Shelling beans, cherry tomato, eggplant, tomatillo salsa, toast. $16
Bar Jules, San Francisco CA
Mmm, the eggs and oxtails were delicious! I loved the rich flavor of the fatty oxtail and who doesn’t love runny sunny-side-up eggs?! I did feel that the shelling beans were random as were the undercooked eggplant slices underneath.
Oxtail ravioli, horseradish, bordelaise. Tasting menu $140
Jardiniere, San Francisco CA
OK, so here’s where I get confused. Our tasting menu read that we were going to get wagyu beef during this course, but our first waiter said that they weren’t running the wagyu that night and would be replacing it with New York steak in the same preparation. Whatever, I’m fine with that. But as this course approached, another waiter mentioned that the wagyu would be next. I asked for clarification from our original server, and he said it would be New York steak. Then when we go the plates, they were presented as wagyu. Huh? I’m still confused.
Either way, the beef was WAY underdone and we really coudn’t eat much of it let alone cut through the cold, raw, stringy interior. This was the one truly failed dish of the night. The ravioli and accompaniments were delicious, but the star of the dish was a major flop. SAD!
Fallen redwood trees, Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve. This is how I felt about the dish above.
Parsley, shallot, capers, lemon. Happy hour $9
Comme Ca, Las Vegas NV
Wow, I wasn’t expecting the oxtail jam to end up being a full-on stew of sorts. I expected it to be more of a spreadable accompaniment to the marrow. The roasted bone marrow in this dish was so rich and perfect! The oxtail jam, while hearty, was a little on the tart/sour side. I thought there was too much going on with both items so I could have done without the oxtail jam.
Flamingo Hotel at night.
Stewed oxtail in peanut soup, with Chinese long beans, eggplant, and bok choy. $12.95
Tastebuds, San Bruno CA
Hmm, this wasn’t my favorite preparation of this dish. I think the peanut stew was thicker than I prefer and there wasn’t enough oxtail. A bit disappointing.
Steamed rice. $1.75
Bagoong alamang (fermented shrimp paste) is a condiment typically served with this dish. It’s super salty and I enjoy it, but it’s definitely an acquired taste.
Vittle Monster 