This is extremely delayed, but.... visited San Francisco for the first time (that I can remember) this past Labor Day weekend! All I can say is, super jealous of the amazing weather all year round, but we're having a pretty warm winter season here in NYC this year so thanks El Niño! Anyway, a brief photo summary of this past vacation:
I can't imagine a more perfect way to end a day of wine tasting in Napa Valley than dinner with a few of your closest friends on the terrace of Auberge Du Soleil, overlooking an amazing view as the sun sets. The service and food was decent, though I feel a large contributor to their one-Michelin star award would probably be its location / view.
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Amuse + Palette cleanser:Tomato + Ricotta, Corn soup (I think) and
Appetizer: Sauteed Foie Gras
Second Course: Seared Ahi Tuna
Main: Prime Beef Pave
Dessert: Chocolate Devil's Food Cake, Mint Ice Cream |
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| If only every day could end like this... |
No words (that I could come up with, at least) could ever perfectly describe just how good Benu is. It has been called Asian fusion, but comparing it to those "Fusion"-style restaurants so many of us are familiar with is like saying Babbo, Batali's pasta haven in New York's West Village, tastes just like Olive Garden. I know, blasphemy, right? Having been awarded its third Michelin star only a year ago, Corey Lee's Benu is both classic and innovative. Being Asian, our group was very familiar with many of the flavors and concepts presented to us, but each dish still managed to surprise and impress us with its execution. That being said, culinary perfection does not come cheap - tasting menu without wine, tip or tax is currently priced at $248 per person.
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| Small Delicacies pt. 1: Caviar, winter melon, chicken cream |
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| Small Delicacies pt. 2: Fried Okra |
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| Small Delicacies pt. 3: Oyster |
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| Small Delicacies pt. 4: Beggar's Purse with Truffle, Quail Jelly |
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| Small Delicacies pt. 5: Beef tendon, sea cucumber, lobster sauce |
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| Small Delicacies pt. 6: Abalone |
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| Small Delicacies pt. 7 (last one of first course!): Eel taco |
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| Bread course served with butter and ginger-infused honey... not going to lie, we had seconds |
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| Course 2: Thousand-Year-Old Quail Egg, Potage, Ginger |
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| Course 3: Tomato, Celtuce, XO |
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| Course 4: Foie Gras Xiao Long Bao |
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| Course 5: Sea Urchin in Fermented Crab Sauce |
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| Course 6: Cucumber, Pine Nut (substituted from Peanut), Black Truffle Bun |
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| Course 7: Whole Braised Abalone, Potato, Onion, Mustard |
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| Course 8: Beef Rib, Burdock, Wood Ear Mushroom |
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| Course 9: "Shark Fin", Dungeness Crab, Jinhua Ham, Egg White |
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| Course 10: Hosui Pear Sorbet |
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| Tea course |
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| Course 11: Apricot, Osmanthus, Almond |
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| After Dessert: Chocolate |
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