So I wanted my first official post to be golf related, but had to write about a dining experience I had over the weekend. I was invited to a dinner by Prive SF, a group that organizes small, private, multi-course dinners in private locations. I was very intrigued, so I RSVP'd and received my formal invite a week later. The secret location ended up being a producer's loft in the Mission District of San Francisco. My girlfriend and I were the first to arrive and we were awestruck by the whole setting! Everything was perfect. Our host, Alex greeted us warmly and started us with a glass of champagne. As more people arrived, everyone was able to mingle, drink and enjoy each other's company. There was such a wide variety of people in the room, it made the night very interesting. Once everyone had arrived, we were seated at a communal table next to a wide projection screen. The screen showed highlights of past dinners and a preview of what we were in store for. Our first course was an amuse bouche featuring crudo, shaved asparagus, tarragon and citrus, paired with the brut champagne we had been drinking.
Both Alex and Chef Tom explained the dishes and why the wine pairing worked well with each one. Another nice aspect was that we were able to take our time with each course, discussing all the intricacies with our fellow "foodie" neighbors. Our next course (starter) was seared quail, with a poached egg, radish and salsa verde paired with a 2005 Paso Robles Viognier. As far as wine goes, I'm usually a red drinker through and through. But if you like a combo of both red and white, viogniers are the way to go. Chef Tom's next item was a young pea triangole, with a myer lemon and mint sauce, paired with a 2006 Chardonnay. The dish was well prepared, but this was probably my least favorite wine of the night.
Our main course was a braised lamb shank, with nettle, lentil and artichoke.
This was paired with a great Italian Red from South Tyrol. By the way, each dish had this type of artistic look and the plating's were done magnificently. This was by far my favorite item on the menu!
We ended with a pair of deserts: "Sweet and Salty", which featured Fiore Sardo, quince, honey comb, sherry and sea salt, paired with a Portuguese Tawny Port. And Humphrey Slocumbe thyme honey ice cream, olive oil cake and blood orange salad with a 2006 Honig Sauvignon Blanc. Both deserts and wines were phenomenal and gave our taste buds a little bit of everything.
We finished the night with more great conversation and wine before calling it an evening. The experience was one of those truly magical dining adventures that you'll never forget. It was pricey, but well worth it. Chef Tom is opening a new restaurant in San Francisco called Flour+Water in the Mission District. Hence, he and Alex figured this might be the last Prive dinner for awhile. Here is the info in case they do have more dinners in the future. Happy Dining and long live PriveSF!!
