Springtime in Brooklyn

Tartine Bakery and Saison Restaurant

I just wanted to wrap-up photos from my trip out to the Northwest last week.  On Saturday we all went to Tartine, Katy's favorite bakery in the whole wide world.  There was a line out the door that stretched all the way down the block.  It moved quickly and before long these gorgeous gorgere popped into my vision.  They were bigger than tennis balls.  I resisted only because we had had some at Chez Panisse the night before as an amuse bouche.  We all shared a croissant and Katy and I decided they were the best croissant we'd had outside of Paris.  They were also three times as big as any croissant in France but America just does things big.

John pointed out that the coconut cream cakes look like West Highland terriers and are about the same size as well.

This is my gruyere and jambon Tartine sandwich with pickled carrots.

Later that evening Matt, Katy, and myself went to Saison restaurant and although we had many gorgeous dishes this one stood out.  It's greens from the broccoli family (broccoli rab, brussel sprouts, etc) toasted in their wood fire oven.  Some broth is ladled over and the tiniest poached egg sits on top.  It was one of the most delicate and gorgeous things I've eaten.

San Francisco

I arrived in SF yesterday straight from Maun two days before. Surprisingly, jetlag hasn't been an issue.

My brother, his new girlfriend, two cousins, and myself had dinner at Chez Panisse last night. Not surprisingly it was gorgeous. We had lots of wine though and that made getting up a bit difficult this morning but after a good workout I'm feeling better.

We started dinner with a champagne cocktail with kumquat syrup followed by a crawfish salad. Risotto with choritzo and peas next then squab with bitter lettuce leaves. Dessert was a bit disappointing for me. It was a rose jelly with sorbet. A bit too retro for me.

We all had a fabulous time and I'm very much looking forward to Tartine for lunch and then some serious shopping!