Blogging About Blogging: The Amateur Gourmet Comes To The Bay
He started off his trip on Saturday morning at the Ferry Building and Farmers' Market, with the help of some other food bloggers. The team then proceeded to sample the marketplace's greatest hits: fancy jams, berries, artichokes, oysters ("like the sea in a glob"), salami, gourmet chocolates and finally, some ricotta from Cowgirl Creamery. Oh, and champagne. Because nothing says decadence like drinking before noon.
After the jump: Ad Hoc, Taqueria Pancho Villa and Zuni. One of these is not like the other.
Later that day, Adam took a road trip up north to ThomasKellerville Yountville for dinner at Ad Hoc. At the no-longer-temporary Ad Hoc, the diner doesn't have any options, but the $45, four-course meal changes nightly. On this particular night, Mr. Keller served up quail, scallops and sunchokes (Adam's favorite), followed by a cheese course and an apple-cranberry crisp. A four (well, five?) course Thomas Keller meal for $67 total? Wow. Just wow. Note to self ...
The next day, the AG went on a mission in the Mission. He stumbled into Pancho Villa (the taqueria, not the dead revolutionary), where he opted for the al pastor super. The burrito was delicious, but he didn't finish it. For shame, Mr. Roberts.
Sunday night brought a meal at a much-debated San Francisco institution. Alas, Zuni Cafe was a disappointment in the eyes of our favorite Park Sloper. But that doesn't mean it wasn't good at all:
I enjoyed my Zuni experience. I'm so glad I ate there. I thought the food was perfectly fine; it just wasn't memorable or astonishing or new, at least to me. But maybe that's not the point. The point is that it's good.Poor ordering on Adam's part or poor execution by the kitchen? Looks like the debate will continue.
We hope the Amateur Gourmet's time in our fair city isn't over yet, and that more gastro-ventures are headed our way. Our collective (royal) fingers are crossed.
A Ferry Building Welcome [The Amateur Gourmet]
My Dinner at Ad Hoc [The Amateur Gourmet]
Taqueria Pancho Villa (Or: A Mission for A Mission Burrito) [The Amateur Gourmet]
Zuni [The Amateur Gourmet]
