OMG I AM SO BAD AT BLOGS.
SO! First of all, birthday funtimes! (YES I KNOW IT WAS A MONTH AGO):
Thursday was sushi, sushi and more sushi! With
riotous_prole, Walter,
witless_nerd,pixystyx42, Dulce, Thea,lizzyshoe, and
sakai_yukari! Yum yum, deliciousness! Afterwards I got my free birthday drinks at several of the Davis bars and then got a ride home from my assistant manager. XD
Then! The next day was spent in San Francisco with my assistant manager (herein referred to simply as R) where we went to fisherman's wharf (mmm, clam strips), the beach (sea glass!), Miette (DELICIOUS SWEETS) , met up with my high school bff on Market (she brought me flowers!), went to Sephora (to do our make-up for the dinner XD), ran back to the car and got changed on the street, then sped over to Acquerello to make our reservations exactly on time!
Now, Acquerello. Oh my fucking god, guys, SO AMAZING! (I know half of you were there, shut up)
First Course: Olive oil preserved swordfish with parsley and almond pesto, candied Gaeta olives and nasturtium leaves
Served chilled! Wasn't expecting that, but sooo mouthwatering and with a surprisingly smooth texture. The candied olives made this dish extra special, they were just so unexpected and tangy-sweet, mmmmmm.
Second Course: Ridged pasta with foie gras, scented with black truffles and Marsala
This is the restaurant's signature dish, and jesus god I can see why. It's just pasta in a sauce, right? Hellssss no. This is rich rich rich and aromatic and sweet and it --it just overloads the system, I am telling you. Should probably have had a glass of wine to cut the richness on this one, but ahhhhhhh amazing anyway.
Third Course: Veal loin over creamy polenta, chanterelles and veal sweetbreads
This came medium-well (I asked for the chef's choice) and was just so, so tender and juicy. The meat was this total flavor experience, guys, and the sweetbreads! Tender and a little spring-y, just absolute deliciousness! The polenta and chanterelles fell pretty flat in this dish, but that might be just because the other components were so spectacular.
Fourth Course: The Cheese Cart, a selection of three (in my case four) cheeses
These were served with cherries, candied fennel, and honey-coated mixed nuts, and were a complex and intriguing combination of flavor subtleties. The best was probably the fennel and herb-infused soft cheese (homg, the fennel was amaaaaazing!) or the nuts with the grape-crusted one. And the wine pairing added a whole other depth! Overall very interesting, though perhaps not the best finish to the meal (Bourbon caramel semifreddo, I'll be back for you someday!).
And and and they gave us each an apéritif and a little fried green olive and bread and biscotti and a little bag of Italian chocolates to take home and and and it was great, guys. :D
THEN, I got an amazing comic and tiny knitted hearts (here they are hanging out with my hedgehog Hieronymus by the Shire) in the mail from my darling
scary_lullabies ! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH I CANNOT BEGIN TO TELL YOU! :DDD
More later, my comic-con buddy PK is here!! I must away!
Thursday was sushi, sushi and more sushi! With
riotous_prole, Walter,
witless_nerd,pixystyx42, Dulce, Thea,lizzyshoe, and
sakai_yukari! Yum yum, deliciousness! Afterwards I got my free birthday drinks at several of the Davis bars and then got a ride home from my assistant manager. XD
Then! The next day was spent in San Francisco with my assistant manager (herein referred to simply as R) where we went to fisherman's wharf (mmm, clam strips), the beach (sea glass!), Miette (DELICIOUS SWEETS) , met up with my high school bff on Market (she brought me flowers!), went to Sephora (to do our make-up for the dinner XD), ran back to the car and got changed on the street, then sped over to Acquerello to make our reservations exactly on time!
Now, Acquerello. Oh my fucking god, guys, SO AMAZING! (I know half of you were there, shut up)
First Course: Olive oil preserved swordfish with parsley and almond pesto, candied Gaeta olives and nasturtium leaves
Served chilled! Wasn't expecting that, but sooo mouthwatering and with a surprisingly smooth texture. The candied olives made this dish extra special, they were just so unexpected and tangy-sweet, mmmmmm.
Second Course: Ridged pasta with foie gras, scented with black truffles and Marsala
This is the restaurant's signature dish, and jesus god I can see why. It's just pasta in a sauce, right? Hellssss no. This is rich rich rich and aromatic and sweet and it --it just overloads the system, I am telling you. Should probably have had a glass of wine to cut the richness on this one, but ahhhhhhh amazing anyway.
Third Course: Veal loin over creamy polenta, chanterelles and veal sweetbreads
This came medium-well (I asked for the chef's choice) and was just so, so tender and juicy. The meat was this total flavor experience, guys, and the sweetbreads! Tender and a little spring-y, just absolute deliciousness! The polenta and chanterelles fell pretty flat in this dish, but that might be just because the other components were so spectacular.
Fourth Course: The Cheese Cart, a selection of three (in my case four) cheeses
These were served with cherries, candied fennel, and honey-coated mixed nuts, and were a complex and intriguing combination of flavor subtleties. The best was probably the fennel and herb-infused soft cheese (homg, the fennel was amaaaaazing!) or the nuts with the grape-crusted one. And the wine pairing added a whole other depth! Overall very interesting, though perhaps not the best finish to the meal (Bourbon caramel semifreddo, I'll be back for you someday!).
And and and they gave us each an apéritif and a little fried green olive and bread and biscotti and a little bag of Italian chocolates to take home and and and it was great, guys. :D
THEN, I got an amazing comic and tiny knitted hearts (here they are hanging out with my hedgehog Hieronymus by the Shire) in the mail from my darling
scary_lullabies ! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH I CANNOT BEGIN TO TELL YOU! :DDD
More later, my comic-con buddy PK is here!! I must away!