LA FOLIE

La Folie

2316 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 776-5577
www.lafolie.com
French

CHEF’S FIVE COURSE MENU

We ordered the 5 course piggy menu and were STUFFED. You don’t want to ruin your expensive meal by overeating! Presentation is beautiful. The dessert course was probably the least outstanding.

Bread

french baguette

Amuse Bouche

egg yolk with leek cream soup

Osetra Caviar

Brentwood Farms Sweet Corn Soup

lobster, truffle, crispy sweetbreads

Seared Day Boat Scallop & Crispy Sweetbreads

on nantais carrot puree, truffle vinaigrette

Quail and Squab

stuffed with mushrooms, wrapped in crispy potato strings, truffled jus

Seasonal Sorbets

mixed berries sorbet and yuzu granite, passion fruit sorbet cannoli

Petit Fours

chocolate plantain, canele de bourdeaux, madeleines with brandied cherries, apricot pate de fruit

Brenda’s French Soul Food

by Wen San Francisco Bay Area

Brenda’s French Soul Food

652 Polk St, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 345-8100
frenchsoulfood.com
Cajun

Sunday Brunch

A taste of Lousiana! We were excited to try it out based on the reviews and always seeing the line formed outside, which is usually a good sign. They have good beignets, big and fluffy. The cheddar grits was a bit too cheesy and heavy for me. Overall atmosphere is very open and bright. Portions are really big so make sure to share!

Beignet Flight

plain, chocolate, granny smith apple, crayfish

Granny Smith Apple

sweetened with cinnamon honey butter

Crayfish

spiced with cayenne, scallions & cheddar

Chocolate

molten Ghirardelli chocolate

Eggs Benedict

two poached eggs on cream biscuits with creole hollandaise and grits

Shrimp & Grits

sauteed shrimp, cheddar grits, spicy tomato-bacon gravy

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

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.

Amuse Bouche

cheese puffs

Amuse Bouche

oyster, farm raised osetera caviar

Bread

brioche roll, sourdough

Violet Artichokes

marble potatoes, fiddlehead ferns, deviled egg sauce

Grilled Asparagus

twenty minute quail egg, horse mackerel, pickled hon-shemiji

Fruits de Mer

lobster, uni, calamari, daikon, tosaka, aji amarillo, black sesame

Octopus

spring onions, chorizo consomme

Maine Monkfish

celery root, black trompette mushrooms

Hot Foie Gras

baby turnips, vinegar sauce, fried onions

Whole Roasted Paine Farms Squab Breast

baby bok choy, kohlrabi

Cheese Course

Palate Cleanser

juicy, tart, sweet tangerine granite

Birthday Coconut Panna Cotta

key lime, lima dolce, silver lime

Petit Fours

chocolates, lollipops, macaroon

SANTOUKA

by Wen San Francisco Bay Area

Santouka

Mitsuwa Marketplace
675 Saratoga Avenue, San Jose, CA 95129
(408) 446-1101
www.santouka.co.jp
Japanese

Toroniku Hiyashi Chuka

summer only cold ramen

Shio Ramen

mild and creamy soup seasoned with salt and topped off with a Japanese pickled plum

AME

by Wen San Francisco Bay Area

Ame

St Regis Hotel
689 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 284-4040
Japanese/American
closed at 2016

Appetizer

Uni Bruschetta

Appetizer

Main Course

grilled quail with pithivier of foie gras, cipollini, asparagus and truffle sauce

Dessert

strawberry parfait with iced strawberry milk and sesame honeycomb

PARALLEL 37

by Wen San Francisco Bay Area

Parallel 37

The Ritz-Carlton
600 Stockton Street, San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 773-6168
ww.parallel37sf.com
American

CHEF’S TASTING MENU

First Course

caviar

Second Course

sashimi

Third Course

black truffle ravioli

Fourth Course

lobster

Fifth Course

foie gras

Sixth Course

pork belly

Seventh Course

scallops

Dessert

PARCEL 104

by Wen San Francisco Bay Area

Parcel 104

The Santa Clara Marriott
2700 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, CA 95054
(408) 970-6104
www.parcel104.com
American

Dinner Menu – 2009

Use local fresh ingredients. Food is good but Parcel 104 is dessert only for me. I like their caramel flan, it was a taste explosion on a spoon!

Corn Soup

dungeness crab, caviar, salmon roe

Foie Gras

pan seared Sonoma foie gras

Soba Tuna

seared tuna with soba

Dessert

flan with caramel sauce, donut, vanilla milk shake

[space ]

Dinner Menu – FEB 2011

I went back to Parcel 104 for dinner and this time the meal was delicious. They also change menu quite often so you get to try different dishes with good seasonal ingredients.

Poached Egg

Foie Gras

foie gras terrine, orange, blueberry muffin

Scallops

dayboat scallops, wild mushroom risotto

Dessert

chocolate muffin, chocolate cake, raspberry sorbet

Famous Flan

rich, smooth, & silky

Gary Danko

by Wen Michelin Star San Francisco Bay Area

Gary Danko

800 North Point Street, San Francisco, CA 94109
(415) 749-2060
garydanko.com
French

Chef’s Tasting Menu

This is a very popular restaurant in San Francisco. Had to book a few months in advance. We opted for the 5-course dinner and each course was elegantly presented. Every item from beginning to end was extraordinary. I just could not finish everything- it was very rich. The chocolate souffle is a must.

Corn Soup

Truffle Risotto

Seared Foie Gras

Pan-fried Wild Salmon

Cheese Platter

Dessert

chocolate Soufflé

Petit Fours

JARDINIERE

by Wen San Francisco Bay Area

Jardinière

300 Grove Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 861-5555
www.jardiniere.com
French/California

CHEF’S TASTING MENU

Service was warm and informative. Jardiniere has classy ambiance and practically next door to the SF Opera House and the Symphony Hall. The tasting menu was great and interesting but not memorable.

White Bean Soup

Cauliflower polenta, caviar, and cucumber.

Seared Ahi Tuna with Bacon

Risotto

Squab

California squab, foie gras, spring onion, and wild ramps.

Strawberry Napoleon

Layers of flaky puff pastry, pillowy vanilla filling, and sliced ripe strawberries.