When I went in to review the Four Seasons restaurant, Seasons, for work (SF Station), I didn't realize I was in for the meal of my life! Fancy, fancy bar nuts--wasabi peanuts, imported from Hawaii and house-made spiced almonds!
Bartender Sierra Zimei, made me one of her signature cocktails, the Trust Fund. She said she likes to have fun with the names. This drink for instance, "tastes very white collar--something you could drink while watching polo or cricket. Not something you'd drink out of a paper bag." She also said she's gotten inspiration from Bath and Body Works, where she can see the combinations for lotions and think, "Hmmm. That would be good in a cocktail!"
Zimei is an absolute delight and that comes through in her fabulous concoctions! This is her latest, and is an "insiders only" that you have to ask Zimei for personally. It's called the "English Breakfast of Champions" and is comprised of: egg whites, whiskey, English breakfast tea, honey simple syrup, AND comes with a candied bacon, sugar and salt rim! OMG. This is ridiculous and SO fabulous! This is the most creative cocktail I've ever had--thank you, Sierra!
After drinks, I moved onto drinks and dinner where Executive Chef Mark Richardson greeted me with a smile and five sizzling burgers from The Burger Lounge. This one is the Ahi Tuna Steak Burger with a beautifully piece of seared tuna from Hawaii. The slaw was refreshing and really perfect for the delicate patty--mmmm.
Chef Richardson's infamous Duck Fat Burger. Need I say more?? Mmmmmmmm! Just look at that mound of melted white cheddar and you know there's a succulent duck fat burger hidden underneath--I crave! :)
The Sirloin Burger. This is their standard and is just a hearty, all-around good, American burger. Chef Richardson knows his burgers. He said when he goes to different cities he likes to try their burgers, "You can tell a lot about a place by how they do their burgers."
The steakhouse burger! This was my favorite of the evening (although, I say that and then want to take it back because they were all so amazing..). It features house made steak sauce, blue cheese and fried shallots--mmmmmmmmm! Ridiculously tasty.
Seasons also has a new Pastry Chef, Jeffrey Wurtz. He was kind enough to let me sample his new pastries, which are so lovely in every way. This cookie had an amazing flake and texture with the raspberries and ice cream (yes, that's a little oblong of ice cream over there!). This was really love at first taste.
This was amazing, too. I'm so not one to be really wowed by fancy desserts usually, but this Wurtz is really something else! This reminded me of a candy bar, and sure enough, that was the inspiration behind it! Delicious!
This chocolate cake was amazing, too. I loved it. It wasn't stand-out for me because the other ones were so unique, but it was very good.
Ah! The passionfruit meringue with cookie crumbs! The passionfruit really pops in your mouth and then the texture of the meringue with the cold ice cream underneath--ooo! Exquisite! I've never had a dessert quite like this one before.
The table.. Le sigh. This was really one of the best meals of my life. Needless to say, the Four Seasons wowed me--such a pleasure. :)
Zimei is an absolute delight and that comes through in her fabulous concoctions! This is her latest, and is an "insiders only" that you have to ask Zimei for personally. It's called the "English Breakfast of Champions" and is comprised of: egg whites, whiskey, English breakfast tea, honey simple syrup, AND comes with a candied bacon, sugar and salt rim! OMG. This is ridiculous and SO fabulous! This is the most creative cocktail I've ever had--thank you, Sierra!
After drinks, I moved onto drinks and dinner where Executive Chef Mark Richardson greeted me with a smile and five sizzling burgers from The Burger Lounge. This one is the Ahi Tuna Steak Burger with a beautifully piece of seared tuna from Hawaii. The slaw was refreshing and really perfect for the delicate patty--mmmm. Keep in mind, since I had FIVE burgers in front of me, I could only have of bite of each..
Chef Richardson's infamous Duck Fat Burger. Need I say more?? Mmmmmmmm! Just look at that mound of melted white cheddar and you know there's a succulent duck fat burger hidden underneath--I crave! :)
The Sirloin Burger. This is their standard and is just a hearty, all-around good, American burger. Chef Richardson knows his burgers. He said when he goes to different cities he likes to try their burgers, "You can tell a lot about a place by how they do their burgers." 
The steakhouse burger! This was my favorite of the evening (although, I say that and then want to take it back because they were all so amazing..). It features house made steak sauce, blue cheese and fried shallots--mmmmmmmmm! Ridiculously tasty.
Yes, that would be thick-cut, 48-hour braised pork belly on the BLT Burger. Looks great and tasted even better!
These burgers were all SO fabulous. The Burger Lounge is Sunday and Mondays from 6pm - 10pm at Seasons and I just can't stress how delicious it is. The meal includes a burger, fries and a drink pairing--cocktail (pictured), wine or beer, for $20! As Chef Richardson so states, "At first glance burgers are simple, but when they're done right they are a really fantastic meal." AGREED.
Seasons also has a new Pastry Chef, Jeffrey Wurtz. He was kind enough to let me sample his new pastries, which are so lovely in every way. This cookie had an amazing flake and texture with the raspberries and ice cream (yes, that's a little oblong of ice cream over there!). This was really love at first taste. 
This was amazing, too. I'm so not one to be really wowed by fancy desserts usually, but this Wurtz is really something else! This reminded me of a candy bar, and sure enough, that was the inspiration behind it! Delicious! 
This chocolate cake was amazing, too. I loved it. It wasn't stand-out for me because the other ones were so unique, but it was very good. 
Ah! The passionfruit meringue with cookie crumbs! The passionfruit really pops in your mouth and then the texture of the meringue with the cold ice cream underneath--ooo! Exquisite! I've never had a dessert quite like this one before. As you can see, all of these desserts have a little mold of ice cream. I thought that was rather interesting and unusual, so I asked Chef Wurtz about it. He explained, "I definitely like to pair ice cream with desserts. They kind of go hand in hand, like pairing a drink with a meal." No complaints here! :)
The table.. Le sigh. This was really one of the best meals of my life. Needless to say, the Four Seasons wowed me--such a pleasure. :)My full article will be out on SF Station next week!
For reference, that football shape for the ice cream is called quenelle. It's a very classic French technique used for ice cream, mousse, forming dumplings for soup, and sometimes even tuna tartare when served on a spoon as an amuse bouche.
ReplyDeleteHere's an article with photos on how it's done:
http://marxfood.com/what-is-a-quenelle/