Eating Eight Courses

A few Saturday nights ago I went on a date to Sons & Daughters, which I've been wanting to go to forever. It's right around the corner from my apartment and I keep hearing rave reviews about it. The chef/owner team was just named as one of the Californian finalists for Food & Wine's 2012 Best New Chef. The two chef-owners, Matt McNamara and Teague Moriarty, met in culinary school. The restaurant is named for the fact that when they opened in 2010, the entire staff was pretty young. They received a Michelin star just one year after opening. Their cuisine blends Californian style and flavors with the modern flair of gastronomy. The view walking by the restaurant makes it look quite small, however half the restaurant is extended into a back area. It's still pretty cozy, only seating 29 people. The decor feels like simplified elegance with an unexplained rustic feel (no, there are no deer heads or fireplaces so I'm not quite sure where this vibe comes from).

When we went two weekends ago, they were offering a Spring or vegetable tasting menu. Each menu is eight small courses and with the option to get wine parings with each. We went for the Spring menu, because as wonderful as veggies are, who wants a meal with no meat? How anyone could come from the Midwest and be a vegetarian is beyond comprehension (but if you are, read Christine's blog Ruminations on Food!). The first amuse-bouche was trout roe on top of a buttermilk crisp with green onions. I wasn't afraid at first because I associated roe with the miniscule balls that give sushi a crunch and have relatively no flavor. Unfortunately, I was then warned that trout roe is actually nothing like that. I went with the no fear technique and just shoved the whole bite into my mouth. It was disgusting! They're these big eggs the size of tapioca pearls you would get in bubble tea. And they were intensely fishy tasting. Popping those in your mouth is one foodie craze I am not a fan of. At least it was paired with a crisp Cuvee Brut Champagne, which was less dry than expected for a Brut. Luckily, they redeemed themselves with the remaining seven courses. Next was the Kampachi, with crispy fish skin on top. I realize this sounds weird, but the flaky skin was not strongly flavored and added the needed crunch to the soft fish. The dish was topped off with lime kosho, adding that citrus and soy flare that compliments fish so well. Riesling was the wine for this course, which seemed a little sweet for the dish. However, I get the progression of wine in a meal and that this had to be served earlier on. For course three, we had green garlic soup, with garden radishes and a fried mussel from Marin. This was possible my favorite course. The soup was unbelievably flavorful and I love garlic. I'd never had a fried mussel and it was just a juicy as eating them steamed. The pairing was a Savignon Blanc, which was my favorite white wine of the evening.

Onto course four (in case you're already getting full from reading this, there are still 4 more courses to go after this). This is where the mini-sized entrees started. First we had quail egg, with asparagus and spring onion. The broth it was served in has some flavor bur there just wasn't any remarkable flavors or techniques that stood out as memorable (which you would expect from them). I will say though that their food presentation skills are top notch. Next was the pork belly, served atop an English pea puree with cat mint (not catnip). The puree was really tasty but with the pork belly on top, the skin of the pork needed to be more crisp. Lastly we had the squab, with pistachio and fennel. Delicious, well cooked, beautiful presentation but no amazing quality to bring the dish to the next level or make it that memorable. At least it was finally time for red wine by this point! The dish came with a smooth Grenache. If this wasn't enough food, they also bring you three homemade breads dispersed amongst these main courses (homemade, sourdough and pretzel).

There was a quick palate cleanser (which counted as a course thankfully because I was stuffed by this point) of citrus, poppy seed and rhubarb. Then it was on to the dessert course, which after the soup, was my favorite course of the evening. It was a slice of fromage blanc, drizzled with local honey and lavender. The cheese was light and fluffy. Basically it's fat-free, drained cow's cheese which retains the good flavors from raw milk. Honey and lavender were the perfect compliment. I'll be honest, it was paired with Late Harvest Furmint dessert wine, which I did not drink. Dessert wine and port are just way to sweet and thick for me (but this is a case of personal preference).

This whole meal was definitely a wonderful dining experience. The meal itself consisted of some amazing dishes and some just good dishes. The only thing that I did not enjoy was the trout roe. So, would I recommend this restaurant to others? No. And this is 98% based on the price. I read an article that said when they opened in 2010, eight course tasting menus were $36. Two years later it is substantially more than that. I'm pretty sure the costs aren't on the menus at all. The only place I could find the prices are in small gray print at the very bottom of their online menu. San Francisco is a city full of amazing food and chefs (and restaurants with Michelin stars). In this city, you can get the same quality of food at a lot less cost. I hope Sons & Daughters comes back down to reality at some point because they have a lot to offer. However, they did just open a more casual and affordable eatery, Sweet Woodruff, so this may be a better option to check out. Their brunch menu looks pretty delicious.

*Thanks to Justin for this amazing meal experience. The company was the best part.