Frances

Tonight for my birthday, Porgy took me to Frances, a two-month old restaurant in Castro serving modern and seasonal California cuisine from Melissa Perello. I was so excited because I had been wanting to try it out ever since I heard that she's opening her own restaurant.

Frances has an interesting concept with the custom-blended house wine served in marked carafe where it costs $1 per oz.


We started by sharing Applewood Smoked Bacon Beignets with Creme Fraiche & Chive Sauce and Roasted Chestnut Soup with Boccalone Pancetta and Cipollini Onion. I think the soup is super delicious... creamy yet somehow light and nicely balanced of saltiness and sweetness, it's perfect for a cold winter evening.


We had Caramelized Atlantic Scallops with Artichoke and Wild Mushroom Barigoule, Petaluma Chicken with Savory Bread Pudding, Sultana Raisin and Apple Relish and shared the Butter Bean Ragout with Parmesan and Porcini Butter. It's been a while since I had a scallop dish and these were cooked perfectly, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside and they rested on a refreshing broth.


We shared the Valrhona Ganache Tart with McEvoy Olive Oil Ice Cream by Humphry Slocombe. The tart is super rich but it's nicely balanced by the lemony olive oil ice cream. I think I'm going to stop by at Humphry Slocombe store soon to get a gallon of that yummy ice cream.