If you've read my other blogs, you'll notice that the defining criteria for my restaurant reviews is always "food quality per dollar." However, there are occasions when you are looking to savor a very special experience that just happens to be based on a meal, and cost is a secondary concern.
Several times, I've been lucky enough to end a meal with a companion or a group and be able to exclaim, "Now that was a truly perfect meal." There are those times, on occasion, when neither the chef nor the servers nor the atmosphere could have been any better. You don't add any seasoning, you send nothing back to the kitchen, you never have an empty glass of water or wine, and you never have to strain to hear your companion(s). In short, not even a perfectionist would do a single thing differently on any of these occasions. It is as if you witness a professional athlete performing at his peak in a major championship competition, and you're the one of the few beneficiaries.
I concede that both company and circumstance typically determine the experience at least as much as the meal, but I have done my best to disaggregate those elements from the overall evaluations. Furthermore, the restaurants here are highlighted because I recall making the "perfect" characterization as we concluded and departed.
A side note that I find interesting is that, including the honorable mentions, three of these experiences were actually first dates with women I ended up dating with some seriousness, so one might venture two conclusions from that bit of data: (a) the chef -- or someone out there -- was conspiring to take the pressure off and make sure the dinner set us on a good course; or (b) my nostalgia has me doing some revisionist history.
However, if you're searching for a great special-occasion type of meal, I propose to you a good starting point with this list:
La Toque (Napa Valley) -- Unfortunately, you can no longer replicate this experience, because it took place in the restaurant's former location; the restaurant has since moved into the new Westin in downtown Napa, losing quite a bit of the charm and atmosphere, while maintaining the excellence in the kitchen. The setting for this perfect meal was their courtyard garden, around a fireplace, and it was my going-away dinner prior to departing the Bay Area for a stint in London. My girlfriend and I enjoyed a six-course tasting menu, where each of us were provided different dishes for each course. Chef Ken Frank's creativity with all local, fresh ingredients and his passion for subtly infusing a French influence made for an incredible and cohesive arrangement of flavors. We opened the evening with a really nice Gosset Brut Rose, and then we enjoyed a fantastic Chablis on the way to a phenomenal bottle of Chambolle-Musigny. The service was impeccable, noticing and respecting the emotional nature of the experience, successfully balancing the requisite privacy and attentiveness. This is the first time I remember saying, practically in unison with my foodie girlfriend at the time, "That really was the most perfect meal." We also both noted that this experience far surprassed either of our experiences at the more famous French Laundry down the road. Fortunately, due to the occasion, money was no object that night, because the check was not for the faint of heart.
Fifth Floor (San Francisco) -- Back when Laurent Gras was working the kitchen at this place and on his way to being named one of the nation's top up-and-coming chefs, I enjoyed an anniversary meal here in a very romantic booth that started with the drinks cart brought to the table for an aperitif. What ensued was a multi-course tasting menu again paired with a white and red bottle of French Burgundy (yes, this will be a theme throughout these entries). Another meal where the cost represented a monthly entertainment budget (and actually was), there was absolutely nothing the restaurant could have done to make the experience more enjoyable.
Boulevard (San Francisco) -- A three-course lunch in 2003, highlighted by cucumber soup with meyer lemon and tiny bacon crunches, a roasted halibut entree, and a very light but tasty meyer lemon and goat cheese soufflee. This was back when Boulevard participated in Restaurant Week/Dine-About-Town, so we paid a whopping $29/person plus a little more for the glasses of wine we each enjoyed alongside.
Gary Danko (San Francisco) -- Another celebration meal, this particular experience was by far the best of my several trips to Gary Danko, which unfortunately have been mixed. However, this time was indeed perfect, and there are absolutely no ways in which the restaurant could have done anything better. We did a three-course tasting menu and wine pairing, and we walked away thinking that the place indeed deserved all its hype. The bananas foster dessert became one of my favorite things to attempt to replicate and surpass at home, and that night has proven a formidable competitor for years.
Dopo (Oakland) -- I've had so many wonderful meals at this place, which really is #1 favorite restaurant in the Bay Area, but one in 2008 with my friends Sandy and Lorena, and Sandy's parents, indeed stands out. Jon's lasagne is still my favorite dish, and Kayta did her part by keeping one for me for dessert since I had to share the first one with the table. We introduced Lorena to Jon's fantastic tuna crudo, and she was changed for life. Lorena previously refused to eat fish altogether; she now seeks out tuna crudo or tartare as an automatic selection on any restaurant menu. We did a salumi selection of house-cured meats and pates, a couple of crispy thin-crust pizzas, and a fresh pasta with chicken sugo, in addition to the lasagne. It was amazing, and it never disappoints. This is one of the few places on this list that makes my other lists (food quality per dollar) and that hasn't lost its luster or its chef.
Oliveto (Oakland) -- Unfortunately, this continues the theme of restaurants enjoyed before their best chefs departed, the meal I'm describing happened was back when Paul Bertolli was still the Executive Chef and my friend Jon Smulewitz (who has since opened two of my favorite places in all the world, Dopo and Adesso) was managing the meats. We had a big table, making it even more difficult for the restaurant to manage successfully, and we ordered nearly everything on the menu and were treated to many things not on the menu.
Matsuhisa (Los Angeles) -- The site of my birthday meal back in 2000 with my great buddies, James and Gareth, the original restaurant that preceded the Nobu chain delivered an incredible experience including both melt-in-your-mouth-fresh sushi and delicate, flavorful, cooked Japanese dishes. The bluefin tuna sashimi still ranks among the best I've ever had (better even than what I had at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo), the famous miso black cod was amazing, the Kuruma shrimp tempura was the tastiest shrimp I've ever had, and it was the first time I enjoyed what has become one of my favorite Japanese dishes, the sumptuous and silken Nasudengaku, a japanese eggplant with a miso glaze.
Loveless Cafe (Outside Nashville) -- I was on a cross-country roadtrip with my good friend James, and we were trying to hit some of the best examples of Southern cuisine as we criss-crossed the southern part of the U.S. After a great day and night enjoying the honky-tonk bars in Nashville, we headed to the famous Loveless Cafe for a late lunch on our way out of Nashville (and on our way to Memphis for some great Barbeque at Rendezvous). Undoubtedly the best fried chicken I've ever had, too much of their famous country ham and some terrific grits, it was the buttermilk biscuits I couldn't stop eating and ultimately gave me the food hangover that lasted at least another 24 hours in the car. We added a BBQ pulled pork sandwich, and I think we might have had food sufficient for five people, not just two. James and I still talk about this meal, and about our excitement for returning. If you're in the area, you must find a way to check this place out, and to take some of their spiced rubs and other accessories with you.
Antico Forno Roscioli (Rome) -- I had two perfect meals at this place, and it may thus be my #1 favorite restaurant of all time. Yes, that is indeed a bold claim, and coming from a guy who ranks everything, it should have some substance. Interestingly, both of my meals there were enjoyed alone when I was working in Rome, so I know the company couldn't have been helping my impression. This place represents everything I value in a restaurant. It is casual, friendly, approachable. The staff is warm and welcoming, attentive and respectful. And the food is all from the heart. The pastas are made in house and perfectly cooked, perfectly dressed. The selection of salumi is also all local artisan-made, and the cheeses are the best I've ever had anywhere. Plus, you can do it all for under $50, including a great bottle of local red wine. I am flying to Rome later this year just to revisit this place, and it wouldn't be crazy to suggest you do the same.
Restaurant Bernard Loiseau (Saulieu, Burgundy Region, France) -- Sadly, only a few weeks after this example of culinary perfection, Bernard Loiseau committed suicide, robbing the world of being able to share the experience I'm about to describe. My girlfriend and I were on a two-week gastronomic adventure in Burgundy, and we knew it would be tough to justify the three-star cost of this place, especially given the incredible country eating we had been doing at far lower prices. However, we sat down for a nine-course experience that can only be described as an "extravaganza." I went vegetarian this night, and my nine-courses minus dessert had truffles as the common theme, and "rich" doesn't even begin to do justice. Her nine-courses were equally elegant, exploring an entire spectrum of the finest in French haute cuisine, and we knew immediately that we'd be on our way to a memory that will endure forever. Paired with local wines, our senses could not have been more overwhelmed. Thankfully, we were staying at the little inn on the same property!
Honorable Mention
Ubon (London) -- My good friend Richard and I frequented this place when I lived in London as I tried to relieve my yearning for San Francisco food, and we became close with the head sushi chef, Yaz, and his entire staff. It turned out that Yaz and I shared a love for a fish London hadn't met yet, Shima Aji, which he then began flying in from Japan and texting me every time it arrived. My going-away meal on my last night prior to returning to the US is the most memorable, and the most perfect, as Yaz really knew what I liked by then. He went nuts giving us an incredible display of his talent, not just for cutting fish, but for preparing truly artistic masterpieces. Yaz has since moved on, continuing the theme of the great chefs achieving perfection and seeking out new challenges, but I'll never forget that perfect meal in 2005.
Ritz Carlton Battery Park (New York) -- Believe it or not, this meal was at a wedding! My friends Dave and Hallee got hitched there, and they treated us to what remains one of my favorite meals ever, and no wedding-related qualification or caveat is necessary. We started out with fantastic sushi at a sushi station, perfect dim sum at the Chinese food station, and incredible cheeses and vegetables, and this was all outside the main banquet hall as a precursor to the real party. Then as we sat at our dinner tables, we were offered a choice of dishes. My girlfriend and I both selected the Filet Mignon for our main course, and we both remarked that it was the best steak we had ever had, hands-down. I've been to nearly every top steakhouse in New York City, and not a single one of them has managed to top that Filet -- and those guys at the Ritz served it to over 200 guests at exactly the same time!
Le Violon d'Ingres (Paris) -- A birthday dinner with family and friends, this meal included the most perfectly seared and seasoned scallops I've ever enjoyed. The restaurant went through a bit of an identity crisis in recent years after it achieved its first Michelin star, but I hear it has since returned to its roots before the star that led to my most memorable meal.
Chez Panisse (Oakland) -- This is the foundational restaurant that must be on every foodie's list. Like Gary Danko, I've had meals that underwhelmed, but I've also had meals that were so close to perfect that any complaint seems overly petty. If you're looking for a special occasion type of restaurant for someone who loves food, there is truly perhaps no better place on earth.
Zuni Cafe (San Francisco) -- While this is one of my local spots I visit regularly, there was a first date at this place that I'll never forget. The food that night, which included the ricotta gnocchi I think is the best I've ever had, the famous roast chicken and its important bread-salad companion-turned-highlight, was impeccable. We had a Drappier champagne and a great bottle of Chambolle-Musigny French Burgundy, and we indulged in a dessert sampling that put us over the top. This place is called "quintessentially San Francisco" for a reason, and it is a great spot for a special occasion or just a burger for a Sunday lunch.
Masa's (San Francisco) -- Back when Ron Siegel was the chef, this was another nearly-perfect birthday meal that involved the seven course tasting menu.
John Ash & Co. (Santa Rosa) -- Another one of my first-date meals, we enjoyed a proper feast, set in a vineyard, ordering multiple options at every course and ensuring we really sampled the chef's best. I haven't been back in many years, but it should be on anyone's list as they travel through the Sonoma side of California wine country.
Range (San Francisco) -- This was another first-date meal, and my favorite, but this place is always at the top of my list for San Francisco eating, because it is simply so consistent.
Enjoy!
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