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For Dustin’s birthday last year, I took him to Chez Spencer which we found by chance on Yelp. We ordered the multi-course set menu with wine pairing and left incredibly happy. Both of us decided it was the best food we had ever had - which was saying a lot as Paris, Tokyo, New York, London and several other key foodie cities’ restaurants dishes had been on our tongues. Mind you, it wasn’t cheap, so we filed it as a ’special occassion’ date location. As we both age regularly, eventually it was my birthday and we were anxious to return and delight in their culinary splendor.

It was better than we remembered. Every time I tasted a new course, I felt as though I could only eat that dish for the rest of my life and be happy. I could see my taste buds reflected in Dustin’s face, eyes closed, shaking his head in disbelief, lips turned up in a coma of contentedness. Chez Spencer, will you marry us?

Chez Spencer
http://www.chezspencer.net
82 14th St
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 864-2191

I’ll have the tasting menu please.

There are few things better than a tasting menu that has four courses with wine pairings that contains lobster, fois gras, venizon and chocolate pudding as options for the full meal. When I read the menu, I had to steady myself because I knew it was going to be awesome. There was a pescatarian option against all the ones that I chose. Dustin had scallops instead of fois gras, but other than that, we stayed the course with our meatier choices. Chez Spencer publishes a version of their set menu on their website, but it’s not consistently updated. So call ahead and ask what they’ll be doing so you know what you’re in for. At the end of our meal, our waiter mentioned that you can ask to sub the venison for filet mignon (their usual option) and vice versa if it’s not listed.

The staff are above repute.

We had the same waiter we had in June, so the restaurant retains their good servers. This says a lot to me about their non-food functions. I like to eat in places that treat their staff well, I’m pretty sure it makes the meals taste better anyhow. We had two people taking care of us. One gentleman brought us our wine and would explain the finer points regarding the region and the tasting notes. Then he went into how it worked with the meal that it was paired with. Both the gentlemen were very gracious and gave us further details when we asked. The tipping point is when one of our waiters used the little table rake to save us from crumbs (home made crusty buns). Dustin nearly exploded with glee. At the end of the meal we were so entranced by the food that we both forgot our umbrellas at our table. The waiter was so sweet, that he chased us down the street until we noticed and retrieved them. Few places can manage the professionalism and cheerfulness that you will experience at Chez Spencer.

First course, lobster & truffles cappuccino royal.

Oh my god. Seriously. Served in a cappuccino  cup, this consists of creamy broth similar in texture to a better clam chowder. It’s topped with truffle oil whipped cream, which you stir into the broth. At the bottom of the cup you find a treasure of two pieces of lobster tail and several shaved slivers of actual truffle.  This was paired with a Pinot Gris. Normally we do not like white wines, they are too acidic and have that high fruity citrus note at the end that makes my throat feel like it’s shriveling. However, the pairing was divine. Had I my sense about me, I would have grabbed the tasting menu, but alas I was too busy eating to remember. The combination of the two was pretty much food sex. Between Dustin and myself, all you could hear was wet lips and groaning with the occasional ‘gimme more’.

Second course, fois gras and blackberry compote.

Served with a side of tender but crunchy toasts and surrounded by a slightly tart blackberry sauce and topped with sea salt. This could quite possibly be my favourite dish in existence. I have yet to eat any food that pleases me quite so greatly. I understand that it’s mean, but for whatever reason - it’s too yummy to incite my ‘poor goose’ instincts. Chez Spencer has their own recipe and it’s too good for words. In a fit of food coma I referred to it as ‘dessert meat’. It’s the perfect balance of savory and buttery. Each bite requires intense contemplation and a sip of dessert wine to complete the experience. This was the dish I looked forward to the most for my birthday dinner and it never fails me. We’ve discussed a plan to return once in a while and just share the fois gras. At $19.00 a la carte, it’s spendy. Mind you, I think this is the style of food that a famous reviewer was referring to, when he said that life was not worth living if you can’t eat it, just before he committed suicide.

Third course, rare venison with au jus, topped with watercress/greens and a side of potato dauphinoise.

Tender meat, with no sinew, cooked to perfection. Some of the cream from the potatoes were drizzled into the au jus, making a creamy sauce worthy of sopping up with bread. Each bite of the venison melted into my mouth leaving the thrill of game meat after taste to linger on my tongue. The sauce was an ideal complement and the rich potatoes a worthy adversary as a side dish. I really love game meat, so often the side dish will be ignored as I savour the venison/duck/moose/whatever (someone find me a place that serves moose please) but this little stack of cream, cheese and potatoes was amazing. It set a new standard for me which I will be trying to achieve in the kitchen this week. This was paired with a smoky and amazing cabernet sauvignon, one of our favourite styles of wine.

We destroyed everything on our plates.

Normally we share one or two appetizers and split a main course. We are not super huge volume eaters. Nothing was left, it was total and complete food carnage.

Fourth course, chocolate pudding topped with whipped cream.

I expect pudding to be in a bowl. However, pudding with a hard enough shell to contain the most rich chocolate on earth, surrounded by a moat of melty whipped cream - well, I’ll take it. Paired with a lovely port, this was a striking finale. We ‘oooh’ and ‘aaahhh’d our way through the final course in pleasure.

Free champagne will make me like you even more.

They know the way to a ladies heart. Dustin had mentioned while making reservations that it was my birthday, so at the end of the meal (10 minutes after they officially closed for the day) they brought us both a glass of champagne. It was the perfect end to the perfect meal. I look forward to Dustin’s birthday so we can go back and do it all over again.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 11th, 2009 at 12:43 pm and is filed under Restaurants. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.