Dinner @ Chef's Counter at Boulevard

[ Originally posted February 8, 2012 ] Tonight's dinner was a low key meal at the bar at Boulevard. Boulevard, like Prospect, is a restaurant I want to love. It would be sooo nice if I did, as it is only 2 blocks away, and the menu always sounds fantastic. The ingredients are all high quality. Everything is executed well. Yet ... it just doesn't come together for me. Some of it is certainly the price point, as the dishes are all good, but not at the level of the...

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Cooking Demo: Radius

Today's demo was by Chef Peter Cham of Radius.  I haven't been to Radius yet, but it is a local restaurant that focuses on ... you guessed it, fresh seasonal Californian cuisine, with as much as posisble sourced within a radius of 100 miles.  The menu changes every week or so based on what is in season.  The chef was friendly and personable, and gave a good demo, full of useful tips. English pea and green garlic panna cotta, crème fraîche, crispy...

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Sushi @ Kiji Sushi

It has been a while since I've had sushi, and I was really craving something on the lighter side tonight, after so much foie gras and red meat last week.  After failing to get reservations at a few other places I've been wanting to try, we were finally able to get a reservation at Kiji Sushi in the Mission.  It comes in at a lower price point than I usually frequent for sushi, but was a recommendation from a friend, so its been sitting on my list...

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Desserts @ Bluestem Brasserie

I've been reading about the epic desserts at Bluestem Brasserie for a while now.  They've been getting great reviews.  I'm a dessert lover.  So it was only a matter of time before I headed that way!  I've heard lackluster things about the main restaurant, so decided to just check out the desserts in the lounge area. I wound up there twice in the past two days.  Sunday afternoon I went just to get dessert with a friend, and Monday night we...

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Pizza @ Cupola Pizzeria

About once a week, this unfortunate thing happens.  It is called Monday.  Many of my favorite places to eat are not open.  Ones that are tend to not be at the top of their game.  Fish isn't fresh.  And sometimes I get sick of fine dining.  And of foie gras.  And red meat.  Put all these together, and you get ... casual pizza night! Bauer had recommended Cupola Pizzeria, and Yelpers seemed generally positive, so I put...

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Another foie gras dinner @ Lafitte

Thursday night, we went to our second multi-course foie gras dinner at Lafitte.  The format was exactly the same as the last one: 2 passed appetizers and a welcome cocktail, 5 main courses, and 1 dessert, all involving foie gras.  $89, plus $45 if you wanted the wine pairing. Since I've already talked about the restaurant before, I'll focus just on the dishes we had, and comparisons to the last event here and the last Alexander's foie gras dinner. Overall,...

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