Only In San Francisco – Dine About Town Launch Party

The DAT Launch Party resulted in my friend using the entry stickers as pasties…
DAY/​TIME:
Wed, 5.26.10 at 6:00 PM — 7:30 PM
LOCATION:
Westfield SF Centre, 4^th Level, Under the Dome
COST:
$ 20 for unlimited food & drink tastings. Tickets must be purchased ahead of time from
.
TASTINGS:
*Bisou/​Chou Chou: Foie gras terrine and cucumber wrapped dungeness crab. YUMMY, the foie gras terrine was delectably rich and savory; however the corn bread was too heavy. The cucumber wrap was generously filled with sweet and succulent crab.
*Credo: Had the longest line, but was quite disappointing. They offered hummus, bruschetta, and tuna tartar. The hummus didn’t taste like hummus at all. It was tasteless, grainy, and didn’t have a smooth, creamy texture. The bruschetta was ok, but the bread wasn’t toasted so it was hard and chewy. The tartar was fresh, but it was flavorless.
*First Crush: Peanut butter cup with a ganache center sprinkled w/​sea salt. It was ok, the crust was buttery, but the sea salt overpowered the peanut and chocolate flavor too much and left a lingering salty aftertaste.
*LarkCreekSteak: Their infamous butterscotch pudding. OMFG, SO EFFEN GOOD! I’ve dined at LCS about 8 – 10 times and increased my rating to 5 stars just b/​c of their pudding. The pudding is sinfully rich and creamy w/​just the right amount of brown sugar and vanilla flavor. The whip cream added an extra layer of creaminess while the chocolate bits added some crunch.
*Sauce: Steak Lettuce Wraps. YUMMY! The romaine was nice and crisp and the steak was cooked to a medium rare was tender, moist, and flavorful. It was sprinkled w/​truffle oil, however, it tasted more like olive oil to me.
*Ristobar: I believe they had the Mini Peppers stuffed w/​goat cheese which was delectable. The peppers were crisp and sweet and goat cheese was creamy and pungent which balanced each other out. They also had roasted yellow beets which I wasn’t too fond of b/​c I’m not a beet fan, however, 3 of my friends thought it was yummy.
*Tommy Toy’s: Kung Pao Shrimp. It was ok, the shrimp was tender, however, it was a bit overcooked and dry. The sauce was more a peppery than spicy. The bell peppers and onions gave it touch of sweetness while the peanuts gave it a nice crunch. However, Chinese food is meant to be eaten at hole-​in-​the-​wall and not at overpriced Americanized places like TT.
*Trademark: I believe they had the corn bread and tomato corn soup. The corn bread was AMAZING! It was moist and fluffy w/​a slightly grainy texture from the corn. The sweet butter was super creamy and brought out the sweetness from the cornbread. The tomato corn soup was ok; it was creamy and sweet; although a dollop of cream friache would have complemented it well.
*Urban Tavern: Chicken confit on flat bread. Ehhh, the first time around the flat bread was brunt, so all I could taste was charcoal. The second time around, I went to look for a non-​burnt piece and it was ok. The chicken confit was tender, but on the salty side.
WINE TASTINGS:
*Château Motelena Winery: Cab and Riesling. OMFG, the BEST CAB I’ve ever had in my life!!! Well, for a $ 130 bottle it better be good right? The cab was incredibly smooth w/​sweet black current tones and was completely non-​acidic. It went down like buttah. My friend had the Riesling which she loved and went back multiple times for additional pours. They’re available at the Press Club which I will need to pay a visit to very shortly.
*Gamble Family Vineyards and Landmark Vineyards: I had the Cab from both and they were completely forgettable compared to the CM’sCab. My only memory was they were more musky and had grassy undertones.
VODKA TASTING:
*Blue Angel: Ehhh! I’m a hardcore Grey Goose fan and Blue Angel reminds of Sky Vodka which is yuck in my opinion. They created a cocktail w/​vodka which had pineapple juice and blue curacao. The first sip made my whole face cringe and left a lingering taste of watered down hairspray in my mouth.
AMBIANCE:
The DAT launch party was held underneath the historic Emporium dome. The stations were set-​up in rectangular shape; there were some high round tables set-​up in the middle. Most booths had very short lines which took less than 1 – 2 minutes to get your samples except for Credo which took about 5 minutes.
My only complaint is they should have provided plates upon entry to put your samples on. For a klutz like myself it was difficult to maneuver around w/​a wine glass in one hand and a sample in another.
MUSIC:
The DJ was spinning classical tunes. He seemed to be the only one jamming to it as he was bopping his head as though he was spinning hip-​hop.
CONCLUSION:
After the tastings, I definitely want to try Bisou, Chou Chou, Sauce, and Trandemark. Not only did our $ 20 go a long way, it left me hysterically laughing the entire night. My friend w/​her pasties while rocking stunna shades at night??? ENOUGH SAID…

WHEN:
Wednesday, May 26^th, 2010 from 6:00 — 7:30pm
COST:
$ 20 (well worth it!!) which is donated to Meals on Wheels. You must purchase in advance, tickets are NOT sold at the door. Pricing includes food, drinks, and a «Only in San Francisco» wineglass.
RESTAURANT/​FOOD:
*Bisou/​Chouchou — Foie Gras on bread, Dungeness crab shreddings wrapped in thinly sliced cucumbers, and salmon samples
*Credo — Hummus on slices of bread, bruschetta on slices of bread, and tuna tartar on slices of bread samples
*First Crush Restaurant — Peanut butter cup samples
*LarkCreekSteak — Butterscotch pudding samples
*Ristobar — Cherry tomatoes stuffed with cheese and Yellow beet samples
*Sauce — Prime rib lettuce wrap samples
*Tommy Toy’s — Kungpao shrimp samples
*Trademark — Tuna tartar, corn and pepper soup, and cornbread samples
*Urban Tavern — Chicken mixture with caviar on slices of bread (I think?) samples
WINE/​DRINKS:
*Château Motelena Winery
*Gamble Family Vineyards
*Landmark Vineyards
*Blue Angels Vodka mixed drinks
MY FAVs:
*Sauce’s prime rib lettuce wraps were DELICIOUS. They also gave away flyers to bring in and exchange it for a free dessert
*Bisou/Chouchou’s Dungeness crab shreddings wrapped in thinly sliced cucumbers. They were so good that when I went back for seconds, they were out *sad face*
*LarkCreekSteak’s butterscotch pudding was yummy! My friend said I HAD to try it because that was the reason why she bumped her Unilocal review for the restaurant up to 5 stars
*Château Motelena’s Riesling wine was absolutely incredible! Me having only one glass is surely an understatement!
TIP: Get there ON TIME. Food samples started running out halfway through.
I can’t wait until the next launch party!