Ame (belated)

This is very belated, but I couldn't let a meal at Ame slide without a post.

My two lovely, wonderful, generous, smart, beautiful, talented (etc.) co-workers PH and LC took me out to lunch a few weeks back at Ame, a swanky new restaurant in the St. Regis Hotel in downtown San Francisco. I'd heard nothing but raves about this Japanese-French fusion restaraunt run by the same owners as Terra in St. Helena.

We shared everything, of course, and took gorgeous photos in the well-lit, minimalist chic dining room. First off, compliments to the kitchen on impeccably fresh seafood from start to finish.

Ceviche: an interesting twist, with a traditional halibut ceviche wrapped inside paper thin slices of pickled daikon. The color of the daikon was amazingly fuschia. Even beet dye doesn't always get things this bright. The crispy slightly tangy pickled daikon paired well with the soft, sweet, ocean-flavored fish.

Tuna poke: one of Ame's more popular dishes. Personally, I found the ceviche more interesting and tasty. Ame's poke is a traditional poke (fish mash, I call it) wrapped in seaweed, then dipped in a light crispy batter and fried until just the batter is crisped. All the fish is still very much raw and cold. Again, great texture contrast.

Miyagi oysters: deep fried and placed in lettuce cups, with horseradish-flavored fish roe. The oysters were perfectly fried: barely cooked on the very outside, but soft and raw on the inside so the sweet minerally flavor of raw oysters could shine. The use of butter lettuce instead of iceberg was a big plus.

Black cod: miso-glazed, and very sweet and tender. Cod's often bland and boring, but this was anything but boring. Delicious broth, tasty tiny vegetables, perfect all around.

Chawan mushi with lobster: I was kind of disappointed that it was a claw and not a tail, but thankful that they made it at all. Chawan mushi isn't on the lunch menu, but we asked nicely and our server asked the kitchen to whip one up. Some of the tenderest egg that ever was made, with little tiny pieces of lobster, mushrooms, and chicken floating towards the bottom. Okra slices were a strange touch, but not bad. Not the most original thing on the menu, but extremely well executed.

Trio of sorbets: strawberry, rhubarb, and mango. Fresh, fruity, not too sweet, and all made in house. A perfect end to a light and delicious lunch. The breadstick was pistachio flavored and didn't really go with anything, but was good anyway.

Ame

3rd/Mission inside the St. Regis Hotel.