Prospect- San Francisco

There have been many high profile restaurant openings in San Francisco this year, from Chef Corey Lee’s Benu, to Saison, Commonwealth and Prospect just to name a few.  Prospect opened on the ground floor of downtown San Francisco’s Infinity Towers condominium on July 2010 from the team that runs the highly successful restaurant Boulevard– Chef Nancy Oakes, Pam Mazzola and Kathy King.  Heading the kitchens of Prospect is Boulevard’s former chef de cuisine Ravi Kapur, who brings American regional flavors infused with French and Asian influences much like at Boulevard, but with a more casual style.

Prospect is modern and urbane, done in dark brown tones and sleek wood, from the canopied square bar by the front entrance to the expansive dining room that seats 120.  Cylindrical chandeliers float down from the tall ceilings of the dining hall, above the banquettes and tables from where diners can watch the city life through the large windows that run along Folsom Street.  On an early autumn weeknight, every seat in the house was full, even the communal table and the bar that seats up to 45.  While the crowds never ceased to fill every seat throughout the evening, the courteous and professional staff always stayed on cue with service.

Steve Plotnicki of Opinionated About Dining provided our wines for the evening, beginning with an enchanting 1990 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne Montrachet Morgeot.  The chef’s tasting menu began with a Green Goddess salad featuring coarse cuts of Armenian cucumbers, coined Persian cucumbers, buttery avocados and basil, all tossed together in a creamy and refreshing caper vinaigrette with a hint of anchovy.

Yellowtail crudo was enjoyable, a luscious piece of fatty hamachi gently draped over a crispy rice cracker.  The airy seaweed cracker gave easily to my bite, releasing a faint hint of wasabi aroma that augmented the richness of white miso aioli dots that decorated the surface of the fish.  Shaved radishes and pickled cucumbers brought vigor to the flavors and textures in this yellowtail dish that was architecturally beautiful but structurally flawed for graceful consumption.

Softshell crab, shiitake mushrooms, shishito peppers and shiso wrapped shrimp were  deep fried in a tempura batter and served in a yellow curry, miso and coconut milk sauce.  Japanese and Thai flavors intermingled in this delicious dish to create a happy marriage of complex yet complementary Asian flavors.  Crunchy sugar snap peas, baby shiitake caps and red microshiso garnish were all vibrant, making for a successful tempura curry that Gary from Vealcheeks especially enjoyed.

Pulled pork and gelatinous chunks of pig trotters were stuffed into panko-crusted packets of porcine delight, blanketed by long ribbons of summer squash and accents of capers, pickled celery, dill, mint sprigs and lemon basil.  Meaty chunks of Maine lobster were a heavenly adjunct to the pork, and savory lobster aioli served as an incredible accompaniment, but the heavy flavors of the dish needed an extra sprinkling of capers and pickled celery.

The single stand out item of the evening for me was the lamb’s tongue, a slowly braised and quickly seared half of juicy tongue that only needed a gentle push of the fork to cut.  The lamb loin wasn’t so impressive, nor was the romesco sauce made with roasted red peppers, almonds and sherry vinaigrette that tried to dominate the meat.  Poached Italian butter beans, briny green olives, and hints of purslane, artichokes and parsley were amazing, but none could compete with the intense savor and velvety texture of the tender tongue.  None, except for the bottle of 1978 Domaine Robert Arnoux Vosne-Romanée that Steve provided for the evening.  A special wine with an aged dark brown tint, aromatic with hints of berries and spices despite a tuft of mold growing on the outer layer of the cork, gliding down my throat with the ease of silk to leave a long finish.

 

Pastry chef Elise Fineberg, formerly of Citizen Cake and Jardiniere, started us with a refreshing bowl of pink pearl apple granité with blackberries, raspberries and whipped crème fraîche.

The table swooned over Chef Fineberg’s contemporary dessert of goat’s milk shortbread topped with dulce de leche, chocolate ganache and butterscotch, plated with hazelnut vanilla bean ice cream, toasted hazelnuts and root beer honeycomb on a bed of chocolate crumble.  The flavors were too rich and sweet for my taste, but I loved the assortment of textures and the playfulness of having these classic American sweets condensed into one beautiful plate.

The expansive industrial space at Prospect was beautiful, the service was impeccable and the vibe was merry.  The tasting menu had high notes and low notes, but overall it was well thought out and enjoyable.  Chef Ravi Kapur was just as I thought he would be- courteous, down to earth and humble at first, then vivacious and a tad eclectic upon deeper conversation- just like his food at Prospect.  Prospect is certainly off to a successful start, but I would like to see more boldness and a bigger splash of adventure and creativity in the flavors, something that would break apart from the delicate tameness that I tasted.  To quote my eloquent dining partner Gary of Vealcheeks, our experience at Prospect that evening was ‘more magical in theory than in practice.’

Prospect

300 Spear Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
(415) 247-7770

Random trivia:  Did you know that there is only a 4 day window to eat soft-shell crabs after they molt their hard shells and before they begin to rebuild their shells?

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The Lazy Ox Canteen

I still remember quite vividly the excitement that I felt in my tiny little chest when my parents would take me to Little Tokyo back in the 70’s and 80’s.  As a Japanese girl growing up in Los Angeles, weekend excursions to this area of downtown LA were precious.  I have fond memories of slurping ramen noodles, buying Doraemon stickers, perusing through Japanese manga and stuffing myself silly with freshly baked imagawa yaki.  I used to scream at the top of my lungs as my brother terrorized me in a frantic chase around the fountain in the center of the Japanese Village Plaza until my dad’s stern look would put an abrupt end to the rampage.  Elderly store owners used to greet me with a pat on the head and ask me how I was doing in school.  The iconic red Yagura tower, the symbol of Little Tokyo, seemed majestic and grand.  I cherished this magical town full of interesting people who spoke my language and breathed my culture.  Now, decades later, something has happened and the lively spirit of Little Tokyo has vanished.  My beloved childhood playground is now a deserted ghost town.  What happened?  My sad and heavy heart weeps at this tragic transformation.

Fortunately there’s 1 new reason to put Little Tokyo back on the map.   Michael Cardenas, a Japanese-Mexican chef who has revolutionized the LA movement of hip rock ‘n’ roll fine dining by opening Sushi Roku, Katana and Boa, has teamed up with Chef Josef Centeno to bring a new type of restaurant to the heart of Little Tokyo.  It’s a tapas bar, gastropub and izakaya all blended together in a small space on the ground floor of a condominium complex.  I was skeptical when I first approached the restaurant.  There was no restaurant sign, and although the patio seats were all full, it was quiet and dark.   Once I stepped inside though, the intense energy and power of the restaurant almost blew the hair right off my scalp.  The bar to the left, the communal table in the center, tables in every corner and banquettes against the wall were all filled with laughing and smiling diners who were undoubtedly having the time of their lives.  I loved the large bare filament bulbs hanging from the ceiling that lit up the faces of the eclectic and mixed crowd.  The vibe was hip and cool, but the friendly demeanor of the incredible staff also made it cozy and warm.

There was a regular menu, but the daily specials written on the blackboard were more diverse.  Pork parts and offals stood out in the colorful menu, while family style specials for 2 were listed for every day of the week.  The day I visited was a Sunday, and the big plate special was a brick roasted 1/2 duck.  Everything on the menu sounded enticing, but alas there were only 4 of us and our gastric walls were not able to accommodate all of the dishes.  I marveled at the fact that the tiny kitchen, which was smaller than my own kitchen, was turning out this extensive menu at an efficient speed with precision and grace.  Such is the power of a talented and capable chef like Centeno who has worked at numerous places including Meson G, Opus, Lot 1, Aubergine and Bar Celona.  For years I held a bit of a grudge against Centeno who served an appalling dish of sea urchin and moyashi soybean sprouts at Meson G back in 2005, but I was ready to let go of those bad memories and call a truce.  Go figure that the one evening that I chose to visit The Lazy Ox Canteen was the first day off for Centeno since the restaurant opened in December 2009.

We started our fantastic meal with a refreshing salad of pickled beets and wild arugula.  The cubes of tender beets were marinated to a perfect tartness and paired elegantly with the sweetness of the succulent mandarin orange wedges.  The mellow flavors of the yogurt dressing tempered the acidity of the vegetables, while crunchy purple radicchio leaves in the bottom layer peered through the green arugula trellis to impart more vibrant colors to this lively dish.

Pig’s ear chicharrones…*gulp*. With the explosion of pig’s ear dishes in restaurants all over town this year, I’ve been conditioned to excessively salivate at the mere sight of the words “pig’s ear” on a menu like a naive Pavlovian dog.  The one here at Lazy Ox Canteen was super crispy bordering on chewy, cooked in such a way as to transform the fatty dermis into a light biscuit while maintaining the inherent crunchy toughness of the thin cartilage layer.  With a squeeze of fresh lime, a dip in luscious aioli and a chaser of piquant pickled radishes, I’m now dreaming of a utopia where large bowls of fried pig’s ears may someday replace chips & salsa at Super Bowl parties.

Deep fried anchovies delighted all gourmands at the table with their crisp and puffy shells.  The delicate fish were so incredibly fresh and tender that they practically evaporated into a savory breeze of aquatic essence in the mouth.  This dish rivaled some of the best boquerones that I’ve had in Barcelona tapas bars.

Braised lamb cheeks nestled on a bed of creamy semolina and collard greens were rich and tender, and the acidity of the pickled red onions imparted a perfect degree of tart and zing that kept the forks moving and the glasses flowing.  Our bottle of 2008 Chilean Leyda Pinot Noir kept us very happy that night.

No matter how good a restaurant is, there is bound to be at least 1 dish that doesn’t quite make the cut.  Charred octopus tossed with pickled shallots, fava beans, pomelo grapefruit and escarole was that dish for me.  It’s wasn’t bad by any means, but compared to the rest of the spectacular dishes that knocked my socks off, the combination of ingredients seemed discordant.  As the title implied, I was hoping for a robust and masculine piece of charred octopus with crisp and smoky skin, rather than the spongy mass that had been allowed to soak up too much of the vinegar sauce.

‘Eggs and ham‘ Lazy ox style… am I a fan of eggs and ham?  Why yes I am, of eggs and ham a fan I am.  Heck, damn I am!  The women at the table all cooed over this adorable plate of fried quail eggs and deep fried pork belly with harissa.  The pork was pleasantly fatty and crispy, and the fiery bite of the harissa sauce added character and flair.

Hand-torn egg pasta with sunny-side egg, brown butter and fines herbs was excellent.  A fresh spring herb bouquet of dill, tarragon and parsley brought a perfect level of snap to the otherwise rich dish oozing with runny egg yolk and brown butter.  All of the simple yet delicious ingredients came together harmoniously to accentuate the marvelous texture of the flat pasta.

Chicken livers…*gulp*.  Another Pavlovian response.  Chicken liver crostini with whole grain mustard was almost too good to share.  The creamy chunks of liver featured in this dish were a little on the gamey side but the saltiness of the pancetta crisps balanced it out well.

We had a splendid dish of dashi marinated yellowtail cubes mixed with thin radish slices, avocado, crème fraîche, tobiko caviar and puffed rice that went surprisingly well with triangles of freshly cooked potato hash browns.  It was an unlikely combination of ‘East meets West’, but the flavors melded perfectly and stirred much excitement from the gallery.

A deep fried butterflied fillet of baby pompano almost looked amphibious with its flattened back and deep eye sockets, ready to leap off the bed of leafy greens onto my lap, but it turned out to be one of the most enjoyable dishes for me.  The crispy skin and crunchy bones made for some of the best otsumami beer snacks that I’ve had in a long time, but the showstopper was the smoked pepper aioli with its amazing rich flavor and silky cream consistency.

Pig trotters….yum….Pavlovian response revisited.  Pig trotters, along with various other pig parts, have been one of the most welcome food trends for me in Los Angeles this past year.  Los Angeles cuisine is finally catching up to the rest of the world.  These braised trotters were served burger style as minced meat patties on a bed of lentil purée with a dash of pickled onion slices and a drizzle of rich jus.  The trotter dish was incredibly succulent, perfectly fatty and just a perfect serving of heaven.

The tapioca pudding brûlée had that characteristic enjoyable squishy texture of bouncy tapioca with a nice smokey caramelized layer of burnt sugar on top.  It was served with a sweet pineapple sauce that had a faint hint of szechuan peppercorn that fortunately didn’t overpower the fruit flavor.

I had a genuinely fun and delicious experience at The Lazy Ox Canteen, and even though Centeno wasn’t there that night the crew did an amazing job.  I peered over to the tiny kitchen and recognized the handsome face of sous chef Mario from Mo-Chica who never lost his cool.  Hats off to the rest of the floor staff who made our experience pleasurable with their positive energy and generosity.  The service was beyond excellent, and for a packed house and a miniature kitchen, I couldn’t believe the perfect flow of service and the absence of delay in time from order to table.  If I had more stomach space, I would have loved to try the lengua ravioli, Lazy Ox burger, Merguez sausage and crispy quail.  But alas, we were at full capacity and any more food would have caused reflux.  I would love to revisit the restaurant to try their daily big plate specials too- pan seared 19 oz pork porterhouse on Friday and a 24 oz black pepper crusted cote de boeuf on Saturday are beckoning me.   The alcohol menu is also an eclectic mix of global drinks, from Okinawan awamori to Belgian ales, and South African Shiraz to Hungarian Furmint.  At stunningly affordable prices, there’s no longer an excuse not to go to Little Tokyo.

Call The Lazy Ox Canteen and a sweet and bubbly voice on the other side will greet you with a “How can I make your day better?”  Your day will unquestionably be made better with a visit to this outstanding restaurant.

The Lazy Ox Canteen

241 S San Pedro St
Los Angeles, CA 90012
(213) 626-5299

Random trivia:  Did you know that various pig parts can be found in common household items that we all have?  Bones, cartilage, fat, skin and hair are used in manufacturing items like photographic film, corks, shampoo, medicine capsules and crayons.