Baker & Banker
Chateau de Malla Sauternes 1999
Bohemian Creamery Capriago & Boho Belle, dried fruit compote, Candied Ginger Bread
Stone Fruit Crisp, Brown Sugar Oatmeal Streusel, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Blueberry Bread Pudding, Crème Fraiche Sherbet, Buttermilk Caramel
Mr. Espresso French Press
Warm Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie, Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Hot Fudge
XXX – Triple Dark Chocolate Layer Cake with Devil’s Food, Cheese Cake, and Flourless
Having missed out on the highly praised but short-lived brunch service from the Wife & Husband team of Lori Baker & Jeff Banker yet ever intrigued by the cozy space on Octavia Street it was through gluttonous eyes that I’d been stalking their online menu leading up to my visit to San Francisco and with daily updates dictated by seasonality and sustainability one could call June 16th my lucky day – a pair of new desserts joining the classics I’d coveted. Originally planning a ‘proper’ meal but giving this more thought as I walked up from the Mission it would be mere moments before my designated time that I arrived and surprisingly met by Chef Baker upon entry a seat was soon procured – the rest of the space filled in capacity as well as lively conversation while a small staff including the chefs themselves tended to guests’ needs. Largely brasserie in feel with rustic touches adding warmth it would not be long before my lovely young waitress arrived with a menu and after pretending to peruse I let my intentions be known – a wide smile and “sounds fantastic” the appropriate response to an order consisting solely of wine, cheese, coffee, and desserts. Obviously amused by my order and apparently taking bets regarding my ability to finish as a sniffed the small glass of fragrant Sauternes it was in a duet of local cheeses plus housemade accoutrements that the night began and with both cuts quite generous I sampled each slowly until the ‘real’ show commenced – a first serve ace arriving in bubbling pluots, peaches, and plums beneath buttery crumbs and slowly melting vanilla. Preferring a progression pairing fruits with wine and coffee with cocoa it was in the second sweet course that I held the highest expectations and having heard rumor of the team’s breakfast bread pudding I was not let down when the tender brioche presented almost supersaturated with custard beneath a golden crown as tangy ice cream worked overtime to keep sweetness in check, the end result something akin to a molten blueberry muffin and therefore an inspired textural segue to the reference-standard cast iron cookie that threw caution to the wind regarding sweetness and proved all the better for it. At this point sipping coffee and conversing with the bemused couple beside me it was just past nine o’clock when Chefs Baker & Banker together arrived to put their signature on the table and stacked high with a quenelle of whip cowering in its dark shadow the only thing sinful about the “XXX” was that it signified the end of a great night I’d put off for far too long.
RECOMMENDED: Dessert, particularly the bread pudding.
AVOID: N/A.
TIP: Unbeknownst to me, in addition to the online menu which is updated daily, Baker & Banker also offers a $45 3-course set menu each night – a veritable steal considering the ingredients, portions, and quality of the restaurant.
http://www.bakerandbanker.com/
