La Folie doesn't garner the type of name-recognition as other San Francisco establishments like Gary Danko and Fleur de Lys. In fact, even though the place is a stone's throw from my apartment, I've never heard of it until I poked around on Yelp and discovered that it's the highest rated fine dining restaurant in the city. My wonderful Orin took me here as a treat to make up for staying in for New Year's Eve and I was anticipating the meal for more than a week. To dispel any suspense, La Folie lived up to my lofty expectations and then some!
Let's start with the ambiance -- the dining room is surprisingly small and seats only around 30 people. The environment is very romantic, with candlelight and white table clothes. The table for two is a tad large to be considered "intimate", but that leaves plenty of space for the various glassware and plates. I liked that the tables were not tightly packed so there's a semblance of privacy.
Our waiter was business-like and didn't try to make small talk, not that I mind since I didn't want to chat for five minutes while I itch to dig into my food. The overall service was impeccable. The servers always walk to the other side of the table instead of reaching across to place new silverware or fill our waters. Even the guy that hands out the bread makes sure to put the bread right-side up with the seam on top. That type of attention to detail is certainly admirable and enhances the dining experience.
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| The bread plate |
For my dear friends Vadim and Artem's birthday, I decided to whip up some cupcakes. After digging around to come up with the right flavor profile, I thought the combination of rich chocolate cake and tangy raspberry frosting would certainly fit the bill. Nothing says happy birthday like some baked goods from the heart :).
Recipe
For the cake
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder (Dutch processed)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup brewed strong coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 jumbo eggs
For the frosting
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 pint raspberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
16 oz. package of powdered sugar
pinch of salt
I absolutely love Indian food. One dish in particular, tandoori chicken, is a must-order every time. I had some spare buttermilk after I made chocolate cupcakes and decided that what better way to use up the leftovers than to make tandoori chicken? Technically, you're suppose to use yogurt, but if buttermilk is good enough for fried chicken, it should be a suitable substitute! In this frigid weather, nothing like a mouthful of spiciness to ward off the chills.
Recipe
2 pounds chicken breast
1 lemon
1 red onion
1 green pepper
2 inch segment of ginger
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons cayenne powder (optional)
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons turmeric
2 tablespoons garam masala
salt and pepper to taste
