After two long weeks, my travel has finally come to an end.. Holler! The second portion was my first trip ever… to San Francisco, and I fell in love with the city! But what I’m crushing on most out there? The food, obviously. I was fortunate to find two nights out of a busy four to try two really fantastic spots and I left both feeling completely sated, but more importantly impressed. Well done San Fran, you did not disappoint.

     

MONDAY:
The first of my food adventures took place last Monday. Adorned in my new jaguar bangle (http://www.baublebar.com/baroque-jaguar-bangle.html) and from a well-respected recommendation with a personal touch, my dear friend and I walked .8 miles to Twenty Five Lusk. Somewhat hidden from the street, this is truly somewhere not to be missed. I had taken a quick glance at the menu on the cab ride from the airport to the hotel, but it barely did it justice. We stepped in and I immediately felt at home with the warm lighting, the exposed wooden beams, and modern furniture. We took seats at the bar and were immediately attended to and served customized bourbon cocktails.. way to make your way into this girl’s heart.
After much thought and consideration, and help from the wonderful dining room manager, we opted for the California Caviar (YAY! my first caviar but shhhhhh.. no one needs to know that!) and blinis, the Kusshi Oysters, the Crispy Soft Poached Farm Egg, and the Seared Ahi Tuna for our entree. We really struggled on whether or not to also taste the Hokkaido Scallop Crudo, but decided against it, so we were absolutely thrilled when it was also served to us. Have I mentioned how wonderful this experience was yet?
First came out the caviar, oysters, and poached egg, now as I have never been so lucky to taste caviar and have heard many mixed reviews, I was prepared to possibly not like something. Which if you know me? You know that nearly never happens. But the sturgeon caviar arrived with perfectly prepared blinis (the dining room manager told us the interesting story behind Twenty Five Lusk’s blinis and I encourage you to ask about it as well), creme fraiche, finely chopped red onion and dill, and paired with a very chilled shot of vodka. The crispy poached egg arrived in a wave of delicate aroma of the truffle oil, mixed with smoked ham and artichoke. It was also at this time we were surprised with the scallop crudo, served artfully with daikon, watermelon, tahini vinaigrette, and the most incredible wasabi sorbet. After a quick lesson on the proper way to eat the caviar and blinis, the sensory overload began. I cannot even express to you the happiness my taste buds experience through these three courses, all paired with a lovely glass of Savvy B. The smokiness of the ham, mixed with the truffle oil, artichokes, and the egg yolk made for the perfect bite. But the blinis, oh caviar and blinis, that may have stolen the show for me. The Kusshi Oysters were the lightest fare in our long list of treats, served with a cucumber, meyer lemon and ginger caviar. They really brought some East Coast flair to our dinner, even though I’m quite sure they might have been West Coasters. And finally, let me give credit where credit is due here with the scallop crudo. Taking a piece of artfully cut scallop with watermelon and a dab of wasabi sorbet had me dreaming of summer.
Of course by this point we were both nearly full, truth be told we did have two servings of bread, but our Ahi Tuna was then served to us. Perfectly pink and rare, it was served over grilled spring onions, pomelo, beets, with a tarragon vinaigrette. This was one of the most artfully prepared ahi’s I have ever seen, and the taste more than matched the presentation.
It is often I feel so tended to, but this was an exceptional experience and has quickly made it to my list of restaurants to return to in my travels. Thank you to all who made it so special!

WEDNESDAY:
After a long day of meetings and working our booth at the conference we were attending (no, we’re not “booth babes”), my dear friend and another of our colleagues ran through the pouring rain to fill our bellies for an later party with some true comfort food at Hops and Hominy. Because let’s face it, nothing beats the rain and coats the stomach for an event of adult beverages like some amazing Southern delights. Manned with a bacon smoked bourbon manhattan, I was ready to make some really smart food decisions. The three of us began the deliberation process of deciding between apps and entrees and what we could possibly share, all while having complete food envy of the tables around us and the dishes of brussel sprouts and mac & cheese passing us by. Ultimately we opted to share a few apps and two entrees, all of which included the enviable brussel sprouts and mac & cheese, because let’s face it nothing cures the rainy blues like macaroni enveloped in warm melted cheese. YUM. For our entrees we landed on the Shrimp & Grits, and the Buttermilk Fried Chicken. I know what you’re thinking, how do I eat like this? Well folks, I run… a lot.
While we patiently waited for the arrival of our delicious decisions, a server brought over their house cornbread. Now, I don’t claim to be a cornbread connoisseur, but this CB was pretty amazing accompanied with a sweet butter. Enough said. But next came a plethora of delights on dishes. I think we all reached first for the mac & cheese and the sprouts. The mac & cheese came out in a small cast iron, with a golden crumble of breadcrumbs and bacon pieces on top. And the molasses brussel sprouts were enough to make a grown woman cry, ok I know that’s not THAT hard, but you get the point. Next I dived right into the Fried Chicken paired with collards and a pepper sauce, as well as the Shrimp & Grits. Where to begin, where to begin.. The shrimp came out placed on a healthy portion of cheddar grist with a crab and tomato brandy sauce, with a jalapeno vinaigrette. This reminded me so much of the days I’ve spent at the Boston LSU Alumnae Chapter’s crawfish boil, which made me so completely excited.. I love me a crawfish boil. The sauce had the right amount of heat without overpowering the seasoning on the shrimp and the cheddar in the grits. It was just right. And the fried chicken? I mean how can you go wrong with chicken, dredged in buttermilk and a crunchy coating? And when it’s coupled with collards with pork, and a spicy pepper sauce with a hint of sweetness you just can’t help but stop the smile from spreading across your face.
Many smiles were had in this dining excursion in the torrential downpours, and the feeling of total satisfaction as we closed out our dinner and headed to the party made the cold weather so completely tolerable.
Bon appetit!