Jardeniere, June 16, 2008.

I have wanted to dine at Jardeniere since moving to San Francisco. Our friend Ty's upcoming birthday was the perfect excuse. The four of us arrived for our 7pm reservation and were led upstairs to our plush booth. I was excited to get a booth and to be seated along the perimeter instead of in the center of the dining room.

Who says namedropping never helped anyone? Molly happened to have worked with a waiter at Bay Wolf who now works at Jardeniere. When we got into the restaurant, Molly asked if Fred was working this night. Unfortunately he wasn't, but we still got a couple special treats on his behalf! The first of which was an amuse bouche of seared hamachi with half of a fava bean, daikon sprouts, finely diced cucumber with a lemon oil. A truly perfect bite. At the end of the meal, we were brought a taste of Fred's favorite sparkling Italian dessert, much like a lambrusco.

Since so many things on the menu looked good, we decided to share a couple rounds of appetizers. We started with a cocktail, I ordered the Tippler's Delight, a drink with Navip Slivovitz 8 Year, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, Lemon, and St. George Absinthe, $11. It was delicious. We started with a couple items from the lounge menu, the fried olives and the crab sliders. The fried olives with herbs de provence for $8 were delicious. Lightly breaded with herbs and deep fried, they were warm with a crunchy crust and a soft interior. The perfect fancy bar snack. The Dungeness Crab Sliders with mango pickle and meyer Lemon aïoli were absolutely delicious, but a bit steep for two small sandwiches for $20. But the tang of the mango pickly and the aioli were a delicious compliment to the sweetness of the crab and the softness of the roll.

For our next round of appetizers we ordered the fingerling potato salad and the charred octopus. The potato salad was tasty, accompanied with avocado and hard boiled egg. There was nothing wrong with the dish, but it was definitely something I could make at home for less than its $16 price tag. The charred octopus, borlotti beans, cherry tomatoes and purslane, caper lemon vinaigrette for $20 was amazing. The textures were great and the flavor was sensational. After being in Greece and eating fresh octopus, it was great to find this rare ingredient in San Francisco prepared perfectly. For an entree, Kiera and I decided to share the Wagyu ribeye served with maitake and morel mushrooms, english peas, and spinach in a jus. Absolutely delicious. I had never tried Wagyu beef before this and would definitely order it again. It was tender and moist and the earthiness of the mushrooms and the sweetness of the peas were a delicious addition to the plate. For $60 this is definitely the most expensive entree I have ever ordered, but the split portion was very generous. I also ordered a glass of Burgundy that went perfectly with the dish. Ty ordered the Maine Diver Scallops with white corn, summer truffles and bacon nage. Ty seemed to enjoy it and the bite I had was delicious. Who doesn't love a good bacon nage? Molly ordered the Alaskan Halibut with morel mushrooms, new potatoes, english peas and crème fraîche. A generous portion, the fish had a nice crust on the outside and was perfectly moist on the inside.

Overall, we had an amazing meal. The entire meal with drinks was about $375. I would recommend Jardiniere for special occasions or a splurge. We all loved our meal and had no complaints about anything. The food was local, perfectly cooked with some new flavors and combinations I had never tried. The service was also impeccable and the staff was very attentive and helpful.