The Raving Palate is an organization of restauranteurs & dining connoisseurs reviewing on dining experiences at upscale restaurants throughout California and the United States.
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We'll be following in the footsteps of @Bourdain as we revisit some of the spots in The Layover. Follow #BourdainWasHere @travelchannel #sf
â the raving palate (@ravingpalate) November 22, 2013
First stop: Off the Grid in San Francisco with some delicious treats from the food trucks. Small kitchens, but some surprisingly big flavors!
Amazing Bacon Fried Chicken Sandwich @otgsf courtesy of @BaconBaconSF . Review coming soon at http://t.co/Q9tVJFd2ip pic.twitter.com/2GoKGcvCgo
â the raving palate (@ravingpalate) November 24, 2013
Today's trip was made possible by WerYoo, an app for iPhone that connects people and pictures using locations. WerYoo users - follow us (@ravingpalate) and comment on our pictures!
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To give life to beauty, the painter uses a whole range of colours, musicians of sounds, the cook of tastes â and it is indeed remarkable that there are seven colours, seven musical notes and seven tastes.
Lucien Tendret (1825-1896) âLa Table au pays de Brillat-Savarinâ
Address: 6534 Washington Street, Yountville, CA 94599
Phone:Â 707.944.8037
Website:Â http://www.bouchonbistro.com
twitter:Â @BouchonYV
Food: French bistro
Attended: Lunch
Decor/Ambiance: Contemporary French bistro, lots of natural light
Cost: $$
Rave Factor: 5 Stars
Service: Â 3/4Â Â Â Food: Â 4/4Â Â Â Presentation: Â 3/4Â Â Â Concept: Â 4/4Â Â Â Value: 4/4
Review:Â
Going into Bouchon, by highly decorated American chef Thomas Keller, one would have high expectations: and it did not disappoint. Situated next to the famous Bouchon Bakery, this restaurant sits in a red brick building right across from Chiarelloâs Bottega with ample entertainment, shops, art galleries and beautiful scenery. Bouchon serves as a great spot for French bistro lunch fare and, in rare form amongst other restaurants in Yountville, is open until midnight.
Traditional french bread was served, resembling quite like Robuchonâs bread. Nothing to complain about; it was quite acceptable as temporary relief from hunger (kudos to those who can guess this reference) as the waitress listed off les plats du jour. There is a lengthy wine and cocktail list for your perusal; we settled on a nice riesling for my sweet-biased wine palate.
Appetizer course started with Assiette de Charcuterie: a fine selection of truffled duck pate, pork risette, spicy cured pork slices, prosciutto, accompanied by assorted pickled vegetables, dijon mustard, sea salt, and a cherry jam. The pate was rich and, most importantly, had an excellent, smooth texture, making it one of the highlights of the dish. The truffle added into the pate gave it a nice buttery flavor, which went beautifully with the cherry jam on the petite baguettes. The other meat selections were wonderfully prepared, especially the spicy pork slices which had the right amount of peppercorn to give it nice heat, but did not overpower the savory pork. The pickled vegetables served as the other highlight, with each one complementing every meat selection perfectly. The acidity balanced the entire course quite well. A beautifully prepared charcuterie overall.
First entree was their traditional Croque Madame: grilled ham and cheese sandwich on brioche with a fried egg and sauce Mornay served with crispy French fries. Presentation first off was excellent. French fries were golden and crisp to the touch. Mornay sauce poured over the whites of the friend egg and Bouchon did this sauce beautifully; it was rich and creamy and the slight hint of nutmeg was nice. Ham was nicely salted and the French fries were cooked perfectly -- right amount of salt and thin and crispy like the way I generally prefer fries.Â
Second entree was le Poulet Roti: roasted chicken with riz rouge, marinated eggplant, pickled beech mushrooms, mizuna and chicken jus. Chicken was cooked perfectly, with a nice crispy skin that would make Gordon Ramsey happy; seasoned beautifully and the pickled mushrooms added the right amount of acidity to the dish. Chicken jus packed a lot of flavor and the little bit of mizuna gave a nice peppery flavor to the dish -- a nice choice over arugula which would have been overpowering. Riz rouge was slightly overcooked, but still enjoyable in the jus nonetheless.
Dessert course was one of their specials for the day: Chocolate Bouchon bites with mint ice cream and chocolate sauce. This was a perfect ending to the meal. Chocolate bites were miniature delicious, light brownies with a semisweet chocolate sauce served warm. Mint ice cream was truly the standout here: real mint infused ice cream where the natural mint flavor was bright, yet subtle enough to be the perfect complement to the brownies. A real surprise were the candied mint leaves around the dish that were perfectly crispy.
Overall, a wonderful dining experience. Service was good; entrees were a tad bit slow to come out, but the rich flavors and smart combinations more than made up for it.
Aside from the food, Bouchon is located in such a beautiful town, which would make it all the more reason for future visits.
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Address: 100 W. San Carlos Street, San Jose, CA 95113
Phone:Â 408.278.4555
Website:Â http://michaelmina.net/restaurants/locations/arsj.php?restaurant_id=9
twitter: @ArcadiaSteak
Food: Modern American, Steakhouse
Attended: Dinner
Decor/Ambiance: Contemporary, dark woods, leather, and glass
Cost: $$
Rave Factor: 5 Stars
Service: Â 3/4Â Â Â Food: Â 4/4Â Â Â Presentation: Â 3/4Â Â Â Concept: Â 4/4Â Â Â Value: 4/4
Review:Â
This restaurant was fine in food and in service. The food was seasoned very well and the presentation was simple. We've always been a fan of simple foods: nothing fussy, where the main ingredient can really shine through. The service was great and the atmosphere was romantic. Great date night place!
Our appetizers were tuna tartare and rock shrimp louie. The tartare was prepared table side and the portion was big enough for two people! It was delicious and the use of pear gave it the right amount of crunch to balance out the texture of the tuna. The rock shrimp louie was good, but not memorable. The flavors were good, but we wish there was even more flavor to it -- it was a tad bland. The shrimp was cooked nicely though.
The support staff was quick to clear our plates and fill out waters. Always a plus!
The entrees: strip steak and kurobuta porkchop. The strip steak was seasoned beautifully and we appreciated how they put the sauce on the side in a separate cup instead of all over the strip steak, as most restaurants do. We appreciate a nice piece of steak that is not drowned out by sauces. The waiter suggested the bearnaise, but we preferred the worchester vinaigrette with the strip steak. This was a winner among steak houses.
The kurobuta porkchop: how do you describe perfection? It was the most delicious pork chop I have ever had. Medium rare. It was tender, moist and most importantly, not chewy! This is a definite must if you are not the mood for steak. It was seasoned well and cooked perfectly.
We also had the duck fat fries, which we saw other reviews rave about. These are a must as well! They cook them so they are crispy and the duck fat gives it a nice flavor that compliments the other dishes we had.
For dessert: chocolate lava cake and banana tarte. The chocolate lava cake was really well done. The lava was nice and warm. It did get a little messy, but overall very delicious. It wasn't a unique or memorable cake, but well-done nonetheless. The banana tarte was spectacular! The phyllo dough was cooked nicely, and didn't taste store-bought. The banana on top was scrumptious! It tasted like a banana's fosters, but better because it had phyllo dough! Everything is better with a little bit of phyllo dough!
All in all, a very nice showing by a Michael Mina restaurant. It showcases the chef's tastes and inspiration very well. The food was nice and simple and the flavors were really spot on. The service was wonderful, though it did get slow between the entree and dessert. The waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable of the menu and we were completely satisfied with our service from our waiter and the support staff. We will definitely return!
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I have long believed that good food, good eating is all about risk. Whether weâre talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime âassociates,â food, for me, has always been an adventure.
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Service: Â Â 4/4 Â Â Food: Â Â 3/4Â Â Â Â Presentation: Â Â 4/4Â Â Â Concept: Â Â 2/4Â Â Â Value: Â Â 3/4
To sum up our experience in a single word: REDEMPTION.
On the second visit, we experienced the food and service that we had hoped for on our initial visit and it became clear how a restaurant of this caliber had earned its high acclaim. A strange encounter with duplicity, on this occasion we found the Dr. Jekyll to the previous Mr. Hyde. The food, presentation, concept, and value remained consistent compared to our last visit, but what elevated the experience was the prompt, polite, and professional service - so much so that it arrived just short of a 5 Star rating.
Review:
Our waiter Scott was fantastic! Very attentive, everything a waiter should be! Once again, the support staff was attentive as well. Great service all around this time. Once it picked up, the service slowed, but not to the point where we felt neglected, as was the case during our first experience.Â
We were seated promptly and drinks were served immediately. Scott came to us very quickly with menus in hand and was fully knowledgeable of the specials and menu. Off to a good start.
The amuse bouche for the night was a slow poached egg with maple syrup and miso cream. The miso cream was very light and was done beautifully. However, Alexander's should re-examine the use of maple syrup, as such sweetness early on in a meal (and on an empty stomach) can have the opposite effect for which it was intended.
Our dishes were cleared promptly and our glasses were always full. Nice to see this aspect of the service is always consistent.
Appetizers were tempura short ribs and smoked gyu carpaccio. The tempura short ribs were delicious. The tempura was the right thickness and had just enough crunch without feeling like a mouthful of fried tempura mix. The accompanying maitake mushrooms did not add much in the way of flavor to the dish. The dipping sauce that came with it was lovely.
The carpaccio was presented beautifully with nice colors. The first impressions of the carpaccio were that it was presented beautifully with nice colors and that there was a lot going on in the dish. Though it's appearance was complex, the textures and flavors were spot on.
The intermezzo of a pomegranate gelee with apple pearls and micro cilantro was refreshing. We really liked how the gelee was not too sweet or thick, just enough to bridge our first courses with the entree and cleanse the palate.
Entrees consisted of filet mignon with a demi-glace and the sous-vide jidori chicken. The filet was slightly overcooked without ruining the taste. This would have been an opportunity to just season the meat beautifully and let it shine through on its own.Â
The sous-vide jidori chicken was well-cooked; juicy and tender all the way through with a crispy skin that came off nicely. A well-seasoned dish. The popcorn foam on top was underwhelming and did not give off the contrast in flavors we were anticipating. The green garlic puree was good, but did not come across as garlic, it was much more acidic. The portioning could have been reduced to half the size as much of the chicken was left unfinished.Â
After the entrees, we noticed the service slowing down a bit because the dinner rush was in full swing. It took a good 20-25 minutes between finishing our entree to ordering our dessert. Ordinarily this would have seemed long, but we were enjoying the company and compared to our initial visit, the slow-down was nothing.
For dessert, we had the Love Bites and the Southern Belle. The Love Bites (chocolate hazelnut sponge cake, praline parfait, citrus coulis, candied hazelnut, and praline powder) dessert was good, but did not wow us. We would have preferred something richer like a ganache to complement the hazelnut. The Southern Belle dessert was not our favorite. The smoked ice cream was a bit too savory and the bourbon glazed peaches seemed to have their natural flavor cooked out of them. The corn sponge cake was very airy and did not add anything to the overall flavors of the dish. We would be interested in revisiting their dessert menu for other options in the future.
But all in all, an excellent dining experience. We are glad to have come back and change our minds about this restaurant. Well done, and PLEASE keep this kind of high quality service up!