provence, the restaurant features great French/Mediterranean food served by a very friendly staff. Noise levels really soar, especially since the bar is a main attraction later in the evening. Jennifer, Nancy, Mark, and I had dinner there before seeing Rent, and we all ended up ordering a great entree of squab after hearing the waiter's mouthwatering description. We also had some nice starters, including artisanal goat cheeses with Medjool dates and walnut toast points. Unfortunately, since we had a show to catch, we didn't get a chance to try their desserts, but I'd certainly be willing to go back.

Mark and I had dinner at A.P. Stump's to celebrate his 22nd birthday. Their corn lobster flan brought together a delicious mix of flavors in a creamy pudding, making a very memorable starter. They also served beautiful desserts on artistic servingware, including a torte topped by an abstract butterfly of solidified sugar syrup.

anecdote forthcoming (best meal during our NYC trip; maybe best overall, except for lackluster dessert; soba in a miso broth with shimeji mushrooms and a quail egg; foie gras dumpling; three desserts: brioche bread pudding, apple strudel, flourless chocolate cake)

Ten of us gathered for a quick dinner at Arcadia, a restaurant in the San Jose Marriott Hotel. Created by Michael Mina, formerly chef at San Francisco's Aqua, Arcadia features American cooking with a twist. For instance, we had "traditional" dishes including lobster corn dogs, lobster grilled cheese sandwiches, liver and onions (featuring foie gras baked in a brioche alongside pearl onions), chip on fish (potato-encrusted snapper), corned salmon in cabbage rolls, and lobster pot pie (I guess Maine lobster was in season). Despite the great variety of seafood dishes available, Arcadia is not simply a rehash of Aqua; we also enjoyed fine cuts of prime rib and pork chops. Take a look at Brian's photos (link may be broken at the moment) to see what our dinner was like.

Some of the staff seemed a little new to their positions, but we seemed to have the entire restaurant serving us, since we had scheduled dinner for the restaurant's opening hour. They were quite friendly and helpful all throughout the meal. Unfortunately, Mark and I had to catch a flight, so we missed out on the chance to sample their nice array of tempting desserts.

anecdote forthcoming

We had a nice belated birthday dinner here for Brian Lee. There weren't a large number of options for each course of the meal, but I just had to try out a fine dining establishment that suddenly appeared in the strip mall between my parents' house and my former high school. It was formerly named "Restaurant Umunhum" (pronounced umm-uh-num), after a local mountain. "Umunhum" is supposed to mean "hummingbird" in a local Native American language, but the poetry of the name didn't make it easy to spell or to pronounce. A drop in menu prices accompanied the name change.

The "New American" food was excellently cooked, if a bit traditional. We had a nice Bloody Mary cocktail sauce to go with a calamari starter, as well as some amazingly tender lamb and beef. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The chef even created a new dessert for us when I semi-facetiously asked if they had a "secret sixth dessert" available. All in all, it was quite a nice meal that I never expected to find at the outskirts of Almaden.

anecdote forthcoming (cocinado a la Madrileña, ropa vieja)

We had a nice dinner at Border Grill to support the Aid for AIDS charity. A number of local restaurants offered 10-25% of the evening's proceeds to the AIDS charity, so I thought it would be a good chance to have some nice food while contributing to a good cause. I gathered up Mark, Nick, and Amanda, and off we went. Coincidentally, some other friends ended up dining there at about the same time, as it is one of their favorite restaurants.

Some of the dishes can be a bit pricy, but they were generally quite filling. Amanda, Nick, and I followed the recommendation of one reviewer who suggested ordering an assortment of smaller dishes to sample a number of different flavors while also saving some money. Unfortunately, we all ended up ordering more than we could finish, but we did have the chance to try some pretty good food. I really enjoyed a marinated chicken arranged in something like tacos al pastor (chicken panuchos) that came as part of a sampler platter.

It was a nice night for an evening out, and we had a good time. The restaurant was quite packed, and the noise made it very hard to hear people sitting across the table, but it's quite a festive buzz for those who enjoy lots of noisy company. Brightly colored abstract art decorates the walls, adding to the joyful din. Apparently, they adjust the menu every few months, and they serve a good sangría. With some free time, you can make a fine evening strolling the Promenade and dining at Border Grill. There are also Border Grill restaurants in Pasadena and Las Vegas.

anecdote forthcoming

Famous for opening up the La Brea Bakery when the owners found they were unsatisfied with local bread suppliers, Campanile is a highly-rated restaurant that we'd been intending to visit for quite a while. As a post-birthday dinner for Marvin, we finally made the trip. Unfortunately, he managed to steal the check from us, borrowing a page from my own book of dinnertime trickery.

We ended up bypassing the specialty grilled cheese section, in favor of the regular restaurant. The appetizers and desserts were adequate, but not particularly captivating as they should be for restaurants at this level. Fortunately, Marvin and I had excellent entrees of duck with mildly sour cherries and a deliciously seasoned pork chop. Mark's entree of salmon was colorful but not particularly remarkable. Overall, the meal was decent, but it didn't meet our expectations.

Fortunately, later visits have generally provided us with better meals. We did try the Thursday grilled cheese night once, eating very tasty sandwiches in view of chef and assistant, but I should probably stick to my own panini grill for affordability. On the other hand, we've had excellent experiences with Campanile's Monday night family dinners, priced at only $35 for three- or four-course meals enjoyed family style. We particularly enjoyed a duck-themed meal we had in honor of Christopher's departure for New York.

anecdote forthcoming

While I've never made it to the famous downstairs restaurant, I've eaten at the upstairs cafe a few times. The food is very good, but it sometimes emphasizes ingredients that may be acquired tastes for many. For instance, make sure that you really like gorgonzola before you order a gorgonzola pizzetta. However, you really do get a sampling of the best seasonal ingredients available with the frequently changing menu, and it's a great experience for the adventurous.

Though there aren't nightmare reservations as there are for the downstairs restaurant, the cafe is not very large, and it can get really busy, especially on the weekends. I'd highly recommend making reservations in any case. When the cafe fills up, the restaurant can get quite noisy as well, but it's a great way to get a taste of a culinary landmark without a month of preplanning.

This restaurant is very loud. That goes as much for the decor as for the constant background chatter. Chinois on Main (as in the street in Santa Monica, since there's now a version of Chinois in Las Vegas) serves a menu of Asian fusion dishes, incorporating a number of Asian influences beyond the Chinese of its name. Unfortunately, I found a lot of the dishes to be too salty, almost like stereotypical "Chinese food for Westerners." There was a nice appetizer of calamari and other tidbits in a large fried shell that came with a very spicy sauce, and the other dishes were presented well, though presentation often reduced the actual portions served significantly.

All in all, it was a nice experience, but I probably wouldn't be the first to suggest a return trip. Mark and I were there to wish our friend Ted farewell as he left UCLA for Stanford's computer science Ph.D. program, and it certainly made for an energetic, exciting dinner. I'm sure it would better suit those who prefer a little extra salt in their dishes and don't mind the noise.

anecdote forthcoming

anecdote forthcoming

I can't remember many specifics about our meal at Craftbar. I had heard good things about Craft and Craftbar, but I was a bit put off by a poorly edited cookbook by owner and chef Tom Colicchio. I remember that the dishes we chose from the spare and pricy menu were quite tasty, especially some pan-fried sweetbreads, but I think we were still overstuffed from a filling lunch at Les Halles. Despite the poor circumstances, I feel as though I've given Craftbar its allotted visit and received a decent meal, but I don't need to pay its hefty prices again.

downtown is a nice "fancy" restaurant that opened up in downtown Berkeley a few years after I graduated. Mark and I decided to give it a try during one of our return visits, and we had an enjoyable meal. The dishes didn't feature any amazing or unexpected flavor combinations, but they were all executed well. In particular, I remember a delicious peppermint ice cream served during the holiday season. We also had excellent seats for a bit of live jazz near the end of our meal, making for a very pleasant dining experience.

anecdote forthcoming

anecdote forthcoming

anecdote forthcoming (thirteen meat courses; salad bar; mashed potatoes, crispy polenta, fried plantains, yucca cheese bread)

anecdote forthcoming

We visited Gary Danko's as one of Mike's revived "no holds barred" dinners, coincidentally on the day after Mike's 27th birthday. Many of the dishes were excellent, and the service was outstanding, though I did have to deal with a problematically tight dress shirt. The meals allowed for the flexible combination of nearly any three to five dishes on the menu, even allowing a meal of five desserts.

I particularly liked Mark's duck liver terrine with apricot jam and toast, as well as a number of other contrasting flavor combinations. Ankur and I enjoyed some fine cheese selections, and our desserts were quite creative. Unfortunately, a few of the attendees had less spectacular dishes (e.g., too greasy or bland) that marred their experience, especially considering the high cost of the meal. Overall, the dinner was quite enjoyable, but the ratio of quality to cost was not enough to demand a return visit.

anecdote forthcoming

anecdote forthcoming (Japanese-style barbecue)

Italian for "the corner," Il Cantuccio is a nice Tuscan restaurant located a few blocks from SF's Dolores Park. We had a pleasant dinner there during our first visit to Mike's apartment in San Francisco, as it was just a short stroll down the street. The food was all pretty good, with tender meats and flavorful sauces, though Mark's crab- and shrimp-filled ravioli wasn't quite filling enough on its own. Reviewers mention the strong authenticity of the restaurant's Tuscan basics, but I'm not sophisticated enough as an Italian diner to judge myself. The long, narrow restaurant gave us a nice place to dine, without too much noise, until they seated a large, boisterous group nearby. We ended the evening with ice cream (featuring a sour cherry sauce that reminded us of Chinese pickled plums) and tiramisu, as well as the unfortunate slaughter of a whole tribe of gummi bears.

Il Grano is located a few blocks from my West L.A. apartment, much like Chez Panisse and my Berkeley apartment. I've dined there twice, once with Mark and once with Marvin, both times selecting the tasting menu (at $55 and $65). The selection consists of five courses, including dessert. The first three courses were relatively light both times, featuring raw fish marinated Italian style and various vegetables. One dish had tasty grilled cuttlefish with pea sprouts. The fourth course usually weighs more heavily, such as meltingly tender braised spare ribs over sauteed spinach and asiago mashed potatoes. The desserts have been enjoyable but not particularly memorable. The restaurant also seems to have an excellent wine selection as well as knowledgeable staff members.

anecdote forthcoming

Deriving its name from the nursery rhyme in which "Jack Sprat could eat no fat," Jack Sprat's Grille offers generally healthy dining. They do indeed grill a good deal of their food, and they're well-known for some interesting ketchups and other condiments. They serve pretzels with mustard in place of dinner rolls, and we really enjoy having some of their special dipping sauces with an order of air-baked fries. On my first visit, I had a portobello mushroom sandwich (I wasn't too hungry), while Mark ordered a tasty house chicken dish. Unfortunately, we filled up so much on dinner that we didn't get a chance to try out the desserts.

On our second visit, this time with Marvin and Amy, everyone was raving about the pretzels and fries, and we had a good variety of chicken and grilled ahi tuna. We tried the saffron-flavored risotto cakes that a reviewer recommended, but I think they got most of their tasty flavor from the cranberry-ginger chutney. I think some of the main dishes may lack a bit of flavor on their own, but they're accompanied by tasty sauces and heaping portions of sides. We also stuffed ourselves by sharing two desserts: a slice of coconut-chocolate-caramel-pecan pie (it's hard to describe but definitely quite decadently delicious) and a slice of tart apple pie. We would have liked to try a chocolate-banana pie they had listed, but it wasn't available that night. Since then, we've been back to the restaurant a number of times (e.g., Raymond's farewell dinner and Leland's faculty interview).

Jiraffe is a rather expensive French restaurant near the Santa Monica Promenade. It occupies a small location with a bit of extra space on a second level. The dishes are all quite acceptable, but the prices scale a bit high. Fortunately, they feature a three-item bistro menu every Monday night for $29. With two choices for appetizer and entree plus a fixed dessert, the bistro night gives people a chance to enjoy a handful of tasty dishes at nearly the regular cost of a single entree.

Joe's has a nice quasi-outdoor eating area that includes a trickling waterfall over a wall of slate slabs. Dinner starts with a variety of breads, accompanied by butter and a simple olive tapenade. The "New American" dishes we tried were all of very good quality, many making good use of tasty sauces. The prix fixe menu was pretty filling, and we ended up being too stuffed to really enjoy our desserts. Forewarned is forearmed for our next visit.

We've since been back for Debbie's farewell dinner, Leland's faculty interview visit, and Jenny and Marvin's visit. Each time, I was impressed by the excellent sauces that enhance the flavors of their dishes. One memorable dish from these visits was a beet risotto, sticky and hot pink, topped with white asparagus. I've also enjoyed the professionalism and friendliness of the staff. They were very helpful in making sure that Leland and Jenny could make their flights out of LAX.

Kirala is one of the best robata grills/sushi bars in the Bay Area. A seat at the sushi bar is quite a treat, but the popularity of the place makes reservations highly recommended. Their daily specials are generally worth trying, and I'd snatch up some of the sweet Alaskan king crab whenever it's available. It's located in a rather drab neighborhood, but you can usually find parking nearby, especially at a Whole Foods parking lot after the market has closed for the night.

We've been to this German restaurant twice, once with my brother's girlfriend, Nancy, and once with Tony. They serve excellent dishes here, apparently quite authentic fare from all of the German-speaking older clientele we've seen. A lot of the dishes are quite hearty and heavy dishes featuring some sort of meat in a tasty sauce. There's often sauerkraut or spaëtzle on the side as well. The only major drawback is the high cost of a meal. While we always came away with our hunger quite satisfied, the bill was probably heftier than we'd like. I suppose it's all a matter of viewpoint on the expected cost of various cuisines.

Mark and I celebrated our sixth anniversary with dinner at this French restaurant tucked next to a West Los Angeles residential neighborhood. Unfortunately, neither of really enjoyed the six-course chef's tasting menu that we ordered. While most of the chef-selected items were inoffensive, nothing stood out. The lobster-crab bisque tasted no better than my crab stock without additions. There were no bold flavors or subtle combinations. Considering the cost, which was higher than Patina's, we will probably never return.

Yet another fine Mexican restaurant in Santa Monica, La Serenata serves some really authentic dishes, specializing in fresh fish. In fact, they provide a number of preparations that one can mix and match with a preferred fish of the day. Other dishes, like shrimp a la plancha and fish gorditas, have been excellent, too. The restaurant also serves some tasty traditional Mexican desserts, like a tres leches cake. We really liked their mango cheesecake as well.

Note that the original East LA location has a slightly different menu, and the West LA location has a slightly stripped-down menu (and decor) as well.

When it comes to Lalime's, I'm of two minds. My main experience with the restaurant was a graduation dinner for Nina. We had a large group of people, and there were a number of folks who were dissatisfied with their meals. However, I don't think many of them were inclined to enjoy a pricy European meal in the first place, and opinions differed wildly on the value and taste of various dishes (sampled from the same plate). Since I've heard a number of good stories from people who took return trips, I can't say much one way or the other. They certainly do seem to focus on fresh, local, organic ingredients. Perhaps I should stop by during some future visit to Berkeley.

Mark and I had a very filling and very enjoyable lunch at Les Halles, during a visit prompted by my purchase of the cookbook of the same name by the restaurant's (in)famous chef, Anthony Bourdain. The restaurant certainly fulfilled its promise of (somewhat) unpretentious, filling French bistro food. I had a very tasty blood sausage dish, while Mark thoroughly enjoyed a hefty cassoulet. Unfortunately, I had to test a boast the chef made regarding the fries at Les Halles by tacking them onto our order. They were indeed good, but the total volume of food ended up stuffing us somewhat unpleasantly, especially for a lunch meal. I'd be happy to visit again to end a meal there on a happier note.

Literati II is the restaurant offshoot of the casual Literati Cafe next door. It features relatively low-cost fine dining with high-quality food, though the menu options can be a bit spare. Many of the specials seem particularly good. I've eaten at the restaurant twice. The first time was a group of four celebrating Nick's birthday. Nick and Amanda had the special 36-ounce prime rib for two with a bone marrow sauce. It was excellent and quite reasonably priced. I had a very good duck entree, and we tried a variety of tasty starters as well, including mussels and antipasto assortments. The pillowy churros with bittersweet chocolate dipping sauce were quite impressive. The second visit was a random dinner with my cousin Gary. I had an interesting nettle soup to start, while Gary ordered a number of vegetable side dishes. We really filled ourselves up, but we still ordered the churros to finish the meal.

After Mark's graduation, we went to Lucques with his family for their Sunday supper, a three-course prix fixe menu for $35. The restaurant is on Melrose, just a few blocks north of the Beverly Center. The meal was pretty relaxed and enjoyable, featuring their namesake olives as a table snack. I think it will make a nice alternative night for a low-cost fancy night out, since most other restaurants seem to have chosen Monday as their slow night.

Mark surprised me with reservations at Matsuhisa between my 27th birthday and Valentine's Day. We opted for the more expensive of the two fixed-price omakase menus, skipping the open-ended $120 and up version for now. Dinner started with an amuse bouche of small raw oysters on the half-shell with osetra caviar. These were followed by some form of chewy fish or shellfish served sashimi style with a splash of flavored olive oil. The next courses featured a fried shrimp, a crisp salad with giant clam (a bit bland and fishy for my taste), seared ahi, and hamachi, miso soup with mussels and clams, and a robata-style toro with shiitake, enoki, and straw (?) mushrooms. These early courses were all quite interestingly flavored, often with tangy sauces or other preparations. Unfortunately, they left the "main course" of nigiri tasting a little plain in comparison, since they mostly depended on the natural fresh taste of the fish involved. While certainly high-quality, this course was not significantly different from that found at other fine sushi restaurants.

Our desserts included the ubiquitous lava cake (served in a bento box) and an Irish cream crème brûlée, which I pawned off on Mark. While a fitting finish for our multi-course experience, we both agreed that the fine dishes of Matsuhisa suffered a bit from lack of variety in the flavors presented. It may be that our dishes stayed relatively faithful to standard sushi fare, even with the interesting twists.

anecdote forthcoming (grilled shrimp on cabbage; blood sausage)

Melisse currently holds the dubious distinction of my most expensive meal, per capita, at over $300 for two people, without alcohol. Mark surprised me with reservations at this formal French restaurant on my birthday. Like our dinner at Patina, this was a very leisurely meal, allowing us to really savor the food.

We chose different options from the tasting menu and added the optional cheese course. The amuse bouche included a spoonful of spicy lobster and a tiny cappucino cup of frothy cucumber soup. We sampled some nice cheeses during the cheese course, and our desserts included a sticky toffee cake crowned with a mass of sugary webbing that was quite striking but a little difficult to eat. The food was excellent, but the most memorable component of the meal was the relaxed enjoyment of the evening.

anecdote forthcoming (fried stuffed squash blossoms; warm salmon salad; blue corn tamale; Greenmarket apple tart)

anecdote forthcoming

I went to Oliveto with a group of college friends, back when the trio of Chez Panisse, Rivoli, and Oliveto were starting to lose their hold at the top of cuisine near Berkeley. The theme ingredient of the meal was fresh heirloom tomatoes. We had an excellent appetizer consisting of sliced tomatoes, fresh and dabbed with olive oil. Unfortunately, none of the other dishes were that good, and some were somewhat bad, which is awful for a pricy restaurant. Nancy also had her infamous clam digger there, though it may be unfair to blame Oliveto for our dislike of the drink.

While we certainly could have had a rare, isolated bad meal (and most likely did, even if there were some corroborating anecdotes), the poor experience discouraged us from trying it again. Berkeley already has excellent everyday fare, so a higher-priced restaurant serving mediocre food doesn't win any loyalty.

The Palace is a great restaurant tucked away in Sunnyvale. They have a relatively low-cost, rotating menu of interesting dishes, often with an Asian influence. They also feature a tiered dining area with wall-length mirrors, a cavernous space that seems like something out of The Phantom of the Opera. However, the music of choice for their dance floor is live jazz on the weekends. They sometimes have great chocolate lava cakes accompanied by coconut and ginger ice creams.

anecdote forthcoming (restaurant chain; Scott's birthday; three appetizers: Roquefort fondue with pear honey, wild mushroom pizzette, bruschetta)

Currently, I believe that I had my best restaurant meal at Patina, one of the top restaurants in southern California, where Jennifer and I treated Mark to a belated birthday dinner, though dinner with Mike at Annisa in New York has now cast that into doubt. We sampled two of their three prix fixe menus, with Mark choosing the seafood-centered "Ocean" menu while Jennifer and I went with the "Seasons" tasting menu.

They were a bit busy, so our seating was delayed, but we were gifted with an extra serving of the delicious amuse bouche, toast points topped with foie gras and a tart dried cherry. A few slices of different baked breads served to divide up the early courses in our two-hour meal, giving us time to talk and digest. Many of their dishes featured a variety of fresh ingredients for the day. For instance, their warm salad with heirloom tomatoes and Maine lobster was amazing! The tomatoes and lobster made welcome return appearances throughout the meal. We finished up our dinners with remarkably refreshing bowls of halved dark cherries and sorbet.

The dinner at Patina was an amazing experience, and it may be quite a while before I find myself having a better meal at another restaurant. I've heard of some friends being intimidated by the waiters, but we had a very enjoyable evening.

Mark and I returned to Patina for a pre-show dinner, albeit in its new location near the opera house and concert hall. The menu featured fall-themed dishes, including game and hearty vegetables. I enjoyed the brighter flavors of summer more than the subtle earthy fall flavors, though there were certainly some outstanding dishes, like pumpkin tortelloni in amaretto froth and our excellent cheese course of three highly distinct goat cheeses. We also greatly enjoyed our desserts (fancy carrot cake for Mark and a multi-item study in chocolate for me). Patina provided the memorable anniversary dinner that La Cachette failed to produce.

I've had a number of nice meals at Rivoli in North Berkeley. The restaurant was named for the Rue de Rivoli in Paris, a bustling street lined with stores, paralleling the Champs Elysées. The restaurant is rather small, as is its rotating menu, which draws from French, Italian, and Californian influences. Though the menu shifts to meet local seasonal changes, I recall having some mouthwatering portobello mushroom fritters and an excellent braised lamb shank. The varied desserts have been quite delicious, but they always include a sundae with rich fudge sauce for those who like a more traditional dessert. I have always enjoyed my meals at Rivoli, and I think it's a great place to dine when you're in Berkeley.

Brian's 26th birthday occasioned a jaunt to Rubicon, just two weeks after our fancy meal at Restaurant Gary Danko. Rubicon was a bit more casual and perhaps a bit cheaper, and it provided us with an excellent dining experience. A number of dishes consisted of carefully stacked combinations of different textures and colors. I polished off a triple chocolate mousse combo for dessert, and we all left very satisfied.

I had a nice dinner with Mike, Brian Lee, Brian O'Clair, and Shaowen here during one of my random visits to the Bay Area. They had the most beautiful plates, perhaps rivaled only by a few at A.P. Stump's. The servingware was pretty unique, though people who ordered the same dishes received thematic variants of the same style, such as different colored square serving plates for sashimi.

The food was generally good but maybe a bit overpriced for the quality. Shaowen was still a vegetarian at the time, and she was unfortunately stuck with some less inventive dishes from her few options. At the end of the meal, some people sampled the intriguing tea infusions, and we enjoyed a very good variety of desserts, including the infamous prune-flavored parfait.

Skates used to be one of the generic "nice" restaurants that Cal students used to use for dinners to celebrate small special occasions. In fact, I had one of my birthday dinners there (the dinner that featured the infamous check-stealing incident), and I found it to be quite enjoyable. They are able to serve groups of nearly twenty along long tables in booth-like areas, and the tables generally give diners a nice view of the Berkeley Marina. Unfortunately, our latest visit to the restaurant (March, 2003) has mostly destroyed any desire to return, even out of nostalgia. They've decreased the menu selection while increasing prices across the board. We also found a number of offerings to be rather greasy. Recently, I've come across an article detailing Skates' noncompliance with a municipal ordinance regarding minimum wages on their specially-leased land. It's possible that the City of Berkeley will evict the restaurant. What a sad end that would be to a restaurant full of college memories...

This is a very trendy, large restaurant by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. A group of us met for dinner in its well-decorated, airy halls. Fabrics are draped over various areas, servers wear skimpy uniforms, and there's a good atmosphere to the place. Unfortunately, we had an awful dining experience due to the poor quality of the food, which matters a lot more than the fanciful decor.

The meals are served family-style and feature a variety of Asian, Moroccan, and other "exotic" influences. It's a mish-mash of cultures contributing what should be a variety of flavors and textures to the meal. A lot of the dishes have descriptions that suggest interesting preparations and unique flavors. The problem for us was the poor use of some basic ingredients, like salt. The bulk of the dishes we tried were quite bland and relatively flavorless. We really shouldn't encounter a poorly seasoned dish at an upscale, pricy restaurant like Spice Market, but in fact almost every dish had problems, and often through simple lack of salt. I appreciate the subtle (sometimes bland) flavors of my native Chinese cuisine, but our meal was so bad as to be flavorless, especially those with long simmering that also became mushy. I think we had one decent dish of spare ribs, and the rice was prepared reasonably. I'd rather dine at a place where cooks taste their dishes for proper seasoning, especially for such a price.

anecdote forthcoming

Tremont 647 resides in an understated stretch of Tremont Avenue in Boston's South End. It's a tiny bistro paired with a bar called Sister Sorel, and it features a flashy decor with lots of funky artwork hanging on the walls. A friendly, talkative crowd engages in chit-chat over engaging and energetic music.

After a long, hard day of interviews preceded by minimal sleep and lots of traveling, I wandered into the restaurant for a nice, relaxing meal. The serving staff was extremely helpful and friendly, and the sous chef met me at my table to discuss the composition of a five-course tasting menu. Their main menu features a wide variety of flavors, featuring lots of Asian influences, as well as some Cajun/Creole flavors. I asked for bold flavors, while avoiding a food allergy and a common Asian ingredient. With that, he went off to provide me a meal mostly composed of pieces recognizable from the main menu.

The amuse was a "momo," which was a sort of filled dumpling with a soy-ginger sauce. My first course was a very French plate of truffled foie gras pâté served with coarse mustard, toast points, and some greens. Next, I had Creole-style grilled shrimp smothered in a slightly oversalted sauce, alongside a wedge of crisp iceberg lettuce with buttermilk dressing, bleu cheese crumbles, and bacon bits. Then came a wood-grilled rare ahi (again, just slightly oversalted) alongside grilled baby bok choy and various condiments. For a final meat course, I had flatiron steak on "Big Easy" sauce with grilled broccolini. It also came with a large "tater tot" filled with gooey Fontina cheese. For dessert, I got a surprisingly refreshing banana cream pie, with nice chilled banana slices and drizzles of chocolate and caramel sauces. The check came along with a confection of crispy popcorn coated in raspberry ganache and chocolate.

Overall, it was a great way to end a long day. The food featured a lot of interesting uses of grilling (e.g., plank-grilling the tuna, instead of the common pan-searing) and a mix of bold flavors, as promised, which needed just a bit more salt-balancing. It was a great, moderately-priced find on a rainy night, and it certainly deserves the various local restaurant awards it's won.

anecdote forthcoming

Zarzuela, named for a Spanish/Catalonian seafood stew, was my first introduction to the wonders of Spanish tapas. We ambled on over through the Russian Hill district during one of our SF crawls, and we ended up having a fun and delicious meal. The staff was extremely helpful in describing the various tapas, hot and cold, as well as offering suggestions for first-timers. There is such a variety of dishes served here that it would be pretty limiting to make individual suggestions. However, be sure not to restrict yourself only to the hot dishes, or you'll miss out on some excellent colder fare. Be adventurous (with the staff's guidance!), and you're likely to be rewarded.