食為天 Shall we eat? Happy CNY&Valentine

Happy Lunar New Year and Happy Valentine!!! 

Red White 1962, Ellsworth Kelly image from SF MOMA 
貼春聯要倒掛取其春到福到好運來之意, Ellsworth Kelly這幅Red White算是愛心到了 :) 

Localvore is a trendy term.  It's fortunate to be in the San Francisco Bay Area(let's just ignore the high cost of living for the moment)
if one loves to eat.  The local culinary landscape is ever-changing and ever so vital!

 A morning hot cider and apricot anise biscotti at SPQR. 
ㄧ天, 二龍, 三夜叉, 四乾達婆… 那'食為天'乃何方神聖?! 本人是也. 上窮碧落, 兜兜轉轉, 經歷惶恐慌亂風波詭譎的2012, 頓覺我的初衷便是此生最愛: 沒什麼比好好享用眼前美食是更踏實的幸福! 回到舊金山灣區適得其所, 美國經濟高高低低, 乍看春暖花開冰雪突降, 民間卻甚有活力, 尤其民以食為天這爿. 剛剛手術過後較易疲倦(無礙, 只是小心駛得萬年船才動刀的)懶爬格子, 以圖片祝大家蛇年如意情人節快樂!!! 

SPQR 
The medley of multicolored cauliflower salad provides a sultry treat. 

陽光醺風義式料理, 頗有美食共和國的意味, 此餐廳以酥油餅佐甜柿果醬代替麵包奶油很搶眼, 餐膳偏鹹, 想來是為搭配酒吧? 

Chocolate Lab 
The art of chocolate is a poetic sort of science.

在地巧克力師傅Recchiuti的甜點秘室, 簡單新派不減濃郁風雅, 我這方面倒是老派, 黑巧克力佐清水或淡些的紅酒已很豐足, 總總巧克力衍生的甜點讓我覺得像在美女臉上濃妝艷抹... 

Heath Ceramics 
The simple and clean silhouette of Heath Ceramics makes an impeccable statement… serving Blue Bottle Coffee in its flagship complements the smart setting.

美麗的膳食也要有別緻餐具相襯, Heath旗艦店的對面是我工作室的舊址, 若它早幾年開幕, 我可能常晃過街來杯Blue Bottle午後咖啡呢! 

Benu 
I was a fan of The French Laundry in the old days and not so sure if I still am.  Benu does intrigue with its sculptural yet somewhat familiar composition and hints of revolutionary zest here and there, but I just need to find the punch line.  The crepinette of sea bass and shrimp, lettuce, fermented pepper seems to be a glimpse into the chef's mind, his past tenure… and therefore the most interesting dish of the 17 course tasting menu IMO :) 

每動手術前(老天保祐我可不想再開刀了!!! 在此澄清我動過的大小手術皆攸關健康非美容整型 :P) 我總擔心壯士ㄧ去不返, 例必大張旗鼓來場豐盛Last Supper, 雖然每次術後我的腸胃與食慾復原速度驚人… 這次選舊金山創意料理Benu, 韓裔主廚Corey Lee出身The French Laundry, 連鬧中取靜禪意十足的入口都有幾分FL神韻.  洋洋灑灑十七道如雕塑, 東西食材交錯激盪, 互領風騷的餐點不是不美味, 其中那玫瑰色多汁的烤鵪鶉也呈現爐火純青的手藝… 享用後我卻悵然, 看來是到了該返樸歸真的年歲囉 :)