Range

I'm really beginning to appreciate the food scene in San Francisco more and more these days.  It's definitely a much more refined food scene than LA.  The restaurants seem more ingredient driven and  have that "farm-to-table" thing going on.  It's also a nice change of pace to come to San Francisco and let another foodie take the reigns.  It's refreshing to be able to put your brain on hold and just show up somewhere someone tells you and have complete faith that the place is gonna be tasty.  This is how I feel when I dine with The Pouter.

Mendocino Sea Urchin chilled soba noodles, seaweed, ginger, sesame seeds
Our romantic date started off with some appetizers.  I LOVE uni but somehow I've never been impressed with any preparation of uni save for nigiri.  I suppose the problem is that when uni is served in some other way besides nigiri, there's never enough of it and I always feel disatisfied.  Here it looks like there's a lot of uni, but it's more like there's not a lot of the other stuff.  It was a cool refreshing starter with light Japanese flavors.

Chicken Liver Mousse frisee salad

I love most forms of meat in paste form.  This was no exception.  I didn't like the super crispy crouton pieces though, really hurt my teeth and abraded the roof of my mouth.

Coffee Rubbed Pork Shoulder creamy hominy, collard greens
This was a homey comforting dish.  The coffee flavor was not overpowering at all.

Roasted Chicken chanterelle mushrooms, wild nettle dumplings

I think Range is known for its roasted chicken, so we had to get it.  Normally, I wouldn't waste my stomach real estate on such a pedestrian protein.  It was good chicken, moist, tender, with a crispy skin, but it's still JUST chicken.  The accouterments were very salty.  I was surprised they missed the mark here.

Dark Chocolate Pot de Creme coconut cream, mandarins

I LOVE anything pot de creme.  I loved it even more before I attempted making it myself and discovering how much frickin' fat goes into it.  But that was a long time ago, so my memory fades allowing me to indulge with less guilt.  I liked this but minus everything that elevated it.  I don't like the combination of chocolate and orange flavors too much.

Persimmon & Buttermilk Custard Tart candied ginger, burnt honey cream

The Pouter, being a true Asian, loves her persimmons.  I've never been a fan.  I really liked the crust here though.

Range was good, but it wasn't spectacular.  I don't feel a need to come back here.  There are just SOO many other restaurants to try in SF.  I can't be repeating any quite yet.