To this day, my memory of Flour + Water is that it was one of the most memorable pasta meals in my life. That last meal was almost a dozen years ago and I finally got a chance to return. The restaurant had just undergone an extension renovation and reopened earlier this year, making this a perfect time to go.
Ernest was one of the most anticipated SF restaurant openings last year and has been one of the toughest reservations in town ever since. The chef here is Brandon Rice, who decided to open his own restaurant after his tenure as the chef de cuisine of Rich Table. It’s tough to categorize what type of cuisine is served at Ernest as Rice’s menu appears to be inspired by flavors all across the world.
For a last-minute Chinese New Year dinner, I met up with my parents here at China Live. When it opened in 2017, this place was compared to Eataly in its concept. China Live occupies multiple floors in this building featuring a retail shop, restaurant, separate bar, and fine dining concept (Eight Tables). For this dinner, we sat in the ground floor restaurant.
I’ve been lucky enough to stay at the Ventana Big Sur a few times over the last couple of years. With a large, open campus in the hills of Big Sur, the resort has been an ideal place to get away during the pandemic. The on-property restaurant is this one, The Sur House, open for breakfast and dinner. The restaurant was open to the public pre-pandemic, but converted to a ‘hotel guest only’ policy in the middle of 2020 as the hotel went all-inclusive.
I’ve been a fan of Gordon Ramsay’s food for a long time, and my 2014 lunch at his London flagship was one of my most memorable meals abroad. It’s taken me a while to come back here, but I’ve been wanting to have a dinner here ever since that first visit. An extended layover in London (en route from Portugal) was a perfect opportunity.
While an a la carte option is available, there’s also a six-course Prestige Menu (£170) and a Carte Blanche menu (£220). For this meal, we went with the Prestige Menu and added a seasonal supplement of white truffle risotto. Pricing is definitely on the higher side, but the restaurant has been awarded three Michelin stars since 2001.
While in London I was excited to try Brat, a seafood-focused concept with Basque influence. The restaurant has been a hit ever since opening in 2018, and even gained a Michelin star. The restaurant reminds me a lot of Ibai in San Sebastian, where I had a fantastic meal, so it was near the top of my list of places to try while in London.
Belcanto is one of the most highly acclaimed fine dining restaurants in Portugal, even Europe. Holding two Michelin stars (seven years running) and ranked the 41st best restaurant in the world, it’s the flagship restaurant in the mini restaurant empire of chef José Avillez.
And at 250€ for the chefs table (150€ wine pairing), it’s priced accordingly. Given one can eat and drink very well in Portugal for much less, I had a hard time deciding whether to commit to a price tag like this. However, finding a chefs table opening while in town was such a fortuitous find that we decided to do it.
This was my first time visiting Portugal and I didn’t really have anything on my list of places to go; I came across BouBou’s while researching restaurants in Lisbon. Reviews have been positive for this upscale bistro from a brother-sister team; the kitchen is led by Louise Bourrat who has gained experience cooking in upscale restaurants around Europe. The food here tends to be plant and seafood-forward; while a mystery tasting menu was available for €65 we decided to go a la carte.