I made it to Tahoe tonight, after a late-night drive that drained me to the dregs. I spent the day getting ready for this trip (and possibly procrastinating by getting ready) - but I crossed a bunch of random stuff off my to-do list, and I packed and took care of stuff around the house and bought tickets to go to Iowa at the end of September (and called my mom about said tickets), so that all came together nicely.
Once I had my car loaded up, I drove down to the Mission and grabbed a coffee for the road (in my thermos, since it would be awhile before I got on the road). Then I went to Al's Place for dinner. The purpose of this dinner was to hang out with Jenni and meet her boyfriend Jesse, and that was accomplished in amazingly wonderful fashion. I've known Jenni forever (she was in India after I was, but we were in South Africa together and made a few India trips together, and also a trip to Dublin, and an epic wine bus in the states, etc., etc.), but I hadn't met Jesse yet even though they've dated for awhile, so we decided to rectify this. He got a 5:30 reservation at Al's Place, which is very hard to come by, and I was excited to try it since I've been meaning to go for awhile.
It turns out it was worth the wait - the food was amazing, and featured some of the most inventive dishes I've seen in awhile (which says a lot, since I live in the land of ridiculous culinary creations). The menu is very veg-forward - the mains are all veg, while meats are offered as 'sides' (smaller portions to add something to your meal). But it doesn't feel vegetarian (and it's not vegetarian) - it still feels decadent and wonderful. We did the family-style menu, and they were very accommodating of my gluten issue (although I dumped the rest of the whole30ish prohibitions for the night, much to my stomach's later chagrin - but I don't think I had any added sugar beyond my wine, so I think that's still on track).
So, it was all wonderful, even if they did serve a plate of radishes (granted, with fancy butter and salt, but I still turn my nose up at them). The standout from an interest perspective was the 'lettuces' - they encouraged you to eat it with your hands, and it ended up feeling almost like eating nachos, since the lettuces had a creamy avocado sauce and some crunchy pistachio, as well as some edible flowers (okay, nothing like nachos, but gorgeous and delicious). The ribeye was excellent. The tomato and burrata was a standout, especially with presentation, but I love tomato and burrata anytime. They brought me a curry towards the end to make up for the pasta they brought for Jenni and Jesse, and the curry could have been a full meal in its own right - so good, but I didn't have room to finish it.
All in all, it was a great experience. I think Rich Table may still be my favorite tasting menu in SF, but this gave it a run for its money, and I would happily go back if the situation warranted (or if I could get a reservation).
Also, meeting Jesse was great - I really liked him, and the three of us had a delightful three-hour dinner (these things take time, man). But at the end of three hours, I had to dash out - dinner started at 5:30 and ended at 8:30, and then I needed to drive to the east bay and pick up another writer before driving to Tahoe. So I picked Lisa up at 9:15, and then it took three hours to get up here - not bad at all. I'm ensconced in my room now, after an hour of unpacking and downtime and general sloth, but I should probably sleep - the point of being up here is to be productive, and I can't do that if I sleep until noon tomorrow. Goodnight!
Once I had my car loaded up, I drove down to the Mission and grabbed a coffee for the road (in my thermos, since it would be awhile before I got on the road). Then I went to Al's Place for dinner. The purpose of this dinner was to hang out with Jenni and meet her boyfriend Jesse, and that was accomplished in amazingly wonderful fashion. I've known Jenni forever (she was in India after I was, but we were in South Africa together and made a few India trips together, and also a trip to Dublin, and an epic wine bus in the states, etc., etc.), but I hadn't met Jesse yet even though they've dated for awhile, so we decided to rectify this. He got a 5:30 reservation at Al's Place, which is very hard to come by, and I was excited to try it since I've been meaning to go for awhile.
It turns out it was worth the wait - the food was amazing, and featured some of the most inventive dishes I've seen in awhile (which says a lot, since I live in the land of ridiculous culinary creations). The menu is very veg-forward - the mains are all veg, while meats are offered as 'sides' (smaller portions to add something to your meal). But it doesn't feel vegetarian (and it's not vegetarian) - it still feels decadent and wonderful. We did the family-style menu, and they were very accommodating of my gluten issue (although I dumped the rest of the whole30ish prohibitions for the night, much to my stomach's later chagrin - but I don't think I had any added sugar beyond my wine, so I think that's still on track).
So, it was all wonderful, even if they did serve a plate of radishes (granted, with fancy butter and salt, but I still turn my nose up at them). The standout from an interest perspective was the 'lettuces' - they encouraged you to eat it with your hands, and it ended up feeling almost like eating nachos, since the lettuces had a creamy avocado sauce and some crunchy pistachio, as well as some edible flowers (okay, nothing like nachos, but gorgeous and delicious). The ribeye was excellent. The tomato and burrata was a standout, especially with presentation, but I love tomato and burrata anytime. They brought me a curry towards the end to make up for the pasta they brought for Jenni and Jesse, and the curry could have been a full meal in its own right - so good, but I didn't have room to finish it.
All in all, it was a great experience. I think Rich Table may still be my favorite tasting menu in SF, but this gave it a run for its money, and I would happily go back if the situation warranted (or if I could get a reservation).
Also, meeting Jesse was great - I really liked him, and the three of us had a delightful three-hour dinner (these things take time, man). But at the end of three hours, I had to dash out - dinner started at 5:30 and ended at 8:30, and then I needed to drive to the east bay and pick up another writer before driving to Tahoe. So I picked Lisa up at 9:15, and then it took three hours to get up here - not bad at all. I'm ensconced in my room now, after an hour of unpacking and downtime and general sloth, but I should probably sleep - the point of being up here is to be productive, and I can't do that if I sleep until noon tomorrow. Goodnight!
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