An Impromptu Meal At Chez Spencer

For some reason, I seem to be on a tear about dining out. I'm not complaining. I've eaten well over the last two weeks, and all of these experiences have given me plenty of posting material for Foodphiles. Thursday night, we ate at Chez Spencer, which just happens to be right around the corner from our house. For those of you don't know about Chez Spencer, it's a charming little French restaurant at 14th Streets and Folsom in San Francisco. It's literally around the corner from Rainbow Grocery. The restaurant is set back behind a high wall, and the front porch is covered and heated for dining and the interior of the main restaurant is open, but dimly lit, with a high vaulted ceiling. Chez Spencer is one of the few restaurants I know of in San Francisco that has a wood-burning oven (Zuni is the other). Though you can only barely smell the fire inside, outside, however--particularly just as you walk into the covered porch--the smell of smoke lures you indoors.

We walked over to see if they just happened to have an open table for two. We had walked by a few times recently--for those of you who read my earlier posting, you'll recognize this as the most aggressive form of shuffling the cards to get into good restaurants--but had struck out each time. This night we were in luck, and they seated us at a two top on the porch, the only table left in the restuarant. One of the things that stood out as soon as we walked in was the lively piano music coming from the upright piano wedged between the door and the bar. A pianist, Alex Kallao, was playing jazz and old standards, with a few Broadway hits thrown in for fun. Chez Spencer was alive.

Chef Laurent Katgely serves two menus, a five course tasting or a la carte. We ordered a la carte. For starters, Lou ordered Champagne Oysters Gratinée with spinach mousse. The oysters were surrounded by spinach mouse and topped with egg and champagne. While good, we were both somewhat disappointed that we couldn't taste the oysters. I ordered Roasted Cauliflower Soup with toasted sun flower seeds and curry oil. The soup was delicious, though it could have been hotter. It was smooth and delicate, and the blend of the cauliflower, the seeds and the oil were fantastic. We shared a glass of Kurt Angerer Gruner Vetliner with our first course.

For his main course, Lou ordered Roasted Lamb Rack Braised Artichoke “Barigoule" with Fromage Blanc. The lamb was good, and the artichokes, in particular were cooked perfectly. They were neither crispy nor hard, but firm and soft in the middle. The fromage blanc was also a welcome compliment to the grassy flavor of the lamb. I ordered a Wood Grilled Flat Iron Steak with Morels á la Crème and Truffle Butter and topped with micro greens. Amazing. The steak, the morels, the butter made a creamy, yet earthy, combination. It was a stunning dish. I savored each bite, carefully assembling a piece of steak, with a few morels, some micro greens and some butter and juice. For wine, Lou ordered the Lazy River Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley, and I ordered a Roussillon, which our excellent server, Dagin, suggested because he thought the terroir would compliment the morels well. He was right. While the wine on its own was overpowering in its terroir--no fruit, all dry dirt--it was perfect with the rich and creamy steak dish.

For dessert, we ordered the Hazelnut Parfait, with Espresso Caramel and Piedmont Hazelnuts and the Auslese riesling. The dessert was also incredible. The parfait, was firm and covered with the caramel and hazelnuts. After dessert, Dagin offered us a digestivo, which helped cleanse the palate and wrap up the night.

All in all, the food, the setting, the music led us to pledge to spend the last Thursday of each month at Chez Spencer.