I have the same issue of pictures at Californios. I’ve been eating there since they opened. And to me there has been a clear progression in creativity and enhancement of flavors as their prices increased.
Not really a question of relative value. Chefs can just literally here more staff with more revenue… that’s an objective fact isn’t it?
I’ve actually been hoping Californios might raise prices again soon seeing how they have used the increased revenues from the past price hikes.
I’ve never questioned the value of the meal for the price.
But if you’ve also been eating there since they opened, you haven’t found this progression to be true?
I was going to comment on Chowseeker’s great photography and ask whether smartphone flash lighting assist was used for the photo taking. I have done this in the past at other places, though I worry sometimes it can be bothersome to nearby diners and either minimize or avoid it.
I did the wine/beverage pairing sometime last year and really enjoyed it. Mostly whites but very well thought out and far better interaction with the food than some of the other pairings in town (e.g. Quince’s beverage pairing, which did not impress me).
Benu, I actually very much enjoyed. Their signature items which are also often overhyped, were the least interesting to me. But kudos to master sommelier Yoon Ha for some very creative pairings (e.g. a very light bodied Pinot Noir with uni and fermented crab sauce, and a Niigata sake Kiminoi Yamahai Junmai Ginjo to go with some of the initial plates).
I have yet to encounter a wine pairing that tops Meadowood for SF Bay Area.
Thanks again. That’s good to know Californios’ wine pairing was really good. I’ll definitely consider it next time.
We had just had phenomenal pairings with Sake at Izakaya Ginji the night before (thank you!), and while the food is just solid / good, the pairings and the Sake themselves were so interesting that we felt satisfied enough, and decided to skip it on this visit.
How far in advance is it recommended to book this place? I have my anniversary coming up, but our work schedules make it difficult to predict the weekend we will be celebrating.
I’m not an expert on year-round lead times, but for us, it was maybe 3 weeks out? I would imagine prime time weekend might be the most difficult time to get a spot?
Good luck! Looking forward to your report if you go.
Chefs Val and David at it again. Definitely the best bites for me were the 2 tacos: 1) mushroom taco on blue masa tortilla (matsutake, maitake, morels, shredded fried scallions) and 2) squab breast on sourdough tortilla with mole. The matsutake’s pine note and the mushrooms’ smokiness were great with an '89 Sercial Madeira. Very complex moles with the right spice notes. Chanterelles were excellent. I didn’t think the caviar was really necessary in some of the other preps. I’d love it if they did an aguachile/ceviche, abalone soup, or carne asada / barbacoa again. I’ll have to visit again soon. Grabbed a same-day res 3 hours ahead - so check Tock for chef’s counter if you’re at all interested!
Went twice in the last 1.5 months or so. Very similar menus to yours and as always a truly excellent meal.
Brought my own bottle of sake for the first meal, and the 2nd did the wine pairing of which there were quite a lot of great out of the box selections. You already named one of them, which was the Madeira with the smoked mushroom taco (one of my absolute favorite dishes, the umami alone from that was brilliant with a Junmai).
I enjoyed the lamb quite a lot as well, though they said the season is almost over. I had it twice, the first time they poured me a Rioja Alta 904 Gran Reserva 1997 to go with it (mostly to give me an idea of their wine pairing, and they were quick to realize the sake was at that point not as happening with the protein course for obvious reasons), and the 2nd time they ran out of that vintage, but poured us something 2005 or younger (forgot to take a picture) from an Alta Gran Reserva 809 that also worked. Though the 97 was phenomenal with its ultra fine and silky tannins, and a very thoughtful gesture on their part.
They ran out of uni for the mini taco dish one time, so I got toro as a substitute.
The strawberry ice dessert at the end was paired with a Marco Porello Birbet that was particularly refreshing and tasted like a sweet dessert sparkling sake.
I also went to their Cinco De Mayo celebration (tickets only appeared a few days before through Tock, most attendees were regulars), and it was a blast with fantastic food (or as they say in millennial speak, “lit as fuq”). I’ll have to dig up the photos for that one.
Great report back! The new menu sounds delicious and I can’t wait to go back next time we’re up there. The mushroom tacos sound lovely as well. (Thanks again for the great recommendation; there’s nothing like that in L.A.)
Food looks great. I’m sure the mushroom tops my local mushroom taco at BS Taqueria!
Interestingly I recently had both the 1997 LRA 904 and the recently released 2009 in the same tasting with @brritscold and some others. Since we tasted them blind, the 1997 came up first and there’s no way I thought it was the older of the two! Incredibly youthful tasting, this wine has years and years ahead of it. I haven’t had any of the 890 yet though.
Thanks so much for your feedback on the 904! I’ll definitely pickup some of the 2009s before they disappear and try some soon and then cellar for the future. I don’t recall the exact specifics of the 890 and at the time I didn’t realize 890 and 904 were different, but the 904 '97 was the clear winner. I also want to say I popped open a 904 2010 Alta Gran Reserva a few years ago at a Spanish restaurant and it was stellar, even though it was quite young to drink.
If it was a 2010, it was probably the LRA Vina Alberdi. The youngest vintage available on the 904 is the 2009. Some people actually prefer the Vina Alberdi to the bigger gun 904 and 890 wines because it is less expensive and because it sees less oak during aging (therefore less vanilla flavor on the nose and palate). If I’m only having one heavily oaked wine in the night and it is with a rich beef dish, it tends to bother me less. Last year I had the 2007 904 with a ribeye at home and it was great, though the buttery oak seemed to go with that meal. You might also try the Vina Ardanza which is around $30-35 retail. It is between the Alberdi and the 904 in terms of oak and aging. The 2008 Vina Ardanza has been out for some time, not sure if they are planning to release the '09 or '10 soon.
That is to say, LRA provides pretty good value for money anywhere in the range.
