The House - Anniversary Dinner (part 2)

Nothing says fancy food like foie gras. For the main course of our anniversary dinner at The House in SF, Tracy had the grilled sea bass with garlic ginger soy, while I enjoyed one of their specials of the day, rigatoni with braised short ribs and foie gras with fava beans. In case you don't know, I'm a sucker for short ribs; so its no surprise that I ordered this. I had never really had foie gras before, but I have to say, it was very rich, and very tasty. The presentation wasn't particularly impressive and the short ribs were just modest meat chunks, also with a rich flavor. The combination of rich flavors worked really well when tempered with the pasta and the braising sauce.

Hopefully Tracy will follow up with a review of her sea bass soon.

Overall, I'd give The House a 4 our of 5 stars. I thought the service was mediocre, and the ambiance can vary by your table location in the tiny restaurant. The food is excellent, the portions a bit small, and the price a bit high (but not shockingly over priced, nor unsatisfyingly small) which brings down its value a bit for me. If you're looking for a great date spot or a romantic celebratory dinner, I think The House will do just fine.

Thanks also to my friend Nate for recommending this place nearly 5 years ago.

Braised Short Ribs w/ Celery Root Mashers

Braised Short Ribs served with Celery Root Mashers and Curly Mustard Greens. The short ribs are braised with a blend of onion, celery, carrot, garlic, ketchup, and red wine. Browned first, and then into the oven with braising sauce for a few hours.

This is one of my favorite recipes when I have time and the reason. Its a derivation of Anne Burrell's recipe.

The meat just melts in your mouth, and the braising liquid makes for an excellent gravy over the celery root mashers. If you're looking for a change-up from your run of the mill mashed-potatoes, try boiling a few skinned celery root bulbs and mashing those with your potatoes. Here's Anne Burrell's FoodTV clip on making celery root mashed potatoes. She uses a mill to get them real smooth-- I don't have such fancy equipment, so I mash.

Bon Appetit Fool!