Acqua

Checked out Acqua at the Mission Bay Hilton for Restaurant Week this season and I was pleasantly surprised.  I normally don't expect very much from a hotel restaurant.  Especially when my friend and I arrived to an almost empty restaurant with no host(ess) in sight.  Luckily, one of the other staff members noticed us standing there and took it upon himself to get us seated.  Once we were seated, things started to get rolling.  The gentleman who seated us came back with a basket of rolls and asked us to select from at least 3 different types.  I usually prefer having the bread basket left at the table, but not in this case.  My rosemary bread tasted like it was fresh out of the oven.  The butter was whipped and at the perfect temperature for spreading.  As soon as I finished the last bite of my roll, there he was again with the basket!  Each roll was warm and tasted oven fresh.

The server came over shortly after we were seated and set down our complimentary glasses of champagne, which was a little fruity and sweet.  Then returned with an amuse bouche, compliments of the chef.  Isn't it just so pretty!?!  The acidity from the drizzle of sauce balanced out perfectly with the saltiness of the generous piece of pancetta, sliver of beet and shaving of parmesan (?).  The apricot preserve that the red endive lettuce was sitting on provided just the right amount of sweetness when I picked it all up and ate it in one perfect bite.
One may argue that I was bribed and therefore can no longer be trusted.  To this, I say: Yeah, I can be bought.  But when the chef and kitchen puts this much effort into conceptualizing and then executing that perfect bite with a freebie, I get really excited thinking about the food that I'm actually paying for.  I mean, they set the bar pretty high with this first bite.

The empty tables started filling up by the time our appetizers arrived.  My friend gave me a taste of her 5-Spice Roasted Butternut Squash Soup.  It was very creamy with a hint of savory.  The generous pieces of lobster meat was served on the side for the diner to mix into the soup so that it would not sit in the hot soup and become tough and stringy.  I almost wished I had ordered that, until I tasted my perfectly cooked jumbo seared diver scallops.  The chantrelle mushrooms were cooked to a perfect crispiness.  I love crispy mushrooms.  I don't know what that foam is that's sitting on top, but I hardly noticed it.  Again, I love pancetta. 

My friend's filet mignon was so melt-in-your-mouth tender that it could be baby food.  Why can't all steaks be cooked like that?  WHY!?!?!  The chef recommended medium rare for my venison.  Note to self: Always order rare.  The general population might like their meat pink (or worse, well done to death).  I like my red meats red.  The acidity from the calvados sauce and the sweetness from the slices of grilled asian pear balanced out the gaminess of the venison with out covering it up.  I love gamey meats, alot of my friends don't.  I think if they had this, they could be converted.  I thought my sauteed spinach was too salty, but I always complain about too much salt when everyone else swears its perfectly seasoned.  The rosemary aroma also added a little something something to the taste of the meat with out really flavoring it.  I don't know how that happened, it just did.
Does my main course look really skimpy for a main course?  Well, I didn't photograph the bowl of spaetzle that came with my venison.  It was sauteed in butter to a nice golden brown.  It heated up wonderfully for my lunch the next day.  How was it you ask?  It was sauteed in butter, need I say more?

Have you ever been full but couldn't stop eating because what's in front of you is just too good for you to stop?  That's what happened when I got my crepe w/ vanilla gelato.  The marzipan filling was so addictive that I couldn't stop.  Anyone know where I can get a whole jar of this stuff?
Props to our server and the rest of the staff for always showing up exactly on our last bite to clear away the plates and making sure the kitchen fired the next dish at the exact perfect moment.  Each dish tasted like it was just cooked at that exact moment and we didn't have to wait in between each course.

Woking - Soy Sauce Noodles w/ Stir-fried Pea Sprouts

Soy Sauce Noodles with Stir-fried Pea Sprouts

My cast iron wok from the Wok Shop in San Francisco arrived last week.  I followed the instructions for seasoning before use.  I wiped the entire surface down with vegetable oil and 'baked' it in the oven at 250 and let it cool.  I repeated that process three times before I actually used the wok, just in case.  To test out my handy work, I decided to make stir-fried pea sprouts and soy sauce wok fried noodles.  Success!  No sticking whatsoever :o)

The wok kit came with a lid and wok ring.  The people at the Wok Shop decided to include a little recipe book and some accessories as well.  The metal spatula, bamboo spoons and wok cleaning brush are great extras.  But can anyone tell me what that little back scratcher-like thing is for?

Soy Sauce Noodles
2 rounds of dried egg noodles
3 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
2 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
3 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup minced green onions, green parts only
Cook noodles in boiling water for about 3 minutes, or until the noodles loosen from the 'nest' form.  Strain the noodles and rinse in cold water.  Leave the noodles in the strainer, we want all the excess water to drain away.

In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and vinegar together until the sugar dissolves.  In a big bowl, toss the noodles and the sauce mixture together.
Heat wok.  Add oil once wok is hot.  Add the noodles and stir-fry for about 5 minutes.  Add the green onions and stir-fry for another minute.  Serve.  This is a common breakfast item in Hong Kong.

Stir-fried Pea Sprouts
1 bunch pea sprouts
1 tbsp garlic
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
Heat wok. Add oil once wok is hot.  Stir-fry garlic and pea sprouts over med heat until sprouts are wilted.  Add salt to taste.  Serve.

Oyster Sauce Chicken Wings

Here's a simple chicken wing recipe that I came up with over the weekend.  The cornstarch adds just enough crunch to the skin without turning it into fried chicken.

Oyster Sauce Chicken Wings with Roasted Cauliflower

Oyster Sauce Chicken Wings
3 tbsp premium oyster sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 lb chicken wings
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp vegetable or peanut oil

Cut wings between joint. Marinate the wings in mixture of oyster sauce and sesame oil for 1 hour.  Toss the wings while sprinkling with cornstarch to get even coverage.  Use only enough oil to coat a frying pan.  Pan-fry the wings over medium heat until done.  This recipe also works with oven-baking if you want to omit the oil.