Despite the imperfect weather, we braved the rain to go to San Francisco for the evening. A few weeks ago I decided that we needed to go to the symphony, something I've wanted to attend with Jim for years. It's definitely not for him, but classical music is something I've grown up with and love. And there truly is no other experience quite like attending a symphony. I think it's very special and something everyone should do at least once. Someone must have agreed with me, since it didn't rain the entire time we were in the city, on our way there, during the concert, or on the way home.
Anyway, it was a Mozart program, which Jim had requested. I was quite happy with the concert choice for two reasons: 1) there was a piano concerto and 2) Blomstedt was the conductor. Having played the piano for as long as I can remember, I am particularly drawn to concerts which feature pianists. I am a big fan of Mozart piano concertos as well. I have had the pleasure of seeing Blomstedt conduct before and was happy to have another opportunity to observe again.
We walked from the parking garage to Maharani, hailed as one of the most romantic restaurants in the city. Given Jim's somewhat decreased appetite, Indian food was a reasonably good choice. Plus it was another 1000 points on Open Table. I originally wanted to go to Jardiniere, but there was nothing available until late. Although I still made reservations for Jardiniere for after the concert, there was no way we could last until 10:30 without eating anything.
Thanks to Yahoo, I knew it was a .8 mile walk, which, although by no means too far, was not as easy in heels. I wear my Naturalizer boots just about everywhere, and they are uber-comfortable; however, there is a limit to how comfortable it is to walk in heels period. Thanks to my super slow pace (which Jim was hating), we were a little late to make our reservation. It didn't matter anyway, since we were the only ones in the restaurant.
From a distance, the outside was nothing special to look at. In fact, with the graffiti, I would venture to say it was closer to an eyesore.
Once we got to the door, things looked a little better from my perspective. I really liked the outside decor of the restaurant itself.
Jim and I were immediately seated at the table closest to the window and handed paper menus that were slightly bent with use. The contents weren't exactly what was posted on their online menu, but it was close enough. One thing I saw on their online menu (Mushroom Matar) that I really wanted to try wasn't listed on the restaurant menu, which was a bit of a disappointment. But there were plenty of other options to choose from, so it was all good in the end.
We started off with a vegetable combo appetizer, which included four different ones. As we were the first ones in there, I had to cut them a little slack for the time it took to get the food out on the table. Someone kept on top of our water glasses at all times, so it wasn't as though we were ignored. It just took a while for the food to come out. Speaking of the water, it was flavored with fresh mint leaves, which was a refreshing and unique change from the norm.
Once our appetizer came out, I was so ready to dig in. My hunger hit me all at once, and I couldn't wait to try the food. Our waitress explained the three different sauces it came with, as well as the food itself, but I was so eager to start that I kind of tuned her out. I was so excited because it looked absolutely gorgeous!
Each of us started on our respective right hand sides and worked our way to the left. So I started with something that was round and topped with yogurt. I haven't the slightest idea what it was, but it was really good. Very light and crispy, even though it was a cold app. Then came the tortilla-looking thing made out of lentils that was also very good. I used a lot of sauce on my piece of it and found that I liked the red stuff and the salsa-like topping but not the green one so much. The salsa definitely had an Indian-spice flavor to it which I absolutely loved. I think I hogged most of it. Jim and I both agreed that the red sauce was really good and the green one just okay. Anyway, the samosa was the spicy appetizer. It had a gradual kick to it that really heated up after the fact. The outer crust was very light and flaky, belying the deep-friedness of it all. The last thing I had was a deep fried round thing that I drizzled with the red sauce. Again, super yummy, and again, no idea what I ate. But I loved it.
Jim ordered the chicken tikka masala based on the waitress's recommendation. He was really hoping she'd be more helpful (a la Vik's in Berkeley), and in my opinion, she was reasonably helpful with a little bit of prompting. She just didn't go way out of her way and act all enthusiastic like Vik's guy. He also ordered some Indian Chai Tea, which was a surprise to me, since it was hot tea. It was smaller than I thought it would be, but looked absolutely gorgeous in its creamy red sauce.
I got the Bangan Bartha, which was fire roasted eggplant with peas and tomatoes. I really liked the chunks of tomatoes in it. Overall, it lightened up the dish and added freshness and sweetness. I thought it was the perfect counterpoint to the heavy spices. It didn't seem overly oily, which was nice. Jim also liked my eggplant. We had it in Santa Monica, and he also liked it then, so I think it's safe to say that he's a fan of the dish period. They were definitely not the exact same taste, but they were technically the same dish.
We also got naan and rice pilaf to share. The rice was very good, moist and flavorful without being heavy or anything but an accompaniment to the main dish. I actually found myself putting more and more of it on my plate. The naan was some of the best I've had--light and crisp without being drenched in ghee.
It really was a wonderful dining experience. Not only did we get 1000 Open Table points, but we also had the opportunity to eat a style of food we don't indulge in very often. As much as I do like Indian food, the amount of oil they use causes me to limit the frequency of which I consume it. Today's meal, while admittedly oily, wasn't nearly as bad as I've had before. Plus the restaurant itself was very cute. They have a sub-section called the "Fantasy Room" which we didn't dine in, but we both want to come back and try sometime after seeing it. Kinky-esque innuendos aside, it's actually just a very beautiful, private area where you sit on the floor with lots of pillows and have a special prie fixe meal.
The restaurant did seem awfully big on romance, love, and the like. The bathroom had love quotes all over the place, the wall paper had hearts, and the menu pointed out "aphrodisiacs" as often as possible. It could have come off as completely tacky, but I thought it actually worked. The overall effect was pretty romantic. I can only imagine the upped romance factor when dining in the fantasy room.
I allotted plenty of time for dinner, so we were in no hurry to get back to the symphony hall. In fact, we were so early that we made the pre-concert lecture at 7 pm. I was so excited for Jim to see the place, and we were able to walk around for a good amount of time before heading to our seats on the left hand terrance. We were Row A, seats 27 and 29. I haven't sat in that section before, but I thought Jim might enjoy it. It's on the side of the orchestra and provides a fabulous view overlooking the hall and the instrumentalists. We got a bit of an idea as to how the performers feel looking out over the audience. Jealous much.
As I said before, it was a complete Mozart concert. What I didn't say was how fabulous it was. It's been a good two years since I've been to one, and I realized how much I miss attending. I'm not one of those die-hard, have to go every month type of people, but for the right program and the right performers? It's a welcome treat. I hadn't heard of the pianist performing the Mozart Concerto, but I thought he did a fabulous job. His touch was absolutely perfect. The only disadvantage to our seats was that we don't get the full sound effect, which is, in and of itself, an experience not to be missed. However, visually, it's one of the best seats in the house, with a perfect view of Jonathan Bliss's hands. I also enjoyed seeing Blomstedt's face the entire time. He is about as different of a conductor than MTT that you can get but no less amazing. Now I can really appreciate the genius the symphony had in picking these two outstanding musicians back to back (Blomstedt was the previous conductor of the symphony). I loved seeing him get into the music and smile and just have such a good time conducting.
The program started with Mozart's Divertimento in D Major, followed by Piano Concert No. 22 before the intermission. The finale was the Prague Symphony, the third movement of which was my favorite. Of course, my favorite overall was the piano concerto. Biss did such a good job--I even bought his CD during intermission and got it autographed.
It just so happened that the ballet let out at the same time as the symphony and the streets were absolutely packed. It turned out to be a good thing that we had 10:30 reservations for Jardiniere. I can't begin to explain how incredibly excited I was to eat there. The main reason is that I have wanted to go there since I started attending the symphony. I now know that it opened in 1997, which means that when I first saw the place (I believe I was a senior in high school), it was brand new. In my mind, it was always something I was going to do when I was "grown up." Jardiniere looked so beautiful and fancy and to me, what being an adult was all about. Over the years, I've walked by the place dozens of times, and I finally got to go inside.
We obviously weren't the only ones who had the same idea, as there were already several couples ahead of us. Despite the wait to check in, we were immediately taken upstairs and seated at a beautiful table for two. The inside of the restaurant is designed in a circle, with the upstairs tables set in two concentric circles. We were in the outer, bigger circle on the right hand side of the restaurant. The inner circle overlooked the massive downstairs bar.
After we sat down, it took a little while for our menus to come, but after that small lapse, service was absolutely impeccable. Our waiter was knowledgeable about the menu and didn't hesitate to offer suggestions without being pushy. My water glass was never empty, and our plates were cleared quickly.
The menu at Jardiniere changes on a daily basis, although it's not completely revamped every night. Jardiniere prides itself on using fresh, local ingredients, which is why the menu needs to change regularly, depending on what's in season and stock. I had called ahead and was pleased to learn that there is always a vegetarian entree on the menu and that the soups were all vegetable-based. I wasn't sure what exactly my risotto consisted of, but I went for it. Jim and I split the creamed parsnip soup with apple, which was topped with garlic croutons. For his entree, he selected the Hoffman Ranch Chicken, which came with a crispy farm egg, Hedgehog mushrooms, smoked bacon, and truffle jus.
After we ordered, individual servings of bread were brought out and placed on our plates (which I loved, since they were emblazoned with a calligraphy-style "j" in silver on them). Warm and flaky on the outside, chewy and tender on the inside--absolutely perfect. It wasn't sourdough bread, but it still had a very nice flavor to it. If I was hungrier, I would have wanted more than one roll.
Our soup came out very quickly. They came out in huge bowls, and I was nervous about finishing my portion, but it turned out that the bowls were very shallow. I loved how each portion came with fresh apple slices, garlic croutons, and I believe dill on top. And there was cream drizzled over the soup, giving it slight but beautiful contrast. It was absolutely delicious. For the record, I am not a huge fan of sweet and savory dishes, but the apple slices were delicious with the soup. It didn't hurt that the green apple slices themselves were crisp, juicy, and sweet. I could have just eaten plain slices of the apple and been perfectly happy. The croutons were absolutely amazing. My best guess is that they were drizzled with olive oil and then grilled off. They were crisp, flaky, and with just the right amount of garlic flavoring. Unfortunately, I couldn't savor them like I wanted to, since they started getting soggy pretty quickly. The texture was so perfect right after they brought the soup out. The crouton was crunchy and then immediately melted in my mouth. The soup itself was also very good, but for me, it was all about the croutons, with the apple slices a close second.
The timing between the courses was spot on in my opinion. We weren't rushed, but neither were we sitting around waiting and twiddling our thumbs for the main dish. Jim also tried a cocktail, some sort of vodka limeade. It was quite tasty, although on the strong side. I loved the lime garnish. I know, I'm a total sucker for pretty things.
Between the courses, our waiter reset the table with the silverware needed for our main courses. For me, there was a spoon for my risotto and for Jim, he got a meat knife and some sort of flat spoon. I've never seen one before, and neither one of us knew exactly how he was supposed to use it. It really was one of the odder pieces of silverware I've seen.
I have to admit, my risotto took me by surprise when I first saw it. First of all, it was almost soup-like in texture, with a lot of liquid. Second, the risotto was, of all possible colors, green. I'm not sure what tinted it that color, but it was awfully good. The top was foamy like sea bream. I was a little nervous to take a bite, but after that first taste, it was game over. It was so freaking amazing. There was raddichio, olives, and roasted onions, parmesan cheese, and balsamic vinegar. The menu said there were nettles in there. I've never had nettles before and have only heard of them as per a fairy tale (some sort of dress made out of nettles), but apparently I like the taste. The dish itself was unlike anything I expected, but it was absolutely delicious nevertheless. I could have done with a slightly creamier texture for the rice itself--it seemed a tad bit chewy, but the flavors themselves were outstanding. While I preferred the bites without the olives, I actually didn't mind them in this dish. However they cooked them, the olives were extremely mild and melted in my mouth. The best part was definitely the roasted onion--they were probably pearl onion-sized, although I'm pretty sure they weren't pearl onions. They were so tender and juicy and sweet. Yum.
Jim's chicken was beautifully plated. I think it was a thigh. The crispy egg was so pretty, and it was a surprise that despite the deep frying, the egg yolk ran when Jim cut into it. I wonder how they did that. Anyway, it was a rather small portion for Jim, but given all the eating we had already done, I think it was okay.
When they brought out the dessert menu, I was already feeling a little full. But I couldn't turn it down. Had we both still been hungry, I would have wanted the dessert platter, which came with espresso creme brulee among several other mini-items. There was a trio of tropical ices that I wouldn't have minded trying, but what called to me the most was the dulce de leche flan. I'm not a huge flan fan, but it came with churros, and I love dulce de leche anything. Jim ended up picking the chocolate hazelnut marjolaine, and I'm really glad he did. Not only was it beautifully plated, it was decadently delicious. It was a tiny slice of "pie" with some sort of non-chocolate crust. The filling was chocolate mousse, and there was a layer of chocolate on top with ground hazelnuts and espresso beans. There was a thin slice of chocolate and garnishes of espresso oil and Nutella on the side. I think I discovered a new love in hazelnuts. I mean, I knew I liked them, but for whatever reason, tonight they were soo good with the chocolate. Maybe even better than walnuts, which is saying a lot for me.
Thanks to Jim's company discount, our bill was almost reasonable. It saved us $26! I am so excited to come back to this place. I really, really enjoyed the experience. The food was delicious, the service outstanding, and the ambience incredible. It was all I fantasized about and then some.
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