Como Se Dice... Delicious ;)
My boyfriend was busy studying for finals when my mom and I decided to go out on a date & try one of the many restaurants on my list. I chose Frances, a well known restaurant in the Castro District. It takes about 3 months to get ressies here.. ugh.. but I decided if we get there early enough we can grab a seat at the bar which was a success :)!
Chef/Owner Melissa Perello has perfected this dining experience all the way into receiving a Michelin Star!! Michelin Rated in SF-- check it out!! In the Michelin world- 1 star = excellence. (Note: Jackie, Quince is on there!!)
What I like about Melissa is that she previously worked at a different restaurant in SF called Fifth Floor. In 2006, she brought that eatery to receiving a Michelin star too!! In my opinion, she seems to have the right idea of what a restaurant needs for top performance!!
Let me set the food mood for you...Appetizer: Bacon Beignets, Trottoloni Pasta, & Little Gem Salad. Main Course shared: Caramelized Atlantic Scallops with a side of Grilled Escarole & Radicchio. Dessert: Lumberjack Cake.
The beignets were puffy fried dough balls, an excellent starter, especially with that hint of bacon mmm! For the salad, the fresh roasted beets makes any green superior in my eyes. The tarragon vinaigrette was soft but added just enough flavor. It went lovely with my glass of white wine :) OH and the Scallops!! mmm! They were so ridiculously light but somehow filling. It was smooth like butter which is how I suspect a Scallop should taste. (yuck to chewy Scallops). The Sunchoke Puree and Roasted Fennel was a perfect vegetable pairing. Lastly- the dessert!! Normally I would not order this type of dessert, but they were written up by a local magazine, 7X7, for this EXACT dessert!! Clearly, we had to try it! The Lumberjack consisted of Lady Apple's, Medjool Dates and Humphry Slocombe Maple-Walnut Ice Cream. The bartender explained the cake to be very low density with a hint of the apples.. it would not be similar to an apple pie with chunks. I was not sold on the cake but I was on the ice cream. HS is an incredible source for infused ice cream! Anyway, we gave it a go and it ended up working out! It really still isn't a cake I would prefer but because I was SO stuffed, it was ideal. It had great flavor, the ice cream was amazing, and I didn't overdue it :)
If you noticed the only dish I left out of the pictures/descriptions was the Trottoloni Pasta. This was because it was the MOST delicious dish to me that evening. So much so, that I tried to recreate the dish with my own recipe after some research online. I have included a picture of the Frances dish and then my own creation, along with the recipe for those that want to try it :)
To me this dish is the epitome of spring/summer pasta! It is a full body of flavors but yet with the spinach & asparagus it is light, especially with that hint of lemon mmm mmm mmm! It was really fun to shave the asparagus- something I had yet to do! The toasted walnuts on top were a great crunchy aspect to a pasta cream sauce. I have been paying more attention to pairing salty with sweet and smooth with crunchy. It makes your taste buds go crazy! And to me that signifies an amazing meal :) If you end up trying it, I hope you enjoy it as much as Greg and I did :) :)!!
Recipe:
Groceries:
1. Pasta- I liked short and fat with this but you can use any- just keep in mind that if you use longer pasta you may need to add more of the ingredients so the sauce covers all the pasta.
2. 1 Mascarpone tub- you only need about 4-6 ounces but it only comes in 8 (always good to have more in case you need to add it)
3. Fresh ground pepper
4. 2 Meyer Lemons. 1 Teaspoon of zest, about 1/4 cup juice. (Meyer Lemon season is Dec- April, regular Lemons can be used. Meyer Lemons are just less acidic and slightly sweeter)
5. Spinach- couple handfuls (can use as much or little as you like)
6. Walnuts- about 1 cup
7. Block of parmesan cheese
8. Bundle of Asparagus- shaved. how to shave asparagus guideline
Instructions:
Toasting Method for Walnuts:
Either put nuts on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 for a few minutes, (watch closely as they can brown quickly), or put on the stove and saute for a few minutes. I would recommend chopping the nuts into smaller pieces to be more edible.
Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta to your liking and reserve some of the pasta water (roughly 1 cup). Combine the zest, lemon juice, mascarpone, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Once pasta is done/drained. Put the pasta back in the pot and on the stove on low heat. Stir in the mascarpone mixture. Add the asparagus & spinach. Toss so the spinach will begin to wilt. Add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water at a time and mix- keep adding more of the pasta water if you want the sauce to be thinner. (Note: can always add more Mascarpone mixture if your pasta needs more to coat) Add the walnuts at the end and mix throughout. Serve the pasta and grate fresh parmesan cheese on top! Bon Appetit :)
What I like about Melissa is that she previously worked at a different restaurant in SF called Fifth Floor. In 2006, she brought that eatery to receiving a Michelin star too!! In my opinion, she seems to have the right idea of what a restaurant needs for top performance!!
Let me set the food mood for you...Appetizer: Bacon Beignets, Trottoloni Pasta, & Little Gem Salad. Main Course shared: Caramelized Atlantic Scallops with a side of Grilled Escarole & Radicchio. Dessert: Lumberjack Cake.
The beignets were puffy fried dough balls, an excellent starter, especially with that hint of bacon mmm! For the salad, the fresh roasted beets makes any green superior in my eyes. The tarragon vinaigrette was soft but added just enough flavor. It went lovely with my glass of white wine :) OH and the Scallops!! mmm! They were so ridiculously light but somehow filling. It was smooth like butter which is how I suspect a Scallop should taste. (yuck to chewy Scallops). The Sunchoke Puree and Roasted Fennel was a perfect vegetable pairing. Lastly- the dessert!! Normally I would not order this type of dessert, but they were written up by a local magazine, 7X7, for this EXACT dessert!! Clearly, we had to try it! The Lumberjack consisted of Lady Apple's, Medjool Dates and Humphry Slocombe Maple-Walnut Ice Cream. The bartender explained the cake to be very low density with a hint of the apples.. it would not be similar to an apple pie with chunks. I was not sold on the cake but I was on the ice cream. HS is an incredible source for infused ice cream! Anyway, we gave it a go and it ended up working out! It really still isn't a cake I would prefer but because I was SO stuffed, it was ideal. It had great flavor, the ice cream was amazing, and I didn't overdue it :)
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| Frances' Version |
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| Booty Foodie's Version |
Recipe:
Groceries:
1. Pasta- I liked short and fat with this but you can use any- just keep in mind that if you use longer pasta you may need to add more of the ingredients so the sauce covers all the pasta.
2. 1 Mascarpone tub- you only need about 4-6 ounces but it only comes in 8 (always good to have more in case you need to add it)
3. Fresh ground pepper
4. 2 Meyer Lemons. 1 Teaspoon of zest, about 1/4 cup juice. (Meyer Lemon season is Dec- April, regular Lemons can be used. Meyer Lemons are just less acidic and slightly sweeter)
5. Spinach- couple handfuls (can use as much or little as you like)
6. Walnuts- about 1 cup
7. Block of parmesan cheese
8. Bundle of Asparagus- shaved. how to shave asparagus guideline
Instructions:
Toasting Method for Walnuts:
Either put nuts on a cookie sheet in the oven at 350 for a few minutes, (watch closely as they can brown quickly), or put on the stove and saute for a few minutes. I would recommend chopping the nuts into smaller pieces to be more edible.
Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta to your liking and reserve some of the pasta water (roughly 1 cup). Combine the zest, lemon juice, mascarpone, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk to combine. Once pasta is done/drained. Put the pasta back in the pot and on the stove on low heat. Stir in the mascarpone mixture. Add the asparagus & spinach. Toss so the spinach will begin to wilt. Add about 1/4 cup of the pasta water at a time and mix- keep adding more of the pasta water if you want the sauce to be thinner. (Note: can always add more Mascarpone mixture if your pasta needs more to coat) Add the walnuts at the end and mix throughout. Serve the pasta and grate fresh parmesan cheese on top! Bon Appetit :)
I've never shaved an asparagus before!!!! I feel like I'm missing out on something. I must shave one.
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