Shaved marinated brussels sprouts, braising liquid broth. Restaurant week dinner $40
Thirsty Bear, San Francisco CA
This wasn’t my favorite. It was pretty bland overall, and it just wasn’t fulfilling. The dish never came together for me.
Paired with Hopsmeister CA Wheat.
Celery root, green olive, charred lemon. Restaurant week dinner $65
Aatxe, San Francisco CA
This was really bright and fresh tasting. I was surprised at the large-ish size of the hamachi cuts, but they were still able to absorb the lovely juices.
Smoked over fig wood, fresh hops, malted barley, paired with Grizzly Bear Red Ale. Restaurant week dinner $40
Thirsty Bear, San Francisco CA
These were randomly cut and presented, but I liked the flavor of the cured pork. The fig wood smoke gave it a nice flavor and it paired well with the red ale.
Preserved lemon couscous, toasted almonds, and arugula. $15
Willi’s Wine Bar, Santa Rosa CA
Mmm, these lamb chops were really tasty! They were tender and juicy and really easy to eat. I loved the flavorful glaze and the crunch from the almonds. The bright couscous was provided a nice balance to the meaty chops.
Restaurant week dinner $65
Aatxe, San Francisco CA
Pintxos are always fun to eat because they’re small which allows you to try several kinds. These pintxos were yummy, and I love the variety that they serve at Aatxe.
7×7 Magazine’s Big Eat SF: 100 Things to Try Before You Die
Monkfish tail, Cascade hop cure, Calabrian chiles, toasted garlic, olives. Paired with Howard St. IPA. Restaurant week dinner $40
Thirsty Bear, San Francisco CA
This wasn’t my favorite. The cured monkfish was too dry and salty for my taste. Add the olives and things just got even saltier. Thank goodness for the beer to help wash it down!
With five spice and shiitake mushrooms. $11
Willi’s Wine Bar, Santa Rosa CA
I did not like this at all. First of all, I hate it when fried pot stickers are served in a broth. It just ruins the texture of the fried dumpling to me. Second, the shiitake mushrooms just soaked up all the fat from the pork belly so it felt like you were biting into mushy packet of fat. After a while, the dumpling became soggy and limp, and that made the dish even worse. Yuck!
Restaurant week dinner $65
Aatxe, San Francisco CA
This was a nice start to dinner. Both escabeches were tart and palette-cleansing. I liked their flavors and the texture of the marinated shellfish was great.
Sweet and sour figs, tonka bean salt. $10.50
Willi’s Wine Bar, Santa Rosa CA
This tasted good, but it was too wet for my taste. They also needed to serve it with more pieces of toasted bread for that amount of rillettes. I liked the sweet and sour fig spread though.
Scallions, smoked bacon, creme fraiche. $12
Willi’s Wine Bar, Santa Rosa CA
This tasted wonderful! It was simple and packed with flavor. I thought that it was a bit wet and limp though; maybe too much butter brushed on top which I don’t know why I’m complaining about, hehe.
Apple, cucumber, mint. $13
Willi’s Wine Bar, Santa Rosa CA
I thought that the curried crab tasted good, but it was almost too wet. The taco shells were also soft and almost squishy, not crispy as they should be.
Pinot Noir Staff Picks. Flight $18
Romililly, Russian River, 2013. Wild Ridge, Annapolis, Sonoma Coast, 2012. Black Kite, “Kite’s Rest”, Anderson Valley, 2013.
Cooked for 6 hours, pumpkin and truffle. ¥80
El Willy, Shanghai CHINA
These tender cheeks were placed atop a fried roll of some kind and surrounded by soft polenta. The flavors were great and the beef wonderfully cooked.
Vittle Monster 