Commis

everybody knows the way to my heart is through my stomach. i know that saying is supposed to be reserved for men but i'm not your average chick. diamonds and flowers just don't do it for me. in fact, i don't care for flowers because it means i then have to clean a vase. and while i thank you for the thought and effort, Fellas, i'm more for thoughtful gifts, experiences or reservations to an appetizing meal. call me crazy, but the idea of somebody blowing money on material things just doesn't make me feel like i'm anything special. plus, if i wanted a diamond necklace i'd probably buy it for myself, thankyouverymuch. 

so when Ciara said that she wanted to treat me to dinner, i jumped at the chance. and then when she said she wanted to take me to Commis, i nearly peed my pants. Commis has been on my list of bookmarked restaurants to try for quite some time now and it's not some place you'd go to for any ol' night. they offer an 8 course tasting menu at $75. if you ask me, that's not a ton of money for an 8 course meal, however as previously stated, i prefer spending my money on experiences rather than a pair of shoes. and lucky for me, Ciara is aware of this and loves foodsperiences herself. 

before you all get too excited and jump to the conclusion that i swing for the other team, i just want to say that CiCi took me to dinner to say "thank you." this was in no way a romantical date, however i do love her. but even so, it's probably one of the better dates i've ever been on. amazing food and neverending easy conversation is all it takes to make a date memorable. 

so, on to the meal....they don't give you a menu to start. you sit down and they start bringing food. this method of serving allows each dish to become a surprise. fun stuff! (oh, they don't allow flash photography and it was 9pm so please pardon the grainy photos)

cheese cracker with vegetable powder

the plating of this dish was awesome! they camouflaged it amongst a plate of rocks. this tasted like a very expensive cheez-it. 

pacific oyster in vinegar jelly, turnip and mustard seed

i'm not a fan of oysters and typically refuse to eat them, but this was actually really good and not overly gooey.

soup of young potimarron, fresh sheep's milk with peach and basil

oh my damn was this delicious. i can't even describe it, honestly. the sheep's milk matched with the basil great but the moment you had a spoonful with a bite of peach it just became a completely different, very complex dish.

albacore tuna with lemon and nepitella, nori seaweed with squash seeds

i thought that this dish was going to end up tasting like many other raw fish dishes i've had, and to some degree it was very similar, however overall it was very well done and extra citrusy, which i am all about.

poached farm egg yolk with alliums, smoked dates and malt

holy yum, this was my favorite dish of the night! the yolk was just barely solidified and somehow this paired with dates exquisitely. i'm not a fan of dates but good god, if i could eat dates this way every day, i would!

roasted squid in a padron pepper vinaigrette, chickpeas and leeks

yum! 

grilled beef loin with cracked green farro and buttermilk, marrow juices

do you see that layer of fat just hanging out there at the top of that loin? superb! do you see those marrow juices perfectly oozing from that cut of meat? fat heaven!

raspberry and pluot with anise hyssop

pretty good. a little bit too floral for me.

bee pollen nougat with marigold blossom ice cream, melon and black pepper

great nougat, but overall i'm more a chocolate dessert person.

chocolate mint pudding with coffee grounds

good thing they brought this last bite because it was oh. so. very. lovely! mint chocolate is one of my favorite things and this mint pudding was luscious yet had a nice crunch to it from the coffee grounds, as well as a slight (welcomed) bitterness.

thanks, Ciara!! i had the most wonderful time! let's not let too much time pass before we hang out again! love you, lots!