Saison
Krug Grand Cuvee
Tea – Herbs from our garden and their flora, Meyer lemon
White Sturgeon Caviar – Shell torn sturgeon belly cured and smoked on kelp, gelee of the grilled bones, Spring citrus
Beignets of bitter vegetables and anchovy, milk thistle, soy and citrus
Arteis and Co Brut 1999
Diamond Turbot – fresh shiso, chrysanthemum pickled in dry mustard, mountain yam, sea bean, Meyer lemon sea salt, white soy infused with oils from the fish’s head, nori, skin
Untitled – Gin, Juniper, Verjus, egg white, Absinthe, Chamomile Tea Syrup, White Ale
Trout – Smoked in the wood oven, tea, pickled daikon, anise hyssop
First of the season Corn – Pudding, dried tomatoes, trout roe
Sea Urchin Toast – Butter soaked Tartine toast, river vegetables and avocado, uni, uni bottarga
Abalone – Roasted over the embers, sauce of the liver and capers
Surf Clam – Herbal broth, bitters, dropwood
Sea Cucumber – The ribs grilled in the flora and stuffed with scallop farce, salted broth
Sea Cucumber – Chicharon, grilled kelp and bonito dusted with egg yolk fish sauce
Goddess Melon Soup – Crackling of pork, salted shiso
Ling Cod – Roasted over the coals, sauce of rangpur lime and yogurt, head
Untitled – 5 Island Rum, Jamaican Rum, Honey Syrup, Fresh Lime Juice, Tiki Bitters, Blanc de Blanc (not photographed)
Brassicas – Dried over the fire
Sartarelli Tralivio
Parker House Rolls
Duck Toffee – Scented with caramelized white chocolate, milk, bread, beer
Beef – Grilled alongside its bones in the fire, cultured buckwheat, bitter herbs
1987 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon
Pickles and a bouillion of beef bones – eggplant in brown sugar and soy, carrots in turmeric, turnips in nuka, salted squash blossom, beets in sauerkraut, daikon and burdock, cucumber
Cheese – Bellwether Farms Sheeps’ Milk Ricotta with honey, Sofia, Pecorino, Rimrocker, Winnimere, Grilled Wheat Bread, Peach Soda with elderflower musk
Krug sorbet
Rhubarb – Jasmine and kumquat, sorrel granite
Buckwheat tea and canele, milk chocolate
Take Home – orange brioche, canele
Landing atop my list of best meals for 2013 a third visit to Saison was a given during my most recent trip to San Francisco and although I’d have never imagined the circumstances when I booked the reservation nearly three months prior I’m relatively certain the Friday the 13th visit will linger as one of the most memorable nights in my life – a nearly four hour experience of superlative food, beverage, and service unfolding while the Los Angeles Kings captured their second Stanley Cup. Admittedly known to Chef Skenes as well as Maitre D’ Matthew Mako and welcomed at the door like an old friend it was to the restaurant’s longer Discovery Menu that I was treated and with 20+ courses comprised of a cornucopia of exotic ingredients manipulated only as much as necessary to maximize both flavor and texture not a single bite would prove less than ambitious and, perhaps more importantly, delicious. Undeniably a tasting menu rooted in logical progression yet at the same time often hinting at things to come or flavors just passed it would be nearly impossible to single out a dish as the meal’s strongest and as such focusing on one ‘segment’ that exemplified everything from sourcing to technique one would be best served to witness the urchin, abalone, surf clam, and sea cucumber quartet – each plate a stirring tribute to its ingredients but the succession a veritable work of art with brine, bitter, smoke, and sweet all delivered in harmony with texture moving deftly from crunchy to creamy and back. As much an event as a meal I’ve said before that Saison is the best restaurant in the country and although other factors may indeed be tinting my most recent experience I am just as comfortable now suggesting that both the food and the service better than ever, a proclamation leaving me to wonder just how much better it can get…and eager to return and find out.
RECOMMENDED: Discovery Menu
AVOID: N/A
TIP: Amongst the nation’s most expensive restaurants and now upping the ante with a $498 Saturday Chef’s Tasting where Joshua Skenes is set to explore his newest concepts potential diners should do their homework before visiting Saison – simply put, this is not cuisine for ‘everyone’ and persons with more timid palates may find themselves challenged by several of the courses served throughout the night.
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