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Oct. 8th, 2005 09:59 am
bistro elan and other good things
On Wednesday we went to Bistro Elan to celebrate our anniversary. I requested French food because we rarely have it, and the few times that we do it's been excellent. It's a small bistro on California Street (near Stanford University); the entrance is almost obscured by all the foliage around it. Once we entered, it was really warm and had a sweet atmosphere.
Our waitress was French and awesome. I loved her accent; it was so adorable. She recommended a really good wine, and we ended up ordering two appetizers - foie gras and smoked salmon. It was the first time both of us tried foie gras. She assured us that many people came to their restaurant "just for the foie gras, and many think it is better than France". The foie gras came seared and soaked in a buttery pan sauce with some accompanying vegetables. Now, I generally do not like organs; for all my Chinese pride in chicken feet, it ends with pig intestines. But this fatty duck liver was exquisite. The texture was a little gelatinous and it was pleasantly warm inside, and tasted sweet and buttery.
The smoked salmon was also delicious, and was brought on a bed of some puff pastry, also very yummy, and covered with caviar, which was surprisingly flavorless. I guessed that the smokiness of the salmon probably overwhelmed whatever flavor the caviar had. It didn't feel decadent or anything.
Mark ordered the John Dory fish, which tastes definitely better than it looks. Our waitress described it as "sort of like swordfish", and it was very similar.
I ordered "Massachusetts scallops". Now, scallops are my favorite seafood, so I had high hopes for this one. They were perfectly cooked (which is a very rare occurence), not too tough or spongy, and was flavored with a pan sauce and accompanied by some Yukon gold potatoes and chanterelle mushrooms, all of which were very delicious.
I want to go again.
Other things that amused me:
The pop star Robbie Williams yesterday accused the British media of hypocritical attitudes towards drugs, claiming that he had taken cocaine with the same journalists who were now "devouring" Kate Moss for her well-publicised habit.
I heart Joss Whedon more. The key to the story is that Whedon has made a big budget sci-fi film for the comparatively low price of $50 million -- a requirement for him to revive his baby. How'd he do it? Not by running overseas to some low-wage location but by sticking at home in high-wage unionized Hollywood.
The British Library has original sketches by Leonardo, Jane Austen's early work, and Lewis Carroll's Alice drawings.
Penguin Poo Paper Wins Ig Nobel Prize - download the PDF - it's got a really amusing diagram.
A piece on the actor who plays young Chris Rock - Everybody Hates Chris is one of my favorite new shows of the season. It's so damn funny and sweet.
Our waitress was French and awesome. I loved her accent; it was so adorable. She recommended a really good wine, and we ended up ordering two appetizers - foie gras and smoked salmon. It was the first time both of us tried foie gras. She assured us that many people came to their restaurant "just for the foie gras, and many think it is better than France". The foie gras came seared and soaked in a buttery pan sauce with some accompanying vegetables. Now, I generally do not like organs; for all my Chinese pride in chicken feet, it ends with pig intestines. But this fatty duck liver was exquisite. The texture was a little gelatinous and it was pleasantly warm inside, and tasted sweet and buttery.
The smoked salmon was also delicious, and was brought on a bed of some puff pastry, also very yummy, and covered with caviar, which was surprisingly flavorless. I guessed that the smokiness of the salmon probably overwhelmed whatever flavor the caviar had. It didn't feel decadent or anything.
Mark ordered the John Dory fish, which tastes definitely better than it looks. Our waitress described it as "sort of like swordfish", and it was very similar.
I ordered "Massachusetts scallops". Now, scallops are my favorite seafood, so I had high hopes for this one. They were perfectly cooked (which is a very rare occurence), not too tough or spongy, and was flavored with a pan sauce and accompanied by some Yukon gold potatoes and chanterelle mushrooms, all of which were very delicious.
I want to go again.
Other things that amused me:
The pop star Robbie Williams yesterday accused the British media of hypocritical attitudes towards drugs, claiming that he had taken cocaine with the same journalists who were now "devouring" Kate Moss for her well-publicised habit.
I heart Joss Whedon more. The key to the story is that Whedon has made a big budget sci-fi film for the comparatively low price of $50 million -- a requirement for him to revive his baby. How'd he do it? Not by running overseas to some low-wage location but by sticking at home in high-wage unionized Hollywood.
The British Library has original sketches by Leonardo, Jane Austen's early work, and Lewis Carroll's Alice drawings.
Penguin Poo Paper Wins Ig Nobel Prize - download the PDF - it's got a really amusing diagram.
A piece on the actor who plays young Chris Rock - Everybody Hates Chris is one of my favorite new shows of the season. It's so damn funny and sweet.
