The Best Meal I’ve Eaten in San Francisco

OK. I know I’ve only been here about 3 weeks, but I’ve eaten a lot of food here and I’ve been to Firefly twice—once when I came to visit in August and then on Valentine’s Day.

"I LOVE this place! Everything looks SO GOOD! Thank you for bringing me here! I really love you a lot!"

Because it was crowded we had a bit of a wait that was made considerably more comfortable when we were served a complimentary glass of bubbly—one of a couple cremants (the $10 one). Delish! And just what I wanted. The prospect of a drink with dinner usually excludes a sho’ nuff cocktail for me and so my thoughts turn immediately to wine. And for a nice dinner out on a romantic occasion? Sparkling wine. Of course. Pink if they have it. This was white, alas, but delightful nonetheless.

We shared two appetizers. First, the sashimi, which was buttery perfection, though its superb texture was owed not to butter, but to avocado and the freshness and cut of the fish itself. Served atop just-right sized mounds of shiso rice with a lovely drizzle of yuzu syrup, it was so good, I was ready to put this dinner in my top 10 the second I finished my last bite.

But it kept getting better.

The second appetizer was the roasted Brussel’s sprouts which we asked to have along with the entrée that we split—sturgeon with sunchoke ragout, mushrooms, arugula and crispy shallots.

Oh. Em. Gee.

"What should we get!??!?!"

You know those rare meals in which every bite maintains what was delicious about the first bite, but continues to offer something new and intriguing and somehow an even deeper degree of yum? Yeah. It was just like that.

I find sunchokes hard to flavor well and sturgeon difficult to cook properly.

Sunchokes are my new favorite—creamy, nutty and cooked to offer a perfectly toothsome bite. The sturgeon was poached and not only was it the best sturgeon I’ve eaten, but, truly, one of the best fish dishes I’ve ever had anywhere.

The Brussel’s sprouts were gorgeous, roasted in truffle oil to be ever so slightly crisp on the outside and wonderfully flavorful all the way through.

I love exciting combinations that I haven’t seen before, featuring ingredients I wouldn’t know what to do with at home.

"OK, seriously? Put the camera down and let's talk FOOD!" Hence, there are no photos of the lovely dishes. I can be quite scary when I'm hungry, I guess!

The dessert special capped off a perfect meal. Carmelized white chocolate mousse sitting on a coconut crust with coconut-mango sorbet and roasted strawberries. I would not generally choose white chocolate over proper chocolate, but the older I get the more I appreciate a fruity dessert after a big, rich meal like this was and the mildness of white chocolate sounded appealing.

It was fantastic. Carmelizing the mousse seemed to relieve the concoction of a too white-chocolatey taste. White chocolate, to me, can sometimes taste sort of meddled with and fake in contrast to/with regular chocolate. But the mousse maintained a sweet creaminess that was brightened nicely by the mango in the sorbet and made interesting by the delicate crispness of the coconut crust.

Ahhhhh!

So romantic. As was my present. Python rib earrings from Paxton Gate. BighugeLOVE.

Perhaps the ultimate recommendation is that, somewhere in the wee hours of the next morning, I contracted the flu—I am sure that it was not something I ate since we had exactly the same thing and he felt great and I still feel a little funny a week later.

I threw up until there was nothing left and still, I swear to you this: I would wrestle someone three times my size in a ring of jell-o for the chance to eat that exact same meal again.

I would win.

And, then, I would relish every bite of it just as much as I did a couple of Monday nites ago!