Tag Archives: lemon

Lemon cream tart – Tartine Bakery

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Lemon cream tart Tartine Bakery

Sweet pastry shell filled with rich lemon cream, topped with unsweetened whipped cream and garnished with a dahlia petal.  $6.25
Tartine Bakery, San Francisco

Wow, this tart was absolute perfection!  I’ve heard people rave about this lemon cream tart, and now I know why!  The lemon cream is so silky smooth, sweet and with just the right amount of tartness.  The pastry shell is also amazing and the large dollop of unsweetened cream puts it over the top.  I ate this during the weekend so the calories don’t count, lol!

Lemon cream tart Tartine Bakery

And did I mention how beautiful it is!? I almost didn’t want to cut into it because as SO perfect looking. That hesitation didn’t last long though, and I couldn’t stop myself after I tasted the first bite. SO GOOD – NOMS!

Lemon cream tart Tartine Bakery

Grilled calamari – BIN 38

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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…

Garlic dungeness crab – Anchor Oyster Bar

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Garlic dungeness crab Anchor Oyster Bar

Pan roasted 1/2 dungeness crab with sliced garlic, sprigs of thyme, parsley, lemon and LOTS of butter.
Anchor Oyster Bar, San Francisco

This was actually a special they had that night, and I was in absolute heaven!  The crab was fresh and tasted amazing!  I squeezed most of the lemon onto the dish and it added even more flavor and brightened up the garlicky butter sauce.  It was no easy feat extracting all the flesh from the crab, but I did a pretty good job.  I didn’t want any of that soft, tender crab meat to go to waste.  As you will see, I don’t mind getting messy and eating with my hands – I am Filipino, lol!  This dish was so comforting and I used the table sourdough bread to soak up all the butter sauce.  Thank goodness I live in San Francisco.  We get our fair share of amazing crab!

Chardonnay Anchor Oyster Bar

Mezza Corona Chardonnay 2009, Italy

I didn’t like this white wine very much.  I rated it 3.3/10 on the Wine Notes app on my phone.  But dinner always tastes better with a glass of wine, mediocre or not…

Plum galette – Bar Agricole

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Plum galette Bar Agricole

Served with lemon verbena ice cream and a ginger crumble. $9
Bar Agricole, San Francisco

While this desert tasted fine, there was something about it that felt a little flat. Perhaps the portion was too small, or perhaps the plate looked a little sad – I’m not sure. I did love the additional fo the ginger flavored crumble. It added a great flavor and texture to an otherwise boring(ish) plate.

Cocktails – Bar Agricole

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Brown Derby Bar Agricole
Brown Derby: bourbon, grapefruit, lemon, honey and bitters.  $10

Tequila Cocktail Bar Agricole
Tequila Cocktail: tequila, sweet vermouth, stonefruit bitters and orange.  $10

Brandy Scaffa Bar Agricole
Brandy Scaffa: brandy, maraschino, raspberry, chartreuse bitters.  $10
Bar Agricole, San Francisco

These signature cocktails were absolutely delicious, although on the small side.  So at $10 a pop, these are definitely drinks to sip and savor.  I love the large (hand cut?) ice cube in the Tequila Cocktail.  These always increase the classy factor.  In order of taste preference, I would re-order the Brown Derby, Tequila Cocktail, then the Brandy Scaffa.  The Brown Derby wasn’t too heavy tasting and you could taste the citrus and honey flavors.  The Tequila Cocktail went down really easy – danger, danger!  The Brandy Scaffa was a little too dark and heavy tasting for me.  Bar Agricole has a nice, long list of house cocktails so there’s something for everyone.  Yes please!

Chorizo stuffed calamari – Eos Restaurant

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Chorizo stuffed calamari Eos Restaurant

Savory squid with a delicous chorizo filling, Allstar Organics wax beans, yuzu vinaigrette and lemon.
Eos Restaurant & Wine Bar, San Francisco

Whenever I see chorizo on a menu, I immediately assume that the dish will be heavy and greasy.  Not so! This dish was so light and refreshing from the yuzu vinaigrette and lemon.  The bicolored wax beans also added brightness, and the chorizo filling wasn’t at all dense or heavy.  This dish is a winner in my book!