TrelayneNYC

This was actually last weekend's dinner Braised pork chops with juniper berries and sage Served with broccoli rabe and garlic

Delfina is good all things considered but the pretentiousness/precious factor is through the roof. It would also help if the kitchen executed correctly. Those of you who know about wine can take a gander at one of their wine lists. There's a much longer version not shown here. Grilled sardines, pane pomodoro, caponata Heirloom tomatoes, anchovy, burrata I suppose I was expecting more than just tomato salad with cheese for $19. Veal cappelletti, chanterelle mushrooms, sage B remarked that if you removed the mushrooms, the dish is a bit bland. Bigoli in salsa, featuring locally-caught sardines. This was incredibly salty and while I understand that this specialty of Venice typically uses salt-cured fish, it's not supposed to be a few shades below inedible. (Also Calabrian chile peppers don't belong there.) Affogato - fior di bufala gelato, espresso, amaro. We ordered light since our brunch earlier in the day was quite filling. Total bill came out to $119 not including a 20% tip. The room is quite loud, if noise level matters. Plenty of hard edges, wood, and square corners means poor sound absorption. The rock music in the background didn't help. On the other hands, high ceilings are a plus. You're enveloped in a cocoon of sound but you can hear your table mate. We'll probably check out their pizzeria via takeout; I understand my landlord is a fan. But I don't think we'll be coming back to the main resto anytime soon. It was a slightly above average experience marred by a couple of missteps - overall rather disappointing, given that it took 30 days for last night's reservation. Delfina 3621 18th Street (Guerrero Street) Mission District

Chrysanthemum greens, charcoal-grilled duck, apple Konbu-cured halibut sashimi, fresh wasabi Hand-rolled udon noodles, poached egg, fish broth Green tea ice cream, black sesame ice cream, langues de chat

On Tuesday, B and I were supposed to have a vegan dinner at Izakaya Rintaro cooked by Chef Daisuke Nomura, a fifth generation shojin ryori chef and owner of Sougo Shojin restaurant in Roppongi, a district of Tokyo. The meal would have been in the style of shojin cuisine, a tradition that was born in Buddhist temples in the 13th century. In accordance with the Buddhist prohibition against killing, shojin cooking uses no meat or fish, requires produce that is both local and in season and allows almost no waste. It is one of the world's most sophisticated vegetarian cuisines. Chef Nomura was denied entry into the U.S. which essentially canceled that event. Immigration had asked him why he had visited the U.S. three previous times in the past year and what he was doing during those times. (Um, he's a chef who's in high demand...that's why.) Congratulations to the Trump administration. Our #fakepresident is making America great again! We had a wonderful dinner given the circumstances... Chu-toro and akami tuna sashimi, sudachi, myōga ginger Crispy-fried shrimp, cherry tomato salad Left: chicken gizzard, served with lemon and togarashi pepper. Right: chicken liver, with sweet roasted garlic purée. Soy-marinated wild bigeye and bluefin tuna over Japanese rice with raw egg, nori and scallion

This was three weeks ago Blueberry galette with a rosemary crust, served with crème fraîche

Espresso brownies, Cognac-espresso chocolate frosting Very adult if you ask me

We went to Slanted Door last night... Half a dozen oysters served with sweet chile sauce and mignonette. A good way to start that unfortunately didn't replicate itself the rest of the way. By the time we had received these, we still hadn't gotten our drink orders. So that was the first strike. Wild Gulf shrimp and green garlic-chive dumplings. The exterior was crisped and just right but the interior was undercooked and the whole thing too doughy. We probably ordered wrong. B said "This is in line with my previous experience here - basically average food in a nice setting but way overpriced." Lots of intense flavors that mirror the tendency of Americans to like super-pumped up sensations with very little in the way of nuance. B had been to Slanted Door a couple of times before and this was my first time last night. Stir-fried Gulf shrimp with shishito peppers and ginger. Someone in the kitchen went overboard on the salt. Hint: if you can taste it, it's too much. We paid $33 for the privilege of eating this plate of food. Sweet corn, pork, shrimp paste, scallions. This was just ok. Also, it was something I could have made at home. Oh, you want to know what it was like. Well, it was your standard Asian stir-fry with bits of meat, lots of vegetables and a smidge of flavoring. You've had this dish before. The only difference is that this costs $14 and not $5.50 from some Chinese take-out shop in NYC. Vanilla bean cheesecake, roasted peaches, yogurt, burnt honey cremaux, honeycomb. They redeemed themselves somewhat with their desserts. This was not too sweet and the contrast between fruit and cheesecake just right. Blood peach sorbet. I never thought a sorbet could be bland. B remarked "Not enough fruit purée." The room is beautiful and it is LOUD which is no surprise. The decor features mostly glass, metal and wood, and there's plenty of square corners and hard surfaces along with very little to zero sound absorption. Also a great deal of open space. While you can hear your neighbor and your tablemate, you're also enveloped in a wall of sound. Total bill came out to a shade under $200 for two people. A wash in the end.

We went to Contigo last night. Cava, strawberries, rose lillet Salt-cured anchovies, mató cheese, black pepper. Very tasty and it's an idea I'll probably replicate at some point in the future. The cheese was fresh and creamy with lovely sweetness throughout, sort of a Catalan version of ricotta. Squid, cranberry beans, sweet peppers, chorizo. Sounded great on paper but not so much in execution. This was just "all right". Needed a bit of zip - whether it was from garlic or a bit more spice in the sauce, or possibly a pinch of salt. There was something missing. The first tapa was the best one and this dish is where things started to go south for us. White anchovies, avocado, espelette pepper, lemon zest. Sort of an upgraded version of avocado toast. This was not as successful as the first anchovy tapa. Too many things going on the plate. The flavors were also jarring - boquerones were too dominant and needed something strong enough to stand up to it. Pork, lamb and jamón meatballs, tomato sherry sauce. Great concept on paper...sorry to sound like a broken record. The meatballs were a bit tough, the sauce not memorable. I'm sitting here several hours later and posting this on the Internet...and the flavor of the sauce was a total blur so that tells you something. Looks great though, and appropriately priced at $13. Catalan summer vegetable ratatouille, roasted in wood oven with a farm egg. That's language straight from the menu...and I am unaware of ratatouille made with anything other than vegetables one obtains in the summer, so that wording is redundant. (Because if it's made with cabbage, it probably isn't ratatouille. But I digress.) This was ok. The egg was superfluous though. Hot chocolate with churros. Cheese plate. Clockwise from center foreground: manchego cheese; quesuco ahumado de liébana (cow's milk cheese from Cantabria); patacabra (goat cheese from Aragon). Served with bread, quince jam and fresh hazelnuts. You're thinking we hate Contigo but the truth is that it was just ok. We may be back eventually; the restaurant gets points for having comfortable counter seats. FOH staff tends to disappear - we waited 15 minutes just for the dessert menu and then another 15 minutes just to get the check. We happen to think Esperpento is better. Contigo1320 Castro (24th Street)Noe Valley

Thanks @Smita Nordwall Fig and sweet red pepper salad with mint and crème fraîche.

PS. I'll read through this thread later.

If you have been to Paris, how much of this article is true? https://www.eater.com/2016/10/19/13307432/paris-dining-etiquette

Fava beans, jamón serrano Baked chicken thighs with tomatoes, olives and herbs

Roasted plums with juniper berries and gin

Not the best lunch today at Ikaros, a Greek restaurant in Oakland, an understatement if ever there was one. We had gotten to the restaurant at 1:15 pm. A waiter didn't take our order until 10 minutes had elapsed. Then it was another 20 minute wait for this appetizer. I was furious but kept my cool although I was thinking of simply asking for the check at that point. I wish I could say that the wait was worth it. This needed salt amongst other things. Zucchini strips - basically grilled zucchini tossed with a vinaigrette. For $8.50. The restaurant was almost empty when we arrived and filled up while we were there. There were at least two servers on the floor - it's not a large space. The servers weren't doing anything other than walking around. We weren't able to get a waitperson until we specifically asked for one. B noted that the manager wasn't around which is a telling and not good sign. Fried eggplant accompanied with tzatziki. The eggplant was "fine". The tzatziki needed a ton more garlic and tasted mostly of yogurt mixed with sour cream. House salad with feta. B ordered a skewer of lamb souvlaki to go along with the salad. Was quite average although the feta was borderline bland. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around that one. Broiled half chicken brushed with lemon, olive oil and oregano, served with rice pilaf and steamed vegetables. The chicken was the unkindest cut of all - burnt, charred and OVERCOOKED. The bottom portion went uneaten - it was so tough you could have served it to a certain famous individual as well-done steak and gotten away with it. We paid $23 for the privilege of eating this plate of food. Ikaros 3268 Grand Avenue (Mandana Blvd.) Oakland, CA

Blueberry galette, rosemary crust. Served with crème fraîche.

De gustibus This sold for about $160. If it was aged for 50 years, it would have sold for $400+. It's not about a "brand" but about the length of the aging and the process by which it's made. You can tell because of the designation "extravecchio" and the fact that this bottle has the coveted "DOP". What Americans know as balsamic vinegar is basically sugar water with barely any wine and a lot of food coloring. I'll pass on those, many thanks.

I'm never going to be able to go back to the stuff that gets sold here in this country after tasting a 1-2 drops from this bottle earlier this afternoon. There is simply no comparison.

Pappardelle con sugo di nana ("pappardelle with Tuscan duck ragu") Nectarines for dessert

WaPo's comment section is even more of a jungle than NYT's comment sections. I don't read them because it takes me about 10 nanoseconds before my brain explodes. We wouldn't want that to happen in real life.

For breakfast today (Sunday), I made a cake: Apricot upside-down cake. Awesome with crème fraîche.

Crostino with sheep's milk ricotta cheese, basil and slow-roasted cherry tomatoes Coniglio all'Ischitana ("Braised rabbit in the style of Ischitana") - Rabbit is browned in olive oil, then braised in a mixture of wine, lard and tomatoes. Any offal that comes with the rabbit is sliced, then wrapped in basil leaves and placed throughout the pot. Fagiolini al pesto ("Green beans and potatoes with pesto")

Squid salad with sourdough croutons, Sungold cherry tomatoes and olives

You order at the register, take your drinks (and dessert) to your table and a runner serves the food. Your utensils are in a wire mesh container, and your condiments are in a box. It's really casual and not fine dining at all. Souvla is a slightly more upscale version of 4505 Burgers & BBQ but not by much.

Souvla is a great lunch place that we occasionally go to, although I've ordered from there more than dined there. I don't really think of it as "fine dining" though. For me, that's at a level of quality akin to Blue Hill or Gramercy Tavern in NYC, or Minibar in DC which is miles beyond. Souvla is more like 4505 Burgers and BBQ in terms of ambiance and food (quality, technical execution and attention to detail).

Hamburgers with the works - lettuce, tomato, grilled onions, homemade bread-and-butter pickles and our version of "secret sauce" Potato salad with mint, lemon and scallion