Daily Archives: September 29, 2011

Wild boar sugo – BIN 38

Posted on by
Reply
Wild boar sugo BIN 38

Served with pappardelle, summer greens, tomatoes, cheese, purple basil and a 63 degree egg. $19
BIN 38, San Francisco

Ever had a dish that looked amazing, but was sabotaged by one ingredient? Ding, ding, ding, ding! This dish was absolutely beautiful and tasty (I think), but the summer green (whatever it was, somekind of brassica) was overpoweringly bitter. I couldn’t taste anything else, and the bitter flavor continued to linger and intensify in my mouth as I ate more. The pasta was cooked perfectly, but I couldn’t really taste the wild boar sugo because (1) the aforementioned summer green killed my taste buds and (2) there was so LITTLE of it! For some positives, the 63 degree egg was amazing and flowed beautifully over the plate after it was broken and the colors from the tomatoes and purple basil were striking.

Spanish red wine flight – BIN 38

Posted on by
Reply
Spanish red wine flight Bin 38

“The Most Interesting Man in the World Prefers…” Wine Flight.  $18
From left to right:
Beronia Rioja Reserva Tempranillo 2006 (Spain)
Vall Llach ‘Embruix’ Priorat 2006 (Spain)
Numanthia ‘Termes’ Tempranillo Toro 2008 (Spain)
BIN 38, San Francisco

This was such a disappointing wine flight!  I usually enjoy most Spanish reds but I was underwhelmed by these glasses.  I like the Numanthia Tempranillo most, but not by much.  They all had odd flavors and unpleasant finishes.

Here’s my Wine Notes app ratings:
4.2/10 – Beronia Rioja Reserva
2.0/10 – Vall Llach
4.9/10 – Numanthia

Grilled calamari – BIN 38

Posted on by
Reply
Grilled calamari BIN 38

Served with cauliflower, arugula, fennel, olives, croutons and preserved lemon. $12
BIN 38, San Francisco

This was a refreshing plate but disappointing because it’s not what I thought I ordered. The menu read “Grilled calamari” and perhaps the squid was grilled at some point, but there was so much citrus juice in the dressing that the calamari got further cooked by the acid and its texture changed drastically. It could have almost been called a “ceviche” at that point! I did appreciate the different textures from the fennel, croutons, cauliflower, etc. I’m not sure what was the painted green puree on the plate. It was never explained and I forgot to ask.  Pretty dish…