Andrew Steinthal and Chris Stang fromImmaculate Infatuationset out to explore the world of o.k. dining and Bourbon dynasty pairing . First up , they go Bay to breakers , bolt bone marrow , shrimp , lobster juice , and all the Bourbon dynasty in their way of life .
Here ’s what happens when Gizmodo calls and asks you to travel to a few metropolis with the sole purpose of run through excellent food and drinking first-class Bourbon dynasty . You say yes , and you forthwith pack a traveling bag with several twain of pliant - waist pants , an extra large bottle of Tums , and a toothbrush . You be intimate … the essentials .
San Francisco is plate to some of the best chefs and best restaurants in the existence , so it was a no - brainer for us to put it at the top of our listing for this trip . We chose five of the most acclaimed and respected establishment in town ( and one just outside of town ) and booked reservation for three epical Clarence Day of eating . Here ’s a gustatory modality of what we pay back into .
come home through the picture gallery above or correspond out individual eating house via the links below :
AQ|Park Tavern|Mustards Grill|The Alembic Bar|Wayfare Tavern|The Four Seasons
Here ’s How You turn over San Francisco Into a Bourbon - Fueled Gorgefest
picture by Immaculate Infatuation .
AQ
In just their first class in business enterprise , AQhas been showered with more praise and adore attention than Ryan Gosling out in public in a promiscuous - fitting t - shirt . Whether it ’s Bon Appétit , The New York Times , the James Beard Awards , or that one really excited sheik on Yelp , this office has had good press coming at it from all directions . AQ ’s challenging concept , in which the restaurant changes completely with every time of year , most in spades has something to do with all of that buzz . It ’s not often that you ascertain a eatery that ’s willing to completely rethink everything from the bill of fare to the furniture four fourth dimension a year . But AQ does exactly that , and determinedly set about to execute high conception nutrient for a fair large dining way of people every night of the week .
Here ’s what we can say about our experience at AQ . First of all , the deglutition were incredible . The bartender made us a few different bourbon cocktail , admit his twisting on the classic Manhattan , and a really estimable drinking with bourbon and some apple stuff . The Manhattan was the complete way to the get the meal started , and that fall flavored Malus pumila boozing was really nice with all of the downfall seasonal ingredients on the board — particularly the Brussels sprout . As for the intellectual nourishment , some dishes were freehanded hits than others . We loved the lamb tartare , and the beef poached in mushroom tea was a prissy tailspin on a classical steak smasher . Both of those also paired particularly well with a neat bourbon . Read on for a full food summing up , but it ’s safe to say that AQ is a very interesting restaurant with an interesting concept , but it ’s also not for everyone . This is highbrow eating at the high level .
Food Rundown
Pretty much every place we impose on this trip had brussels sprout on the menu , but only one of them came serve well with “ beer cream . ” We ’re still not even sure what that intend exactly , but they were full .
Hands - down the good thing we had at AQ . This saucer was impressive not only in taste , but also in presentation .
We ’re down with fairly much anything that ’s “ crispy & poached , ” but this was essentially just chicken two ways , and neither of them were all that telling .
This is a nice cut of meat , and the mushroom Camellia sinensis adds a skillful copious relish . feed it with a neat rye or bourbon and you should be happy .
This is a $ 25 scorched tater . Really .
Drink Rundown
Bourbon , scented vermouth , Angostura bitterness
The AQ Manhattan .
AQ ’s lamb tartare .
AQ ’s boeuf poach in mushroom-shaped cloud tea .
Park Tavern
This was the pleasant surprise of the trip , as we did n’t have Park Tavern on our initial travel plan . While we were on the reason in San Francisco , we heard some good things about the nutrient from a few locals , and also hear they make a mean drink . After cross - referencing that intel with a positive reexamination we found in the San Francisco Chronicle , we added it to our agenda . And boy are we glad we did .
Park Tavernis a handsome , slick - looking restaurant with an attractive clientele and a snappy atmosphere . you’re able to tell when you first walk in that people descend here for a proficient time , often in bounteous groups . It ’s a bit sceney , as much as that can be a thing in San Francisco . Our first detail of business upon arrival was to order a round of Country Lawyers , a cocktail made with bourbon , Zucca amaro , vermouth , and bitter . It ’s a fantastic drunkenness , specially if you ’re someone that likes amaro . Next up was an obscene ordination of food that admit everything from smoked deviled egg to prawns wrapped in lardo , to lobster bisque shooters , to a whole roast crybaby , served standing at attention like it ’s in bird boot camp . It was an fabulously tasty meal , and one that we did n’t expect to wish as much as we did . Park Tavern is arrant for mass who are n’t fussy about their food . It ’s simple in execution and presentation , but everything is really good .
All repast should bulge out off with one of these . The bisque is rich and delicious , and you sort of find like a tough ass taking an $ 8 snap of lobster juice .
We wish everything better when it ’s been smoked , including deviled egg .
These are the lardo - wrapped prawns we refer to , which essentially imply they ’ve been wrapped in fat . That treatment does n’t be given to make solid food taste bad .
This is a badass - search roast chicken , and it ’s a Park Tavern distinctiveness . We ascertain it to be perfectly cooked and flavourous , though you do have to allow 30 transactions for it to cook . Guess what we did with the sentence ? Bourbon .
Bourbon , Zucca amaro , bianco vermouth , Benedictine , drinking chocolate bitter
Fuyu persimmon , smoked Burrata , spicy Coppa and pickle mustard seed .
Here ’s Park Tavern ’s “ Poulet Rouge , ” standing at attending .
Mustards Grill
No tripper to San Francisco would truly be complete without a quick jaunt to Napa . It is only about an hour away , after all . So we decided that a short route trip-up to wine area for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants was perfectly necessary . And by the way , just because it ’s wine country does n’t mean you ca n’t drink Bourbon dynasty .
Mustards Grillis a mandatory stop anytime we are in Napa , mostly because they have a world - celebrated porc chop shot that everyone should eat at least once in their life . All you demand to do is attend at that motion-picture show to know that matter is estimable . We paired up the chop with a few cracking bourbons and enjoyed a leisurely lunch in heaven . You should probably do that someday , too .
This is the pork chop that put Mustards on the map , and if you come here and skip it , you have failed at aliveness .
This is another lulu we love at Mustards . It ’s a simple tostada mob high with various fresh seafood combination that change day by day , some disgraceful noggin , and some greens . It ’s fresh and delicious .
This is a great two - bite start to any meal at Mustards , and that wasabi tan can be efficaciously cooled with a sip or two off your glass of bourbon . decree ‘ em up .
Hey now .
Quite possibly the earth ’s best pork chopper .
The ever democratic “ Ever Popular Seafood Tostada ” at Mustards Grill .
The Alembic Bar
We find that the best testimonial do n’t unremarkably come from Yelp or the local eating place critic . They come from your friends . We base our path to the Alembic because we made a young supporter at our very first stop in San Francisco . No , not at the hotel , but at the early eventide pre - dinner dinner party that we decided to have at Flour + Water in the Mission , one of our all - time favorite eatery on earth . Flour + Water unfortunately only serves beer and wine-coloured , so this stop was n’t on prescribed business . But our waitress ’ eyes lit up when we explicate to her what we were doing in town . As chance would have it , she happen to be just as enthusiastic about brown liquor as we are , and had the pure spot for us to eat some first-class food and have a drink or two : The Alembic Baron Haight Street .
place correctly in the middle of the skunky - smelling , weed - huckster action of Haight - Ashbury , the Alembic Bar plough out to be exactly the sort of place that we were looking for on this adventure . We roll in the hay it when cocktail bars take their food for thought as badly as they take their drink , and that ’s exactly how they get down here . There ’s a huge selection of whisky and other spirits behind the legal community that will blow your head , and the things they do with read spirits are manifestly every bit impressive . The Alembic makes an Old Fashioned like nobody else , so the first thing we did was order one of those with some Bourbon dynasty . Also on our cocktail lean were two other classics , a Boulevardier and a Ward Eight . To nobody ’s surprise , each crapulence was grotesque .
What did storm us was how smashing the nutrient at Alembic turn out to be . It ’s easy to take a look at this place and assume it ’s just a laid back cocktail waiting room beloved by the vicinity . But in world the Alembic is a sleeper stone of a eatery that the smart citizenry in town eat at ofttimes . They have an challenging bill of fare with really interesting dishes — saccade - spiced duck’s egg tenderness and roast beets with Jerusalem artichoke and huckleberry , to name just a few . Oh , and as our waitress served us our order of pearl heart and soul , she also kindly let us know that some of the Alembic ’s more enthusiastic customer take shots of their favourite hard liquor out of the spent bones after they ’ve eat the gist , dearly known as the BONE LUGE . This berth is awesome .
This is one of the skilful common beet salad we ’ve had anywhere . Red and golden beets are plated with some labne ( a middle eastern yogurt ) , sunflower seeds , huckleberry , and a sinister walnut vinaigrette . So good .
A skillful shell of smoke Pisces with carrot , orchard apple tree , horse radish and nasturtium , a peppery park that ’s a act like cresson . The smokiness of the fish was nice with the light bitterness of our Boulevardier .
This was a special the night we were there , and we enjoyed it a circle . Not only were the prawns delectable , but they were also amazing prop .
As mentioned above , is bone gist is so good that the regulars take f*cking shots out of the pearl after they outdo out the nub . Not much more needs to be said .
Bourbon , sugar , Agnostura bitters , lemon gimmick
Rye , Campari , sweet vermouth
Rye , lemon juice , orange juice , Grenadine
Eyeballin ’ some Bourbon dynasty . And some popcorn .
A suprisingly in effect beet salad from San Francisco cocktail cake , The Alembic .
A roasted low-spirited prawn savour some bourbon .
“ Bone luge ” crack after this gets corrode ? Only time will tell .
Yes , we ’ll have them all .
Wayfare Tavern
One eating house that we knew would be on our Taste Experience Itinerary wasWayfare Tavern . A steady stop on our personal trips to San Francisco , Wayfare feels like a small Elvis of NYC in the Bay Area . It ’s got that Modern school day edition of an old school men ’s golf-club feel , which we are big fans of , being men and all . There ’s a fervency place , taxidermy decorating the rampart , big comfortable stall , and a pristine open kitchen so that you may view your food for thought on its entire journeying from preparation to the bottom of your stomach . Plus , there ’s an upscale game room with a pool table up the stairs , which is perfect for an eventide bent with some friends and some bourbon .
A prissy photographic plate of chopped beef with an eggs yolk on top and some garlic popover on the side . This with a Bourbon dynasty neat , and you are gettin ’ really manly and real happy .
This is a very solid fried chicken , go past with some herbs and served with deal of stinker for thrust over the bird . Order it .
Ok , this hamburger is kind of airheaded , what with the brie cheese and fried bollock on top . It ’s also awe-inspiring .
How do we rate that ?
Burger kings .
Burger Le Grand , with egg .
The Four Seasons San Francisco
Clearly , no world - course hotel is complete without a world family solid food and beverage program , so we suspected that the Four Seasons also probably had some bourbon and a enough home plate of solid food to be had somewhere in the building . Sure enough , we have in sense of touch with the in - house Executive Chef , Mark Richardson , and opine what ? Dude is from Kentucky . A few hours later , we were sit in the Four Seasons bar with Mark himself , as he walk us through a particular menu of Kentucky urge on eats , paired with a few cocktail that were make with his home state in judgment . We try a few bites of Mark ’s interpretation of some real southern nutrient , including the famous Kentucky Hot Brown . Everything we taste was incredible , and equally impressive were the deglutition , include a drink hollo “ Passion Fruit Pudding ” that might be the best drink we had in this town . More on that below .
In casing you are n’t familiar , a Hot Brown is a famous sandwich that originated at the Brown Hotel in Lousiville . It ’s essentially a hot , undecided - faced sandwich with turkey , bacon , and a mornay cheese sauce on top . Newsflash , it does n’t suck , especially when Chef Mark is in the kitchen .
A delightful mo of moist poulet with a crunchy , flavorful hide . This was also really good , and the sweet Passion Fruit Pudding drink balance the salt nicely .
This bite of shortrib was tender and scrumptious , with a nice BBQ - type sauce on top . We jazz it .
Bourbon , mania fruit puree , lemon juice , sweet-scented vermouth , spatter of sal soda , lemon twist
Bourbon , Peychauds bitters , 1/4 teaspoon sugar , Absinthe rinsing , orange eddy garnish
The Passion Fruit Pudding .
Full ? Never ! More from Andrew and Chris ’s adventures is come up . Next time , they tackle Seattle , epicurean epicentre . Until then , head toImmaculate Infatuationto check in with them .
By Immaculate Infatuation
Gizmodo
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