Sakae
240 Park Road
Burlingame, CA 94010
650.348.4064

Sakae looks like your average neighborhood sushi spot, but their fish selection is truly world class. I’ve eaten at a lot of places all over the world and still was surprised and delighted with not only the quality but the variety as well. The sushi chef was really friendly, knowledgeable and proud of his offerings. The slices were thick and generous, served at the perfect temperature and had a surprising firmness on even the most fattiest cuts.

When asked what day he gets his fish, the sushi chef said that it doesn’t really matter since most fish should be “dry-aged” on site and not eaten as fresh as possible. This may also explain why they are open on Mondays, a day most sushi spots are generally closed for lack of fresh fish.

Some of the knife work and presentation was not the most intricate or impressive, but the fish was all top notch. It made me think of how when I go to high end places and the chef cuts and trims the fish and throws away the scraps, I think “don’t throw that out, I would gladly eat that.” Well at Sakae you get large pieces of fish that may not be as whittled down and finessed but may include some tendon or even a needle.

Ama Ebi - perfectly soft and sweet and topped with shrimp roe to give it that oyako treatment.

Oh-toro - the fattiest of fatty tuna. Really rich fatty flavor but some of the chewy connective tissue was still there and it was also more firm in texture than the melt in your mouth of most oh-toro I have had, but the firmness helped bring out more of the flavor.

Ikura - house marinaded and not overly salty, each egg has the right amount of firmness to pop in your mouth.

Uni - fresh sea urchin from the ubiquitous wood box. Creamy and bursting with sweetness that reminds me of the deepness of the ocean. Unfortunately, one of the pieces had included the tip of a sea urchin needle (which is rounded and crunchy and while not dangerous, it is not a pleasant surprise).

Ankimo - Very clean and not overly sauced monk fish liver. The creamy taste of the liver had none of the gritty dirty taste of lower quality organ meat.

Seki Saba - The mythical high-end japanese horse mackerel that is line caught and not in nets so as not to damage the fish flesh. The chef said that he was one of the few places in the US to serve Seki Saba.

Tako - A very different cut of tako, instead of the piece of cooked tiny tentacle, this was a slice off a large tentacle the size of the chef’s arm and was very tender.

Mirugai  - Firm but not overly tough and very flavorful slices of giant clam.

Bonito - I’ve often had shaved bonito flakes or bonito broth, but this was the first time I had bonito nigiri.

Anago (Sea Eel) - Not as common as Unagai (fresh water eel), but when done right it is soo much better. Again, not overly sauced so the sweetness of the meat can shine though and the flesh is much softer.

Mishima Beef - Now that Kobe is no longer so exotic, Mishima is the new high end beef from Japan. Here, the thin slice of beef was quickly cooked but sooo soft and wonderfully fatty.

Wild Hamachi - I did not know that most yellowtail was farmed raised, but this was hands down the best hamachi I have ever had. Much more flavorful than I knew possible.

Saba - When ever I talk to sushi chefs about their favorite fish, they always say saba and the saba here was saba at its finest.

Marinated Ika - Bits and pieces of tender raw squid that was not rubbery at all.

Tako Cups - the suction cups from the large octopus from earlier presented both raw and then flashed fried. The raw preparation had a texture similar to an oyster, with the inside being really soft but with more elasticity on the outer ring.

Baby Anago (sea eel) - This is when things got weird. It’s hard to tell from the photo but in this bowl was about 20 of these baby anago which looked like thick, semi-flat white noodles with little eyes on one end. it tasted like a slimy bag of wakame seaweed filled with salt water. This was the only item the chef actually tasted himself and he seemed to enjoy but it was a bit too salty and slimy for me.

Tako cups - Here are the flash fried large octopus suckers. It had a slight crunch but was still tender and yummy.

Tamago - Sweet, spongy, soft, dense and cold. It was a fine example of tamago (egg).

Cyrus
29 North Street
Healdsburg CA 95448
Phone: 707-433-3311

Going into dinner, I really didn’t know what to expect. My friend made the reservation in her quest to dine at all the 2 michelin star restaurants in the bay area and while I enjoyed my meals at 2 star peers Chez TJ and Manresa, I was not prepared for such an extraordinary experience.

Canape
We started off with a unique assortment that represented each of the 5 traditional flavors: salty, savoury, sweet, bitter, and sour. Each bite represented the flavor but was also delicious in it’s own right and was a very nice was of reminding the diner of all the wonder dimensions of taste that were in store.

Amuse Bouche - Miso Soup
The next gift from the kitchen was a miso soup accompanied by a spoonful of seaweed and sesame seeds with a sweet sauce that when combined with the soup that was a bit sour, ended up tasting like an intense version of the sweet and sour soup found in chinese restaurants. It was very different and unexpected.

Nantucket Bay Scallop Ceviche with Pickled Daikon and Sweet Potato
The first official course was a very flavorful and soft raw scalloped sliced and served with crunchy pickled daikon and sprouts. The sweet potato puree was like the essence of sweet potato intensified and creamy and when combined with the savoury scallops and the crunchy sour tang of the daikon, it brought a huge smile to my face. It seemed so simple yet tasted so wonderfully complex.

Foie Gras Two Ways: Terrine en Croute, Frisee Aux Lardons, Quail Egg Bulls Eye
The foie gras is generally the course I most look forward to when dining French and here it did not disappoint. The pan seared preparation appeared to be a very standard offering on top on a brioche but instead of paired with a fruit based compote to compliment that fattiness, it was topped with bits of smoked ham, and inside the brioche, a circle was cutout where a raw quail’s egg was inset. The gooey-ness of the egg and yolk and the saltiness of the ham made me think of breakfast, and the richness of the perfectly seared and silky smooth foie gras made me think of pure decadence. It was like the most perfect wake-up sandwich ever. The terrine was quite salty, especially with the cured ham in the center, but the soft spongecake like pastry shell that wrapped the terrine has a gently sweetness and soft texture that made it feel so rich and luxurious.

Chicken and Dumplings
The chicken breast was a roulade rolled around organ meat and other white meat on top of braised dark thigh meat accompnied with long potato dumplings and topped with a small and delicious triangle chip of chicken skin. It was very flavourful, with a deep rustic taste and the breast had a very soft supple, nearly spongy texture.

Ikejime Tai, Smoked Soba Noodles and Crab, Oolong Tea Broth
The sea bream from Japan was prefectly cooked, flaky and moist flesh with a nice crispy crunchy char on top. The oolong tea broth was refreshingly bright with a pleasant sour taste that played well with the sweet pieces of crab and sea bream. The udon added a nice chew to bring it all together in your mouth and make the flavours last in your mouth. Very well thought out and executed.

Sorbet Popsicle
Our palette cleanser with a petite rasberry sorbet popsicle that did it’s job in a whimsical way.

Strip Loin of Japanese Wagyu Beef and Braised Cheek of California Wagyu with Cauliflower Risotto, Bordelaise
I always wondered if true Japanese Kobe was different from it’s American cousin Wagyu and I finally got my answer. Although the cuts were different and both were wonderfully delicious, the Japanese strip loin offered that melt in your mouth tenderness and strong fatty flavor that I dream of, while the American cheek was soft and not too cheeky, it was not as fatty or tender. The risotto was creamy but still had the texture of each grain of rice and the bordelaise had a strong deep flavor. The strip loin was accompanied with a creamy and rich hollandaise sauce which was a little overpowering but it was served on the side so you could apply at your own discretion.

Artisanal and Farmhouse Cheese with Breads and Fruits
I am not super into cheese but the assortment was delicious. Nothing too strong or challengingly but everything went wonderfully with the housemade fruitcake and candied nuts and sliced apple and bread.

Green Cardamom Ice Cream with Pineapple-Yuzu Granite, Ginger Moscate
The ice cream came out room temperature which made me think it was a mouse or a whipped cream but it helped bring out the gently herbal flavor. The ginger moscate has a strong bite and the pineapple-yuzu granite had a refreshing sweetness.

Blood Orange Souffle with Champagne Anglaise, Chocolate Torte
The souffle was absolutely perfect. It was light, fluffy and eggy. Unfortunately, the chocolate cheesecake torte wasn’t very flavorful and while it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t on the same level as all the other dishes.

Mignardises
The house made candies were a delight. All the usual suspects like truffles, soft fruit jellies, and flavored marshmellows but also some nice takes on old classics like the tootsie roll.

Take away brownie
The parting gift was a wonderfully dense chocolate fudge brownie was presented in a beautiful box. It was wrapped with an imprint of the question “Tomorrow?” which was suppose to ask if the brownie could make it til the next day but really seemed like an invitation to dine divinely two days in a row.

I was really surprised that I had not heard about Cyrus until recently. It might not use all the modern food tech of foams and sous-vide but it does not need to. Everything was beautiful and delicious and the service was inviting and friendly while formal and elegant at the same time. I was expecting a strictly french affair but was pleasantly surprised with well thought out and not at all gimmicky uses of asian ingredients and influences. I cannot recommend this place enough and cannot wait my return.

I love sandwiches and in my top ten sandwiches in the world, the roasted pork panini from Laurel St. Cafe in San Carlos, CA is near the top of my list. It’s perfect in every way: tender meat sliced thin with melty gooey cheese, a little brightness from a slice of stewed tomato and herbs, but most importantly - the generously applied caramelized onion jam which provides a deep sweetness to bring it all together. Unfortunately, Laurel St Cafe is closing Feb 27th 2008 as the mom and pop owners will be returning to their native France, but do yourself a favor and grab a pork sandwich before it’s gone.

Laurel St. Cafe
741 Laurel Street
San Carlos, California 94070
phone: 650.598.7613
Lunch 11-3 Tuesday-Saturday
Dinner 5:15-8 Thursday-Saturday
Brunch 10-3 on Saturday and Sunday
Closed Tues and Wed Evenings for Winter (Jan & Feb)

  ”In Haiti, the prices of rice, beans, condensed milk and fruit have ballooned by around 50 percent in a year, leaving the poor to rely on cookies made of mud. And even the price of that makeshift food — which the report called “a traditional Haitian remedy for hunger pangs” — has gone up, though it is still about $5 for 100 cookies.” Link to nytimes story

The French Laundry
6640 Washington Street
Yountville, CA 94599
707.944.2380

The French Laundry is a once in a lifetime event that I have had the pleasure of experiencing three times so far. And while the first is the most memorable, each subsequent visit has been pure bliss. It is not for everyone, especially with its increasing price tag, but if you love food then you will love the French Laundry.

We did the chef’s tasting menu and I of course opted for the foie gras supplement.

“Oysters and Pearls” is their signature starter and is a perfect pairing of delicate, clean and fresh oysters and a generous dollop of caviar in a sabayon that really delights the tongue.

Moulard Duck Foie Gras en Terrine was an additional $30 and worth every penny. The terrine it self was smooth and rich and when combined with the still warm from the oven brioche and the fresh for the garden white strawberries was the definition of foodgasm.

“Tartare” of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. Even something as overdone as Bluefin Tuna tartare becomes something wonderful. The tuna is fresh but even more impressive are the delicious toybox tomatoes that are tart and sweet and when combined with the pasta and mayonnaise the flavors expand in your mouth to fill your entire head.

Sweet Butter-Poached Maine Lobster Tail was so beautifully delicious I almost wept for joy. The plate had a sweet corn pudding that had the essence of perfect sweet corn that complimented and did not overpower the perfectly cooked lobster that was right inbetween firmness and softness. Combined with the mushrooms and figs it can an earthiness and tangy sweetness that really contrasted with the lobster to make it stand out that much more. Absolutely perfect.

All Day-Braised Kurobuta Pork Belly was the only dish I thought was just good and not great nor perfect. The pork belly separated in your mouth but didn’t completely melt. And the flavors were not as strong as the chinese braised pork it takes its inspiration from. The jasmine rice found underneath was wet, almost with a risotto like consistency and the bok choy and mushroom gave it a more complete taste but again this was just good in the presence of greatness.

Snake River Farm “Calotte de Boeuf Grillee” was excellent - tender and full of beef flavor. It was accompanied with wonderfully tasty crispy bone marrow that added texture as well as flavor. The “sauce bordelaise” was not too heavy and there was not too much to not distract from the high quality of the beef itself.

Meadow Creek “Grayson” was the cheese course. It was a strongly flavored hard cheese served with garden beans, frisee lettuce and a chorizo emulsion.

Jacobsen’s Farm Apple Sorbet was amazing. It had the pure essence quality that is so concentrated and so vivid yet not overwhelming. The ginger foam added a welcomed little bite against the sweet tartness of the apple.

Candied Cashew Nut Tart reminded me of a candy bar, or more like the flavors that a candy bar strive to achieve but in a more more refined way. The salted cashew ice cream and concord grape jam when combined with the tart blended into a creamy nutty and fruity concoction that leaves a big smile on your face.

“Delice Au Chocolat Et a la Menthe” was like an andes mint ice cream sandwich. The presentation impressed my fellow diners and the taste was just the right amount of chocolate and mint to leave you satisfied. Light and delicious.

Pot De Creme was served as an additional dessert that was not on the menu was was a pleasant surprise. It was very simple but the favors were rich and creamy.

Chocolate covered macadamia nuts were house made and dusted in powdered sugar. These were some of the best I’ve had and I ate nearly the whole bowl since my dining companions were already stuffed a few courses back.

Assorted house made chocolate truffles were another gift from the chef and yes, you can have one of each. The smooth chocolate shell held your usual suspects of fillings but that didn’t make them any less enjoyable.

Shortbread cookies are the take home gift and are delicious the next day as well. It’s a nice touch to keep the experience alive long after you have left the restaurant.

I always worry that going to the French Laundry will set impossibly high standards for all my meals to follow but it actually has a much different effect. It re-awakens my senses and my appreciation of food and dining and for that, $300 almost seems like a bargain.