Yippie! We've finally made it to Ajanta

Heguiberto and I’ve been talking about dining at Ajanta for ages! It had almost become one of those things that people refer to frequently yet always remain just over the horizon—you know what I mean: “I’ll start that diet next week” or “We really should go back to Rome someday soon.” So I was amazed if a bit shocked when he suddenly announced that we were to meet some of our fellow bloggers at this Indian restaurant apparently named “one of Alice Waters’ favorite places.”

Ajanta is a bit obscure from our insular vantage point in San Francisco. Berkeley is literally just across the Bay, yet somehow it can seem a million miles away. (Is L.A. closer, do you think?) I’m joking a bit here and want to rein it in before I cause more offense. Actually, we heard about Ajanta on another Berkeley excursion, to Viks Chaat Corner. That’s where Hegui found the incredible Ajanta cookbook. He’s made many wonderful recipes out of it, like flavorful Kashmiri eggplant, and ajwain samosas. You can probably already see where this is going. We had high expectations for Ajanta. Perhaps they were a bit too high.

evening fog blowing across the Bay into Berkeley

section of the elephant mural

gorgeous ceiling lights at Ajanta

Ayinger brau-weisse Bavarian hefe-weizen

That night our group was eight. That included the two of us, Fer and her husband, Maryanne and her husband (they’re spending a month in Singapore right now!) and Priscilla and a colleague of hers from her culinary school (They’re both about to graduate. Priscilla and her husband have already located a marvelous spot for her to open her own bakery back in Brazil. That’s a place that Hegui and I’d like to visit soon.) The company was a real pleasure. Everyone had interesting things to share and seemed genuinely excited to be together once again after our visit to Clos du Val.

But back to Ajanta. It’s in the Berkeley Hills a bit, so the area is lovely. We had an 8PM reservation on a Friday night. I was worried about traffic across the Bay Bridge but really it wasn’t too bad. The fog was just starting to blow across the water. Berkeley was colder than Potrero Hill, which we hadn’t expected. San Francisco has a reputation for the coldest weather in the area but perhaps it is unearned. We were ill prepared as we hadn’t even thought to bring jackets. Fortunately parking was easy. I got a spot right in front of the place.

The décor here is gorgeous, sort of “modern Indian.” There’s this massive wooden door out front. Inside the dining room looked sleek. There was a large painting of some sort of fantasy elephant scene that caught my eye. It ran across most of one long wall. The lamps hanging from the ceiling seemed like an inspired sculpture of lighting.

Tandoori scallops

vegetarian pakora

The place was packed. Perhaps that explains the generally lackluster service. It took forever for our beers to arrive. The group ended up ordering a variety of small plates, which we generally shared. The monthly special, Tandoori asparagus was a hit. We also tried the Tandoori scallops and Tandoori Portobello mushrooms. These were okay. Hegui ordered the vegetarian samosas, like the recipe he made from the Ajanta cookbook, but didn’t really enjoy them too well—something about the oil bothered him. The vegetarian pakoras were more successful.

special baby squash medley

richly colored and flavored Badal Jaam

One thing that’s interesting about Ajanta is that they have “monthly specials.” I don’t think that I’ve seen that at any other Indian restaurant. The veggie special was “baby squash medley,” essentially zucchini, summer squash and yellow squash with peas and paneer cheese in a mildly spicy tomato, garlic onion curry. I liked it. Hegui tried the Badal Jaam, which is the Kashmiri eggplant dish. Neither of us thought it was as good as the version he made at home. Perhaps it was the excess of pomegranate molasses?

yummy Ajanta naan

So we had fun. The company was excellent. And Ajanta is good, but it didn’t blow our socks off. Undoubtedly had we never had food we prepared ourselves from their fabulous cookbook, we’d be singing their praises more—hello Alice Waters!

the grand bar at Comstock Saloon

Comstock Saloon takes you back in time. Named after Henry Comstock and the famous silver discovery, the Comstock Lode, you truly feel that you’ve walked into old nineteenth century San Francisco when you cross their threshold.

The place has a huge antique looking bar, lots of fussy lounge chairs that seem like remnants from a Victorian mansion estate sale, and music. The night we met our friends for drinks and dinner, there was a live jazz band belting out wonderful, spirited tunes. Though sometimes hard to converse, the energetic atmosphere at Comstock Saloon was infectious.

the decor at Comstock Saloon is incredibly inviting

this isn't the best pic but just look at that wild fan!

Cocktail bars seem to be making a comeback lately. Certainly you’d believe that with the crowd here. I ordered the classic Manhattan, my “signature drink,” and was delighted. The down side of cocktails is that they take forever to make, so we did have to wait a bit for service. Since we weren’t in a rush and were among friends, this was fairly painless. I can imagine being annoyed in other circumstances.

cheddar crackers with pepper jelly and cream cheese

Comstock Saloon BBQ chips with ranch

glowing Comstock Saloon olive selection

hominy fritters

soft pretzel with mustard--it looks funny, no?

The menu is small with a focus on fairly traditional, comfort foods. We shared all the “snacks,” which included marinated green olives, a large warm soft pretzel with mustard, BBQ chips with ranch dressing, cheddar crackers with pepper jelly and cream cheese, and hominy fritters. I was ravenous so largely enjoyed these, though the rest of our group was so-so about them.

my rather sad cioppino with Dungeness crab

John's much more gratifying ricotta gnocchi

We skipped appetizers but all tried a main course. A few ordered the cioppino with Dungeness crab, clams and ling cod. Sadly this was a disappointment: simply too watered down with an apparent lack of salt. John’s ricotta gnocchi with asparagus and trumpet mushrooms was a lot more flavorful and was seasoned properly.

my Comstock Saloon classic Manhattan--now this is why I came here!

We ended up staying for about two hours, enjoying one another’s company, the music and atmosphere. I’d go to Comstock Saloon again, but only for drinks. Perhaps this would be a good place to either start or finish an evening in North Beach.

We’ve had the good fortune to dine at Contigo, a fun and stylish tapas and wine bar restaurant in Noe Valley, twice in the past few months, most recently with our lovely friends, Charles and Fernando.

welcome to Contigo

Since that last time, Hegui and I’ve been talking off-and-on about what makes Spanish tapas so appealing right now. There’re several similar restaurants around San Francisco and we enjoyed a marvelous lunch at another one, Estadio in Washington, D. C., over the winter holidays.

There’s something about all the small plates that arrive randomly and almost magically that really delights. Kind of like Japanese restaurants or perhaps Korean, all those little dishes with different tastes are thrilling. Probably you could even include an Ayurvedic thali on the list, even though those small plates come all at once on a large metal tray. These meals de-center the dining experience from the standard appetizer-salad-main-dessert style of eating in exciting ways. I always notice the food more when I’m not really certain what to expect next.

open kitchen at Contigo

Contigo dining room

Contigo is tiny and snug, with an open kitchen, a warm cheery atmosphere and good service. The food is really enjoyable and the menu, varied. We ordered most of the veggie and fish/shellfish oriented dishes and shared some inexpensive yet good Spanish red wines. The dining room can be loud, but people are having fun so it seems okay.

So in no particular order, we had the delicious wood oven roasted Monterey sardines and the Dungeness crab croquetas. Mmmmm!

wood oven roasted Monterey sardines

Dungeness crab croquetas

To me the marinated Spanish olives always seem like a required dish at a place like this, and can so often disappoint. Not here. The olives were flavorful, and came with some pickled veggies and Spanish marcona almonds: a very elegant presentation which provided multiple textures and taste sensations.

marinated Spanish olives

The chicories salad and the Moorish blood orange salad were both refreshing. We all adored the sautéed Brussels sprouts leaves, which were sweet and a bit smoky. The sautéed greens Catalan style had lots of lovely Swiss chard, which I adore.

chickories salad

Moorish blood orange salad

Brussels sprout leaves

sauteed greens Catalan style

Of course patatas bravas is another of those stereotypical dishes that one must have at a tapas place. Like the Spanish olives, these didn’t disappoint.

patatas bravas

I wasn’t especially keen on the black trumpet mushroom flam because the texture didn’t work for me. I’m not that into super-squishy. The others seemed to enjoy it well enough. The chickpeas and spinach Andalusian style, calamars a la planxa and seared local black cod finished our stunning meal.

black trumpet mushroom flam

chickpeas and spinach Andalusian style

calamars a la planxa

seared local black cod

We skipped dessert as we had already arranged to have cake at our friend, John’s house afterward.

So that’s all. Contigo is a must-try restaurant. I suggest a reservation.

welcome to Herbivore, the Earthly Grill

Herbivore is one of those restaurants that you’d have figured we would have tried ages ago, as it just screams “weirdcombinations!” This is an unpretentious vegan restaurant on Valencia in the Mission District of San Francisco. Their web site charmingly describes the idea of the establishment as follows:

The food is enjoyed by both vegans and non-vegans due to the quality and method of preparation, and the variety and richness of our menu. Our philosophy is that plant-based foods with the right preparation and spices can provide an enriching eating experience.

I totally get it though frankly have to wonder why in this day and age a vegan place has to explain itself at all? I never hear of steakhouses explicating their raisons d’être, do you? I just cannot believe that “vegan” is that obscure of a concept any more. Or that it need apologize for itself.

Herbivore interior

2008 Reinking Russian River Valley Zinfandel

Anyway, Herbivore is vegan. There it is. The food is meat and dairy-free. Their beers and wines tend to be organic, and low-sulfite in some cases, too. Otherwise, the menu is an international sampling of classic dishes.

We tried a bottle of the affordable 2008 Reinking Zinfandel from Sonoma, which was fruity and light—so not typical zin but it went well with our meal.

Of course, we hadn’t eaten here before so weren’t sure what to expect. As a result, we didn’t take the relentless pictures of all our plates like we normally do. Plus the few pics we did get are from our smart-fones, so not as clear as we’d normally like, which translates into not much visual stimulation today. That said the food was certainly a taste sensation. We started with crispy vegan tacos with soy protein, pinto beans, tofucotta (that was cheese-like), guacamole, with a tomato chipotle salsa. Yum.

Next we enjoyed the somewhat traditional quinoa tabbouleh. Just like “regular” tabbouleh with quinoa instead of bulgur, this was something that we might make at home. The portion was gigantic, but we rose to the challenge.

We shared the lavash pizza with tomato sauce, black olives and some other toppings. It had something on top labeled “cheese” in the menu that did in fact seem cheese-like. This was an inspiration. Hegui is already thinking of lavash pizzas at home.

ready to be wowed at Herbivore

Finally we enjoyed the phillo dough pie stuffed with spinach, artichokes, tofu and more “cheese” as well as other veggies. This was really good! The crust was flakey and light. I suppose they must have used olive oil instead of butter here. Further, it was presented on a thick pool of a scrumptious roasted red bell pepper purée. Mmmm!

I couldn’t resist trying the “chaos cookie” for dessert. Shelley, this is something that you’d enjoy, I think: probably you too, Barbara. Sort of a vegan chocolate chip cookie with pecans, cranberries and coconut, it came as a single piece somewhat crudely garnished with grapefruit wedges. I loved it.

Herbivore's chaos cookie

So that’s it. “Herbivore” should be the new word for a person eating “vegan.” Maybe then it would make more sense to folks and appear more natural, which eating a plant-based diet obviously is, rather than some confusing thing somehow mixed up in politics, hippies and “denying” yourself good food, all obviously myths. They’ve three locations now: two in San Francisco and one in Berkeley. Check them out.

Vino Vino is an amazing find in San Pedro Square Market in downtown San Jose. This tiny, unpretentious wine bar should be the model for the locavore wine lover. I’ve lived in the Bay Area coming up on nine years now and I cannot ever recall encountering a wine list that had more labels from Morgan Hill than Sonoma; or Livermore than Napa. That is until we arrived here. This is a revolution in the meaning of terroir.

welcome to Vino Vino, San Jose

Vino Vino interior with the gorgeous wine on tap to the left

The place is tiny and cozy. It does have a sort of “wine dive bar” vibe, just like General Manager Morgan Klee was quoted in the Mercury News, though in a good way. They’ve a full menu of mainly bistro fare. We loved their huge wine on tap selection but were sold on their elegantly spare ideal: drink locally. Vino Vino is worth a look.

opening our tasty bottle of 2009 Nicholson Zinfandel, Santa Clara County

Hegui and Devaki at Estadio

We had the singular pleasure of dining with fellow food blogger, Devaki, from Weave a Thousand Flavors, and her delightful husband at this remarkable Spanish-inspired place, Estadio, in Washington D. C. over the winter holidays. D had researched it extensively and was completely excited by the chef, the menu and I think the company. After a truly memorable lunch here, we were too.

welcome to Estadio

Estadio exterior

The web site says the restaurant is in the Logan Circle neighborhood. Of course, since I’m from San Francisco, that’s like speaking in a foreign language to me. It was vaguely near U Street and 14th, which I only recall because we went on a bar crawl around there the night before with Hegui’s niece, Juliana, and our friends, Callie and Elizabeth. It was pouring rain the day we lunched at Estadio, but that didn’t keep us from feeling warm and snug inside.

The interior has a stunning design which I can only characterize as “Spanish fantasy.” There were the usual dramatic tiles and cast iron metal work, uncomfortable dark rustic wooden chairs, and large TV screens showing various Iberian soccer matches, of course. The bathrooms were fun, displaying a sexy-comic stereotypically fierce heterosexist vibe: in the Men’s was a huge floor-to-ceiling image of what looked like a scantily clad female model; and in the Ladies’, some shirtless soccer players flying the colors of Spain. I wish I’d taken a picture.

rainy street from the window of Estadio

stunning details of Estadio interior

It was not particularly crowded at 12:30PM on a Tuesday just after Christmas, though I can only imagine that it gets packed. They’ve an extensive wine and cocktail list, which unfortunately we really couldn’t explore as we planned to go to the National Gallery of Art post meal. It would be worth it to go back some evening to try the drinks.

Since everything’s basically tapas-style, we ordered lots of small and medium sized plates and more-or-less shared it all. As we ate, we got to know one another better, and I hope, began lasting friendships.

Cantabrian anchovies in olive oil

bacalao crudo, jalapeno, avocado, orange and olive oil

grilled octopus, potato and caper salad

Rhode Island calamari a la Plancha, Salsa Verde

smoked salmon with yoghurt and honey open faced sandwich

First to arrive were the Cantabrian anchovies in olive oil with some bread. In a word: delicious. In short order we enjoyed the smoked salmon with yoghurt and honey open-faced sandwich; the amazing bacalao crudo with jalapeño, avocado, orange and olive oil; grilled octopus with potato and caper salad; and the Rhode Island calamari a la Plancha with salsa verde.

Next we tried the lovely sherry glazed halibut with smoky Romesco and scallops with roasted cauliflower and salbitxada. We had sides of grilled scallions with more Romesco and Idiazábal and fiery sautéed red kale with garlic, sherry and chili flakes.

sherry glazed halibut, smoky Romesco

scallops, roasted cauliflower and salbitxada

This perfect repast ended on the sweet, as we shared an order of the unusual and tasty Manchego cheesecake with quince and pistachio granola.

The service was attentive but not hurried. As I’ve already alluded to, the ambience was super. This is a restaurant that we would definitely visit again. You Washingtonians are lucky. Thanks for treating us to Estadio, Devaki and Shamit!

Manchego cheesecake, quince and pistachio granola

I went to Crown & Crumpet Tea Salon the other day for Lucy’s baby shower. She used to work at our office here in SF but now works remotely from her new home in South Carolina. The beauty of the Internet! Lucy was here on a business trip and this was the last time she was to be in the office before the baby is due. So the day before she headed back to SC, we all went to Crown & Crumpet, located on scenic Ghirardelli Square to celebrate her new addition to the family, wish her well and bid adieu!

Crown & Crumpet Tea Salon interior view

How to describe Crown & Crumpet? Classic? Kitschy? Stylish? Girly? Perhaps all the above? Check the pics and decide for yourself I really liked this place, what with its beautiful views, vibrant colors, the decorative stuff with lots of light blues and pinks, adorably mismatched tables and chairs, and pretty China. I am a bit sensitive to scents, and this might have been an issue here, but the air inside the Salon was marvelous and inviting, infused with sweet aromas, tannins from different teas, herbs, bergamot, berries: a real treat!

Crown & Crumpet Tea Salon tea bar

enjoying the company at Crown & Crumpet Tea Salon

congratulations on your new baby, Lucy!

On the website the owner invites you to slow down… allow the delicious food and libations to transport you to a classic, traditional tea salon experience, as if you were in England. Forget that cup of Starbucks-in-a-hurry and enjoy the world’s most popular drink. I must say I did feel transported.

I think this is a perfect spot to impress your out of town guests. Besides C and C itself, the Square offers the traditional touristy Ghirardelli chocolate store, numerous great shops and beautiful views of the Bay and Golden Gate Bridge. The only caveat is that Crown & Crumpet is a small place so make a res before you go.

The menu was fabulous. As you might have guessed, they serve several types of tea: Strawberry Fields – green tea, strawberry, vanilla; Marie Antoinette – black tea, bergamot, blue mallow and roses; Minted Green – green tea blended with peppermint; Paris – black tea, bergamot, vanilla. I tried them all except for the mint—it’s not my cuppa tea. My favorite ones were the Marie Antoinette and Paris. Some of these herbs are supposed to promote spiritual healing and peace, something from which we can all benefit in our rushed weekday lives.

our lovely triple tiered tray

Aside from the tea, we had lovely triple tiered trays of mini sandwiches, pastries and assortments of petit fours. Delicious! The list is long. Among the sandwiches, we had cucumber & crème fraîche; curried chicken; salmon &cream cheese; and egg, chives & mayo. For pastries, we sampled the lovely crumpets, mini scones and apple Danish. The petit fours were assorted baby cup cakes, macaroons, date bars, butter cookies and chocolate and raspberry cream puffs.

This was my first visit to the Salon and my first exposure to the mysteries of an American baby shower. Both were delightful. We all left Crown and Crumpet happy and satisfied.

Located in the h2hotel, the ultra chic Spoonbar was a must try on our recent Sonoma wine country weekend. The joint was packed every night, but fortunately we were able to make a day-before reservation for four.

h2hotel with Spoonbar at ground level

stunning community table at Spoonbar

This place has a really open, warm feel, surrounded by tall picture windows overlooking the street, with lots of gorgeous exposed wood, comfortable stylish seating and flowing bars. There’s even a fascinating water fountain at one entrance made up of hundreds of spoons that move as the water tinkles past.

They’ve embraced an eat-local style of gastronomy. Many of the ingredients come from Northern California. Their web site particularly recommends their small bites and specialty cocktails, which they call potions. I tried the Smokey Local, a kind of Manhattan made partially of local things, including the delightful Qi Black Tea Liquor produced in the Bay Area. Delicious.

The menu was a bit all over the place, offering standard American fare, like burgers and fries; various Italian inspired dishes; and more exotic things with descriptors like “Moorish,” “Moroccan” and “Mediterranean.”

We arrived a bit early for our 8PM reservation, thinking that we’d wait at one of the crowded, cool bars, but they sat us immediately. Two of us started with cocktails and we had wine for the table.

We all shared a few appetizers and salads. The “mixed breads served with all three spreads” was really enjoyable. The three were the Mediterranean hummus, Moroccan eggplant and a white bean dip.

our cute tray of four appetizers

We ordered a dish of four small plates: batter fried shrimp, giant beans in some kind of olive tapenade, cucumber and tiny mozzarella balls wrapped in prosciutto. All of these were good (Hegui and I skipped the forth).

I was amazed by the Heart of Romaine salad with Lemon Cured Sardines and Caesar Dressing. The fish were huge and really flavorful. Hegui ordered the chicory salad with candied walnuts, which, though a bit bitter, was cleansing and enjoyable.

Heart of Romaine salad with Lemon Cured Sardines and Caesar Dressing

Hegui and Veronica toasting life at Spoonbar

pan seared salmon with root veggies

pasta with shellfish: look how messy the plate is, right from the kitchen

Veronica had the pumpkin stuffed pasta

chicory salad with candied walnuts

For my main, I got the spaghettini with shellfish in a seafood sauce. I only took a bite, as I ended up trading with my friend Karen, who ordered the pan seared salmon with root veggies. She has a real phobia of beets, and though she asked the waiter specifically, the dish arrived with lovely little beet cubes. I’m not much of a salmon fan but can tolerate it. The bed of smoky Swiss chard that it came with appealed to me. Hegui also had the salmon (we had initially planned on sharing) but he liked the fish but didn’t care for the chard.

Too full for dessert, we ordered it anyway. Karen and Veronica both selected the chocolate cake. It was a bit of a disappointment, as it arrived cold and tasted more or less like an ordinary brownie.

By chance, the night we were there, a colleague of mine from work was sitting with his wife and some of his friends at the next table. Since we were about 90 miles from home, that seemed uncanny. I had hoped to chat with them after their meal, but they left abruptly. On Monday we spoke about it. Apparently his party was so dismayed by the dreadful service that all eight of them ran out of there as soon as they could. Only after they left did he remember that he forgot to say goodnight.

messy salt shakers should be cleaned after

salt mingling with my dessert spoon

the pretty but rather sad chocolate cake

And it is true. Service was bad. We waited a long time for the waiter to mosey around to our table to take our order. Drinks arrived slowly though the wine, much quicker. Actually the young energetic guy acting as sommelier was really pretty good and attentive. Otherwise, we started to believe the drought was back on, after the endless delay for our water to be refilled. The food arrived at a slower-than-leisurely pace, and when the dishes were cleared, the table was never wiped, so large salt piles that leaked from the miniscule salt mill marred our table through dessert. Not cute.

We had a big debate about what to tip. I gave less than I normally do, though more than I wanted, committee procedures being what they are. I would try Spoonbar again sometime, perhaps in six months or a year, when hopefully they will have gotten their act together. If you were just going for a cocktail and perhaps a small bite or two, then no problem.

our miserably empty jar of h2O

welcome to Troya

Hegui and I have walked by Troya on many an occasion, while shopping for Asian ingredients at Richmond New May Wah on Clement Street in San Francisco. In the mid-afternoon, when we’re most often around, the place is dead: maybe one or two tables full at the most. So we weren’t especially into trying it.

That is until the other week, when I couldn’t help but notice through the window a large table of folks eating what appeared to me to be the most beautifully presented food. It was then that I looked at the menu and the sub-title to the place, “Turkish Cuisine and Mediterranean Meze Bar.” Now I was hungry.

As you’ve probably guessed, Troya is named after the famous, some say legendary city on the Anatolian peninsula of Turkey, Troy. Remember that great movie of the same name with Eric Bana as Hector, Brad Pitt as Achilles and Orlando Bloom as Paris? (I wonder what ever happened to Orlando Bloom? I haven’t seen him in a movie in ages and ages. I hope that he’s okay!) I really liked the fight scene with Hector and Achilles—so thrilling and so sad! Here it is:

I forgot how incredible that movie is!

Anyway, back to Troya. We went the night that we attended a party in honor of our friend, Tom’s 40th. It was held at a wine bar a few blocks away, so it seemed like a perfect evening to try the restaurant. Since we knew we were going to a wine bar, we had beer at the meal. Not that exciting, if you ask me, though it went excellently well with the marvelous and really beautifully presented food.

Troya interior on a busy Saturday night

It's funny: I look at pictures of myself and keep seeing my father

In no particular order, since they all arrived about the same time, we tried the Mediterranean spreads. This was a plate of three traditional dips: hummus, haydari—a yogurt dip, and muhamara—made from roasted red peppers. These came with a large cone like you’d see at Belgian fry places, filled with warm pita bread. In a word, yum.

I was blown away by the gorgeous presentation of the falafel. It tasted as good as it looked.

The börek, a baked filo pastry stuffed with spinach and other treats, was so flakey and buttery, it almost melted in my mouth. The fresh Monterey Bay grilled sardines with sumac dusted shallots, cucumber and greens was amazing. I want to try to make that at home sometime soon. The sumac gave the smoky fish a lovely vaguely citrusy-ness that we really enjoyed.

Mediterranean spreads: muhamara, haydari, and hummus

beautifully plated, delicious falafel

fresh Monterey Bay grilled sardines with sumac dusted shallots

Troya börek

I wasn’t as wild about the grilled eggplant salad (so maybe one itty-bitty misgiving), though Hegui didn’t have any complaints. Perhaps the problem is that I make something like this at home already, so I was underwhelmed? Also I thought it needed salt.

We shared an order of grilled ahi tuna kebabs to round out this remarkable meal. Since we were off to a birthday party, we skipped dessert, though I’ve no doubt that it would have been sublime at Troya.

roasted eggplant salad with bell pepper, cauliflower, herbs and pine nuts

grilled ahi tuna kebabs

the gorgeous green-tiled Palomar Hotel, home to the Fifth Floor restaurant

I’m thrilled to report to you all in blog-landia this super fun dinner, meet-the-winemaker experience that Hegui and I enjoyed last week. Littorai has become famous in California for Burgundian-styled Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Just this month, they were given high praise in Wine Spectator’s annual California pinot noir run-down. And the Fifth Floor Restaurant in the gorgeous Palomar Hotel has been a sensation here in San Francisco for years. We’d tried neither the wines nor the restaurant before this “private client dinner,” making this an especially delightful time.

The event, as you might have guessed, was put together by Littorai Wines as a fun promotional thing for their wine club members and friends. We paid to attend but that didn’t put anyone off. The dinner was crowded. In fact, the organizer told me that it filled up in a few days, Littorai is that good.

Attending an event like this reminded us both of a wedding dinner. People were excited to be there, were well dressed and for the most part on their best behavior, though hardly anyone knew one another. So we had the wonderful opportunity of chatting with our elegant neighbors.

There were six pairs of people at our table, including ourselves. One was in the wine industry. One was in investment banking but had a small pinot noir vineyard in Anderson Valley as a sort of money-pit. There with his fiancée, they’re to be married this week or maybe next. Another couple were real food-and-wine lovers living in the Marina District in town. They splurged and ordered a whole case of the delicious 2009 Littorai The Haven Vineyard Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir as the meal was winding down, which I thought impressive. These two were especially psyched about the Fifth Floor and its relatively new executive chef, David Bazirgan. The pair to our left were relative newcomers to San Francisco, having moved here from Minneapolis, MN about three years ago. They were especially fun to talk with, as they adored cooking. One recommended we try making sushi for brunch sometime and serve it with champagne. Apparently she does that quite often, to rave reviews.

sipping 2010 Littorai Lemon's Folly while awaiting other dinner guests

heirloom tomato, melon, tomato leather amuse bouche

Littorai winemaker and owner, Ted Lemon, explaining the Haven and Hirsch Vineyard pinots

I was a bit dismayed to be ushered to the Sixth Floor group dining room upon arriving at the Palomar, so I’m not yet convinced that we’ve actually dined at the Fifth Floor. But there were some perks, too, on the 6th floor. I’m a huge fan of evaluating restaurant bathrooms as part of an overall dining experience. Here the bathroom was really unique: it came with an entire hotel room, bed included. Cool!

We asked for the pesce-veggie menu as usual. As we waited for everyone to arrive, we early-birds sipped glasses of 2010 Littorai Lemon’s Folly, an off-dry blend of several grapes, including gewürztraminer. I liked it though Hegui, who remains a purist and red-devotee, wasn’t too sure.

Everyone started with an amuse bouche of heirloom tomato, melon and tomato leather. Tomato leather! That’s different. Really it tasted like sundried tomato but had the texture of one of those “healthy snacks” for kids, Fruit Roll-ups. Fun.

geoduck, razor and surf clam ceviche

lovely cheese-filled ravioli with basil pesto and tomatoes

On the left, the 2009 Cerise Vineyard Pinot Noir, and on the right, the 2009 Savoy Vineyard Pinot Noir; both from Anderson Valley

That was followed by the first pair of pinots: the 2009 Savoy Vineyard, Anderson Valley; and the 2009 Cerise Vineyard, Anderson Valley. We enjoyed ours with a cheese stuffed ravioli dish. The other diners had duck breast. The Savoy was drinking best of the two, though somehow I preferred the Cerise, which seemed more complex, and therefore, more interesting.

Last were two more pinots: the 2009 Hirsch Vineyard, Sonoma Coast; and the 2009 Haven Vineyard, Sonoma Coast. We had ours with a small dish of grilled scallops. The rest had lamb. The Haven was really nice and seemed less acidic than the Hirsch. Really all the wines were quite enjoyable.

grilled scallops with corn and padron peppers

perspiring four cheese dessert dish

Between courses, winemaker and Littorai owner, Ted Lemon spoke to us about his winemaking philosophy, the various vineyards he sources grapes from, his experiences working in Burgundy and fielded questions from the cheery audience.

We finished with a somewhat disappointing four cheese selection and re-tastings of any of the wines. (The cheese looked like it had been sliced and sat for a while, as they had beads of condensation on them. Not cute.) I had more Haven and Savoy and re-tasted the Hirsch, just, you know, to be sure

me and winemaker Ted Lemon