San Francisco: Incanto

Bourdain ate here in his San Fran episode. I promised myself we'd do one "nice" aka over priced, stiff restaurant per city on our trip. So with being a Tony fan and loving all things Italian in mind, we dined at Incanto in the very suburban neighbourhood of Noe Valley.

I was excited about this place probably because I had booked it like 1 month in advance so the experience had been building up. The verdict post dinner? Don't believe all the hype and everything you see on TV.

I now realise that Tony tends to be polite to all his hosts and censors perhaps what he'd really like to say or what he really thinks. Ok admittedly his hosts must put on the spread of a lifetime too, so that would up the ante considerably compared to my measly every day dining experience at the same establishments. *fist shaking in air* David Chang better deliver the goods in Momofuku Noodle Bar in New York! That's all I have to say.

Back to Incanto. Definitely above average. Hilarious waiter that knew his stuff and looked after us superbly, he even shouted us dessert wine and made half the food choices for us (I fear what the experience would have been like if he hadn't recommended some of the signature dishes).

We both did the mystery wine flight (all Italian as that is the specialty of the wine bar) which was very reasonably priced at $15pp for 3x half glasses. They were all superb choices as they tasted great and accompanied the food really well, a fact (the food ordered) the sommelier takes into consideration.

We had the complimentary bread plate with olive tapenade, two appetisers, two mains, shared dessert plus coffee with complimentary biscotti. Apart from the mystery wine flight and glass of dessert wine, I also snuck in another glass of red. The experience cost us about $160USD.

The food ordered was:
- chicken liver pâté with tomatoes and mustard, house made thyme brioche lightly toasted (this dish was the highlight of the evening)
- blood sausage with egg sunny side up and clams (disappointing, but I have authentic Argentinian and Uruguayan blood sausage as my bench mark)
- spaghettini with shaved tuna heart and egg yolk (most anticipated yet most disappointing dish of the night)
- lamb neck with greens and creamy polenta (extra soft and succulent meat that fell off the bone)
- bittersweet chocolate tart with basil sorbetto (refreshing and delicious)

What I do like about this place, apart from the whole experience, superb service, delicious wines and select delectable dishes, is its concept. Incanto is a nose to tail dining experience, the whole idea of not wasting any bit of the animal, but instead utilising and eating every part of it. Also, they produce their own sparkling water in house and serve it in recyclable and reusable glass bottles. Gotta love an environmentally conscious bunch!

So all in all it wasn't bad, it was actually great apart from the two out of five dishes ordered, but when I look at it as percentages it works out to 60/40 good/bad which is borderline, so its the tree hugging, ambiance, service and fantastic all Italian wine list that make it really great for me.

No Reservations: A Night with Anthony Bourdain

Anthony Bourdain is real. It's like he stepped out of the TV in my lounge room and on to the stage at the State Theatre.

Tall, casual, beer in hand. He seems more in proportion in real life. He paces back and forth on the stage and only occasionally glimpses his notes on the lectern.

The format of the night is about an hour speech followed by thirty minutes of questions from the crowd. It's like sitting around the dinner table and shooting the shit. Awesome and entertaining. You get what you see, that's what I love about this man.

If you haven't noticed already, it's true. I'm a groupie. I'd say #1 fan but I'm not willing to flash my boobs at him. That would be like flashing my dad. Let's not go there.

I'm not going to give you a blow by blow of the night. I've got better shit to do. If you want the detail, you should have paid to see him like we did.

But I will give you Tony's top travel tips:

1. Observe local custom; consider where you are and remember you're an ambassador for where you come from.
2. Drink. Drink a lot of "whatever the fuck it is" that's the specialty in that location.
3. The breakfast buffets at hotels are a killer. Avoid hotel buffets and hotel food at all costs. If you must order hotel food, go for the least sinister thing on the menu.
4. Never eat where the concierge tells you to eat. The filthier the bathroom, the better the food. Find out where cooks like to eat when they're drunk.
5. Find out what the local specialty is and go where the locals think its best.

Earlier today one of the cooks from Cafe Sopra and I were chatting about how history shapes the food we eat. Tony summed this concept up well: he states that food is the history of the world. People have paid a price for their national cuisine, it's their identity. When someone cooks for you, they're communicating with you, telling you a story: where they come from, what their experiences have been, rituals, traditions and tidbits passed down from one generation to the next. Then it's preserved, copied, bastardised, rehashed, recreated and reinvented. And not necessarily in that particular order.

Food is about sensation. It's about enjoyment and emotion. You can't plan the most perfect or delicious meal; its a process of discovery, it just happens to you.

Tony's life seems to have just happened in this manner. Working a deep fryer at a restaurant one moment, to author and rock 'n' roll chef celebrity the next. I've been thinking about this concept of life a lot lately: that life itself is a process that must be embraced and enjoyed, from moment to moment. Creating, evolving, changing, responding to emotive stimuli. That's the shit that keeps it interesting man, living in the moment and letting it all unfold before your eyes like a beautiful, rich and colourful tapestry.

I can't wait to see the new season of No Reservations, especially the Sydney episode where Tony visits favourites such as Porteño and Bourke St Bakery. I love you Tony! You have the best job ever; I gotta get me some of that.