Frances

Years ago, when the book The Da Vinci Code came out, I was all over it. It was the first book in a long time that completely held me captive, I actually looked forward to commuting just so I could read it. So when I heard it was being made into a movie, I was excited. Add to that Tom Hanks, the girl from Amelie, and Ron Howard directing, and I was like wow, this is really gonna be something.

My experience with Frances was kind of like that.

It started almost a year ago, when I started reading reviews about how fantastic this little Castro-adjacent restaurant is. Michael Bauer loved it and it was awarded a Michelin star even before it was a year old. Add to that my 5-month wait (!) for a reservation, which just fueled my anticipation as I counted down the days. I felt what was in store was really gonna be something.

So when the time came and I finally I saw the movie, I have to say, I left the theater feeling a little unsatisfied. It was good, just wasn’t exactly the mind-blowing movie experience I was hoping for. I left Frances feeling kind of the same.

In all fairness, perhaps nothing could have lived up to all that hype, not to mention justifying a 5-month wait. It truth, Frances is an earnest, inviting space. It was quaint and intimate and the staff made us feel at home. The menu, which has been touted as new-Californian, was full of elevated but not overly complicated food. Beignets. Atlantic scallops. Little gem salad.

What made it feel special were all the little touches. The light, fluffy beignets offered smoked applewood bacon and a maple crème fraiche and the little gem salad felt vibrant and fresh with red and gold roasted beets, kumquats and a tarragon vinaigrette. The chicken wings were coated with cornmeal and gently fried.

If Tom Hanks was my favorite part of the movie, the carmelized scallops were the star of the meal here. Tender, succulent and cooked perfectly, they were nestled in a flavorful sunchoke puree with roasted fennel and olives.

And my favorite of the supporting "cast" was the chicken liver mousse which was smooth, rich and executed beautifully, served with toast points that had been slathered with fig jam. (The beignets were pretty good too, as expected.)

For dessert their signature lumberjack cake, heralded by some as praiseworthy (and voted item #92 on the 7x7 must-eat list), was in my opinion, just ok. The dark, sweet coconut, date and pear cake (served with Humprey Slocombe maple-walnut ice cream) was good, just not the the rich, moist, to-die-for mouthful I was expecting.

The truth is, the food here is lot more thoughtful, interesting and better executed than a lot of places I've tried in the last year. The dishes are certainly delicious and served with a deft hand, for sure. Again, in all fairness, it would have been almost impossible to live up the hype I had generated in my mind, just as I had with the book years ago. The funny thing is, I actually liked the movie better seeing it a second time, when it came out on DVD. So maybe I just need to give Frances another try. And this time, I have a feeling it just might wow me.

SAMIWICH'S TASTE RATING

Asian Cucumber Salad

makes 4 cups

recipe adapted from eating out loud

prep time: 25 min

INGREDIENTS

4 c English or Persian cucumbers, cubed

* I sliced mines

2 tsp salt

1/2 c rice vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp mirin

Pinch of red pepper flakes

* I thinly sliced a red pepper

1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

* I omitted this

INSTRUCTIONS

• Chop cucumbers into cubes about 1/2-3/4" thick. If you opt to slice the cucumbers, use a mandoline for even slices.

• Place cucumbers into a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Toss the cucumbers to fully coat and let sit for 15 minutes.

* The salt will season the cucumbers, but also draw out some of the water.

• After 15 minutes, thoroughly rinse the cucumbers and drain. Make sure to rinse out the bowl before returning the cucumbers.

• Combine the vinegar, sugar, mirin and red pepper flakes into a small bowl and stir until sugar dissolves.

• Pour the mixture over the cucumbers.

• Press the cucumbers down into the liquid so they are covered as much as possible. Refrigerate for 8-12 hours.

• Before serving, drain the liquid and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.

ADDIECAKES' DIFFICULTY RATING

ADDIECAKES' TASTE RATING

Community Garden Pt. 3

Crisp, sweet radishes for a salad. Tender, leafy spinach and flavorful green onions for a stir-fry. Earthy, chewy red lettuce to add to a sandwich.

MUST BE NICE.

Yes, truth be told, the freshly harvested produce shown above are not from our plot. (Sigh. Unhappy face.) But rather, generously given to us to sample from neighboring gardeners who have have just begun to harvest the first crops that were planted in our community garden 2 months ago (we blogged about it here and here.)

I watered just about every day, I swear! But for some reason, our medley of tomatoes, beans, peppers, squash, and artichokes are just kind of hanging in there, much less bearing any fruit. It is a little disheartening, especially when the plot tended by pre-schoolers produced so much lettuce they didn't know what to do with it (see picture #3 above).

As I wrote before, this whole undertaking has been like one big science experiment. And despite our unsuccess, I've actually enjoyed every minute so far. There's something really therapeutic and wholesome about getting your hands dirty. And putting your trust in simple elements like soil, water and the sun.

It's also given me a good chance to get to know some of my neighbors. They are a group of nice folks with some creative ideas that I hope come to life, including a rock garden, picnic area, and believe it or not, a chicken coop.

And I'm not giving up! Despite the fact that we have yet to harvest anything, our plot has come a long, long way. (Pic #8 above is our plot now compared with Pic #1 here a few weeks ago). In fact, I just noticed an actual strawberry forming (see picture #9) among a cluster of leaves in our plot. And when it's red, ripe and ready, I bet it's going to be the best strawberry EVER.