I have a small obsession with the Bravo TV show Top Chef. After discovering one of the Top Chef contestants was a chef at Absinthe, I couldn’t wait to go to try out number thirty-six on my list.
I met two friends at Absinthe in Hayes Valley for some R&R after a hard week at the restaurant. It turned out to be the priciest restaurant I will have visited in San Francisco so far. Although the dining room is dark, romantic, and quiet, the neon backlit bar and fabulous cocktails give the place a little bit of a funkier and relaxed feel.
After the talk around town of Absinthe’s fantastic food and pricey menu, I couldn’t understand why their most famous menu item is a bar snack… the soft garlic pretzels. It only took one bite for me truly understand.
Four small puffy round pretzels came wafting through the dining room to our table, leaving behind a trail of steam. Pulling one pretzel apart revealed the gooiest inside, similar to a buttery garlic bread. The pretzel was delicious, but the side of Vermont Cheddar mornay turned my pretzel to the most unctuous snack. The mornay was a béchamel style tangy, boozy fondue-like cheese.
There was no way we were stopping at a bar snack. The potato crusted Arctic Char and the whole golden trout that Steph and Sally ordered blew out of the water almost every fish dish I had ever ordered in a restaurant. The flavors were vibrant and the textures varied with the crisp skin and the soft plump flesh. My pork loin was a bit dry as I typically assume pork loin to be. I ordered this dish hoping Absynthe might change my preconceptions of the loin. I also ordered it because the dish came with a sous-vide pork belly beside the loin. (Pork belly is like crack for me. I cannot resist it.) The dish was seasoned perfectly and had the most wonderful balance of flavor with the sweet carrot puree and the savory pork jus.
Even after the mind-blowing fish dishes and my to-die-for pork belly, those little pretzels were still the highlight of a meal. I never thought that a bar snack would be the winning component to a fifty-five dollar meal.
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