4th grade field trip meets glutton’s heaven!
That’s the 2012 Foodbuzz Blogger Festival Saturday Dinner Gala in seven words. San Franciscans, if you’ve never dropped by The California Academy of Science Nightlife then you should. Saying hi to Claude the albino crocodile or watching star fish cuddle each other can become pretty exciting stuff with a glass of wine in hand. Dinner at the museum is unfortunately only available for private events. For more info on what I call cultured and educational drinking on Thursday nights, check out the museum + aquarium’s website here.
This year’s Foodbuzz “Treat Yo Self” Blogger Festival kicked off at the Starlight Room on Friday, followed by dinner at a restaurant in San Francisco of our own choice (we were each given a $50 stipend for dinner). Our group of fab bloggers landed at Jardiniere, a French restaurant located in the Hayes Valley neighborhood. I highly recommend the diver scallops, risotto and pasta dishes there. The service there is also excellent. I loved our waiters! Sadly, the fish and meat dishes they served were overcooked and left much to be desired.
Saturday was a blur of continuous eating, starting off with a factory tour at the Tcho Chocolate Factory in the morning. After consuming copious amounts of chocolate and feeling a bit intoxicated breathing in cocoa fumes for two hours, I pushed on at the Taste Pavilion where samples of food ranging from Three Brothers Ice Cream to Alaskan crab cakes were given out. After each gaining 20 pounds over the course of two days, we closed out the eating spree with the dinner gala at the California Academy of Science.
Oh, and the price for all of this? Grand whopping total of $30! Thanks DailybuzzFood.com!
Starlight Room: Spiked Watermelon with Luxardo, Pickled Fresno Chiles, Lime-salt, and Basil.
Starlight Room: Roasted Beet Salad with Red Beet Paint, Roasted Piquillo Pepper, Marinated Cucumbers, Oranges, Carrot Ribbons, Micro Cilantro, Lemon Oil, Chopped Chives, and Sea Salt.
Starlight Room: Braised Wagyu Short Rib Stuffed Mushroom with Pickled Red Onion, and Ricotta Salata.
Jardiniere: Spot Prawn Crudo with Dill, Meyer Lemon, and Creme Fraiche
Jardiniere: Diver Scallops with Autumn Truffles, and Potato Butter
Jardiniere: Carnaroli Risotto with Huitlacoche, and Zucchini
Jardiniere: Farro Pappardelle with Guinea Hen Sugo, Chanterelles, and Pecorino
Jardiniere: Garganelli with Tomato Braised Squid, Capers, and Bone Marrow
Jardiniere: Local White Sea Bass with Tomatoes and Shelling Bean Stew
Jardiniere: Braised Short Rib with Marrow Gremolata, and Consomme
Jardiniere: Duck Breast and Duck Confit with Turnips and Smoked Apple Puree
Great photos! I had the rabbit at Jardiniere and it was so flippin amazing. Glad to meet you!