Are you sure there's no cheese in that?!!?!

I hope you’re sitting down for what I am about to write. For the last six weeks I’ve been a vegan. A pretty damn good one, if I might add. I haven’t cheated or broken down (that I am aware of – I am sure butter or eggs have snuck in somewhere at some point but I’m not going to be neurotic about it); in fact, I’ve used the last six weeks to experiment with new recipes, buy fresh vegetables at the farmer’s market, and give my Crock Pot some love. I initially wanted to try it for two weeks but have found it much more pleasurable than I ever imagined. My thoughts about the whole concept are many and diverse – the stuff marathon training runs are made of. Crap, I really am turning into an SF liberal!

Now that you have some context, I can explain the reasoning behind my visit to Green Chile Kitchen. I had actually been there before and remember thinking it was high-quality, low priced Mexican food. Add to that bar seating, unpretentious wait-staff, and mellow atmosphere – and we have ourselves a winner! Veganism drastically limits dining-out options, but GCK’s menu caters to hearty carnivores and picky plant-eaters alike. For the first time in six weeks, I had multiple enticing options to choose from but ultimately settled on the vegetarian burrito (I could have gone for tacos, chilie, etc). Truly one of the better burritos I’ve had. My greatest fear about dairy-less burritos is the dryness factor as there is no cheese or sour cream to glue the main characters together. I cannot tolerate a dry, crumbly burrito. This burrito was large and moist; stuffed with (organic) refried beans, brown rice, fresh vegetables, and guacamole. No cheese and no guac but I really wouldn’t have noticed the difference – in fact I exclaimed to my friend “are you sure there isn’t cheese in there!??!” multiple times.

I walked out feeling like I had eaten a healthy meal, ie no bloating, no stomach aches, or none of the pitfalls of a greasy Mission burrito. To top it off, the burrito was cheap ($6) and I had a few bites leftover for a midnight snack.

I haven't starved to death

It's been a chunk since I updated and the break doesn't mean I've been deprived of delicious food! In fact, the past few weeks have been jam-packed with memorable dining experiences. But if one stands out, it was my evening at Acquerello. If dreams could dream, they would fantasize about dining here. I've always referred to it as the unsung hero of fine dining in San Francisco. It's supposed to be as good as Michael Mina and Gary Danko, yet most people haven't even heard of it. It's location (buried next to a auto shop on Sacramento at Polk) adds to its under-the-radar status. Yet, it has received a coveted Michelin star rating and countless other awards.

I walked in and upon finding my chair, the maitre d' asked approached me with a black napkin to see if I would prefer it over the white one already on my lap (presumably to match my pants? or to make lint less visible?). He also brought over a foot chair, so god forbid, my Nordstrom Rack purse wouldn't touch the ground.

Diners can choose between three, four, or five courses from the menu. With the bread, various "surprises from the chef," and complimentary truffles at the end - three courses is plenty. I started with a chilled melon soup, then moved to a pasta with foie gras, black truffles and Marsala; and closed with a Monkfish. The soup was like a five star smoothie - refreshing, flavorful, and not something I have access to often (ever since I had the chilled melon soup at Jean George in NYC, I've always been drawn to them). The highlight was the pasta. I am not a big pasta eater at all, but this dish may turn me into a convert. The pasta was so perfect, I could imagine the chefs in the kitchen carefully crafting each rigatoni ring; add in the sauce - which tasted like a slightly savory carmel sauce - and I was in heaven. To be brutally honest, the monkfish wasn't a homerun for me but I blame it on bad ordering. Monkfish is, by nature, mild and thus the flavors didn't pop like the previous two. No fault of the restaurant.

The service is what transforms this from a simple meal into an experience. Each diner at the table has a personal waiter who brings her the plate and explains exactly what's going on. The dining room is large and open, yet I felt like I was the only one there. Lastly, the waiter brings a truffle cart with about six different varieties and lets you pick out the ones you want to try (you can try all if you want to!). Oh, I was also brought out a small gift box on my way out (home-made biscotti for the road).

As you may imagine, this stuff ain't cheap - it is a "once a year" type of place. Only 345 days to go....