Iconic Three Michelin Star restaurant, owned by Dominique Crenn, the first ever female chef to receive the honor. Chef is from France, so while the cuisine is distinctly French, there is much influence from her decades of residing in California. She has her own farm nearby in Sonoma, which supplies the restaurant with a beautiful seasonal bounty. The tasting menu is entirely pescatarian and dairy free, in a conscious move toward sustainability.
The tasting menu is priced at $475/ person, with two optional wine pairings, priced at $300 or $500. I opted for the $500 wine pairing, titled “A Sense Of Time and Place”. It featured 6 incredible selections (three from France), that certainly enhanced the food and experience. When I did not love my 1967 Barolo, the sommelier insisted on pouring me something else. It was A LOT of wine…I left very drunk.
The food was captivating from the first bites: the the tiny pop of liquid Kir Breton, the flavorful and visually stunning “Cherry Bomb”, and the Dungeness Crab three ways (ice cream, cracker, and Dashi) were all memorable. My favorite dishes overall were the Cauliflower & Caviar, the Japanese Pot au Feu, and the Monterey Bay Abalone.
Neither my husband or I enjoyed the Dry Aged Black Cod main, which was served with bao buns. The cheeseless cheese course, a Fermented Leek Tart, also left a lot to be desired. I am a dessert fiend, so having 6 different desserts was exciting, but none of them amazed me. We were sent home with delicious chocolate-covered peanut butter puffs, which I wish I could get more of.
Overall, an exceptional meal that I would recommend to any fine food lover, especially if you are already pescatarian like myself. However, I am not sure if we loved it enough to come back.
1 Comment
Iconic Three Michelin Star restaurant, owned by Dominique Crenn, the first ever female chef to receive the honor. Chef is from France, so while the cuisine is distinctly French, there is much influence from her decades of residing in California. She has her own farm nearby in Sonoma, which supplies the restaurant with a beautiful seasonal bounty. The tasting menu is entirely pescatarian and dairy free, in a conscious move toward sustainability.
The tasting menu is priced at $475/ person, with two optional wine pairings, priced at $300 or $500. I opted for the $500 wine pairing, titled “A Sense Of Time and Place”. It featured 6 incredible selections (three from France), that certainly enhanced the food and experience. When I did not love my 1967 Barolo, the sommelier insisted on pouring me something else. It was A LOT of wine…I left very drunk.
The food was captivating from the first bites: the the tiny pop of liquid Kir Breton, the flavorful and visually stunning “Cherry Bomb”, and the Dungeness Crab three ways (ice cream, cracker, and Dashi) were all memorable. My favorite dishes overall were the Cauliflower & Caviar, the Japanese Pot au Feu, and the Monterey Bay Abalone.
Neither my husband or I enjoyed the Dry Aged Black Cod main, which was served with bao buns. The cheeseless cheese course, a Fermented Leek Tart, also left a lot to be desired. I am a dessert fiend, so having 6 different desserts was exciting, but none of them amazed me. We were sent home with delicious chocolate-covered peanut butter puffs, which I wish I could get more of.
Overall, an exceptional meal that I would recommend to any fine food lover, especially if you are already pescatarian like myself. However, I am not sure if we loved it enough to come back.