I love January, as every year, Dine About Town hits San Francisco. As I've mentioned in previous posts, it's a month-long promotion with a gaggle of great SF restaurants participating, where you can either get a 3-course lunch for $21.95 or a 3-course dinner for $31.95. I usually use it as an excuse to try restaurants on my "Try" list that I haven't gotten to yet, or they seem a little pricy and this is a good opportunity to try it on a reasonable budget.
From the list of partcipating restaurants, we narrowed it down to a few based on their menu, and then got a reservation where we could. This time, it was Tablespoon, a nice little restaurant in the hopping Polk Street section of Russian Hill, serving a New American menu by Chef Rob Reischer. Their catchphrase is "A New Measure of Bistro". The downside is the parking situation, it's a toughie, so bank on more time if you want to come here with your car.
Key, Wendy and I stuck to the Dine About Town menu, while renegade Will chose to go a la carte and try some of the Tablespoon's signature dishes.
We shared a bottle of a Le Pas de l'Escalette Grenache/Syrah blend ("Petit Pas"), which was nice and light to complement the wide range of dishes.
(The picture lighting was not ideal, bright in the room, resulting in slightly too dark no-flash pics and too bright flash pics...)
Key, Wendy and I started with the Braised "Kurobata" Pork Cheeks with savoy cabbage, bacon, champagne and whole grain mustard. I had just gone to the dentist, so my mouth was sore, but I was pleased with how tender the pork cheeks were. The cabbage/bacon/whole grain mustard was a nice compliment, reminding me of really good sauerkraut.
Will started with an appetizer-size portion of Tablespoon's signature Macaroni and Cheese, with sharp cheddar and applewood smoke bacon. This is one of the best mac n' cheeses that I've had in a long time, maybe the best. The dish was perfectly balanced with the cheddar and although it was rich, was not overwhelming with cream like some dishes can be. Delish!
For entree, Wendy and I both chose the Seared Cod with braised fennel and lobster broth. The fennel was really nice, I wanted more! Part of the reason I chose the cod was because of my sore mouth, but I enjoyed this dish because it was light yet filling. The lobster broth was really flavorful, skirting the balance of not overwhelming the cod. Perfect with bread.
Will chose the other signature dish of the Braised Duck Ravioli with maitake mushrooms, huckleberry and foie gras sauce. He chose wisely. The ravioli was rich with lots of sumptuous duck meat and I'm a sucker for foie gras sauce, so it was a winner. Surprisingly not too rich too. A definite must-have next time.
Key chose the alternate Dine About Town entree: the Black Angus Beef Hangar Steak with potato puree and sauteed Swiss chard. Overall, a nice dish, the steak was cooked perfectly and well seasoned.
For dessert, I chose the Chocolate Fudge Cake with cranberry compote. A nice and moist cake and the cranberries were yummy, but nothing to write home about.
Key and Wendy chose the obvious dessert winner: Apple and Cranberry Bread Pudding with chantilly cream. I'm always try to stay away from bread pudding for dessert for fear that the top button on my jeans is going to pop, but this bad boy was amazing. Warm, moist, tasty and accented nicely with the chantilly cream. I could barely keep my spoon from eating all of Wendy's dessert (she was closer to me than Key).
Will went for the Baked To Order Cookie Plate, partly because the table beside us ordered this during our entrees and the smell of fresh-baked cookies was irresistable. There were two of three kinds: White Chocolate-Macadamia Nut, Snickerdoodle, and Chocolate chip, all with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The chocolate chip cookie was my favorite, but they were all tasty.
Overall, Tablespoon was a really nice experience with no disappointments. The room was busy but not loud and the service was pleasant and attentive. My water glass was always full. I would definitely come back, but maybe I'll take a cab next time...
I love Dine About Town, go do it before the end of the month!
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