The Divine Dish

Dinner at Fleur de Lys, San Francisco

Posted on Jan 27, 2009 under Archives | No Comment

As a food and travel writer, many trips and meals come with the job.  There are a few journeys when something really special comes along and you get to eat an amazingly memorable meal.  This recently happened to me at Fleur de Lys in San Francisco.

Chantal Keller, Chef Hubert Keller’s wife, gratiously arranged dinner for me while I was writing a story on a romantic weekend in San Francisco.  I had heard rave reviews about Fleur de Lys for years and had watched Chef Keller’s PBS show “Secrets of a Chef.”  I arrived to find a dining room housing 900 yards of hand printed velvet and satin chamois in warm tones of red and green that drape the ceiling and walls with a Venetian chandelier and towering floral arrangements.   I was greeted by Marcus Garcia, dining room manager and sommelier.  He also provided wonderful pairings throughout my tasting dinner.   I was very lucky that Chef Keller was in the kitchen (he owns various other restaurants in Las Vegas and St. Louis) and even luckier that he agreed to sit with me after the meal for an interview (below this post and under the interview section).

Here is what Chef Keller prepared for me – one of the best meals I have ever had the pleasure to eat.

I started with a Bloody Mary Shooter, which included layers of Bloody Mary mousse, celery, and horseradish cream with caviar on top.  I noticed how beautiful the dish was plated and this artful and colorful design with food continued with each course.  On the side is an onion briouche.

Next came a pairing of two of my favorite things to eat – truffles and foie gras.  A truffle vichyssoise soup was the centerpiece with a poppysead brioche to the right and a lovely foie gras tower to the left.  Yum.

The symphony appetizer was also a delight – a culinary medley of bite size samplings of roasted beet and anchoivies, crab salad with vegetables and a lobster sauce, and foie gras with caviar.   Chef Keller includes generous servings of foie gras, truffles and caviar on many dishes which is sure to delight diners.  I loved all samplings on this plate.

Next came a delicious salmon mousse with vegetables and sauerkraut.

The salmon was served with a sauerkraut soup and toasted spatzle (I put these in the soup) and paprika oil.  I did not believe that this was sauerkraut soup and had to ask twice.  It was indeed made from sauerkraut and was one of the best soup’s I have ever had.  I ate every drop of this yummy soup.  Sommelier Marcus Garcia paired this with Au Bon Climat Clendenen Family Sauvignon Blanc wine which was a perfect companion to the dish and a wine that I will definitely buy in the future.

After the heavenly soup, another surprise came out of the kitchen – pan seared buffalo strip steak with rustic vegetables on a crunchy layer of corn kernals with a lemongrass, ginger and red wine sauce.     The buffalo  tasted like a tender filet mignon but was much healthier I was told by a waiter.  Good thing as I still had a few courses to go.

Dessert number one included a butternut squash and ginger foundation with a lemon meringue, cranberry mousse and a cinnamon sauce.  yummy.

Here is the Chocolate Feast, which includes a variety of Chef Keller’s chocolate creations.  I did not have this but had to include the picture, it looks really tasty.

Out came this beautiful assortment of petit fours.  Chef Keller began his career as a pastry chef so all desserts, as well as appetizer and main courses,  at Fleur de Lys are gorgeous to look at as well as eat.

This was so stunning I sat and looked at for a few minutes before trying some of the cakes and pastries.  yum.

Chef Keller finished off my tasting menu with these lovely madeleines and warm chocolate sauce.  Very French.  As I gazed around the dining room I found that all diners get these wonderful send offs before leaving the culinary heaven of Fleur de Lys and returning outside the restaurant to reality.  In addition to cooking the best meal I have ever had, Chef Keller was nice enough to sit with me for a few minutes and talk about his cooking philosophy and many culinary projects.  Our conversation is found in my last post.