AME (San Francisco) review
Hands down, this was our best dining experience in San Francisco. We loved the intimate environment and the friendly, knowledgeable, and straight-up excellent service. (Thank you, Gemma!)
I had the tasting menu- "A Taste of AME" with the wine pairings. (My husband Tom was still pretty full from our meal at Gary Danko the night before so he chose 3 courses a la carte, including dessert) Here are the courses and the wine pairings:
First Course: Three preparations of sashimi. 1) Thai snapper with green beans and tomatoes, 2) scallop with sea urchin and cucumber, and 3) and smoked trout with trout roe, apple fennel slaw, and horseradish creme fraiche. Oh. My. God. Two of these were some of the tastiest bites I had throughout my entire trip (this includes our lunch at French Laundry.) All three were wonderful, but the scallop/sea urchin and smoked trout were truly special.
Paired with saki- Hakkaisan Junmai Ginjo. lovely.
Second Course: Cream of Sunchoke Soup with Fois Gras Tortelloni. Also amazing. The texture and flavor of the soup, the simple richness of the tortelloni- really, just wonderful.
Paired with Schafer-Frolich Reisling Spatlese 2007 "Bockenauer Felseneck." A very nice pairing.
Third Course: Broiled Sake Marinated Black Cod in Shiso Broth. A definite contrast to the lusciousness of the previous course. Very straight-ahead, clean umami flavors.
Paired with: Fountaine Gagnard Pommard 2006 Premiere Cru "Les Rugiens" from Burgundy France. At this point in the meal I was in a total blissed out state, and don't have a particular memory of this wine, but I am sure it was awesome.
Fourth Course: Grilled Quail on Risotto with DeVaro Beans, Pioppini Mushrooms, Summer Beans, and Fois Gras Sauce. Yum. I think I was post-verbal by this course, so that's all I have.
Paired with Albiouness Sangiouvese 2006 "Game Farm Ranch" from Napa.
Fifth Course/Dessert: I chose the Apple Dumpling in Apple Cider Sauce and Buttermilk Ice Cream, which was paired with a Hungarian apple wine. Very nice- autumn-esque and light after the meal.
Tom had:
1) "Lissi's Staff Meal" as the name suggests, a comfort food jumble of awesomeness. Cuddlefish cut into "noodles," sea urchin, sunnyside up quail egg, trout roe, okra, and fermented soy beans. He loved it.
2) A full serving of the smoked trout sashimi that I'd had a bite of in the first course. Lightly Smoked Tasmania Ocean Trout "Mi cuit" with Apple Fennel Salad, Trout Roe and Horseradish Crème Fraiche. He loved it as much as I did.
3) Sautéed Gulf Shrimp and Ezo Abalone in Garlic Parsley Butter Sauce with Maitake Mushrooms and Preserved Lemon - good, but not as good as the two courses previous, in his opinion. He thought the mushrooms were the best part of the dish. (Man, we had a lot of awesome mushrooms during our trip)
He shared my dessert and we had cappucinos at the end.
The food was really a revelation. Also, this was the first wine pairing of the trip that I had so it was the start of a really wonderful education as far as wine and food goes. I can't speak highly enough of this place, in every aspect of the meal.
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Ame Restaurant
689 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
By noradeirdre
on Oct 16, 2009 02:28 PM
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Thank you for the report Noradeirdre. It's on my list to try.
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Great report. Thanks! I've only been to Ame once but now I'm hungering to return.
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Does anyone know if you can get the tasting menu at the bar? I was thinking of going as a solo diner without a reservation next Monday.
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My dinner at Ame began with a pour of the Urakasumi Shiboritate sake from Miyagi Prefecture - it's Tokubetsu Junmai Namazake from grains of corn, barley, and oats with a full creamy texture - bright, lively acidity and rich aroma. $10.50 glass/$84 bottle. This proved to be exceptional. Every drop was savored. My 3 ounce pour of the namazake is not pasteurized and has fresh and lively small-batch flavors.
Perusing the 4 pages of sakes for a one glass selection, I felt like Alice in the Looking Glass with a bottle in hand that said 'drink me'. Chef Sone is from Miyagi Prefecture and my family is from Sendai in Miyagi Prefecture. The other sake offered from Miyagi was the Urakasumi Zen - a Junmai Ginjo with soft fruit tones from a sake producer established in 1724.
Other Special Sakes offered: Shizuku which translates 'to drip' or 'droplet'. These are not pressed to filter but drip from large canvas containers to separate the sake from the rice lees in very limited production.
I had reviewed the food pix on Food Nut at http://www.foodnut.com/567/ame-restaurant-restaurant-review-san-francisco/ and the menu on the restaurant website http://www.amerestaurant.com/dinner.html
to focus the evening on seafood. We were delighted with the Taste of Ame Sashimi Bar with tastes of the Crudo, Poke, Lissa's Staff meal, the Uni Bruschetta and the Kaisen Salad. Lissa's Staff Meal is spectacular and pleasured with textures and bright color in each bite. The Uni Bruschetta topped with lardo is meltingly rich and dreamy. The Chawan Mushi was pure comfort food and we shared this ample portion of custard with lobster and mushrooms. I was more than tempted by the other appetizers on the evening's menu but we moved on to the signature Alaskan Black Cod and the Fish Spontanee of halibut and chorizo with much wonderment and delight.
We finished my evening of Indulgence with Rhubarb Pie and Orange Blossom ice cream - and I was like a cat with cream on her whiskers, purring all the way home.
In July, the Special Menu on Wednesday Night is a 3-course Prix Fixe for $55 and includes beverage pairings. July 28 is the Puerto Rico Dinner.
Note: request the prix fixe when you make dinner reservations
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Albondigas on Arepa with Sofrito Aioli and Garden Greens
Mofongo with Puerto Rican Seafood Stew
Malta Float with Coconut Ice Cream and Buñuelos
Paired with Puerto Rican Cocktails
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I am completely baffled by your description of the sake.
"...a pour of the Urakasumi Shiboritate sake from Miyagi Prefecture - it's Tokubetsu Junmai Namazake from grains of corn, barley, and oats with a full creamy texture - bright, lively acidity and rich aroma."
I have never heard of a sake made with corn, barley and oats. Is this some kind of mistake?
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just poor writing - edit that to read with the aromas of grains - sake is, of course, made from rice. This is my first taste of a namazake and I enjoy the creamy richness from this Spring release - I am anticipating the next release in the Fall. I have a full bottle in my frig and will continue to taste it weekly as it changes. Get a bottle and compare notes with me - anyone?
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yes, it was purchased at True Sake on Hayes Street and is yet unopened. New shipment at the shop today.
What can I expect from its oxidation?
Let's move this thread to Wine and title it Namazake.
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True Sake
560 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102
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FYI, sake is discussed on the Beer board.
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brewed not fermented...thanks for the correction. I am striking out.
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Rather, "grain" not "fruit".
At least you are not confusing sake with distilled spirits, which many people do.
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As long as everyone is picking on you, your frig needs a "d" and and "e" or at the very least and "e". ;-)
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I surrender. white flagged lol - I feel the love.
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Anyway, about the oxidation and other flavor changes in your unpasteurized sake, it's likely best to go back to True Sake and talk about it with Beau or one of the other staff members. Once your bottle is opened, it would be best to drink all of it within about three days.
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True Sake
560 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102
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When I made this purchase at True Sake, it was suggested that I taste it once a week until I finish it - to note the changes along the way - to explore namazakes. She emphasized that changes would occur but it would keep for weeks refrigerated. I'll need help to finish it within three days.
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True Sake
560 Hayes St, San Francisco, CA 94102
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Of course, flavors will be optimum for the three days. But I couldn't imagine enjoying it after about two-three weeks. Did you talk with Miwa, then? She really knows her stuff, and so does Beau. Anyway, it's a great shop, and they really go all the way on customer service. So just follow her advice and see how you like it. It's a 720 ml bottle, right? Having to handle one of the big 1.8 liter monsters would be a chore for sure, especially for a nama.
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