Blanc burgers+bottles

Last weekend I went to Blanc burgers+bottles. Blanc in French means white so everything in the restaurant was white. When you first walk in you see a white bar with neon lights changing colors frequently. It was unique to see forty-nine different kinds of bottled sodas; I thought it was pretty cool. I ate the Classic Burger, which was topped with aged NY white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, red onion, homemade pickles and made-from-scratch ketchup + mustard. I think the coolest part of the meal though, were the French fries. When they came out they were hot and thinly cut, arranged in a shopping cart. Blanc makes great burgers and has an insane selection of beverages to go along with it. All in all Blanc is great at what they do.

Calamari "Fries"

Cormeal-dusted calamari, lemon-lime aioi

B.L.T Salad

Romaine, applewood-smoked bacon, maytag blue cheese, avocado, tomato, black mustard seed ranch

Classic

Aged NY white cheddar, lettuce, tomato, homemade pickles, red onion, made-from-scratch ketchup + mustard, sesame brioche bun

Inside Out

Blue chesse-stuffed burger, applewood-smoked bacon, onion ring, ketchup, mustard, butter lettuce, onion brioche bun

Hand Cut Fries

Served with Made-from-scratch ketchup, whole grain mustard, chipotle aioli

Blue Koi

On Friday night I went to Blue Koi. It was in a new building with traditional noodle and dumpling dishes. A unique drink they serve is the flavored bubble tea, which is an ice-cold tea latte with tapioca pearls. It’s a weird feeling when drinking an iced latte to have soft tapioca balls come through the straw. My favorite dish was the Spicy Chili Pepper Wontons. It had a nice kick with the Red Chili’s but wasn’t unbearable. Blue Koi serves great traditional Chinese cuisine and has great service to back it up.

Spicy Chili Pepper Wontons

Pan fried Northern Chinese style dumplings with spicy red chili’s, cilantro, scallions, fried garlic

Blue Koi Druck Wrap

Roast duck, cucumber, onions, cilantro and hoising sauce in a soft wrap

Pork Dumplings

Boiled

Cantonese Roast Duck

Roast duck, rice

Ants On a Tree

Sauteéd minced pork, bean noodle

Cheesecake Wontons

Pot Pie

The other night I went to an interesting restaurant, Pot Pie. When you sat down there wasn't a menu but instead it was listed on a chalkboard. It’s a small place with great food and they're not trying to become famous. My favorite dish was The “Pan Roasted Chicken” with mashed potatoes, green beans and pan jus. The chicken sat on a mound of mashed potatoes with a heavy topping of pan jus.The green beans were lightly tossed with butter and salt. This is a really straight forward preparation that focused on the basics of cooking. Overall this restaurant was great with a good independent atmosphere.









Pan roasted chicken with mashed potatoes, green beans and pan jus

Chez Panisse

Chez Panisse is owned by Alice Waters. Alice Waters became famous in the 1970’s and was credited for creating a culinary revolution in the United States. She’s an advocate of fresh and locally grown ingredients in her restaurants. She also believes to eat what’s in season because the mass shipping of food is harmful to the environment. When you first walk into Chez Panisse there are two dining rooms, one for lunch and one for dinner. During lunch there is a very elegant but laid back feel in the restaurant. My favorite dish was the Hand-cut pasta topped with Keller Ranch veal ragù and peas. This dish was unique with the hand-cut noodles but also tasted extraordinary. Alice Waters also owns Café Fanny in West Berkeley, California which serves breakfast and lunch daily.


Bread


























Baked Andante















Baked andante dairy goat cheese, garden lettuces

Pizzetta












Spring onions, smoked sablefish, capers

Hand-Cut Pasta















Keller Ranch veal ragù, peas

Fried Bolinas Rockfish















Coleslaw, tartar sauce

Grilled Chicken Leg














Grilled mary's farm chicken al mattone, brussels sprouts, cipollini, wild mushrooms

Pink Lady Apple















Walnut tart, calvados ice cream

Buttermilk Panna Cotta















Blood orange-caramel compote, mexican wedding cookies

Salt House

The building Salt House is in was a printing press warehouse in the 1930’s. Now it’s a restaurant that serves Contemporary American cuisine. The two chefs at Salt House are brothers, Mitchell Rosenthal and Steven Rosenthal. My favorite dish was the Poutine topped with short rib gravy and Bravo Farms cheddar. It probably wasn’t the healthiest thing ever but it tasted great.


Yellowfin Tuna



























Leeks, radish, truffle vinaigrette

Poutine















Crispy potato, short rib gravy, bravo farms cheddar

Baked Oysters















Bacon, leeks, spinach

Dayboat Scallops















Smoked trout, parsnip-bacon cake, manilla clams

Beef Short Rib



























Green garlic, leeks, potatoes, short rib bordelaise

Fulton Valley Chicken















Red cabbage, fingerlings, grain mustard poultry jus

Chocolate Bread Pudding






























Cereal ice milk

Cookie Plate

















Warm Sticky Bun















Toasted pecans, cream chesse ice cream