Michael Mina

335 Powell St, San Francisco, CA
(415) 397-9222
http://www.michaelmina.net/restaurant.php?restaurant_id=7

My best friend, Victor, took me to Michael Mina for my birthday back in June (Thanks Vic!), so this is quite an overdue post. Even though though it's a month or so ago, some of the food I had at Michael Mina remains quite memorable.

When I think of Michael Mina, I think of lobster pot pie because that what the restaurant is known for. Other than that, when I think of Michael Mina, I think of a food theme that gets serve three ways, so it keeps the palette interesting. You'll see what I mean in a bit. Michael Mina is received one-star from Michelin and 4 stars from the San Francisco Chronicle in July 2004, along with these accomplishments, he earned many, MANY other recognitions and awards for his 17 restaurants and lounges opened across the United States.
 
Located in the luxirious Westin St. Francis hotel in Union Square San Francisco, this restaurant is easy to miss if you don't walk into the hotel or know it whereabout. Upon entering, business men and women in business wear as well as some people like me, who get off work and put on a dress and go; nevertheless, the atmosphere was very dim and elegant. The service was superb! They made sure my water cup and wine glass is filled at all time. They explained every dishes that we ordered. Fabulous!

Michael Mina offers Prix Fix menu as well as tasting menu. Vic and I ordered from the Three Course Tasting Menu, which allowed us to choose one of the selections for each of the three courses. Here are some of the things I'd tried:

Chef's Complimentary Amuse Bouche -- Lobster Bisque, Poached Shrimps with Apples and Crab Cake Ball (I think)

The lobster bisque was a bliss! It was warm and creamy and suprisingly light! The poarch shrimps was very good as well, I really like the poachy shirmp contrast with the crisp apple. Asked for the crab cake ball, it was so flavorful! Yum!

Shellfish Trio ~ Fennel Bulb

• Dungeness Crab, Roasted Shallot, Grilled Country Bread

• Island Creek Oysters, Applewood Smoked Bacon, Fennel Rémoulade

• Catalina Island Abalone, Grilled Abalone Mushroom, Pernod Emulsion

Oh my gosh, I love sandwiches, especially when it's grilled! I could really taste the crab in it. The oyster was interesting because I never really had so much in an oyster before other than raw or grilled with lemon juice and tabasco or fried. So this is definitely something different and good. I am never a fan of abalone because of the fishy taste and rough rubbery texture. Although the one I had here was very tender but still, not my favorite.

Ahi Tuna Tartare -- Scotch Bonnet Pepper, Bosc Pear, Sesame Oil

Ah! One of my favorite appetizer is tuna tartare. Michael Mina's was in the 2009 7x7.com Big Eat List, so I definitely wanted to try it when I saw it. I love how light it is even though it usually is mixed with sesame oil. I could see the tuna is very fresh because the color of the fish is translucently gorgeous! I love how Michael Mina's added pine nuts to it, so it definitely adds a little crunch to the mushy tuna. They serve it with toast, which was just okay. I felt like they needed a bit more toasting.

 

Brandt Farm Beef ~ Fava Beans and Spring Potatoes

• Filet Mignon, Laratte Potato Purée, Ramp Jus

• Grilled Ribeye, Crushed Fava Bean, Potato Gaufrette

• Braised Ox Tail, Morel Mushrooms, Herb Salad

I had beef as my entree. I love filet mignon and I could not passed on this selection. This filet mignon was really, really good. It was so juicy and tender and it was grilled perfectly! The ribeye was so fat and juicy that it semi-melted in my mouth. The potato gaufrette was so crispy and light. Oh wow, the ox tail was delicious! It was so, so flavorful and tender that it breaks off with a touch of my fork. I love mushroom but the morel was a bit too salty for me.

 

Maine Lobster Pot Pie -- Brandied Lobster Cream, Seasonal Vegetables

Yum yum yum! Lobster in a pot pie,what could get better than this! Michael Mina's Lobster Pot Pie made it to 7x7.com SF Big Eat List this year and I must say it was well deserved. If you order the Lobster Pot Pie, it is a $35 extra on top of your pre-fix menu, but it was worth it considering you get another two course, a show and a whole Maine lobster to yourself! The waiter brought out a pot with the pot pie crust still on it. He then popped it open, laid it on a plate and reassembled the lobsters that was in the pot onto the plate. Lastly, he poured the lobster cream and vegetables onto it. The preparation and presentation was like a grand show. The lobster was very flavorful--it soaked up all the cream and vegetable juice.  Tt was a very filling dish.

 

Catherine Schimenti’s Dessert Trio

• Crème Fraîche Panna Cotta, Rubarb

• Chocolate Mousse Cake, Salted Caramel Ice Cream, St. Germain

• Goat Cheese Cake, Poached Rubarb

Onto dessert! I chose the Catherine Schimenti's Dessert Trio just because instead of one dessert, there are three! The panna cotta was interesting, it was very light. I could barely tasted the rubarb reduction though.The chocolate mousse cake was such a contrast to the panna cotta becaues it was so much sweeter and richer. The salted caramel ice cream was delicious! Onto the last one...eck, I dislike goat cheese very much. I have yet to acquire that taste, so I didn't really like it. But must give prop for using goat cheese for a cheesecake.

 

Michael Mina’s Signature Root Beer Float  with Warm Chocolate Chip Cookies 

Vic ordered the root beef float. It was pretty refreshing and sweet enough for a dessert. The warm chocolate chip cookies are so, so warm and gooey but overwhelmingly sweet. I was crying for salty things after one bite...but it was gooey and good!

 

Raspberry Macarons and Chocolate Truffle

Before we asked for our check, our waitress brought us some raspberry macarons and chocolate truffle. At this point though, I was so bloated that I could only take a bite of each. The raspberry macaron was not that great. It wasn't chewy nor airy. I could taste the raspberry jam though. Like the chocolate cookies, the chocolate truffle was again, too sweet for me.

I left Michael Mina happy and satisfied. I am amazed at what the menu offer. The dinner was like an art show. I was never bored because there were so much going on to all the food of each course. Even though the portion looked small, oh my gosh, it was actually a truck load! So go in an empty stomach and order the pot pie!

My Favorite Pho Restaurant in the City--PPQ

Pho Phu Quoc
1816 Irving St, San Francisco, CA
(415) 661-8869
www.ppqsf.com/

Okay, I don’t know why I never review this place even though I come here very often. PPQ is my favorite pho place in the city so far because it never fails and I know I will always get the consistent and delicious bowl of pho. My family and I found this place because it was conveniently close to where we live and there are always a lot of people waiting outside for seats. When my boyfriend discovered the curry noodle on the menu, oh my gosh, it became one of the restaurant that we visit a lot and keep going back to.

Imperial Rolls - Crispy fried rolls filled with ground pork, taro, carrots, and silver noodles. Served with lettuce, mint leaves and cucumber with nuoc mam/ fish sauce

The imperial roll here is really good. Crispy outer wrap and meat filled but mushy and hot inner fillings. I could taste the taro roots in the imperial roll; it adds a strong delicious flavor to the roll. I like how they give you lettuce to wrap it just so that you can have a more balance mouth-feel for the fried roll and fresh lettuce combination.

Curry Chicken Vermicelli Noodle Soup - Tender chicken breast nuggets in PPQ’s signature spicy coconut milk curry broth with pho

One of my favorite pho has to be this curry chicken one. It supposes to come with vermicelli noodle but my boyfriend and I always request it to be served with pho noodle. I prefer the pho noodle because it is chewier and absorbs and holds the curry soup better. The curry is a spicy red curry and coconut milk, thus very creamy and comforting. They give you generous amount of curry and chicken breast. The chicken is very tender and taste great with the curry.

Papaya Salad with Shrimp - Julienne papaya, basil, and carrots tossed and topped with poached shrimps and peanuts and fried shallots. Nuoc mam dressing.

I also like to order their Papaya Salad with Poached Shrimps. I like how simple, refreshing and light Vietnamese style papaya salad is. It comes with fried shallot and fish sauce. I have had better ones elsewhere, but PPQ’s is not too bad. The only thing is that be careful how much fish sauce dressing you add to the salad because the fish sauce that comes with it is super duper salty.

Another cold "salad" I like from them is the Five Spices Chicken Vermicelli. It is a noodle salad that is served with generous amount of chicken, vermicelli, lettuce, carrots, mints, bean sprouts, peanuts and fish sauce. It is my alternative to a hot bowl of pho on a hot day.

The service at PPQ is pretty okay. My table usually get attended to, and the wait for my food to be served was never long. Just beware that you will most likely walk out smelling like pho noodle though.

Sonoma Lavender Festival

8527 Sonoma Highway, Kenwood, CA
(707) 523-4411
www.sonomalavender.com/festival.html

I think lavender is one of the prettiest herbs out there. It smells and tastes great both fresh and dried. Dried ones last a long time since it is such a strong herb to use in food. I bought a bundle of dried ones to make lavender ice cream and salmon couple months ago, and I still have over half a bundle left.

I was lucky that I caught the very first annual Lavender Festival in Sonoma this year! The festival was a fundraiser for VOICE Youth Center (voicesyouthcenter.org) and was held at a lavender barn in Kenwood, CA, just right below Chateau St. John winery. The lavender barn was made available to the public only for that weekend of the event. The admission was $20 for 5 food tickets, OR $20 for 8 wine tasting tickets at the door (originally it was listed $30 for 5 food tickets and $40 for wine and food on the website). My boyfriend and I bought 2 sets of food tickets and one set of wine tickets. It was well worth it since it is for charity.
The restaurants that participated were Girl & the Fig, Hana Sushi, Kenwood Restaurant, Sea Thai Bistro, SIFT, Sugo Trattoria, Sur La Table, Syrah, Viola, Kenwood Yacht Club, Sonoma Cheese, Sonoma Lavender Chef.

Many wineries participated too. Since it was really, really hot there, so all I could say is that I enjoyed all the wine there were chilled and didn’t really care too much about the vintage, acidity, sugar content and so on. I will elaborate more on the wine when I am better at it. Asked for now...just food! I could clearly remember them all or at least how they looked or tasted.

I started off with a chilled carrot bisque that was infused with lavender. I forgot which restaurant it was from but it was thick and creamy. It was very delicious and refreshing since it was a hot day. It was my favorite dish at the festival.

My boyfriend started off with Poke Rice from Hana Sushi. The dish tuna supposed to be infused with lavender, but I think the sesame oil was overpowering the flavor. It was a refreshing dish but nothing too special.

I then had the lavender poached salmon, which was served with grilled veggies and lavender infused sauce. The salmon was cooked perfectly. It was juicy and very tender! The sauce was good, but a little too bland. I couldn't really tell what herb was in the sauce.

We went got a Thai Lettuce Cup from Sea Thai Bistro. I like it very much too. The noodle and cashews were crunchy and so was the crispy lettuce. The noodle and cashews were drizzled with lavender infused sweet and sour sauce...so good!

Next I went to grab a plate of Lavender and Lamb Ragu with Lamb Polpette and Lemon Couscous from Santa Rosa's Sur La Table. The dish was divine! I don’t like lamb because it’s so gamey, but it was not gamey at all! The couscous was very light and delightful. The lemon kept the dish very refreshing even though it was served warm. I am definitely going to pay more attention to Sur La Table’s recipes and a trip to check out their cookwares because of this dish.

My boyfriend went to get a bruschetta plate while I was at Sur La Table’s table. I believe the bruschetta is from Sugo Trattoria since the restaurant itself has a selection of bruschetta. The bruschetta was covered with a layer of goat cheese and topped with balsamic marinated strawberries. I am sure there is lavender is part of the recipe, but I couldn’t taste it at all since both goat cheese and balsamic vinegar are strong ingredients. The bruschetta was sweet and heavy loading, but I am not a fan of goat cheese so even though it was good, I didn’t enjoy it too much.

After all the appetizers and entrée dishes, it was time for DESSERT! We had four tickets left by then, so we decided to just get two of the desserts offered at the two dessert tables. One of them was the well known crème brulee from Girls and the Fig restaurant. They served it in a jar, thus they called it Lavender Pot de Crème with Lavender Infused Strawberries. Lavender is an herb that goes very well with cream, and indeed it was good. I could taste the lavender in the crème brulee but not so much in the strawberry. Delicious!

Next, we got two Lavender Cupcakes from Sift. The cupcakes were beautifully assembled with edible sprinkles on the frosting. They were also very heavy in weight. We decided to split one because they looked super sweet. The cake was very dense and very moist, to the point that it might seem a little under bake. My boyfriend did not enjoy it but I must say, it was probably the moistest cupcake I ever had. I could see that the cake batter was infused and had lavender pieces in it, thus it tasted super lavender-liked...a bit too strong that it was overwhelming at some point (another reason my boyfriend didn’t like it). The frosting was a bit too sweet. I could only finish half the cupcake. But I must say the texture of the cake was so moist that I want to go to Sift and try other flavors that they have to offer.

So I emailed one of the events coordinater the other day and she told me that they raised $13,000 for VOICE, which was over their target. I'm glad I contributed a little and had a fun and delicious day!

They already started planning next year and it should be around the same time. Keep an eye for it!

Cherry Pie!!

 My friend gave me a bag of freshly picked cherry from the orchard at the start of cherry season. Like blueberries and grapes, I like to eat them raw as snacks. After a couple cherries, I decided to make something quick out of them also since they are fresh. Here is a super duper quick prep semi-homemade cherry pie recipe.

~make 4 mini pies

Ingredients:

Store bought puff pastry dough

1 cup of pitted and halves cherries

1/4 cup of cream
1 tablespoon of sugar

Instruction:

1. In a saucepan, sauteed and mix cherries with sugar.

2. When the cherries begin to soften a bit, add the cream.

3. After the cream starts to reduce and simmer, turn off heat, set aside to cool, and place in refridgerator until cold.

4. Preheat oven to 375F.

5. Meanwhile, place and wrap the puff pastry on the mini pie or tart tin. Use a fork to poke gently onto the pastry dough.

6. Place chilled cherries mixture into the puff pastry.

7. Cover with another sheet of puff pastry, roll in the side to seal the pie.

8. Bake in oven for 30 minutes.

Let cool and enjoy! Try serving it with some chocolate ice cream!

Mayes Oyster House

1233 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 885-1233
http://www.mayessf.com/

My friend Elaine is going away for her rotation and we both been craving for some seafood, so we ended up chilling at Mayes Oyster House. The place is small, dim, and very modern with a fire place. The place has a bar in which people can sit, watch sports as well as dinning there.

Elaine and I started with two cocktails. Lets just say you get your money worth with the alcohol because they are oh so strong!...But nasty at the same time. Two of us, and we could only finsih half of each cocktails that were served in standard size martini glasses.

We ordered two appetitizers: oyster shooters and ceviche.

Kamikaze Soyter Shoot - Sake & Japanese mirin with tobiko and spicy pickled Japanese carrot

First look at the menu, and the oyster shooters look like a steal. Two for only the price of $5! But yes, after a shot of it, this shooter was too sour for me. I couldn't taste the sake or the mirin, I could only taste sourness. Oh yes, do not forget to stir your shooter around before you take a shot at it...the oyster might get stuck at the bottom.

Lobster/Scallop/Prawn Ceviche - Ceviche cured with fresh citrus, house made pico de gallo, avocado, house made tortilla chips

The ceviche was pretty refreshing and not super sour like most ceviche I'd had. The meat was a little rough. The chips tasted pretty ordinary, but definitely added a crunch to the meaty texture of the seafood.

Bodega Bay Dungeness Crab Cakes - Basil marinated tomatoes, micro arugula salad

The crab cake was fried golden brown. The exterior was very crispy and the interior was filled with crab meat. It tasted very good with the sauce and basil marinated tomato. I am not a fan of micro arugula or sprout, but I think the green taste of the veggies definitely help tone down and balance the fried dish a bit.

Seared Canadian Salmon - Buttermilk garlic potatoes, sauteed baby spinach, roma tomato cream

I love, love, love the garlic potato. It was mashed and plated underneath the salmon and spinach. I never really like mashed potato but it was so good! The spinach was ordinary. The salmon was pretty ordinary also, but I must say, the marinated diced tomato on top added so, so, SO much flavor to the fish. It made the fish so much better.

The meal at Mayes was decent overall, none of these four dishes really jumps at me besides the marinated tomatoes with salmon. I don't think I would particularly go back, but wouldn't mind if someone want to.