Zinc la la

A friend from college got married this weekend. Well, technically he got married last weekend, but the reception was this weekend. So I flew home for a few days. (Isn't that weird that most of us still consider our parents' house home?) During the two-hour flight from Seattle to Oakland, we were served a bag of pretzel mix and drinks just like any other flight these days. I remembered last year while traveling in China during the Olympics, a friend of mine commented on that flying domestic in China was like flying in the US back in the 80s - the attendants (I almost said stewardesses, God forbid, that would be so inappropriate! =P) were all very young and attractive, and a full and palatable meal was served during a two-hour flight. Well, I remember even ten years ago flying between Seattle and Bay Area, there would be a sandwich if it was during meal time. Those were the times! I don't mind not getting my sandwich during a two-hour flight. But when the airlines nickel and dime us even during a 6+ hour cross country flight, that's just plain annoying, especially considering the extra time we have to spend in security these days. Oh well, I digress.

Anyways, as you all know by now, I couldn't have planned any trip without food involved. On Sunday, I went into SF with my best friend E and her boyfriend for some shopping and then dinner at Le Zinc French Bistro in Noe Valley. As E's boyfriend is French and grew up in Paris, I had high expectation of the meal on good authorities. But before we get to food, I have to tell you that he got E THE cutest coat I've seen. It was the Nanette Lepore "Walk of Fame" Coat. Don't bother doing a search. I did, and none of the pictures on the web does it justice. When she tried on the black Christian Louboutin knee high suede boots with it, all the sales reps on the floor were drooling, women AND men. =)

After such a successful shopping spree, we had to have a little celebration at Le Zinc. While E's boyfriend drank his beer, E and I toasted with Kir Royale. We decided to order a number of things and share. For starters, we got Escargots, Terrine de Foie Gras, Foie Gras Poelé, and Moules Provençales from "Le Menu Classique", the 3 course prix fixe menu. The snails were on potato canapés with porcini and garlic butter sauce. I've only had Escargots served in the shells before, so I asked E's boyfriend about these de-shelled critters. He agreed that this wasn't what he was used to either. While the taste was authentic, the presentation was definitely fancier and more elegant than what you'd find at a normal Parisian restaurant. While I loved the snail and the porcini and the garlic butter sauce, the potato canapés didn't do anything for me. As you know, I live to eat foie gras, and my preferred cooking method has always been searing. E has only had foie gras terrines before. So we got both. The terrine was served with toasted pain de mie. It was smooth and creamy. I had to admit that it was excellent. The Foie Gras Poelé came with red cabbage confit, orange sauce and blini. It wasn't bad or anything, but I was slightly disappointed. The foie gras was a little thin, and marginally over-seared in my opinion. While the red cabbage confit was good, I would have preferred a fruit confit such as apple better. Truth be told, I was secretly hoping for a perfectly seared piece of foie gras served along some divine fruit confit to lure E into the camp of seared-foie-gras-lovers. This one didn't do it. Oh well, till next time. The mussels were steamed in white wine with garlic, tomato, and red bell pepper. They were fragrant and plump. The broth was perfect for soaking up with bread.

Moving on to the entrées, E got Canard aux Pêches, a duck magret with roasted peach, roasted fingerling potatoes and peach sauce. The breast was tender and savory, the peaches were sumptuous. E's boyfriend had Cassoulet au Confit, a Cassoulet of duck confit, Toulouse sausage, and white beans. I've never been a fan of any kind of beans, but the duck confit was excellent. E's boyfriend told me that this was a glamorized version of a traditional cassoulet that would contain mainly the white beans with some pieces of meat instead of a whole duck leg. Well, hooray! As long as the essence of a cassoulet is still there, we are fine, right? I don't think I'd enjoy a conventional cassoulet as much. Meanwhile, I gorged on duo D’agneau - rack and tenderloin of lamb with sunchoke purée, salsify, broccoli, herbes de provence, and garlic butter. Ooh, la la! The rack was good, but the tenderloin was stupendous. I was speechless. What could I say? I love lamb and duck. I'd be elated if I could have these every week. Hmm, I wonder what my waistline would look like if that happened. =)

For dessert, there was no more sampling or sharing. It was unanimous that we all wanted our own tarte tatin. The apple was caramelized to a perfect golden brown. The puff pastry was buttery. It was a sweet ending to a lovely meal. To make the deal even sweeter, the price was very reasonable at Le Zinc. The prix fixe menu was only $35. A three course meal! In a French restaurant! In San Francisco!

This would be my definition of a perfect day, good friends, satisfactory shopping, and delectable food. Only if I could live like this everyday! =)

Le Zinc French Bistro
4063 24th St (between Noe St & Castro St), San Francisco, CA 94114
(415)647-9400