Arcadia (a Michael Mina restaurant)

Location: downtown San Jose, CA
Cuisine type: modern American
Atmosphere: subdued, dim lighting
Meal: dinner, festive
Overall score: 8.7

Note: We apologize for the dismal quality of the pictures for this place, but the lighting was so dim that nothing came out on our phone camera without flash, and we didn't want to disrupt other guests' dinners.

Nina

Apparently many restaurants are closed on New Years Day - who knew? Thus, we decided that we’d have our anniversary dinner early, and we picked a place that came with high praises from a colleague whose taste in restaurants I’ve come to appreciate. Arcadia is located in the lobby of a San Jose downtown Marriott, and the only entrance we could find involved entering through the hotel lobby (and getting a bit lost in the process, we blame it on poor signage). The atmosphere inside was subdued, with dim lighting and some retro decor elements - overall, the light was so low that we weren’t really able to take any pictures of our food without using flash (and we left that out so it wouldn’t disrupt our meal and the meals of others sitting nearby). The decor and table layout didn’t go together as smoothly as I would have liked, the combination of chairs and benches at many of the tables felt more like a casual diner than a fine restaurant, but the noise level was low (maybe just because it was a slow night, but we didn’t mind) and service was great, so the overall experience was definitely positive.

For appetizer, we ordered a beef tartare. The presentation was certainly impressive - the hand chopped beef came in a neat cylindrical stack topped with a quail egg yolk, and alongside it there was a trail of fried capers, garlic and coarse salt. The server who brought it to the table neatly scooped up the seasonings, then folded them and the yolk into the mass of minced meat. Then, he placed it in a conical glass which rested in a bowl of ice next to a delicious and crispy pile of fries. The flavors were subtle and harmonious, and the homemade fries were a perfect vehicle for the meat. Towards the end we ran out of chips and used some of the bread we had left in our bread basket to finish up the tartare.
Appetizer number two of sorts was the bone marrow that I asked Ben to order with his steak - this was probably the weakest dish of the night, and most responsible for the point deducted from their food score. I like marrow cook whichever way (for some reason), but I can appreciate it when it’s particularly well prepared. This was cooked in the bone whole, which was a bit disappointing mainly because I was picturing the halved bones serving as a dipping boat of marrow, which would also allow it to develop the roasted crust and depth of flavor a bit more. The topping of bread crumbs, parsley and seasoning was good, but the overall dish a little hard to eat.
My entree was the daily special - the lobster pot pie. I saw it mentioned many times in reviews of Arcadia, so it was definitely something I had to try. I have to say first of all that the flavors were fantastic, the lobster was perfectly cooked, and was cooked in a creamy rue with a delicious assortment of vegetables and various wild mushrooms. The crust was crispy on the top and soaked up just enough of the sauce on the bottom, and it was topped with a few grains of coarse salt. The presentation, however, was epic in its own right - the server brought the pot pie in a large pan, with the crust baked on top and sealed around the edges of the pan. Then, with a knife, he carefully removed the crust from the top and placed in on a large plate, then proceeded to reassemble the pieces of lobster from the pot pie back into the rough layout of the animal whole. Finally, he arranged the vegetables and mushrooms around the lobster and top everything with the creamy sauce. The crust on the bottom of all this somehow remained crusty throughout my meal, and was a perfect complement to every bite of the dish.

Last but not least, there had to be dessert. After contemplating the entire dessert menu (everything looks good when it’s sweet and especially when it’s covered or otherwise rich in chocolate), we settled on the coffee ice cream deconstructed sundae. Seemed like a classic with a twist, which should be a guaranteed hit. The ice cream was tasty, if slightly icy, and it came topped with small meringue dollops. On the side, there was various toppings like slivered almonds and chocolate sauce, so it was overall an enjoyable dessert. The better dessert, however, was the one we didn’t order - the waiter apparently caught my fleeting reference to it being our anniversary, so he brought a second dessert from the chef (off the menu). It was a layered cake of vanilla batter and chocolate buttercream, served alongside cocoa nib ice cream, which I actually liked a little better than the espresso kind in our sundae. Also, to make things a little more special, the chef had also handwritten “Happy Anniversary” in chocolate sauce on the edge of the plate. A festive end to a delicious meal. :) I really enjoyed the experience at this restaurant, including everything from the atmosphere (though I wasn't a fan of the light fixtures) and service to the food and presentation.

Food	9
Drinks	9
Atmosphere	8
Service	10
Value	8

Ben

A restaurant in the Marriott in downtown San Jose. Arcadia does not give the “wow” impression that we’ve seen at similarly priced / reputed restaurants - it is entered through the hotel, and is a large (at the time very empty) restaurant. The wait staff was very polite and professional, and the mood once we settled in was more comfortable and intimate. We started off with beef tartare - a presentation at the table in which the tartare was mixed with quail egg yolk and a caper and garlic seasoning, and served with a side of freshly baked potato chips.

 

I ordered a wagyu beef strip steak with a red wine sauce on the side. The steak was perfect - living up to high expectations. It was a perfectly homogenous medium rare all the way through, and was tender and juicy (maybe could have used even more fat.. but I’m not complaining). The sauce was a little thin and weak, which was at first disappointing - I felt like a hearty red wine flavor sauce would go great with bread or the truffle mac and cheese I ordered. I ended up appreciating the subtlety of the sauce, as it was at an appropriate level to eat with a quality steak without overpowering it. The truffle mac and cheese was decent, though I would have enjoyed a little more flavor … it was a little too subtle for me.
I tried a Nina’s lobster pot pie and it was really fantastic flavor as well as presentation (a little annoyed by the mystery price .. ended up being $20 more than the next highest menu item).

The dessert was pretty good - a sundae with crisp bites of cocoa meringue, served with almonds and chocolate sauce. Nina had mentioned our anniversary was coming up, and our server brought us a complimentary sponge cake with chocolate with a “happy anniversary” message in chocolate.

Food	9
Drinks	9
Atmosphere	7
Service	10
Value	7

Xanh

Location: Mountain View, CA
Cuisine type: Vietnamese, modern
Atmosphere: dim lit, modern decor
Meal: dinner
Overall score: 8.25

Nina

On one of those nights where you go “what should we cook today?” and then decide “nah, let’s just eat out,” we wandered to one place where we know choices are abundant - downtown Mountain View, Castro Street. The only problem we even find here is that there are too many choices, so sometimes it takes us quite a while to settle on something. This was of course, no exception, but we decided to eat at the slick looking Vietnamese place at the north end of the busy street, Xanh. It has a modern feel, with an interesting decor - chain link walls, a wall sized fountain with water just barely moistening the stone, very dim lighting and sectioned off rooms allowing each table to feel intimate, while the restaurant is quite large overall.
Their appetizer menu is domiated by Vietnamese spring rolls, so we picked two different kinds (kobe and shrimp) to try some variety. They looked the exact same when they came, so I had a moment where I wasn’t sure which one was which, especially since the meat was almost hidden among all the veggies in the rice paper. However, when I took a bite, it was clear that the juicy, almost creamy meat was the kobe, and the shrimp had its almost crunchy bite. Both rolls had clean and rich flavors, so I was pretty happy to have picked them, even though I’m not usually a huge fan of Vietnamese spring rolls.

My entree was dungeness crab and glass noodles, which was well seasoned though it came with little else on the plate. To be clear, I’m not complaining at all about the relative simplicity of the plate - the crab flavor was able to really come through (and the portion of meat definitely generous), and the finely shredded meat was well distributed into the noodles, so that each bite was well balanced.
The curveball in this meal (and the reason for a point or two deducted from the food score) was surprisingly the dessert. We picked the more authentic sounding one (figuring that we could get cheesecake and ice cream at any other place), the “DYI” Dessert Trio. The ingredients listed on the menu included tapioca pearls, yellow mung bean and coconut milk, so I was honestly expecting something that would present the ingredients in a somewhat disparate presentation, so that in the spirit of DYI we could combine them at will. Instead, there were three presentations that were each a somewhat flavorless combination of all three ingredients (except for the coconut flavor, which came through nicely in one of them) with strange gummy textures.
Overall, the subdued atmosphere, modern decor and creative food combinations of traditional Vietnamese with a twist coming together to form quite a nice experience.

Food	8
Drinks	8
Atmosphere	9
Service	9
Value	7

Ben

A restaurant/bar with an almost club-like feel .. dimly lit, packed, and with staff all in-black, the crowd appeared a mix of after-work techies and informal business gatherings. The menu and food all has a good touch of style .. with “modern” vietnamese cuisine. We started out with a spring roll with kobe beef and shrimp. A classy presentation, but a bit of a ‘meh’ taste. I enjoyed the duck breast that I ordered - a simple but elegant dish of duck cooked to a perfect medium rare, topped with a cocktail of fruits and vegetables. Overall a very good dish, a dash of class in its simplicity. We ordered a dessert trio, tapioca pearls, mung bean, and coconut cream.. a unique and pleasant finish to the meal. The place is definitely a hip spot, maybe better for gathering with a group of friends / coworkers than for a romantic meal.

Food	8
Drinks	8
Atmosphere	9
Service	9
Value	8

Incanto

Location: Noe Valley, San Francisco, CA
Cuisine type: modern American, rustic
Atmosphere: casual, lively
Meal: late dinner
Overall score: 9.17

Nina

Incanto was truly a magical food experience. We went there with two friends visiting from the East Coast, who had watched Top Chef Masters (in which the winner, Chef Chris Cosentino, is the executive chef at Incanto) and were very excited at the opportunity to meet the chef. This place is on a quiet street in Noe Valley, and looks quite unassuming from the outside. Reservations are strongly recommended, since it may take a long time to get a table on a walk-in basis, especially on weekend nights. We fortunately did have a reservation for a late dinner time, and got seated within a couple of minutes from entering through the door.
The restaurant has a very lively, rustic atmosphere, with stone walls and large printouts of food and fields hung as decoration in the dining area. The kitchen was open to the dining area, so guests could see the magic in action, and the waiting area was adjacent to a cooler window with cured meat and salami hanging enticingly underneath a statue of a pig, honoring the beast that makes all those delicacies possible.
As soon as we sat down, we were presented with a wine menu which had a good variety, while not being overwhelming, which is something I always fear a bit in nicer restaurants. In keeping with the rustic European feel and style of the restaurant, the wines were selected mostly from European varietals, and I was surprised to not find any California wines on their list. I asked for an Italian Barbera, which we could all share at the table and hopefully pair well with our red meat dishes (I saw enough pork product by the waiting area that I knew what to expect). After the wine was served, we also got some crusty freshly baked bread, served not with butter but with an olive tapenade, which was a pleasant and delicious surprise.

The appetizer Ben and I decided to share was one of the daily specials - calf brain and lobster mushroom bruschetta with a beef consomme. This was love on a plate - the thick, crusty bread had a perfect crunch, which was mostly drowned in the savory beef broth. It was topped with perfectly cooked creamy chunks of calf brain, mixed in with large and tender pieces of lobster mushroom and topped with parsley. It was rustic, homey and exquisite at the same time, a perfect opener for a delectable meal.

I found out that his winning array of dishes were built around the ideas of letters to loved ones, how he would express himself through food. Our friends ordered the “letter” to himself, or what he would want to eat as his last meal - a blood sausage seared to a crisp, served with poached oysters and a sunny side up egg. Similarly rustic and delicious, this dish had a rich simplicity that was savory and delightful.
My entree was another one of his letters, this time his Apology Letter, what he would make for his wife to apologize for working too much (her favorite food) - sea urchin and cauliflower puree, served with seared scallops, pancetta and sea urchin and drizzled with scallion oil. Ben had a variation on pasta carbonara, with firm egg noodles and raw egg yolk, in which the bacon’s role was filled by dry cured and thinly shaved tuna heart.

For dessert, because of course there is dessert with an outstanding meal like this, it was tough to choose between the delicious sounding and creatively unique desserts on their menu. I finally settled for the pistachio macaron served with a cactus pear float with sabayon foam - the combination of flavors and textures was incredibly innovative and nothing like I’ve ever had before. If I was trying to be extremely nit-picky I could remark that the macaron was slightly dry, the tiniest bit too crunchy/sweet from the light and creamy bite that I usually prefer, but realistically it was as close to perfection as I’ve ever had.
Service at the restaurant was outstanding - everyone from the hostess to our waiter and everyone who brought us our dishes and cleared up the table were very friendly and accomodating. But to make things even better, the man himself, executive chef Chris Consentino, came out to talk to us after we were done. He chatted with our friends about his experience on Top Chef Masters and how he got along with the other contestants, talked about the restaurant and what changed for him after the competition, and even gave us a neat autograph on the evening’s menu as a souvenir. Incanto is definitely a must-visit for the adventurous foodie who is interested or curious about the more unique parts or preparations of meat.

Food	10
Drinks	10
Atmosphere	9
Service	9
Value	8

Ben

A perfect fine restaurant for the city; discreet from the outside but refined and lively on the inside. This is the crown jewel of chef Chris Consentino, the chef made famous from the show Top Chef and various appearances on Food Network. Chris is visibly involved in the kitchen - which is largely to the dining area - and is available and interactive with the patrons (he even chatted with us and posed for a picture with friends). We ordered a bottle of wine (reasonably priced at around ~40) and an appetizer: a calf brain and lobster mushroom bruschetta with beef consomme. The appetizer was one of the best dishes; the brain was creamy soft beef consomme sauce gave a great savory flavor to the dish. The lobster mushrooms were fresh and delicious, overall a perfect combination. For entrees we ordered a tuna heart noodles with egg yolk and a sea urchin puree with seared scallops. The sea urchin dish was fantastic - perfectly seasoned, creamy sea urchin with a rich, salty flavor.

The tuna heart spaghetti was decent - a warm egg yolk with shavings of smoked tuna heart over spaghetti with oil and various herbs. The tuna taste came through, though the dish was very salty and a little spaghetti heavy. Our friends ordered a delicious blood sausage with a sunny side up egg, which I was able to try and thought was fantastic. The sausage was fresh and smooth, and the juice from the sausage pooled with a basic (stock?) sauce giving a great flavored soup over the eggs. The dessert was decent; pistachio macaron served with a cactus pear float with sabayon (whipped alcoholic custard). The macaron was very sweet and a little chewy and the float was a little tart, but the combination was a pleasant overall experience. Overall the experience was great; a highly creative menu with several exotic meat selections, and a variety of preparations with masterful technique. The service was friendly and professional, and the atmosphere is cozy, tasteful, and generally very pleasant.

Food	9
Drinks	9
Atmosphere	10
Service	9
Value	8

Magnolia Gastropub and Brewery

Location: The Haight, San Francisco, CA
Cuisine type: Modern twist on American classics
Atmosphere: pub style casual
Meal: brunch
Overall score: 8.4

Nina

We rarely end up spending more than a day or evening in San Francisco, and we’ve never spent the night in the city, so when we committed a whole weekend to the city we were ready and excited to experience some of the local treats. Our host recommended Magnolia as the best place for brunch, and since we started the day watching a football game (and skipped breakfast), it sounded like an awesome idea.
Turns out this place is not only a popular gastropub, but they brew their own beer. One of the most popular items on the menu is their beer tasting flight, for which you can pick any of their house made beers. We let our server do the choosing, and what she brought us was the following array of beers, ranging from mild and light to dark and rich: Pearly Baker’s Best Bitter, Kalifornia Kolsch, Big Cypress Brown (cask), Rosebud, Prescription Pale and Proving Ground IPA. The one that really resonated with me was Rosebud, which is what I later ordered with my meal as well, it had a perfect balance of sweet, tart and bitter.

For appetizer, we shared an order of scotch egg - I was excited to see it on the menu since I’ve had such positive experiences with it in the past, but their execution far exceeded my expectations. The egg inside was perfectly cooked, with a barely runny yolk, and the creaminess of the yolk perfectly complemented the crunchy sear on the outside of the ground turkey shell. It was served on top of a delicate and flavorful romanesco sauce and topped with arugula.

Since I can’t resist a well poached egg, I had to try the one on their brunch menu - two perfectly poached eggs (runny yolks, completely cooked whites), served with BBQ pork belly on top of creamy cheddar grits and topped with fried shallots. The pork belly was slow cooked to an incredible level of tenderness, then seared to crisp up on the outside, and then drenched in a homemade barbecue sauce. The grits were creamy, with a pleasant sharpness from the cheddar, and the crispy shallots offered a great textural contrast in the dish. If I were to find one flaw with this dish, it would be in the barbecue sauce - it was a bit too tart, maybe the tomato component a bit too pronounced for me against the flavor of the cheddar, but it was not a deterrent from the otherwise perfect brunch.

The rest of the menu was also a series of creative twists on American and British classics, and I look forward to trying their food again, along with the delicious in-house brews, of course.

Food	9
Drinks	10
Atmosphere	9
Service	9
Value	8

Ben

The ultimate hipster place - almost cliche - it is actually a working hipster/hippie blend, working in a lot of the Haight-Ashbury culture and decor with a modern-American menu and large selection of craft beers. It is a thriving place that may only suffer from becoming too popular - I found the prices to be much too high for overgrown dive-bar vibe they seem to try to emulate. They offer a large selection of beers, including tasting menus and many beers brewed in-house. So, if you’re looking for beer, you won’t find much better. We had a beer tasting menu of in-house beers that I really enjoyed. The food was a little over-the-top in some instances, it seemed like they made too much of an effort to try to appear unique. For example, my chicken sandwich came with pickled jalapenos, fennel cabbage slaw, thin onions, fennel honey, and aoli. Sounds interesting, but the result was … average (too bready, dry chicken, overall meh). We had a scotch egg - which was solid, but again just seemed overpriced for the venue. I do think the over-the-top menu results in a real hit-or-miss experience, in that the other two at the table seemed to really enjoy their dishes. In principle and style (small brewery with creative food)t is the type of place I want to love, and in-all-fairness may have just been a “miss” for the day. I would prefer a place that would lose some of the pretense in the food ingredients and focus more on the execution, and drop the prices about 10-20%, which would still put it in the mid-upper scale SF bar food scene. Then again, the fact that it is always very packed suggests they have no reason to change anything (or there is a large demand for such a place).

Food	7
Drinks	10
Atmosphere	8
Service	8
Value	7