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Trip to California - The Food

Trying to keep things slightly chronological, if tardy, here... a few weeks ago both of us spent the week in California for work. Different places in California, mind you, but we were able to take the Friday off and spend a long weekend in San Francisco together. We visited Muir Woods and spent a day touring Napa in 113°F heat (more on that later perhaps), but of course the important stuff is the food. Getting to visit the great Bay area restaurants I've read about is a decided perk to traveling for work.

Chez Panisse Cafe in Berkley is one of those famous restaurants I've read about again and again. It is known for being the pioneer in the concept of using fresh, local, in-season ingredients rather than just getting everything off the Sysco truck. It's also one of those places that turns up on many chef's resumes. Downstairs is a fixed menu and seating. Upstairs is more of a traditional restaurant. It lived up to my heightened expectations. I was thrilled to get to try a salad with Little Gems lettuce (like little mini romaines) which I've read about but never seen around here. The standout of the night was dessert: A picture-perfect Apricot Tart with "Noyeaux ice cream." When I asked what Noyeaux ice cream was, the waiter explained they cracked the nuts out of the apricot pits and steeped them in cream, resulting in an ice cream that tasted somewhere between almonds and apricots. It was really unique and the kind of thing I love.

Zuni Cafe -- another well-known restaurant, I'd actually visited Zuni the last time but was happy to go again (plus we were eating very late and I knew Zuni was open late). I know I was happy with what I had, but I can't remember what it was. One thing that I do remember was The Wife's Assam Black Tea Ice Cream which was intriguingly good.

Citizen Cake was the most exceptional meal of the week (their web site is the worst thing about the place). It started with a terrific cocktail menu. These are not candy-martinis, but real cocktails. They reminded me of the kind of thing we used to get at 43 North: Basil Gimlet (Basil, Chopin vodka and lime served up), John's Negroni (Boodles gin, Campari, sweet vermouth and a dash of orange juice served up), Midnight Manhattan (Nocino della Cristina (impossible to find around here), Knob Creek whiskey and bitters). Some of the standout food: Eggplant "sous vide" chicken (that's chicken cooked in a vacuum pack, again, something I've read about being "all the rage" but hadn't tried, it was unbelievably moist), pickled peaches with prosciutto and micro basil, pork two ways (roasted tenderloin and shoulder confit), and steak with bleu cheese ice cream (terrific!) -- weird ice cream was definitely a theme this trip. We also had a little impromptu vodka tasting when the waiter overheard us discussing vodkas and bet us we could not tell the difference between a premium brand and Smirnoff. The Wife's extremely refined vodka palate of course proved him wrong.

Foreign Cinema -- This place I had never heard of, but it was suggested by my boss. Their schtick is showing foreign films (subtitled, of course) on the wall while you dine. The meal was very good although we were all rather spend from roasting in Napa all day. The appetizers stand out in my memory: Warm California and Mediterranean olives and and excellent cheese called Baked fromage d' Affinois (which I'll probably never find around here).