Jardiniere

Three posts in one day; it's truly a blessed Friday. I was ready to call it quits after my ribeye and vegetables, but got called out for a rare Friday night on the town by some gals. So like a good friend, I slapped on some makeup, put on my favorite bra, and waited for my ride to Jardiniere.

First of all, the place is gorgeous. The decor is sort of "starry night" romantic, with red and purple gauze curtains, blown red glass lamps, and a domed ceiling with little star-like sparkles in it. There was a jazz band playing upstairs, which is a circular balcony overlooking the bar. The bar itself was alive with activities, and in the center was a lit up mountain of ice holding bottles of champagne and white wine. I can easily see why this is considered one of the most romantic restaurants in San Francisco, especially if you're able to go on a quiet night or get a table away from the crowds.

We shared a bonne bouche (does that mean "happy mouth"?) platter, which consisted of this stunning array of tiny treats:

• Spearmint Pot de Crème: I loved that this was made with real spearmint, not peppermint. It was a creamy spearmint custard topped with a layer of dark chocolate and a dollop of whipped cream. The lacy cookie on top was made with chocolate and crushed coffee beans.
• Opera Cake: layers of cake and chocolate ganache.
• Petite Tarts (one lemon, one cream): the lemon tart was delicious. Some might call it too tangy, but for me it was perfect.
• Cookies: the poppyseed lemon cookie was flaky and crunchy, the peanut butter Parisian macaroon was a little too crunchy for my taste, the chocolate sandwich cookie was a bit dry, and the coconut macaroon was chewily to die for.
• Fruit Jellies: I've never been a fan of gummy candies, but this was really nice. Subtle pear flavor, finely ground sugar, and melt-in-your mouth texture.
• Chocolate Truffles: one was just plain dark chocolate. The other was dark chocolate and walnuts enrobed in which chocolate. I liked the second better.
• Braida Brachetto d'Acqui, Piedmont, Italy 2004: this was the dessert wine supplement I got. It was amazing. I've never had this kind of wine before, but it tasted like Welch's grape juice with bubbles--but better! Easy to drink, very nice with all the desserts. I was surprised that it went well even with the coffee and lemon treats.

There were at least ten desserts on the plate, and all were good. This trounces Tiramisu, which had previously been my favorite dessert sampler in San Francisco. Others had espresso, pinot noir, champagne, chamomile tea, and dragon's well tea. Everyone seemed to enjoy their selections. The coffee was Equator espresso, with a very nice cap of foamy crema. It's too bitter and overroasted for my taste--I prefer a smooth and sweet Italian coffee like Lavazza, but that's just me. A lot of people prefer a longer roast.

The service at Jardiniere was quite nice, even though we just sat at the bar. Our (cute) waiter checked up on us a lot and answered my usual pesky questions about food. All in all, a very nice evening out. Total bill for our shared dessert platter (MORE than enough for two people who'd had dinner), an espresso, and a glass of wine was $25. Not bad, considering Jardiniere's reputation as one of the easiest places to drop $150 on dinner in San Francisco.

Where's the photo, you ask? Sigh. I took a few photos, but I forgot that I didn't have my memory card in the camera. Therefore, the pictures are trapped in the camera until I find the damed specialized USB cable that came with the camera, and (more annoyingly) install some software that's compatible with the camera. I'll remember to refer back to this post if and when I get around to it. I couldn't even steal a picture off their website because everything's in Flash. Argh.