Discovery Weekends: Searching for Michael Chiarello (or “What I did for my Birthday Weekend?”) – Coqueta SF

Ever since I saw “The Next Iron Chef” a couple of seasons ago, I’ve always wanted to try one of Michael Chiarello’s restaurants.  The judges loved his food and the description was very scrumptious: made me hungry every time. I was really disappointed that he did not win.

I had to find where his restaurant (or restaurants) is. So, I researched and was delighted to find that his restaurant, Bottega is so close to where we are, so close, but a world away. With the variety of activities in the San Francisco Bay Area, we rarely find ourselves in the Napa Valley – we’re probably there once a year.

Fast forward a few years, I heard the Chef Chiarello is opening a restaurant in San Francisco, near the Financial District. I decided that this is the perfect opportunity to visit. Plus, I have a birthday coming up.

I also happened to check my twitter and found that Chef Chiarello was going to be on The Late Show with Jimmy Fallon. I knew had to stay up. That segment was so funny (check it out on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon) – I knew it was a sign that this was going to be a great weekend.

The Big Day finally came. We went to "The City" via BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) and took a comfortable stroll from the Ferry Building to Pier 5 at the Embarcadero, where Coqueta is located.  Coqueta features modernized Spanish tapas “with a touch of California.” Atmosphere was casual, but very classy, which complemented the the beautiful views of the San Francisco Bay.

Of course, tapas are not complete without drinking (or was it just wine), so Coquetta also features a very innovative bar, er… “cocktail program.” Since I tend to eat my alcohol these days, I stuck to non-alcoholic beverages and had a ginger beer and a J&T (Juniper and Tonic?). My husband, of course, had to try the sangria. Both were quite potent. The ginger beer was made in-house and was very gingery (loved it). I thought it would burn my palette but it actually enhanced my appetite. We sat at the bar for a while while we wait for our table, and admired the gorgeous drinks and fresh ingredients and spices used in the bar.

When dining out, my husband and I usually share an appetizer and an entrée. We made an exception this time. We really wanted to get the paella – one of my favorites. However, even knowing that it may be more than enough food, I was hungry enough to order a couple of tapas. My husband had me order (since it's my birthday weekend), so I chose the Chicken and English Peas Croquettes and the Albondigas – Duck and Pork Meatballs with a delicious cherry sauce and crispy shallots. I think we chose wisely.

The paella came and it did not disappoint. It had the key components of a paella: chorizo, huge prawns, clams, some root veggies.  Served with some spicy Spanish pickled peppers and lemon aioli, it was perfect and yes, we finished the whole thing and saved room for dessert, at least one of us did.

For dessert, I could not decide between the Churro “Fantasia” or the Machego Cheesecake Bites. My husband loves cheesecake, but said he did not want dessert. Although I wanted to get both, I opted to get only the churros (and have an excuse to return).

The churros were the perfect ending to the meal. It was just the right size and delicious: light, sweet, had that fried deliciousness, and can still have a touch of chocolate or a lot. After all, one can never get enough TCHO chocolate. Even my husband had half (two of the churros)– we both wanted to lick the chocolate bowl! This will definitely be one of my weekend experiments.

I also love the gold chocolate leaf with "Feliz Cumpleanos" - really nice touch. Too bad someone had a hard touch (one guess).

We will come back to Coqueta, even if it is just a quick bite at the bar after my weekend trips to the Ferry Building, shopping at the Embarcadero Center, watching the Giants games at AT&T park, etc….  I think we found a new San Francisco favorite. Besides, I got to have my ginger beer!

 

By the way, this was not the end of our search… stay tuned for next post.

Discovery Weekends: Good Friends, Good Libations, and Comfort Food at Tyler Lawrence’s Wayfare Tavern

A friend was visiting from Southern California, so my husband thought it would be good to take this opportunity to check out Wayfare Tavern in The City (a.k.a. San Francisco). We’ve been meaning to do this, but have not had a good excuse. 

With no desire to drive into The City that late in the evening, we decided to take the BART (SF’s equivalent of the subway) and walk to the restaurant. It was a short walk from the Montgomery BART station (I still think it’s a shorter walk from Embarcadero station) and reminded me of the days when I worked in the City. In fact, it was just a couple of blocks away from my old building.

We got there a bit early, so we had to wait at the bar: All members of your party had to be present to be seated. My husband had his usual glass of pinot grigio, while I enjoyed a Virgin Mojito. It was a bit to tart for me, but the bartender was gracious enough to sweeten it for me. Awesome (Maybe "Sweet" is more appropriate).

My friend finally arrived and we got seated promptly. We dined upstairs where it was a bit more quiet than the bar area, and we could carry a more comfortable conversation. Almost immediately, we were served Wayfare Tavern’s famous pop-overs! Yummy! Moist and buttery… I could have eaten three or four of those (and take some home for breakfast). But I restrained myself.

For appetizers, we shared the “Devils on Horseback” – Medjool dates wrapped in bacon and topped with blue cheese with hazelnut pesto and Fried Oysters with Tartar sauce (self-explanatory). Since there is no picture, you can tell that these appetizers went quickly. The Fried Oysters were excellent (in cornmeal batter, I think), but I think my favorite were the dates. I’ve always had a sweet spot for that appetizer ever since I tried it at our favorite tapas restaurant in San Diego. Although I kept eyeing the deviled eggs every time they landed on another table. Awesome presentation – obviously, very eye catching!

We enjoyed conversation while we were having our entrees. My friend and I caught up with work, family, and mutual friends. For our entrees, my husband had the Seared Ahi Tuna. The dish had a generous helping of ahi, seared perfectly and had a good portion of roasted baby carrots and two or three dots of carrot puree. What he did not like was the roasted garlic (although I did not mind it). He said it was a bit too strong and almost tasted like horseradish.

My friend had the Halibut on Barley Risotto with Clams, Apples, and Roasted Turnips. My friend’s halibut looked perfectly cooked and the barley risotto looked yummy. I’ve been looking for ways to cook barley since I love the texture. I may just attempt to cook barley risotto sometime soon.

Of course, I had to have their Signature Buttermilk-brined Fried Chicken! I’ve read so many reviews about the chicken that I had to try it!  It did not disappoint: generous helping of juicy chicken (about 5 pieces) with hint of rosemary through-out (How did he do that! Must experiment) and served with roasted garlic and lemon. Delicious – reminded me of my attempt to make Chicken with Herbes de Provance (which is probably the inspiration for this). I was able to finish three -- leg, wing, and about third of the breast. The remaining two-thirds I meant to have for lunch the next day but unfortunately forgot my to-go-box at the restaurant (Nice touch: they gave me a claim tag to get my left-overs so it would not crowd the table). Oh well, I’ll take it as a sign to return.

For dessert, we had a beautiful French Almond Cake (the name escapes me) served with crème bruleè topped with a dollop olive oil ice cream and pluots. The almond cake was moist and the crème bruleè was probably the best I’ve ever had. It even had a hint of lavender, thanks to the edible petals that decorated the plate. The pluots were also quite awesome - very juicy and but not too sweet, a good counterpoint to the almond cake and creme bruleè. I should have been greedier and also ordered the peach pie, but we were so full. Next time….

Sadly, we had to end the evening. My friend had an early conference session, and it was also a school-night for me and my Hubby. Bite-sized pieces of coffee cake were served with the bill: perfect ending to a great evening.  Thank goodness, I did not get the peach pie! I told my husband that he was lucky that I no longer work in The City, otherwise, I’d be spending my paycheck at Wayfare’s every day…. well, maybe every week.

…Unless I get a raise, of course.

  

Check out Wayfare Tavern’s website for more info. You’ll be tempted to make a trip to The City after that, just to check it out.

Discovery Weekends: Celebrating 12 years with my Hubby at Sasa

My husband and I recently celebrated our 12^th anniversary dinner. We usually either go out of town or select a good restaurant to enjoy an evening out. This year, we opted to do the latter. We revisited one of our favorite restaurants: Sasa in Walnut Creek, California.

We’ve probably have been to Sasa numerous times.  We love the classy Asian-inspired decor.  We were there on a Monday, so a lot of people were taking advantage of their extended Happy Hour, Getsuyobi Monday’s. I found the happy hour name somewhat funny since "Getsuyobi" literally is Monday (so it’s Monday Monday’s). A lot of people were taking advantage of the $5 and $10 sushi rolls and special priced appetizers. Sasa also offers an extensive sake menu and a good selection of wine and cocktails, which makes it a great happy hour choice.

We never had a bad experience at Sasa. This evening was no different. We arrived a bit early, so we sat at the bar while we waited for our table.  The bartender was very attentive, in spite of the crowd that evening. I tried one of their non-alcoholic pomegranate mojito since I was designated driver (actually refreshing and hydrating especially in a hot summer day), and we shared an order of root chips and aioli. We’re not sure what roots were included, but it was delicious. The chips were very savory, and not too salty. To be honest, it was quite addicting.

Sasa specializes on small plates: Asian tapas-style. For dinner, instead of our usual share an appetizer, entree, and dessert strategy, we decided to share a few small plates... and dessert, of course.

The pork belly skewers were a good start. It reminded me of a Filipino Lechon Kawali (Deep Fried Pork Belly) on a stick. The only thing missing was the crispy skin (and lechon sauce) – the way it is traditionally served. Maybe if it was served the Filipino way, it will exceed the cholesterol limits of the dish. This went way too fast to photograph (My fault, lechon kawali is one of my favorites).

My duck confit on steamed buns had more a Chinese inspiration – like a duck confit bao. It reminded me of dimsum lunches, but elevated to a different level. Using a duck confit gave a good crispiness and the hoisin sauce and plum wine vinaigrette reminded me of its Asian roots.

The roasted spiced lamb chops was equally delicious. It was perfectly cooked and spiced and quite succulent.  The green pistachio sauce on it was different than what we expected, but had a refreshing twist.

We ended dinner with a Banana and Macadamia Cream Tart. I usually end an evening like this with a light sorbet, but I am a bit sorbet-ed out. The tart had the right combination of creaminess yet freshness. It was the perfect way to end the meal.

The food was plated and presented beautifully, it was inviting and you just want to dive into it. We had excellent service all through the evening. We’ve been there for lunch on a weekend and had the same experience. We love Sasa and will most likely return... soon. Hope you will also enjoy this Walnut Creek find.