Orschwiller

by Wen France

Things to Do & See

CHATEAU DU HAUT-KOENIGSBOURG

The castle sits atop an imposing hill with great views over the entire area. It is around 700 years old and was destroyed in wars and abandoned but at the end of the 19th century the German emperor Wilhelm II had it renovated. Worth to take a visit as it gives you an idea how people used to live.

Beautiful castle up in the hills of Alsace
You can’t miss the Chateau when driving through the Alsace, it dominates a position high up on a mountain looking over the valley.

Epernay

by Wen France

Things to Do & See

MOET ET CHANDON

Established in 1743 by Claude Moët. We chose the tour with 2 champagnes at the end, the Imperial and the rose. Our well versed guide took us on an very informative tour. She showed us around the caves and explained their manufacture process. You will amazed at the caves holding rows and rows of bottles. Nearly a billion at this date.

These Champagnes are blends of the grape trio Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.

The taste is smooth, very easy to drink. Quite minerally with citrus and soda water flavors.

BENU

by Wen Michelin Star San Francisco Bay Area

Benu

22 Hawthorne St.,San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 685-4860
www.benusf.com
Asian Fusion

18 Course Tasting Menu

1st Course

Thousand-year old quail egg, potage, ginger

2nd Course

Oyster, pork belly, kimchi

3rd Course

Potato salad with anchovy

4th Course

Wild salmon roe, eggplant, buckwheat, perlla

5th Course

Chicken liver steamed in rice wine, caviar, green apple, radish, brioche

6th Course

eel, feuille de brick, crème fraîche, lime

7th Course

Sesame tofu, black moss, baby corn.

Tomato and preserved plum

9th Course

Lobster coral xiao long bao

10th Course

Salt and pepper squid

11th Course

Sablefish, soft shell clam, black bean, squash

12th Course

Abalone blanquette

13th Course

Duck, cucumber, scallion, Shaoxing wine, black truffle bun

14th Course

Roast quail, turnip, spicy cabbage, cherry

15th Course

“Shark’s fin” soup, dungeness crab, Jinhua ham, black truffle custard

16th Course

Melon, sake, pine

17th Course

Spice cake, blueberry, yogurt, oatmeal ice cream

18th Course

Chocolates

SCARPETTA

by Wen New York

Scarpetta

355 W 14th Street, New York, NY 10014
(212) 691-0555
www.scarpettanyc.com
Italian

Dinner Menu

The place has a great vibe with a warm atmosphere, great lighting and a nice buzz. The prices at Scarpetta still keep it in the range of what most would consider a fancy dinner, but the atmosphere is less stuffy and many of the dishes are straightforward. The pasta portion is hearty and generous. Some of the dishes are truly outstanding, while others are just good but not stellar.

Bread & Butter

Bread basket with stromboli, plus butter, mascarpone, caponata, and lemony olive oil.

Mozzarella in Carozza

Fried fresh mozzarella with heirloom tomatoes.

Bibb Salad

Tagliatelle

Tagliatelle with spring vegetables, guanciale & truffle zabaglione.

Panna Cotta

with guava soup and caramelized pineapples.

EATALY

by Wen New York

Eataly

200 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010
(212) 229-2560
www.eataly.com
Italian

What to expect

Eataly is a high-end Italian food market/mall chain. There are different sections for meats, cheese, coffee, fish, vegetables, gelato, bread, pastas, etc. They have sit-down restaurants, stand up stations and take out. Eataly gets very crowded, so do expect to be surrounded by large crowds.

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Polpo Alla Piastra

Grilled octopus with mixed greens.

Tonno Alla Sicillian

Sicilian style tuna with summer beans and almonds from Noto, Sicily.

Pan Seared Salmon

Pan seared Salmon served with seasonal accompaniments.

ROBATAYA NY

by Wen New York

Robataya NY

231 East 9th Street, New York, NY 10003
(212) 979-9674
www.robataya-ny.com
Japanese 炉端焼き

Dinner Menu

The food is fresh and simply prepared. If you sit by the chefs at the wooden counter, you can watch the theatrics of the nimble, slipper-clad servers working the robata grill—climbing on the counter to reach raw ingredients, extending a paddle toward diners seated at the bar to hand off the finished dish. The menu offered a range of small plates, in addition to the proteins and vegetables prepared simply on the grill. The best dish we tried was among the simplest—kamameshi, a pot of slow-cooked seasoned white rice topped with snow crab.

Eryngi

Eryngi Mushroom with Salt.

Shishito

Japanese Green Pepper with Soy Sauce.

Ninniku

Elephant Garlic with Miso.

Madai Sashimi

Hotate

Sea Scallop in Umami Soup.

Ebi

Langostino Prawn.

Kamameshi

Kamameshi with Snow Crab.

Eggplant

Asparagus

Momo

California Free Range Chicken Thigh with Salt.

Kamo

Long Island Duck with Salt.

JEAN GEORGES

by Wen Michelin Star New York

Jean Georges

1 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023
(212) 299-3900
www.jean-georges.com
French

Lunch Menu

Lunch at Jean-Georges is quite a deal at two plates for $38 with each additional plate at $19. Despite the price, it has all the trappings of the three-star experience: the refined plating, the sleek decor with neutral colors and tons of natural light, the flawless service. For me, though, the food doesn’t measure up to that of the other restaurants with three Michelin stars. It’s like there’s one flavor missing from every dish.

Amuse Bouche

Egg Caviar

Soft-scrambled eggs served in the shell, topped with whipped cream and a spoonful of caviar.

Sea Scallops

Caramelized Cauliflower, Caper-Raisin Emulsion

Maine Ruby Shrimp

Sea Urchin, Green Chili and Lime

Foie Gras

Strawberry Granola, Aged Balsamic and Sorrel

Black Sea Bass

Crusted with Nuts and Seeds, Sweet and Sour Jus

Caramel

Caramelized Pineapple, Carrot Cake and Molasses Sticky Toffee Cake, Young Coconut Sorbet and Tamarind Caramel.

Marshmallow

Strawberry Rhubarb Macaroons

Chocolates

Shake Shack

by Wen New York

Shake Shack

Madison Square Park (Madison Ave. & E.23rd St.)
(212) 889-6600
www.shakeshack.com/
American

‘Shroom Burger

Crisp-fried portobello mushroom filled with melted muenster and cheddar cheeses, topped with lettuce, tomato, and ShackSauce.

Concretes

Dense frozen custard blended at high speed with mix-ins.

ShackBurger

Cheeseburger topped with onion and ShackSauce.

THE BAZAAR by José Andrés

by Wen Los Angeles

The Bazaar

465 S La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 246-5555
www.thebazaar.com/
Spanish

Modern Tapas Menu

Amuse Bouche

Not Your Everyday Caprese

cherry tomatoes, liquid mozzarella

Japanese Taco

grilled eel, shiso, cucumber, wasabi, chicbarron

Smoked Yellowtail & Crispy Rice

yogburt, grapes, capers, radish

Croquetas de Pollo

chicken bécbamel fritters

Sauteed Shrimp

garlic, guindilla pepper

White Asparagus with Miso

california walnuts

Duck Liver Sandwiches

quince, toasted brioche

Philly

Boneless Buffalo Chicken Wings

bleu cheese, celery

Pa’amb Tomaquet Catalan Style

toasted bread, manchego, tomato

Tomato Watermelon Skewers

lemon dressing, basil

Nitro Coconut Flating Island

passion fruit and vanilla

Hot Chocolate

Sweets

salted caramel, rice crispy, and chocolate chip cookie

MELISSE 2012

by Wen Los Angeles

Melisse

1104 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 395-0881
www.melisse.com
French

FOUR COURSE TASTING MENU – 2012

The environment there is very laid back and the servers are quite friendly. The food, as they deliver what they describe exactly. We had an amazing meal and an amazing experience overall. This is a real culinary treat.

Amuse Bouche

Bread & Butter

Santa Barbara Spot Prawn

Celtuce, razor clam, uni and geoduck

White Asparagus

A single spear of white asparagus with morel mushrooms and some sort of magical buttery sauce that made me want to lick the plate.

True Day boat Scallop “Rossini”

Maine Lobster

Morel mushrooms, asparagus, toasted macadamia nut emulsion, jamón ibérico bellota

Passion Fruit Soufflé Glacé

Coconut sorbet, pistachio and lemongrass.

Petit Fours

SWAN OYSTER DEPOT

by Wen San Francisco Bay Area

Swan Oyster Depot

1517 Polk Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 673-1101
Seafood

What to expect

Having lived in San Franciso for several years, I’ve never thought about this place. It was on one of Anthony Bourdain’s shows and since a friend was visiting from LA, we decided to check this place out. It’s a small place (a bar with about 20 stools) so expect to wait in line (hour+).

Clam Chowder

The clam chowder wasn’t what I’m used to. It had the clam flavor but it was a bit watery.

Shrimp Cocktail

lots baby shrimp and cocktail sauce

Oysters

mixed dozen oysters

Combination Sashimi Sicilian Style

salmon, tuna, capers, olive oil, red onion, black pepper

MASA’S

by Wen San Francisco Bay Area

Masa’s

648 Bush Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 989-7154
French
closed on 2013

CHEF’S TASTING MENU

I was treated to Masa’s for my birthday dinner. The dining room is quite old-fashioned and very quiet. We went with their 9 Course Tasting Menu. The preparations were complex in flavor, well-plated, and used modern techniques. Overall, a great dining experience for special occasions.