Lahaina Grill

The Annoyer prefaced Lahaina Grill as our fanciest meal of the entire trip.  So The Keeper and I made sure to wear our nicest outfits with heels, and basically look a little less Hawaii and little more LA.  Lahaina is quite a drive from Wailea so we were lucky to be able to push back our reservation because it takes a bit of time to get our LA faces on ok?  Turns out we got the nice semi private dining area, which kicked the dinner off on a special note.  The place is definitely a white linen and suited waiters kind of place so check your flip flops at the door.  Although, I'm sure they'd still welcome you dressed in the standard Hawaiian attire.  Lahaina Grill serves contemporary seafood and steak with a Hawaiian twist in an elegant fine dining setting.  Translated, the place is NOT cheap.

Bread & Herb Compound Butter
Warm and soft bread with gobs of flavored fat makes for happy campers anywhere.

The Cake Walk 
lobster, pacific rock crab and diver scallop with avocado relish and mustard cream
seared ahi tuna cake with avocado relish, sushi rice, nori, tamari ginger vinaigrette
white shrimp cake with hoisin, crème fraîche
I didn't get to try any of this, but it is one of the more popular items at Lahaina Grill.

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Lazy Bear

Lazy Bear
3416 19th St
San Francisco, CA 94110
lazybearsf.com
Yelp

There are very few times I hand over the reigns to food planning.  Most people are not interested in dedicating the time to figure out what's good to eat.  Triple F is not that person.  She keeps her ear to the ground.  She subscribes to foodie newsletters just like I do.  She has been tracking Lazy Bear since its days as a pop-up.  They are now so successful and popular, that a ticket, at their now brick and mortar establishment, can be pretty hard to come by.  It's no exaggeration that this place is $$$$, but it was well worth it.  BEST MEAL OF 2015!

The set up is interesting.  They have 2 seatings for the night.  You arrive for your dinner service and pass the time upstairs noshing on little bites and sipping on drinks/cocktails, while overlooking the dining room below.  It's like a pre dinner cocktail hour.  The punch we were served wasn't terribly memorable.  It was light on the alcohol.  The little appetizers were a great way to start.

Whipped Scrambled Eggs bacon, maple, hot sauce

Those scrambled eggs were expertly infused with the flavor of Benton bacon.  It was a shot from umami heaven.  That savoriness was enhanced by the maple syrup and hot sauce.  It was everything that is great about breakfast in one fell swoop.  Yums!

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n/naka

April is turning out to be one of the best months of the year.  Not just because it is my birthday month, but also Mama H.o.P. and Baby G's birthday month too.  So April has become a month of celebrations, and in my family that translates to a month of eating.  Now that Baby G is old enough to voice his wants, he gets to indulge in a lot of cake and chocolate.  That kid doesn't usually feed himself or when he does it takes a lot of prodding to get him to finish his meals.  Put a piece of cake in front of him and he's double fisting frosting with the biggest smile.  Unfortunately, or fortunately, Triple T is expecting Double Trouble so she had to skip out on n/naka since they do serve raw fish.  No matter, since she has been before.  Smooth Obturator thought I would enjoy n/naka and it had been about 3 years since his last visit.  After watching the episode of Chef Niki Nakayama on Netflix's docu-series "Chef's Table," I learned that the restaurant keeps a log of all diners and previous menus to ensure that repeat visitors enjoy something different on subsequent visits.  I don't think I have ever heard of a restaurant going to such great lengths for diners.  The docu-series definitely highlighted Chef Nakayama's mission to put diners and their experiences at the forefront of her restaurant.

The food at n/naka is undoubtedly Japanese, but it's not just sushi, or izakaya, or tempura.  They serve Kaiseki, which is a Japanese multicourse dinner that balances taste, texture, appearance, and colors of food.  It tends to use seasonal and local ingredients.  There is a certain order of dishes and types of dishes included in the modern Kaiseki.  I've had a Kaiseki experience at Next, when they were serving their "Kyoto" menu.  I was certainly quite impressed with my meal there because it was clean, simple, and perfectly executed considering the chef is not Japanese.  But now I feel n/naka delivers a much better Kaiseki experience, probably because the approach is more modern, while Next was probably trying to be a bit more traditional.

Saki Zuke 

a pairing of something common and something unique

Fanny Bay Oyster uni, ikura, orange, kumquat jelly, fennel vichyssoise
Sometimes the sweet salinity of uni can be easily overpowered, but the oyster and ikura all made for a tasty bite.

Zensai 

seasonal ingredients presented as an appetizer

Fried Renkon Lotus Root lobster
I really enjoyed the tempura lotus root here.  Generally I find lotus root to be an odd texture since I never grew up eating it.  Here it played nicely against the light crispy tempura.

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SAAM

Zhu Zhu Hamster told me long ago that SAAM was amazing.  I was a little surprised because The Bazaar was just good but overpriced.  She said "No, its different.  It's the special chef's dining room so the food is way better."  Zhu Zhu Hamster piqued my intrigue to say the least.  So SAAM has been floating in the back of my mind for all these years now.  We finally chose Mama H.o.P.'s birthday as the occasion to celebrate at SAAM.  The place ain't cheap so it's not like you're going to eat here on any random Tuesday.

We started the meal with a hot wet towel scented with lavender.  It was refreshing and aromatic.  This wasn't to eat, just to clean up!

Snowball st. germaine, mezcal, lime, cocoa bitters
We started off with the most interesting aperitif in the form of these little white puffs.  They looked like scoops of ice cream, but they were these foamy maybe spongey balls of alcohol.  There was citrus, tartness, and definitely some smokiness going on here.  A for originality, but what an odd texture.

Beet Meringue

Smooth Obturator really likee this simple creation.  Beet jus was made into light, airy, but crunchy meringue filled with a delicately tangy and creamy center.

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Jöel Robuchon

A new era in my life has started.  I no longer look forward to the wild partying, excessive drinking, and artery clogging buffet eating in Vegas.  Now when I think about Vegas, I get excited by the thought of eating something fancy and delicious.  Welcome to old age, right?  So the real reason behind my summer Vegas trip, aside from enjoying the company of my wonderful friends The Pouter, Teety, and Soprano Man, who shall now be renamed Yums (because that's what he always says when he eats something tasty), was to finally eat at the world famous Jöel Robuchon.  We planned our trip around this very meal.  Yums was such a good sport because he actually ate there a few weeks ago, but knew all of us wanted to go there so just shelled out another $$$$ to eat there again with us.  We love you Yums!  Jöel Robuchon is actually the only 3 star Michelin restaurant in the Los Angeles area.  However, the Michelin guide has not revisited Los Angeles since 2009 so how relevant are those 3 stars now 5 years later?

Bread Cart
The French people love their bread.  While a selection like this is almost like an adult version of a "kid in a candy store," I would opt for fewer breads that are warm.  Nothing beats warm bread.

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Paul Bocuse, L'Auberge du Pont de Collognes

There are certain names in the food world that set off bells in one's head, James Beard, Julia Child.  Some names are certainly more main stream than others.  Paul Bocuse is probably a bit less mainstream.  He's no Wolfgang Puck, who has his name on frozen pizza boxes and his mug on iced coffee drinks.  I first heard the name in relation to the international cooking contest, Bocuse d'Or, a competition akin to the Olympics for the culinary world.  But I eventually learned that Paul Bocuse is a famous and legendary French chef with a long list of culinary achievements.  I don't want to bore you with his resume, but for the purposes of this entry, he is the mastermind behind this 3 star Michelin restaurant in Lyon, France.  Anthony Bourdain called Paul Bocuse "the great chef, a public figure, a hero, an institution."  Dining with Paul Bocuse at his own restaurant was "the meal of [his] lifetime."  I, of course, watched that episode of No Reservations, so I was totally excited to be eating here.

There is only one word to describe the food and the restaurant.  Classic and old school.  The food here is prepared and served the same way it has been for decades.  Many chefs, who have gone on to run their own celebrated kitchens, have spent time in Bocuse's kitchen.  The restaurant is bright, colorful, and bordering on gaudy.  It harks back to an era in time when gold equated to opulence.  Everything just seemed to shine.  You have your choice of menus: grand traditional (6 courses, 250€), bourgeois (5 courses, 210€), traditional (4 courses, 160€).  Keep in mind these are not tasting menus, but rather multi course dinners.  The portions are quite large and we were all overwhelming stuffed at the end.  

Potato Leek Soup

Celery Cream with Shrimp

Roquefort with Apple Gelee

The amuse bouche trio was a delightful little start to the evening.  It always seems you can never go wrong with a small bite of anything.

Lobster Bisque

Very likely the best lobster bisque I have tasted.  Seriously the French make everything taste magical when cream is added to anything.

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Michel Rostang

I had a whole list of restaurants I wanted to try while in Paris.  I tend to lean toward the new and contemporary.  But while in Paris, Mama H.o.P. and I were the guests of her Parisian friend who had her own restaurant recommendations.  Who am I to tell a Parisian where to eat in her own city?  So I basically tossed my list out the window and just came along for the ride.  It seems like Michel Rostang is one of those restaurants that have been around for awhile.  It has 2 Michelin stars, and lucky for us they had a tasting menu for 175 euros, inconclusive of tax and wine.  In France, you are not required to tip.  That's kind of a bargain when you think how wine pairings can run as much as the price of your meal.  

Amuse Bouche

foam pigeon, beet, parmesan chip

smoked white fish, goat cheese, macaron

wasabi, peas

It was a nice start with this little trio of bites.  My favorite was the peas and wasabi.  A smooth delicate vegetal sweet with a little bit of kick.  I think the smoked white fish was a bit strong on its own, and the goat cheese just took it over the top.

Roasted Baby Squid mango, galangal

The flavors here were surprising.  I pegged Rostang as a classically French, but the wasabi from the prior dish and galangal here really brought the East to the West.

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Atelier Crenn

It seems like with every visit to SF, I go big and then I go home.  I know some heavy hitting foodies in SF, so eating well is always a big part of my visits.  The Pouter is always my go to girl for any of the big meals in SF.  We were inspired to hit up Atelier Crenn after seeing Chef Crenn on Top Chef.  She seemed so hip, so cool, so SF!  SF has quite the fine dining food scene going on.  The restaurants can range from traditional institutions like Gary Denko, to more modern and contemporary places pushing the boundaries of food and science.  Atelier Crenn definitely falls into the latter category.  The ambience was clean, minimalist, modern.  On the weekend, you can only do the tasting menu.  So I was shocked to see a couple there with their 7-8ish year old daughter!  I really wonder what she was eating.  Did she partake in the fancy ass tasting menu?  Did they make a special menu with molecular gastronomy chicken nuggets??  I'm sort of on the fence about bringing children to such fancy places like this.  I guess I'll leave it at that.  On to the food!

Kir Breton coco butter, cassis liquor, apple cider

I love these little liquer amuse bouches.  They usually have some interesting texture and then burst in your mouth.  The spheres were delicately thin but with some crunch and sweetness.  Then the apple cider provided some tang and refreshment.  Such a fun way to start.

Uni custard caviar, smoked potato gel, licorice

Uni seems to be making a splash on every menu these days.  It was an oceanic delight tempered by a smooth creaminess.

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Orsa & Winston

I was a bit puzzled walking into Orsa & Winston.  I had heard its Japanese-Italian, which seems like 2 completely disparate cuisines.  I couldn't imagine how they could merry harmoniously on a plate, let alone in my mouth, but the food this night certainly went far beyond my expectations.  There were definitely elements of Asian and European flavors going on here.  The food was unique and delicious.  The style of dining is omakase, so it's the chef's choice.  What you can choose is how many courses: 5, 8, or super omakase at 25!  We opted for the 8.

Amuse Bouche fennel panna cotta
These days, the amuse never really fits the definition of a "one bite" treat from the chef.  I'm not really bothered by that anymore because its just extra food anyways, and who am I to turn down extra food just because the portion size is too big??  I love panna cotta and one of my goals is to learn to make the perfect panna cotta, one that is just perfectly jiggly and most silky soft.  There were definitely some sweet savory flavors going on here.  A delightful first start.

Trout Crudo gingered cucumber gelee, radish, orange, creme fraiche

It looks like salmon huh?  It was both light and refreshing, yet rich and flavorful.  There were so many subtleties with the ingredients and flavor profiles.  One of the more distinctive and memorable crudos.

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OLA

To celebrate the end of her single days and the beginning of a wonderful married life, Bruin Bear and I planned a kick ass trip to Miami for our dearest friend Care Bear.  Miami was Care Bear's choice, but the food picks were pretty much all mine.  No surprise there right?  It was a challenge to narrow down all the amazing dining options in Miami to just 3 square meals.  But, I sort of thrive on solving tough first world problems.  Our first meal was intended to be our fanciest meal for the weekend.  All the gals, Care Bear especially, were dressed to kill for our first night out on this town, busting at the seams with beautiful people, or maybe just smokin' hot Latin men.  Muy caliente!  OW!

I would describe OLA as a modern Latin American take on the Miami food scene.  The ceviches and empanadas seem to be obligatory choices, but really you could go anywhere from there and do no wrong.  I will admit, my memory of this meal is a bit foggy because I was pre-gaming like Prohibition was making a comeback.  So, the pictures and descriptors could certainly use some polish, but as Jamie Foxx said..."Blame it on the a a a a a a alcohol."

Short Rib Empanada black beer braised short rib, creamy habanero sauce, smoked orange rosemary marmalade
Tender beef, stuffed inside a flaky dough.  The sauces definitely brought the needed moisture I find is always lacking in empanadas.

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Scratch Bar

LA is seriously lacking in fine dining options, but its not like the chefs in this city aren't giving it a go.  Take for instance Scratch Bar, which is a newly opened addition to La Cienega's famed restaurant row.  I suppose it's not necessarily trying to achieve the fine dining benchmark, but I guess it's definitely striving for an elevated food experience.  I've dined at very few restaurants in LA where the servers explained the dishes' preparation and presentation at tableside.  I can now add Scratch Bar to that short list.  Unfortunately, that attention to detail and the dining experience did nothing for the food itself, which fell…short.  Way to celebrate Smooth Obturator's birthday right??

Duck Skin Popcorn fresh thyme

Fat is fat.  Is there something tastier about duck fat??  The answer is probably yes, but it was not reflected in this supposed fun appetizer which tasted like stale popcorn tossed in stale old fat flavor.  We all felt it would have been a good dish had it been served just popped and warm.  Room temperature animal fat popcorn?  Pass.

Luna Oyster oven roasted, beet emulsion
I prefer my oysters raw, but this worked nicely.

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Eleven Madison Park

When I dreamed of the moment I would get to have my way with NYC, I always saw Per Se as the juicy succulent main course, and all other dining adventures as just appetizers to whet my appetite.  I didn't give much thought to what else could be on the menu.  The Pouter, being the savvy foodie she is, told me to make reservations at Eleven Madison Park in addition to Per Se.  Unfortunately she had to bow out, so I filled the empty spots with good ole sistah, Triple F, and my dearest mums.  Triple T and Smooth Obturator had to stay home and watch the 3 Little Monsters.  Oh snap, did those two miss out on the BEST FUCKING MEAL OF A LIFETIME!  Eleven Madison Park turned out to be the stunning pièce de résistance of my all too short NYC food tour.

Cheddar savory black and white cookie with apple
Who doesn't like little boxes tied up in string with a delicious surprise hiding inside?  I can't really say these tasted like cheddar or apple but they are misleading sweet when in fact they were savory.

Sea Urchin snow with smoked cantaloupe and yogurt
A bright refreshing start to the menu.  Who know cantaloupe would pair so nicely with uni.  There was also basil and lime yogurt adding some more herbaceous and acid notes.  Two bites and this was gone gone gone.

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Per Se

Dining at The French Laundry has always been a dream of mine.  I know that sounds so cheesy and melodramatic, but these are the fantasies of food people.   Unfortunately, reservations are DAMN hard to nab.  So even though I live a heck of a lot closer to The French Laundry, I had to trek cross country to have my first Thomas Keller dining experience at Per Se.

We had amazing seats that looked out onto Columbus Circle and the southern edge of Central Park.  Too bad it was on the gloomy side.  Don't be fooled, gray does NOT equal cold like it does in Portland.  It was hot and muggy, but still a great view.  I'm a city girl, and this is the kinda view that takes my breath away.  I think The Pouter and her 2 fellow New Yorker foodie friends were equally impressed.

Amuse Bouche gruyère gougères
Our meal started off with the famous gougères, which I have seen many times in pictures.  They were A LOT smaller than I had imagined or even had before at other restaurants.  Usually, they have been the size of a cream puff, but these were the size of a large marble.  They were still pretty darn good, but I wanted more!

Amuse Bouche salmon coronets
Deliciously smoked salmon served like a mini ice cream cone.  Cute and tastey.

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Quince

My summer of fancy schmancy eating didn't end with Grace.  Oh no, no, it just started there and continued with my visit to Quince with The Pouter.  It felt like a hot date.  We both got all dolled up, she picked me up,  we had wine, great conversation, and then the date took a turn towards doomsville.  The check came and we went dutch!  Well not every date that starts well, ends well =P.  Anyways, the place is pretty elegant, and would be a great place to celebrate a special occasion.  The Pouter and I were celebrating, um...life, love, and food?  Heck, we don't really need an occasion to blow some cash on any ole weekday.  I guess I was visiting SF, so that was occasion enough!

Green Garlic Parmesan Chips
They had the texture of shrimp chips with a very subtle cheesy taste.  A bit on the greasy side but its just so easy to eat anything in chip form.

Pickled Green Tomato Tartlet squash chips
These were some of the best bites of the night.  This one tasted like a fresh tomato pie.

Arugula Financier seville orange purée
Wow, this was soo good!  Like a sweet yet savory vegetable pound cake.  I wanted a whole loaf.

Russet Potato Skin guanciale marmalade
Yum!  A singular bite that encompassed all the flavors of an awesome baked potato.

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Grace

Grace came highly recommended by Buff Bear, who has been living in Chicago for the past 2 years.  He said it was better than Alinea.  Dems strong words there Buff Bear!  So of course I had to try the place out, on my now third visit to Chicago.  Triple F never heard of the place, I guess because it hasn't been open for even a year!  It definitely falls under the category of fine dining, with a tasting menu costing $185.  Yes, I know, really steep, buuuut you only live once right??  After the wine pairing, tax, tip, oh god, it was a killer to the wallet to say the least.  Buuut, it was good.  Modern, innovative, tasty.  Better than Alinea?  I guess we'll see...

Amuse Bouche
Alaskan king crab, encapsulated butter
The plating here is so beautiful, I almost didn't want to eat this but it was a delicious, more elevated version of steamed crab legs dipper in butter.  The buttery sphere burst in your mouth with an intense butteriness.  It was a tad too salty overall but still good.

Black pepper melon juice, caviar, mint

This was another ball that exploded in your mouth.  This may be the first time where I didn't find the caviar too salty.

Plum sodaTriple F didn't seem to like this refreshing palate cleanser as much as I did.  It wasn't that sweet, it was more tart and watery.  I like the little seed pulps swimming in my mouth.

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Next: Kyoto

Our last trip to Chicago was really highlighted by some of the most delicious food I've eaten in a long time.  This trip back was no exception.  Alinea was probably the stand out restaurant last time for its sheer creativity.  It's sister restaurant, Next, managed to wow us again.  Now if you haven't heard, both restaurants now work on a ticketing system, sort of like buying tickets to a musical or a concert.  You buy them, and then you're stuck with them.  NO REFUNDS.  I guess restaurants lose money on last minute cancelled reservations, no shows, and having to staff someone to and take phone calls and manage the reservations.  I'll admit, I am guilty of making last minute cancellations but I'm a customer and I can do as I please, right?  Grant Achatz (chef/owner) says, "screw you."  I didn't actually think I was going to get a spot at Next, but tickets for Kyoto opened up just a day or two before my trip and BOOM, I was so there!  It helps to be friends with Next on Facebook!

I think I'm too dumb to really appreciate the cerebral experience Grant Achatz is trying to create in all his restaurants.  There was this teeny scroll explaining the theme of the dinner.  All I got from it was fall, Kyoto, tradition, experience.  The rest of it was just too many words.  These days, I can only communicate in abbreviations (CAD, HTN, SDH, ARF, etc).

Kaiseki traditional multicourse Japanese dinner (12 to be exact!)

Corn Husk 

We started off very gently with some simple corn stock.  It was very sweet, very clean tasting corn.  Imagine the juice that comes with canned corn.  It tasted just like that!

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Commonwealth

Ok, moving on to some SF eatings.  I met up with some good friends to get my SF grubbin' on, now that Triple F and Running Man are out of the eating game with twins girls.  The Pouter was kind enough to make reservations and pick me up for our dinner at Commonwealth.  Now, I did not know this, but living in the Bay Area, is not the same as living in SF.  Non-SFer's hate to come into the city.  It's a hassle, you have to pay tolls to cross the bridge, parking is difficult, road conditions suck, etc etc.  So by the time we got to dinner, The Pouter was in quite the mood.  She has some MASSIVE road rage, so I'll be sure not to make her come into the city again!

Housemade Potato Chips dusted with seaweed
I was so hungry that I really gobbled these up.  They weren't particularly special, but tasted like really good kettle chips but oilier. I can't say I tasted much seaweed.

Malt Vinegar Foam
Dipping the chips in this gave the instant flavor of salt and vinegar chips.  It was clever and tasty.

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Le Pigeon

So Dumpling Man and I have tried almost all the big name fancy restaurants in Portland, but there was just one left, Le Pigeon.  I can't say I had high expectations because it's more casual sister restaurant, Little Bird, was just ok and Dumpling Man had already tried Le Pigeon and was not impressed.  However, the executive chef/owner, Gabriel Rucker was awarded the 2011 James Beard Rising Star Chef award for his work at Le Pigeon so that's saying something.

Despite being on their "I'm a Skinny Bitch" diet, Zhu Zhu Hamster and Little Pet happily joined us here for another birthday celebration dinner in my honor.  They stayed true to their diet and only ordered 1 appetizer and 1 entree TO SHARE.  I felt like a fat ass for just 2 seconds when I ordered my appetizer and entree and eagerly approved of Dumpling Man's 2 choices too.

Pigeon fava beans, spicy garlic, pecorino broth
Our dining companions seemed to enjoy this.

Beets mache, feta, peppers
Dumpling Man cannot help himself when it comes to beets.  He just has to have them, no questions asked.

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Crush

Dumpling Man can be the nicest sweetest dumpling man.  Instead of a present for my birthday this year, he treated me to multiple delicious meals.  I celebrated the beginning of a new decade by stuffing my face one morsel at a time.  Our Seattle trip goals were 2 fold, celebrate my birthday and eat delicious foods.  Paseo and Molly Moon's was a great start.  Now comes dinner at Crush.  After some random researching I made reservations here, but I had some doubts deep down inside because there were some legitimate sounding negative reviews.


It's always hard to go with just a la carte or the tasting menu, but we figure that we will get the best sampling of a restaurant's offerings with the latter.  It's unlikely we'll ever go back since we're not often repeat visitors of many high end establishments.  So for $93 we went for the 6 course (7 if you include the bread) tasting menu.

Gruyere Gougere, Rosemary Bread
I've had better gougere.  I was disappointed they weren't warm and cheese, but rather room temperature and only a little bit cheesy.  The rosemary bread was surprisingly fragrant despite looking plain like white bread.

Asparagus green garlic, truffle oil
A tasty vegetal offering that was pretty light.  The green garlic and truffle oil were hardly noticeable.

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Alinea

Alinea is a place that, to most food aficionados, needs no introduction.  As of the 2012 Chicago Micheline Guide, it is the ONLY restaurant to garner 3 stars.  As of today, its number 7 on San Pellegrino World's Best Restaurant List, only trumped by places like Noma and Per Se.  It is known for its modern twist on classic flavors, with a heavy emphasis on whimsy and creativity.  One might say its chef/owner, Grant Achatz, is a bit of a "molecular gastronomist."  Reservations can be pretty tight.  I actually called 3 months in advance!  Two or three weeks later, when I tried to increase the party size from 2 to 3 to accomodate Ho Bag, there was no budging.  Fortunately the day before our reservation, I got the phone call, and Ho Bag was set to join us.

For the whopping price tag of $210 per person, you will be served 19 courses.  While some courses are just a single bite and other courses are more whimsy than nutritive substance, I can guarantee you will be so full by the end of it all.  I was head over heels excited to get the chance to eat here.  It seems like you haven't really made it in the foodie world until you've eaten a place like Alinea.

Steelhead Roe carrot, coconut, curry
I've never really been able to see how roe makes anything better.  It's just salty and fishy.  The sweet curry sauce and carrots were a nice contrast.  The meaty coconut flesh was also an interesting textural contrast.

The next series of course was presented as a "tasting of the ocean" and was presented on a piece of driftwood draped in real seaweed, the real ugly kind that floats in the ocean.

Oyster Leaf mignonette
Don't be fooled.  There's no oyster here, just a leaf that was supposed to taste like an oyster coated in a traditional mignonette.  Ehh, I didn't really get much of that here.  I was moving on to the next bite, I mean course, hoping for something better.

King Crab passionfruit, heart of palm, allspice
Now we're talking.  A succulent piece of crab, with some fruity accompaniments.  It was tasty for sure.

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