Baume

May 9, 2010

My good friend Terrina (who is essentially my other sister) jumped ship from the high tech industry a few years ago and has been developing her culinary skills in the fine dining industry. After finishing culinary school, she took a turn at Chez TJ in Mountain View and then went with acclaimed chef Bruno Chemel to start his new restaurant, Baume, which opened in January in Palo Alto. Chemel is a chef who is known for his "molecular gastronomy" skills. The menu features only three choices of tasting menus: 5, 10 or 15-course tasting menu, and only lists the ingredients that are used in each menu. Curious...

Will and I finally had a chance to check out Baume, we went down on Saturday night for dinner. While waiting for our table, we had a chance to try the parmesan "sponge" bread:

Will and I decided to go with the 10-course tasting menu (happy medium). The first thing brought to our table is walnut bread with "chocolate", an olive spread that looks like chocolate (see below):

Also served with the bread was also balsamic vinegar and olive oil that was emulsified into a butter-like spread.

The amuse bouche was a live scallop sashimi with soy and lilikoi pearls:

Wax bean salade, shallot vinaigrette and curry dust:
62 degree egg with wild mushroom and noilly espuma:
Seared foie gras with tako and verjus gel:
Mango sake lemongrass foam:
Salade exotique:
Striped bass "vapeur" with fennel and bouillabaisse jus:
Licorice nitro-foam (makes you breathe like a dragon!):
Grass-fed filet with white bean, green szcheuan pepper saveur:
"Cervelle de canut" salad:
Lichee and chocolat lilikoi pearls (a throw-back to the first amuse bouche):
Peach soda:

Peach melba and spumoni textures:

We ended with some mignardises and a mini-catch up session with Terrina followed by a tour of the kitchen and introductions to the kitchen staff.

We had a fantastic meal, Baume is a wonderful restaurant with inventive/creative dishes. If you've never tried molecular gastronomy and want a new experience in fine dining, check out Baume.

Moreover, I was so impressed that Terrina is part of the team that puts together such a fantastic meal!

My Favorite Day-Hike

May 9, 2010

It's been a while, but it always feels good to get out and enjoy the good weather and beautiful nature so close to home. Will and I did my favorite hike on Saturday morning. It's a 7-mile loop that starts at Stinson Beach and does the following route:

• Matt Davis Trail up through Mt. Tam State Park to Pantoll Station
• Steep Ravine Trail through Muir Woods National Monument to Dipsea Trail back to Stinson Beach

It was a gorgeous day, and see below for some pics of the great hike.

Waterbar

May 2, 2010

It's been a tough couple weeks, so I was looking forward to a nice weekend in the city. Thankfully, the weather gods were listening and spoiled us with beautiful blue bird skies.

On Saturday morning, I did a Zumba class and then Will and I met up with Katharine and Key at Waterbar on the Embarcadero. It was a perfect day for brunch on the patio deck overlooking the bay, Treasure Island and the Bay Bridge.


Check out Key's $20 Belveder Vodka Bloody Mary, which includes jumbo Gulf prawns and smoked bacon:

Will, Katharine and I opted for the "Brunch Bubbles", which are make your own mimosas with a bottle of Prosecco and fresh OJ.

For lunch, I had the Dungeness Crab Salad with roasted beets, baby iceberg and "Louie" dressing, which was awesome. Perfect for a nice sunny day.

A couple desserts to share: warm chocolate pudding cake with mint chip ice cream (above) and the "First of the Season" Strawberry Shortcake with lemon pound cake and chantilly (below).

Brunch was awesome. It's days like this that make me fall in love with San Francisco all over again...

One Tough Lady

April 25, 2010

It's been hectic recently, with work and what-not. As you may recall, I headed to Vancouver in mid-February in a last-minute trip to see my ailing auntie who has been battling liver cancer for over 12 years. On April 11, my aunt Irene (who I call my "Gooma") passed away after a very long and strong fight. She was an amazing woman, a feisty and loving person.

Will and I flew to Vancouver for her funeral on the weekend of April 24th. It was a very touching service and the dreary, rainy weather matched our emotions.

Although we were brought together in sad circumstances, it was nice to see my family. Angie and Olivia flew from Albany, NY while other family and friends also made the trip. Will and I also managed to catch up with a few friends and family during the weekend, and see below for a couple pics.

Quince

April 22, 2010

On Wednesday, I went for dinner with a bunch of folks from Genentech that I used to work with on various teams. This crew has stuck pretty close throughout the years and try to get together every now and then to catch up. This time, we had gotten together to wish our friend, Julie, well in her new adventures at a new company.

We headed to Quince, which I was very excited about. Quince had moved to the old Myth space last year and the food was still getting rave reviews.

Our table decided to go with the tasting menus instead of ordering a la carte. There were two choices (I chose Menu 2), but I have pics below from both tasting menus.

An amuse bouche of Maine lobster and a horseradish foam with shaved fennel to start. Great start.
From Tasting menu 2: Farm egg with baccala crust, asparagus, and salsa di bottarga.
From Tasting Menu 1: Sitka king salmon with raw asparagus and fava bean salad.
From Menu 2: Trofie "Fatto a Mano" featuring clam, mussel, and striped bass.
From menu 1: ravioli giganti, with ricotta cheese, english pea, nettle, beet and artichoke.
From menu 2: Tortellini "alla modenese" with extra vecchio balsamico (fantastic dish).
From menu 1: Pici Toscani with smoked squab and black trumpet mushroom.
From menu 2: Suckling Pig with fiddlehead fern, spring onion and Jerusalem artichoke.
From Menu 1: Watson Farm milk fed spring lamb with artichoes "alla romana".
From menu 2: Tomatero Farm Strawberries with almond and tapioca.
From menu 1: Chocolate pave with lemon gelato and sable.
Little "mignardises" for after dinner sweet tooths.
Quince was fantastic and I can see why it continues to rank amongst the city's best restaurants and the new space in the Financial District is beautiful.

It was also wonderful to catch up with these fine folks. Good luck to Julie in her new career opportunity!