cafe des amis

san francisco, ca

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had dinner in the city with ryan, michelle, and their adorable little baby at cafe des amis. of course it was long enough ago that they don't actually live in the city anymore, but the restaurant is probably still there. cafe des amis is a moody low-lit french bistro that could be anywhere - new york city or paris - but with friendly san francisco service. excellent wine list. get the onion soup with the puff pastry on top. absolutely amazing - almost as good as anything i've had in france.

absinthe

san francisco, ca

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i was traveling for business and after a stressful morning, a restaurant named "absinthe" sounded like the perfect place to relax. i picked a lovely table by the window where i could enjoy the rare san francisco sunny day, which paired nicely with a cool glass of chardonnay. and with that first glass, i ordered a terrible pasta with peas. with my second glass, i ordered something off their cheese list. this is word-for-word an email that i sent while eating my cheese: "Mt tam cheese from cowgirl creamery with toasted walnut apricot bread and a slightly oaky Chardonnay is cheezydrunk heaven." it's possible that truer words have never been written.

monsieur marcel

los angeles, ca

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wow. i think i might have found derek's favorite place in all of los angeles. we had late reservations in culver city for dinner, but after shopping at the grove, we decided to just grab a bite to eat at the nearby farmers market instead. the farmers market? it's AMAZING. there's tons of vendors, all of them look delicious. i found a cute shop full of hot sauces and salsas. there's old-fashioned ice cream stands. a brazilian steak place with a crazy line. cheese. pastries. BBQ. pizza. a gourmet grocery. everything. derek, as he does in any food court or market, did a full loop before deciding on a sit-down spot tucked away in the corner. we got two great seats at the counter where we watched all the activity of the bustling market. my plate of linguini bottarga was as good as anything i've had in france. clams and linguini in a delicious white wine butter sauce, topped with magical bottarga. which is apparently salted cured fish roe ... all i know is that it is delicious! so good. i can't wait to go back to the farmers market. i'll be tempted to get the linguini bottarga again, but there's so many options i might have to try something else.

michael mina

san francisco, ca

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derek is very good at thinking ahead and making reservations. when he found out that cindy was coming for a weekend visit, he immediately made reservations at michael mina - highly rated, has one michelin star. a had been there before, so we followed his lead and ordered a la carte. cindy, a+ma, and derek split two orders of the tuna tartare (which was very good), but i had to be an uni-snob and order the uni pasta off of the tasting menu (pictured). the uni was incredible, the rest of the pasta was pretty good as well.

my entree, highly recommended by the waiter, was the "japanese inspired whole dungeness crab" served with ramen. some of the crab was tempura-fried and the rest of the crab was poached in miso-butter. the poached crab was amazing, served with an incredible sauce. the ramen was disappointing - tasted like overcooked instant ramen in a bland broth. the highlight of the meal, however, might have been the bread served on the side - ridiculously good. grilled, buttered sourdough bread served with a little pot of (what i assume must be) fresh ricotta topped with a layer of honey. after you finish one slice of bread, they bring you another slice and another pot of ricotta, so feel free to go crazy with the ricotta. overall, it was a quality fine-dining experience, just don't get the ramen.

french laundry

yountville, ca

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thomas keller's french laundry is one of the best restaurants in the country, has three michelin stars, has been on my wish list for years, and is extremely difficult to get a reservation for. derek, always thinking ahead, called the requisite 2 months before new year's eve to get a reservation for 4 for lunch. april and lennon joined us for the amazing meal (see april's excellent write-up on her food blog!). the restaurant is located in napa valley, about an hour north of san francisco. french laundry is in a beautiful old building that looks like it was plucked out of the french countryside (at least what i imagine the french countryside might look like).

we were taken upstairs to a small room with a couple of tables, where it felt like we were in someone's bright sunlit living room. as is often the case with uber-expensive restaurants, the staff recognize that you're there for an experience and not just a meal. they were extremely pleasant and patient, pouring us a complimentary glass of champagne for the holiday and explaining each course in detail. the waitstaff got a kick out of the fact that we were planning on heading to reno after lunch ("gotta stay classy," said derek). after spending $$$$ at french laundry, we had to try to make the money back somehow...

now the food - april did a much better job of chronicling each dish, so i'll just stick to the highlights. our favorites of the 9 courses - "oysters and pearls" ("saboyan" of pearl tapioca with island creek oysters and white sturgeon caviar) and the snake river farms "calotte de boeuf grillee" (bone marrow, marble potatoes, creamed spinach, and "a-1" sauce). they DEEP FRY the bone marrow and serve it next to an impeccable cut of melt-in-your-mouth meat from the top of the rib-eye. perfect beefy goodness. derek ordered the foie gras en terrine, which was served with a toasted brioche bread. what's funny is that before he even finished the first slice, they brought out a second freshly toasted brioche. derek remarked that he was fine, but the server insisted that the chef's instructions require that the terrine be spread on warm bread. that devotion to perfection is evident in each of the nine courses and made for a meal that we will never forget.

bon vivant

palo alto, ca

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bon vivant is a new french restaurant that recently opened in downtown palo alto. the interior is bright and inviting, especially on a sunny day (which is about 90% of the time here in california). derek and i were in the mood for something new and different and decided to try this place. despite the fact that they stop service at 3, the kitchen graciously let us sit and order an appetizer and entrees at 3:15. yes, that's when we eat lunch.

my favorite was the appetizer that we shared - duck rillette, which includes shredded duck, wild arugula, red onion, shaved fennel, and toasted bread. the duck was deliciously fatty, but balanced well with the fresh greens. excellent. the crepes were also quite good - mine was filled with smoked salmon, but the duck rillette was definitely the highlight. overall - pricey, but tasty.

bistro le clochard

curacao

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curacao doesn't have that many fancy restaurants. remember that couple that i mentioned in the pane e vino post? well, we saw them again at pampus the following night (where i forgot to take a picture). then we saw them AGAIN at bistro le clochard on the next night! turns out, one of the guys is originally from curacao but studied hospitality abroad and had returned to take his partner to some of the best restaurants in curacao.

bistro le clochard is definitely one of the best - everyone at the resort recommended it and it's been around since the 1970s. the restaurant is located inside an old fort from the 1800s and includes includes a little outdoor ledge on the water. we sat at a corner of the ledge, where we could look up at the old fort looming above us and out into the ocean to watch ships passing the island. great romantic atmosphere, solid french cuisine, excellent wine, and great steaks.

la silhouette

new york, ny

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it is always a treat to eat with y&a. they know good food and they know good restaurants. and in the case of la silhouette, they also know the owners. which translates into excellent and attentive service (and free freshly baked cookies!) one of the great things about nyc is that there are always new restaurants popping up everywhere and this one happened to pop up right in their hood. convenient. convivial. what's not to love?

i joined y&a for brunch, for which silhouette has an entire section devoted to "hangover sandwiches." i made the dumb decision of ordering a more healthy option (eggs benedict with spinach and salmon, sauce on the side) which was decent, but nothing compared to y's "hot duck" (hot dog with duck sausage - get it?) or a's "short rib brisket burger queen" which were both amazing. even baby n's scrambled eggs (more like scrambled butter) and fries was a better choice. i've learned my lesson for next time.

cafe brioche

palo alto, ca

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derek and i were still in the process of getting adjusted to normal restaurant schedules. in nyc, restaurants are usually open for brunch until 4 pm. in palo alto, not so much. we were attempting to go to joanie's (mmm, hash browns), but it was closing just as we got there. we managed to sneak into cafe brioche next door just before they flipped their sign to closed.

cafe brioche is no joanie's. egg scramble was great, loved the quality of the veggies in it, but the home fries were blah. if they could get their hash browns on par with joanie's, then i would consider heading here next time the wait at joanie's is ridiculous. but until then, derek and i just need to get out of the apartment earlier.

the butler & the chef bistro

san francisco, ca

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april & lennon brought us to a cute little brunch spot on south park street. just to be clear, south park is not really a park, it's an elongated oval with some grass on it which serves mostly as parking for the shops and restaurants nearby. derek & i had a late start because we slept in and had to drive up from palo alto, but that meant that the butler and the chef had plenty of room for walk-ins. having never been to a french bistro, i have no idea re: authenticity, but there was a lot of french on the menu including quiches and croque whatnots.

derek ordered a baguette sandwich which sounds good in theory, but he ended up being overwhelmed with bread. i ordered smoked salmon eggs benedict (with sauce on the side, per usual). in my dish, the crunchy slice of baguette went perfectly with the runny egg yolk and salmon. no additional sauce needed. another plus - they serve excellent lattes in small bowls - on a chilly SF afternoon, there's nothing better than sipping from a giant bowl of steamy frothy coffee.

west end bistro

washington, dc

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the best part of having meetings in DC is that it gives me a chance to catch up with friends - anthony, eric, and jenny met me for dinner at the westend bistro in foggy bottom. westend bistro is billed as "by eric ripert" - whatever that means. eric ripert is a famous chef in nyc, known for his three michelin-starred restaurant le bernadin. a big name, so i had high hopes for the meal.

unfortunately, my escargots and wild mushrooms over grits was a bit heavy. i prefer escargots when they're kept in the shells and doused in butter and garlic. the heaviness of the appetizer prevented me from enjoying the hamburger, i could only eat about half of it. it could be i just ordered poorly, everyone else's dishes looked great - especially the ribeye that eric ordered.

ma peche

58 (5/6)

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midtown is known for its fancy white tablecloth restaurants filled with corporate types having expensive (and likely expensed) business lunches. david chang of momofuku fame is known for his downtown east village lowkey hipster restaurants. but ma peche, the newest momofuku venture, is located in a midtown hotel and purports to serve upscale american-french-asian-ish food to the midtown professionals. Y and myself being two midtown professionals (during the week, anyway) decided to check it out, wondering how the momofuku vibe translates to "expense account" dining.

the answer? pretty well. it had some casual touches (chopsticks and sriracha sauce on the tables) mixed with more elegant additions (classy service, fancy settings) - ideal for young professionals not quite ready to completely give into the corporate culture and lifestyle. and the food? amazing. the highlights were the pork belly - perfectly crispy rich fatty melt-in-your-mouth goodness -and a tripe sausage that was phenomenal. the rice noodles and spring rolls were also good, but the meat dishes are where momofuku midtown really shines. it was pricey, so next time it would be great if we had expense accounts ... but for a young professional, it's worth the occasional splurge.

pastis

9th ave (little w. 12th)

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there was a heat advisory in nyc this past weekend. but derek and i finally had a weekend day off of work, so nothing was going to stop us from participating in our favorite pastime - exploring the streets of manhattan by foot. it was surprisingly quiet and peaceful in the city - the streets were pretty empty, restaurants were completely empty. walking through the meatpacking district, derek and i decided to go into pastis for brunch.

turns out everyone was at pastis. the placed was packed! noisy and crowded with fashionable people (this is another one of those "see and be seen" places in manhattan). derek and i settled into a cozy corner table and reviewed the menu. typical french bistro fare with higher-than-typical prices. derek ordered an omelette with herbs and a side of fries. i ordered the smoked salmon with scrambled eggs. good fries, good food, but nothing spectacular. it's a good option if you're in the meatpacking and you want to have people check out what you're wearing (why the fascination with derek's sperry topsiders?) - but there are better places for brunch in the city.

le relais de venise

52nd/lex

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after reading m's post on this restaurant in london, i knew i had to try the new york branch. it's an interesting concept - there's no need for a menu - everyone gets salad with mustardy dressing (but not too much mustard), sliced strip steak and french fries. the only thing you order is the doneness of the steak - rare, medium, or well. waitresses dressed in black and white serve you the steak half a portion at a time, each time with fresh french fries.

the steak comes covered in an amazing sauce. jenny and i were trying to figure out what was in the sauce, but we only managed to taste the butter. i'm sure there's other stuff too. it was amazing on the steak, amazing on the fries, and minding my manners was the only thing keeping me from licking my plate clean. salad and steak for $24 - a great deal in the city. reasonably priced bottles of wine (it was $20 for our cote du rhone) and an extra $7 for three tarts (my favorite was the lemon). m has managed to provide an excellent recommendation from the other side of the pond.

le bateau ivre

51st (2/3)

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so we didn't actually eat dinner here, but jenny and i stopped by for some wine and french fries while waiting for derek to get out of work. and the fries were so good, i had to write them up. a light crispy exterior and a soft fluffy interior. jenny likened the inside of the fry to mashed potatoes.

anyway, they're really good, worth a write-up and worth a visit. they have wine too. maybe someday we'll go there for dinner, but we'll definitely go back for the fries.

la mangeoire

new york, ny

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jenny heard that la mangeoire just got a fancy new chef. even though it's a little bit pricey for lunch, jenny and i decided to try it out. the interior of the restaurant is rather dimly lit, but we walked through to the second dining room which gets a little bit more light. once it gets warmer, however, the outdoor sidewalk cafe is the best option.

we both ordered the prix fixe lunch, which is just under $20. the bread basket was a pleasant surprise, warm french bread with soft butter. the prix fixe includes soup/salad (we both chose a very good butternut squash soup), entree, and coffee. pictured is jenny's croque madame, which was much more photogenic than my ravioli niçoise (beef and spinach ravioli in a tomato, black olive & red wine sauce). definitely a comfort food spot.

bread talk

singapore

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i love chinese pastries - the big fluffy buns filled with various pastes and the not-too-sweet cakes topped with whipped cream rather than frosting. the versions i find in nyc's chinatown are usually greasier and heavier than the pastries i find on the west coast or in asia. i didn't get to go to very many bakeries while in hong kong so i spent much of my time in singapore searching for chinese bakeries. unfortunately, most of the bakeries are french-style with a lot of tarts and croissants. good, but not what i was looking for.

breadtalk is a chain of bakeries that can be found in singapore malls. although it was mostly french pastries and breads, i did find a few asian-style buns and cakes. nothing with red bean paste or anything like that, but the almond bun (pictured) from the breadtalk in paragon mall was close enough. it was delicious - filled with a light white chocolate cream and topped with toasted almonds. it was so good that even derek liked it - in fact, he ate half of it ...

acadie french crepes

santa monica, ca

CLOSED

i wandered into this little place near the farmer's market in santa monica. a perfectly light fluffy crepe (i like mine "plain" with butter and powdered sugar) and a good cup of coffee. sat at the bar with a nice view of people walking through the market.

i know i typically do two paragraphs, so here's the second one. not much more to say about this place and i still have two more places to post about!

les halles

new york, ny

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9:30 pm on a sunday night is a difficult time to find a restaurant. fortunately, les halles on park is open until midnight. it's famous for being where anthony bourdain used to cook. solid french bistro fare, although a little pricey. there were two french tourists at the table right next to us. when i received my mussels (pictured), my neighbor leaned over and explained that the proper way to eat mussels in france is to use the empty shells as pinchers to scoop out the rest of the mussels. it was actually quite handy because then you don't stab out the meatiness of the mussels. and those were some meaty mussels. i prefer my mussels smaller and more delicate, but the broth was excellent. derek enjoyed his poulet roti frites (chicken and fries). he had wisely copied what the two french women had ordered.

one of the women told us all about the original les halles in paris which is no longer in paris but is now outside of paris. i think it was some kind of market. i tried my best to understand but we all know i'm not good with accents. halfway through our meal, the ladies left and asked derek to calculate how much tip they owed. once they were gone, i finally put some ketchup on my "frites." i had waited because i didn't want to offend the friendly french women with my crass american ways...

bouley bakery & market

new york, ny

CLOSED

jenny-recommended. it's my go-to place for a lowkey breakfast/brunch whenever i'm downtown. it's market-like with a pastry station, a sandwich station, a buffet station, a coffee station, etc. once you make your purchase you can take your tray to the next room which has comfortable chairs and a lovely view of people walking by with strollers.

i've never been able to resist the pastries so no idea if the buffet/sandwiches are any good. i had the vegetable quiche which was filled with carrots and i ate it so fast i almost forgot to take a picture.