By Emma Krasov. Photography by Yuri Krasov
Champagne À La Cart at the St. Regis San Francisco
Riding a sparkling wave of champagne-in-hotels that hit the Bay Area this tourist season, the St. Regis San Francisco a few weeks ago debuted its “Champagne À La Cart” service offered daily from 5 to 6 pm at the recently renovated posh St. Regis Bar in the hotel lobby.
The opening event in partnership with Moët & Chandon featured top-of-the-line bottles of bubbly by various historic brands, and an exhibition cart filled with artfully displayed hors d’oeuvres available on the bar menu.
It comes as no surprise that the assortment of appetizers on offer is as upscale and sophisticated as the St. Regis San Francisco—a five-star luxury hotel, located in a very pleasant part of the city among the art museums, well-kept parks, and attractive restaurants.
The champagne cart menu features Dom Pérignon Vintage 2012, Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label, and Moët & Chandon Impérial paired with spoons of paddlefish caviar and Kaluga hybrid caviar from Haute Caviar Company; mini blini topped with salmon and trout caviar, crème fraîche, and smoked cured egg yolk; oyster on the half shell with paddlefish caviar and champagne gelée flavored with ponzu. There’s also a choice of sweets handcrafted by the hotel’s pastry chef—chocolate-dipped strawberry with Valrhona Satilia sixty four percent dark chocolate and gold leaf, and yuzu and raspberry macarons.
If you travel to California this summer with an intent to leave your heart in San Francisco, get something heartwarming in return—treat yourself to the St. Regis Champagne À La Cart service!
The St. Regis San Francisco is located at 125 Third Street, San Francisco, California. Call 415.284.4000 or visit https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/sfoxr-the-st-regis-san-francisco/
Gourmet Indian-American Prix Fixe Menu at Blue Mermaid Restaurant in Argonaut Hotel
San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf on the city’s northern waterfront is one of the most visited tourist attractions, and for a good reason. Between the stunning views of the San Francisco Bay, Golden Gate Bridge, and Alcatraz Island; Dungeness crab and clam chowder stalls; street performers; Aquarium by the Bay; a festive souvenir shopping center, and a resident colony of loudly barking sea lions at Pier 39, there’s very little left to be desired for a full day of joyful exploration… Maybe a very special dinner with a unique and well-executed menu to add a memorable highlight to your San Francisco adventure!
Located at the historic Argonaut Hotel, gorgeously renovated and decorated with a nautical theme, behold Blue Mermaid Restaurant, now helmed by the Executive Chef Amod Singh, a long-time San Francisco resident, and a talented creator of a highly original menu based on traditional Indian cuisine, but with the abundant use of seasonal California produce.
Bringing to the table his previous experience as an executive sous chef at Taj Campton Place in San Francisco, where his culinary talents earned the restaurant two Michelin Stars, Chef Singh doesn’t shy away from bold experimentation with outstandingly delicious results.
On his tasting menu he combines beets and berries in a light and foamy vegetarian chilled soup of exquisite taste, followed by a dish of “Flavor Bomb” that features wheat puffs, characteristic for Indian street food, but in a much more complex format, topped with Hamachi tuna and tobiko caviar, garnished with citrus and sweet pepper ceviche emulsion, and enhanced with curried yogurt.
San Francisco’s own Dungeness crab makes an appearance as a bite-size appetizer in the company of brilliant red ikura atop a tapioca cracker.
In-between courses you might get hot from the oven freshly-made scallion bread rolls with house-made hummus, but beware that you definitely want to save some room for what’s coming up—Pan Seared Branzino with fennel puree, heirloom carrots and cilantro in Meyer lemon sauce, and Grilled Lamb Rack of amazing tenderness covered in fine herbs and spiced with masala yogurt.
“We like to improvise here,” says Chef Singh. “We use spices that are popular in India. The menu is built so you could feel the progression from milder to hotter and more pungent flavors.”
Rest assured, the progressively spiced menu is duly concluded with heavenly desserts—Chocolate Cremaux with ice cream and dark chocolate pearls, and Mango Variations on buttered filo dough, with mango mousse, soft sweet cheese, and gelato.
The restaurant’s beverage program, on par with the menu, presents a comprehensive list of international wines, craft, draft, and bottled beer, zero proof drinks, and creative original cocktails, like Twilight Sunset, Cucumber St. Germain Spritz, and The SOMA, made by the Bar Manager Jason Phung to match Chef Singh wonderful culinary creations.
Blue Mermaid Restaurant is located at 495 Jefferson Street, San Francisco, California. Call 415.771.2222 or visit https://www.argonauthotel.com/fishermans-wharf-seafood-restaurants/.
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