Sweet onion, capers, brown butter. $18
Monsieur Benjamin, San Francisco CA
This dish was very tasty and comforting, but I’m not sold on the eighteen dollar price tags especially since it was pretty small. The sweetbreads were cooked perfectly though and the grenobloise preparation was delicious. I also thought that the presentation was simple and attractive.
7×7 Magazine’s Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
Leffe Blonde. $8
Uni with white verjus. $14
Monsieur Benjamin, San Francisco CA
This was a lot of uni for me. As a sea urchin novice, I’m still trying to appreciate the taste and texture of this delicacy. I’ve had some bad uni in the past, so I’m always hesitant and sometimes scared to try more. I felt like Monsieur Benjamin wouldn’t serve bad quality uni, so I gave it a go. It tasted great, but some of the pieces were on the verge of too slimy for me. I probably would have been happy with just the piece on top.
Veal, Paris mushrooms, pearl onions, steamed potatoes. $28
Monsieur Benjamin, San Francisco CA
This dish lacked the warmth and comfort that comes with good French food. Don’t get me wrong, it tasted fine, it was beautifully plated, and the technique was there but it didn’t draw any emotion from my while I ate. Sad…
Driving on the 101.
Egg yolk, pissaladiere lavash. $16.50
Monsieur Benjamin, San Francisco CA
This dish was good, but lifeless. I liked the lavash bread. It was super thin and crispy and it had a flavor and texture that I haven’t had with lavash bread. It was new and interesting. I also like the treatment of the yolk in the tartare. They were fun and novel, but the dish fell flat overall. It was trying to be too fancy and it lost its soul.
Bernal Heights Park.
Pine nut, beurre rose. $17.50
Monsieur Benjamin, San Francisco CA
Ugh, I can now say I’ve had seafood sausage (but I actually think I’ve had it prior somewhere else), and it wasn’t that great. It had a different texture (softer) and it tasted fine, but I literally paid over seventeen bucks for a small sausage that I didn’t love. I make poor decisions sometimes…
Christmas house gone overboard, Noe Valley. Love it!
Pistachios, cherry. $18
Monsieur Benjamin, San Francisco CA
I liked this duck terrine. The flavors were great and I loved the variable chunks of tender duck within it. The pickled onions were also a great garnish for this rich dish. Mmm…
Pickle store sign, Mission.
Garlic, lemon. $12.50
Monsieur Benjamin, San Francisco CA
I love frog legs, but this preparation didn’t impress me. Actually, I didn’t like it very much at all. The batter was heavy and the frog legs were somehow limp and soft. It was in between greasy and left under saran wrap to steam and soften. It was an unpleasant texture, and the flavor wasn’t very exciting either. I was missing the “sour-sweet”.
Yerba Buena Park.
Gruyere, herb creme fraiche. $7.50
Monsieur Benjamin, San Francisco CA
Mmm, these were delicious. They were light and fluffy, but packed with flavor and not at all greasy. Noms!
The Ace: rye, calvados, sloe gin, honey, lemon, rosemary. $11.50
Dolores Park.
Vittle Monster 