May 2016 – FoodPrint of Bing

FoodPrint-San Francisco: Hog Island Oyster

Restaurant:
Hog Island Oyster

Address:
1 Ferry Bldg
Shop 11
San Francisco, CA 94111

Category:
Seafood, Oyster

Average:
$10-30/person

Review:
It was exciting to finally make it to one of the most reviewed oyster bars in SF. Located in the Ferry Building, Hog Island Oyster has a prime spot for serving seafood, being right next to the ocean. To be completely honest, I did quite catch the interior decoration of the place since I directly picked a outside deck seat for my afternoon snack meal.

Oyster is absolutely among one of my top seafood selections. Therefore, there was no way that I can avoid the temptation of fresh oyster from this place. Naturally, the only thing I ordered there after a whole day of eating out was fresh oyster. I picked Hog Island Sweetwater (Pacific) oyster from Tomales Bay, CA. Oysters were medium size and they were served very quickly after the ordering. The freshness of these oysters were indescribable as it tasted like straight from the ocean. These oysters had a very strong milky flavor, ending with a hint of almost vanilla like taste in my mouth. The freshness of the oysters stood out when I paired then with the vinegar based sauce served on the side. However, I did think that the strong flavor from the sauce overwhelmed some of the subtle tastes of fresh oysters so I would recommend true oyster lovers to just eat it as it is.

In general, I have to say that Hog Island Oyster does provide you some of the finest oyster products on the market and it is definitely a place worth visiting even just for an afternoon snack (always order oyster). I did have any of the entrees so I cannot comment on the cooking of this place, but their selection of oysters is certainly worth trying.

FoodPrint-Maui, Hawaii: Tiki Terrace

Restaurant:
Tiki Terrace

Address:
2525 Kaanapali Pkwy
Lahaina, HI 96761

Category:
Seafood

Average:
$20-40/person

Review:
Tiki Terrace is the restaurant located in the hotel that I stayed in during my visit to Hawaii. To be completely honest, I wasn’t super thrilled to try out this restaurant because the reviews it got online were not particularly exciting. However, since it is right downstairs, I decided to give it a try. The decoration of the restaurant was rather old and tacky. It had one side open to the plaza in the hotel facing a stage which had live performance of local dance every night. Service was average so what was left to see was their food.

For a quick meal, I only ordered one dish, Seafood Huki Hukilau. It is marked as the award winning signature dish of this restaurant so I believe this will be a good measure of the quality of this restaurant. Plating of this dish was quite standard, with the lobster tailed placed on top of shrimp and snapper. The lobster tail was overcooked a bit so it tasted quite dry to me. Paired with the prochini mushroom sauce, shrimp and snapper were well cooked and I tasted the freshness. I really liked the steamed bok choy, which had fantastic flavor with it soaking up the sauce. However, the use of purple yam was very interesting and I think that brought in an unnecessary texture to this dish.

Overall I think this is a pretty standard dish for a seafood restaurant in Hawaii. It has a prime location for anyone who is staying in nearby hotels. However, I would have to say that if you enjoy a good piece of seafood and looking for some innovative cooking, there are a couple other restaurants on the Kaanapali Beach that can offer you a better experience.

FoodPrint-Twin Cities: Restaurant Alma

Restaurant:
Restaurant Alma

Address:
528 University Ave SE
Minneapolis, MN, 55414

Category:
American

Average:
$60-80/person

Review:
Restaurant Alma is considered one of the most highly reviewed restaurants in Minnesota and it was very exciting for me to try it out for the first time. Walking into the restaurant, what struck me first was the rusty, modern ambience of it. With the exposing bricks on the wall and pipes on the ceiling, this restaurant definitely gives out a young and vibrant vibe. Seating was on time and service was quick. Being pleasantly surprised, I was excited to try the food.

I tried out their $55 three courses tasting menu. The first course I had was Salmon Tartare. This is an absolutely incredible dish. The plating was neat and presentation of the salmon tartare was clear. Raw salmon marinated with a vinegar based sauce was nicely paired with avocado to form the main body of the dish. Acidity from the creme fraîche on the side really nicely cut through the fish and gave the dish a much higher complexity. The sesame seeds on top of the salmon tartare certainly added a crunch to the bite and made it more playful of a dish.

Second course I had was Turmeric Marinated Halibut. This is a quite interesting dish. The halibut was marinated with turmeric, which gave it a light ginger flavor. Paired with the nam prik, halibut was well cooked and seasoned with the proper amount of acidity and spiciness. The rice noodle was a little disappointing. It didn’t have the bite that I was looking for and a little bit more seasoning might make a big different. But in general, it still matched well the the halibut and made this a decent dish.

The third course was Crispy Pork Belly. The serving size was quite small and I didn’t expect that for the main entree. I always believe that pork belly it the finest cut from a pig. However, it is also very difficult to get it right. Restaurant Alma certainly did a good job with the pork belly itself. Three layers of taste were obtained from this dish: skin was crispy with a nutty flavor, fat melted instantly in my mouth, and meat was tender and chewy. The razor clam broth was a interesting match for the pork belly and the fava beans were perfect served in this broth. However, I didn’t enjoy the use of garlic breadcrumb here. The breadcrumb was placed on the pork belly and eventually got mixed up in the broth and became quite soggy. That was not a pleasant texture to have on the side of a delicious pork belly. In general, it is still an innovative dish.

After three courses, I ended my meal with my dessert selection of White Chocolate Mousse. This turned out to be a delightful choice. Caramel tuile was crispy and had a not so strong caramel flavor, which complemented the mousse really well. Nuts added certain complexity to the taste of the white chocolate. But the most impressive part was the white chocolate mousse itself. Usually I am not a fan of white chocolate because I consider it to be too sweet. However, this mousse really surprised me. The mousse was quite creamy but not too sweet and the texture was between butter and sponge. It was absolutely delicious.

In general, Restaurant Alma is a decent dining choice for people who are looking for a quality meal in the twin cities area. The restaurant is quite innovative and its food definitely lives up to its name in the region. Clean cut decor, decent service and proper food, Restaurant Alma certainly is a good choice for diners.