**I just want to thank everyone for your patience. I have been doing a lot of traveling for a new job, and am aiming to get the wrap-up for WBW finished by this afternoon; I just haven't had a lot of internet access**
Last night, C & I had tickets to see Jamiroquai at the Fillmore. We've been looking forward to this show for months now, as Jay Kay is one of our very favorite performers, and Jamiroquai one of our favorite bands.
Now, if you know us, you know that we are generally hard-pressed to arrive ANYWHERE on time. It's something we're working on, but we still lag, especially if it doesn't mean that we're inconveniencing other people. That said, we were in no way going to be late to the Fillmore. And so, our quest for the "right" place for dinner began.
C: So, what are our plans for dinner tonight?
F: Not sure yet. It's sort of a critical issue, don't you think?
C: Yes, lots of extenuating circumstances. What are you thinking?
F: Well, clearly we need a place that can take us early -- like 5:45...
C: And parking needs to be easy...
F: And, ideally, it would be walking distance to The Fillmore so we only have to park once...
C: But, of course, it has to be blog-worthy, right?
After a bit of research, I narrowed it down to three choices. Happy Shabu Shabu is a place Cedichou has raved about, but shabu-shabu seems like something that should be rushed. Besides, I was feeling too lazy to cook my own food tableside.
Mozzarella di Buffala is another place that has consistently scored high marks, but it seems rather too heavy a choice -- would my dancing enthusiasm be dampened on a stomach full of carbs?
Fresca... Fresca... What had I heard about it recently? Not much, as it turns out. But earlier reports were all positive. And it was walking distance. And really, ceviches & salads are a perfect pre-concert-fuel-boost food, don't you agree?
Fresca it was. I called for a reservation and was told they could happily take us at 5:45. Plus, there was parking at the Japan Center garage -- SCORE!
Once there, I let our waiter know that we were trying to make a show, and could they please get us out by, say, 7:10? The man made it happen (flirting innocently with me all the time -- can you say ego boost
We started with Ceviche Chico, a yellow-tail ceviche loaded with ginger, cilantro, red peppers and some other asian flavors set atop lettuce cups. This was a delicious, unique dish, and C and I found ourselves bartering over the 3rd piece.
Anticuchos were better than the version I had at Mi Lindo Peru, more tender and well-charred. The accompanying cilantro sauce had a good kick, though the patatas were tough and nothing to write home about.
I had heard so many great things about the Toro Salad, and all of it was true. Nicely grilled, deeply flavorful pieces of steak tossed with spicy greens (arugula, spinach and others) in a mouth-popping cilantro-based dressing. I had only one complaint with the salad:
<rant>WHY MUST RESTAURANTS PUT FLAVORLESS, MEALY, PALER-THAN-WATER TOMATOES ON OTHERWISE BEAUTIFUL SALADS??? </rant>
Seriously, just leave the damn tomato off the salad. Please.
We also ordered the Potato Croquettes, which were better (and different) than any I've had before. They were stuffed with picadillo, and the olives gave the croquettes this amazing sweetness. In fact, I wondered aloud if it was possible to fry croquettes in olive oil, the flavor was so strong (in a quite pleasant way). I would have liked more picadillo and slightly less potato, but for the price, they were fine.
Finally, I had to order the Platanos, because I can never NOT order them. These were deliciously creamy, and topped with crema. They were served with an onion relish that I might have formed an unnatural addiction to (um, to the folks in front of me at the show while I was singing at the top of my lungs... sorry. I'm sure my off-pitch voice combined with the onion breath didn't do much for your enjoyment).
Our entire meal, including tax, tip and two beers, came to $65. We thought this was a great value for the quality of food and the excellent service.
Fresca
2114 Fillmore Street
San Francisco
415.447.2668
24 West Portal Ave
San Francisco
415.759.8087
Technorati Tags: Food | Food & Drink | Restaurant Review | Peru | Ceviche | San Francisco | Fresca
