AME restaurant, San Francisco- 12/22/12

Ame & the group

Wine & Menu

Tasting Meny & a la carte Desserts

Five Course Tasting Menu

6 of us decided to order the tasting Menu and the remaining preferred to order a la carte.

Without further ado let's start the culinary experience.

Course 1 - Three preparations of sashimi

Kurikomoy and Jumai Ginjo, Kura no Hana, Miyagi prefecture, Japan

 

Beautiful, artfully, and colorful presentation!  We eat with our eyes first so right away it is very appealing!

The fish were fresh but I think it lacked flavor.  The fish were so thin that it was gone so fast without given us a chance to really taste it.

 

Course 2 - Cauliflower Velouté with poached gulf shrimp and olive oil

This is how I would describe this dish: YUMMY!
This dish is definitely French! The soup was rich, creamy, flavorful and I enjoyed the crunchy caramelized cauliflower bits on top.

 

Course 3 - Broiled sake marinated Alaskan black cod in shiso Broth

The 3rd course came and it was totally Japanese.  If it was meant to be fusion I definitely did not see it, but it is fine!  I like Japanese food too.

 

Simple but yet very elegant presentation. The cod was cooked properly, it was soft and melted in my mouth.  However the broth was good but not great and was a tad salty and I feel like I've had better elsewhere..

 

Course 4 - Grilled Berkshire Pork Loin with celery root puree, braised endive, Spiced Apple butter, Guanciale and Pecans

Berkshire Pork often referred to as Kurobuta is heavily marbled and its high fat content makes it suitable for long cooking and high-temperature cooking.  Berkshire pork is known to be very juicy, flavorful and tender. 

I did not order this dish as I substitute it for a steak but Huyen gave me a piece and I really like it.

The pork was tender, juicy and flavorful as a Berkshire pork should be.

 

Course 4 - Grilled Brandt Family Ranch NY Strip steak with Potato "Aligot", Braised cavolo Nero and Natual jus

Hoa like steaks so we opted for this dish instead of the Berkshire pork Loin.

The problem with our group is that we had amazing steaks at Phuc's & Huyen's so everything else is pale in comparison with perhaps the exception of Peter Luger

We got a New York steak was cooked medium rare, the way I like it, was juicy but lacked the marbling and fat I long for. The cavolo Nero (Black leaf Kale) was cooked two ways: braised and crispy.  The crispy   Cavalo Nero was a nice surprise in this dish.

The potato Aligot, basically is mashed potatoes with butter, cream, crushed garlic and melted cheese was also very tasty.

 

A La Carte

A few of us wanted to order a la carte instead of the tasting Menu.  Here are their choices:

Minh ordered the Raviolo of Pheasant served in a rich and hearty broth with Chanterelle Mushrooms, Caramelized Cipollini and Roasted Game Jus.

This dish is a winner and everything about it was perfectly balanced from the sauce, the raviolo, the filling and all of the other ingredients.

 

Loan ordered a Salad of Brussels Sprouts Three-Ways with Croquettes of Local Goat Cheese and Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette.

I did not get a chance to taste but I like the way it was presented.

 

Trung and Phuc ordered the Panko Crusted Miyagi Oysters on Slow Braised Pork Belly in Black Vinegar Sauce with Horseradish Cream.

I can't really remember what they said but I think they both enjoy the dish.

 

Trung ordered a Butter Poached Maine Lobster and Hokkaido Scallops with Grilled Cauliflower, Pickled Grapes and Curry Brown Butter Sauce.

Beautiful presentation and according to Trung the lobster was poached to perfection and the portion was perfect!

 

Minh went with the Grilled Brandt Family Ranch NY Strip Steak with Potato and Parsnip “Gratin Dauphinois”, Foraged Mushrooms, Cavolo Nero and Natural Jus.

Hoa and I we also have this dish but in the tasting menu so the portion is half of a regular entree as shown here.

 

Phuc had the low Braised Lamb Shank with Kuri Pumpkin Risotto, Charred Treviso and Syrah Wine Gastrique but we forgot to take a picture.  Anyway, Phuc did not like this dish at all.  He was surprised to find out the lamb shank came out looking like shredded pork instead of a whole shank!

Next.. Desserts

Home

Travel

Our house

Birthdays

Photo Gallery

 Mon  petit coin