Saturday, August 21, 2010
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Benu is finishing up their second week of nu-ness in San Francisco where they are be-stowing diners with Asian influenced chow made by Chef Corey Lee.
SOMA-lier Yoon Ha steered us through the tricky tides of complex couplings after our glasses of Gonet-Medeville Rosé Champagne.
Buckwheat lavosh were pasta machine-thin papers of nori and sesame flat breads filed in a carbo cabinet:
These munchable memoranda were the start to our groat cuisine experience.
Geta were laced up with cubes of apple gelee with marcona almond and almond milk in a crunchy, fruit jiggler with cilantro sprouts:
A preserved quail egg was upholstered with black truffle ragout and served in tandem with a molecul-orb of tomato water with a skinned tomato in a wading pool of dashi en-cumbered with pedals:
This textural travel through ancient and new was an enticing entrance to the tasting menu.
Flounder flapped in fermented pepper with a mini brunoise of mountain yam. The micro morsels of this crispy tuber subdued its mucousy nature in this crudo served alongside a dish of caramelized anchovy gelee:
Crisp bites of lily bulbs illuminated this peanut and "jelly" fish dish.
Sweetbreads grenobloises:
... were complemented by a 2008 Laport Sancerre. These crisp-shelled thymust have items were strewn with mini florets of cauliflower in a preparation that would make the offal-averse reverse.
Next came a bottle of beer and a cigarette. Hitachino white ale offered spliffy support to an eel and avocado feuille de brick:
The spicy, softly bubbly brew was a joint effort with the crisp cylinder lit up with lime creme fraiche and a 2007 Prinz Hallgartener Jungfer Riesling.
House made brioche toast transported a faux gras of monk fish liver:
Apple relish ramped up this marvelous, mustard-mingled torchon.
"Sharks fin" soup:
... had a Jinhua ham enriched broth over a truffle custard. This jaw dropping faux-mulation went swimmingly with the inspired pairing of a 2007 Verdelho Madeira.
Uni in a sea foam of corn sat on a mound spudded with corn kernels, cilantro sprouts and celery:
This dish called out urchinly for the 2002 Kiuchi Dainjon Osake.
A 2007 Domaine Paul Pernot white Burgundy washed down a rice porridge with abalone and chicken:
Razor thin slices of scallion fooled us into thinking the dish was strewn with fennel fronds.
We swirled spaghettini:
... with a 2005 Reversanti Barbaresco. This tomato marmalade and Reggiano parmesan powdered nest of garlic sheets spun us towards a 2006 Cote Roti served with a Cipollini onion capped pork belly:
A wilted iceberg lettuce shawl covered this olive and cherry coulis-cradled midsection with a spiced sugar which swayed this towards the sweetness of the swine.
Beef rib cap:
... was seared after a sous vide bath. A 2005 Chateau Potensac Bordeaux buoyed these tender bovine bites which were partnered with a spam-like parallelogram, bluefoot mushrooms, mizuna and a pool of pine needle honey.
An array of melon morsels shone in a sake soup:
This bathed our buds in a reset for dessert.
A 2005 Domaine Jo Pithon wound around compressed strawberries and strawberry sorbet:
Granules of buckwheat shortbread added rhyme to the grain that began our meal.
La Mill coffee came in pots with insulated handleless cups. We sipped on our brew as we marveled at the bespoke box that displayed our chocolates:
All of the custom created dinnerware had a tactile temptation. The African blackwood utensil rests had the feel of silk while the weave of the napkins had a grip. There was great care taken to create a minimalist surrounding to spotlight this fantastic and fun dining experience.
We thanked Chef Lee:
... for creating such a swell dinner before we shuffled off to hibernate.
Benu
22 Hawthorne Lane
San Francisco, CA
415.685.4860
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