16 Mar

Charli Savors: Tasting Menus

Jena Henry Blog, Charli's World 2 0

Scenes from Farallon Restaurant

Tasting Menus!

The best part about loving to eat is that I can create a memorable foodie experience from a simple bowl of cereal and milk or lunch at a greasy spoon, to trying a new fast food place in search of the perfect french fry, to celebrating a birthday with a fine dining experience and then there are…TASTING MENUS!

Have you experienced a chef’s table or a tasting menu?

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Upscale restaurants are featuring these dining experiences more and more- a special menu of small, innovative dishes that are meant to showcase a chef’s skill. Sometimes there is a wine-pairing option available as well.

My husband and I recently enjoyed a wonderful tasting menu win in San Francisco with some delightful members of our family. You can read and savor Mack Marie’s summary of our evening, complete with a photo of the caviar that began our meal. We dined at Farallon and the tasting menu was ideal for us, because it was a new place for all of us and the “tastes” provided a good overview and introduction to this lovely place. The dishes were brilliant and showcased their fresh seafood, and the service and knowledge were impeccable, as all the staff were friendly and approachable. Plus, their bar area is named The Jellyfish Lounge.

Since opening in 1997, Farallon has garnered national acclaim as a top dining establishment in the heart of San Francisco’s Union Square.

The classic restaurant and bar captures the life aquatic with carefully crafted details and a menu that features fresh seafood and simple raw preparations, rounded out with local produce, meat and game.

Relaxing with family over a slow but properly paced series of perfect small plates gave us an evening of wonderful conversation and camaraderie.

Such an evening truly lives up to the idea of priceless from the MasterCard commercial. Yes, we are paying for once-in-a-life time taste sensations, ambiance and superior service, but the love and memories and bonds that are created over such a special evening are indeed immeasurable.

My husband and I were also in Toronto recently and we followed a friend’s recommendation to visit Momofuku. In addition to Toronto, you can also find Momofuku’s creative cuisine in New York City, Washington, D.C., Sydney, and Las Vegas.

There are several separate eating areas. Shōtō is located on the third floor of Momofuku Toronto. At Shōtō, guests are seated along a kitchen counter where they are served a seasonally inspired tasting menu by the chefs. Dinner is comprised of 8 – 10 courses.

My husband and I enjoyed each morsel, and what was even more fun than the eating experiences, was the opportunity to see the chef and other cooking professionals in action.

The choreographed cooking and purposeful preparation presented an elegant performance.

Sorry for my over the top, multi-adjective description but as you can see, I enter another realm of thinking when I attempt to describe our experience!

So, I will let my photos of our meal take over for me! You will see that we tasted small gems of amazing flavors, texture, colors. And yes, after an evening of tastings, I am always fuller than I am on Thanksgiving Day!