Tag: burrata

flowers saratoga

even with me being a bit of a scrooge, many of my friends love the holidays. because of our scheduling, it is hard to get together in december to be merry. my dear friend nick insisted on taking melissa and i to this restaurant at the end of january as a way to spread a little holiday cheer. nick first discovered this gem through a work event some months prior and had not stopped raving about it since. after going, i certainly see why. if you find yourself in the bay area, dining at flowers saratoga is a must.

flowers saratoga

one of the best things about dining with nick and melissa is that we have pretty similar palettes. we ordered many things to share and then each had a single item to ourselves. to say we indulged would be a gross understatement. first up – cocktails!

hummingbird – truly a work of art and just as delicious as it is beautiful
cantarito – who doesn’t love mezcal with a little passionfruit?
snow storm – i’m a vodka girl and with strawberry and a little yuzu foam? sign me up.
blanco franco – blanco tequila with campari balanced with strawberry, bell pepper and lemon? more than one of these was ordered for our table

the cocktails were truly one of a kind. the added bonus was the glass of sparkling rosé our amazing server poured for each us while we waited for our first round of drinks. instead of actual dessert, we opted for espresso martinis and they did not disappoint. you could easily go to flowers and just sit at the bar and have an absolute blast. however on this particular night, we were there to enjoy the full experience for dinner and we did not hold back.

the beet garden
two bite tuna taco trio
lobster slider trio – tomato burrata – tuna tacos (making their second appearance)
prawn cigars
flowers wagyu mini slider trio + truffle parmesan fries
slow braised short rib with a truffle parsnip purée
diver scallops with a mascarpone polenta

the initial plan was to sample a bit of everything and each get a different entree to dive into. melissa and nick understood the assignment – melissa ordered the short rib and nick committed to the scallops. they both loved their choices. i had a bite of each and was in heaven. i was having ordering anxiety because i loved so many of the starters. i ended up ordering the wagyu sliders again as my entree so i could enjoy more than just one of them. i ended up taking a slider or two home because i had overcommitted during our two hour long appetizer/cocktail hour. clearly, this is not a bad problem to have.

while this place would be phenomenal for a date (not just because of the delightful food, unique cocktails and extraordinary service) because of its romantic feel, i’d recommend going with a group so you can truly try a bit of everything. i cannot wait to go back. special thanks to nick for treating melissa and i to a stellar dinner. if you call to make a reservation before visiting, be sure to ask if caitlyn is working – she truly provided the most outstanding service i’ve had at any restaurant in the bay area.

if you’ve been to flowers, what was your favorite thing on the menu?

xoxo,

k. tap

herb & sea

to say i love san diego would be a gross understatement.  it is the perfect escape when wanting to get out of la but not be too far from home.  it helps that one of my closest friends, hillary, moved here a few years back.  we make a conscious effort to visit one another.  when looking for a little staycation during a time when i would typically be catching a flight somewhere tropical, a quick drive to san diego seemed like the perfect solution.

 

when choosing where to go to dinner, the choice was easy.  we love to support small businesses, we love seafood and a dear friend of ours, sara, is both the executive chef and partner at a restaurant in encinitas.  last night, i finally got to experience herb & sea.

 

 

founded by brian malarkey, who you might recognize from top chef, herb & sea is truly a gem.  even amidst the pandemic, they have found a way to create an extraordinary dining experience.  rather than each get a starter and an entree, we had sara suggest some of her favorites.  because this was not hillary’s first rodeo, she had an item or two that she knew we should tack on as well.

 

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it was unreal.

 

we started with drinks (we got the mezcal and flowers and even as someone that typically gravitates towards vodka, it was to die for), burrata, oysters, hamachi crudo, smoked salmon dip and shrimp toast.  there was nothing i would not order again but i will say this – i could have ordered 10 of the hamachi crudo plates and still wanted more. it was that good.

 

 

 

for our main courses, we went with the local field greens, linguini and crab, peaches and prosciutto pizza and the crispy boardwalk potatoes (which aren’t pictured due to us being in a trance from all of the goodness on our table).

 

 

 

and for dessert, there was a special cheesecake with tropical fruit and berries and for you chocolate lovers, a lava cake.

 

i really cannot say enough great things about this restaurant, the drinks, the food and the quality of service.  brian happened to be there while we were dining and stopped by our table to say hello, ask how our dining experience was and wish us well.  there is something magical about restaurants like this one where you can tell that every single person who works there genuinely loves people, food and what they do.

 

if you find yourself in the san diego area, stop by herb & sea. you will be happy you did.

 

xoxo,

k. tap