Chapeau: so good until the last 5 minutes

This month the SF DICS took the Richmond by storm. Chapeau (on Clement @15th) delivered some amazing food and a comfortable atmosphere. There was a little snafu with the waiter at the end of our meal (the last 5 minutes referred to in the title of this post), but I am not going to let that taint my memories of the delicious food and the great company of my fellow DICS. 

Instead of describing the dinner, I'm going to just include some actual quotes along with pics: 

Ooooohhh! This asparagus soup is soooo good. 

(Complimentary starter).

OMG! Two giant slabs of foie gras? Mmmm. Wow, the presentation is great. Is there crack in this sauce? 

Yum. The reduction sauce on this steak is to die for. Um, no, actually I don't really want to swap any of it for some of your duck. Sorry.  

Whoa. What is this creamy custard stuff between the apples and the crust? That seriously makes this way better than regular apple tart. 

Ohhhh, warm and gooey. Chocolatey. 

Actually, these are mostly quotes from the other members of DICS. I didn't say that much because I was busy inhaling my food and scraping the sauce of the plate, and then trying to eat the shared desserts faster than the others. Suckers. I definitely got more than my fair share of the chocolate cake. And the bread. And the apple tart. 

Needless to say, my tummy hurt. But that is a price I am willing to pay. 

Tenderloin Two-fer

Ahh, the Tenderloin.... Walking through several blocks of urine-scented sidewalks, sprinkled with crackwhores and empty 40s makes arriving at your destination that much more special.

Since the DICS are the kind of people who can handle the trek, we journeyed to the Loin last week for some classy bourbon drinks at Bourbon & Branch. Of course, we had to make a pit stop at Shalimar to get some sketchy-yet-delicious Indian food to pad our stomachs beforehand. After that tasty prelude, we headed across the street to B&B, gave them our password, and were seated at a comfy booth in the dimly-lit (in a good way) establishment.

I have only recently discovered that I like bourbon, and for me, this trip to B&B was a big success. I think I might have to say that I love bourbon, especially when mixed into a sexy little cocktail. This could be dangerous. My fellow DICS were equally enamoured with the drinks at B&B, so I think we might need to visit again soon.

A housecall to Chez TJ

Belated Post - we went to Chez TJ in February, right before the Executive Chef left (to Meadowood in Napa where he is apparently kicking ass). Since the visit was several months ago now, I won't try to describe in any detail. Quick summary is that all of us were thoroughly pleased with the food, although the portions were a bit small for a 4 course menu. Feeling a bit unsatisfied with the overall amount of food, I suggested a post-TJ visit to In-N-Out, but was shot down by my dining companions. In the end, I survived without hitting up any other dining establishments, but it was tough.


Everything was presented beautifully and tasted delicious:








The DICS rejoiced:

Ducca was the shit(s)

Ducca, a new SF restaurant in 2007 was voted a top 10 restaurant by SF Chronicle's foodie Michael Bauer. Ergo, Julie got all excited and booked us up a rezzo so we can experience their "Venetian" fare ourselves. Honestly, I can't get excited about any italian restaurant, which by its very nature, removes about 80% of all new restaurants that are opening in SF nowadays. (I think the other 20% are classified as Thai noodle places. (poubelle))

Anyway, in this case, I had a prior engagement, so this guy did not attend this latest DICS outing. But to those that did go, I exclaim in your general direction a hearty "HA!" I'm sorry, do I enjoy seeing my friends eat bad meals? no. Do I enjoy successfully avoiding what I perceived would be a sure waste of time? yes!

Well, it's late and I've nothing else to do, so I'll paraphrase Julie's report on Ducca.
There were the four of them at the table, enough to order a sizable cross section of their offerings. The quietness and absence of other patrons was an ominous sign, but the diners went through with their original plan and ordered a large variety of dishes.

They all sucked.

Not knowing how this restaurant received a top 10 from the Chronicle, we surmised that Michael Bauer must be getting some sort of...of...what's the French word for "kickback"? So glad I am to have avoided this waste of time!

y'know, when it comes to food, I don't care how you decorate it, I don't care what kind of plate it sits on, I don't care if Owen Wilson came to this same restaurant 3 days ago, I don't care if Mario Batali is a part owner. All I care about when it comes to food from restaurants, because I believe these are organically evolved signs of a good place to eat, is that it fulfills more than one of the following conditions:

a) Cook is overweight. Not just average American overweight, but I mean goddamn Paul Prudhomme overweight (Hard to assess, cuz most cooks/chefs/sauciers/schiesters work behind closed doors

b) Appears dirty, but in fact passes health inspections. (eg. Shalimar is a good example. Another is Shanghai Dumpling King)

c) Is cooked by a mom looking figure (eg. Cafe Jacqueline)

d) Is busy. Hopefully surprisingly busy due to its forgettable location, or superficial displays of uncleanliness (eg. Tio Alberto's in Isla Vista, and again, Shalimar)

e) Remote. So remote, you know it has to be good to stay in business. This final qualification almost makes me want to take a pilgrimage to El Bulli.

Ok, so this post really didn't have that much to do with Ducca, aside from the mentioning that it sucked. But then, I'm not in a position to elucidate on the whys & hows of it sucking. You'll have to wait for the other DICS to jive on that.