Goat Cheese Crostini
White wine - Appetizer
Sea Bass with Citrus and Soy
White wine - Seafood
Double Cut Pork Chop with Mustard Sauce
Red wine - Meat
Asparagus and Goat-Cheese Frittata
Red wine - Poultry
Seafood Stew
White wine - Seafood
Corn Chowder with Seasonal Mushrooms and Crab Garnish
White wine - Soup
Ridiculously Good Chocolate Cookies
Dessert wine - Dessert
Broiled Lobster Tails
White wine - Seafood
Mini Beef Wellingtons
Red wine - Meat
Flank Steak over Corn-Kernel Polenta
Red wine - Meat
Find Local Wine Events
The LocalWineEvents.com calendar of food and wine pairing events is where all the world's food, wine, beer and spirits events are listed in one place.
Napa River Wine, Crafts & Jazz Festival
September 11, 2010 Napa, CA The Napa River Wine, Crafts and Jazz Festival is a celebration of art, holiday gifts, wine, food and music.
Cape May Wine Festival
October 9 - 10, 2010 Cape May Ferry Terminal, New Jersey Try something a little different!
Restaurant Pairing Reviews
Food and Wine Pairing is even more fun out on the town. Here are our experiences with food and wine pairing at restaurants.
← Go Back
-
Campton Place - A Newly Reviewed SF Establishment
Saturday, September 1st, 2007I love to try new restaurants, I'm addicted to the reviews in the paper - and have a list of newly launched eating establishments on my "need to try". This also led me to the realization that I wasn't spending enough time exploring the ones that have been around for years. San Francisco is just treasure trove of culinary delights - both new and old. I haven't been to One Market or Boulevard in years - always looking to try out the newest launches.
This was my inspiration when searching out our dining experience for our pre "Avenue Q" theater dinner. I turned to my trusted OpenTable.com to show me something new (or in this case, something old). That's when I came across "Campton Place", somewhere I'd never been. It was well established - and walkable from Bart, which was a requirement as the Bay Bridge was being worked on.
After visiting their web-site, I learned they had a 10,000 bottle cellar, and a special wine decanting cart. Plus they had a fully paired tasting menu. How could I have missed this?? I may never step foot in Michael Minna again!
When we arrived, we were greeted by a very friendly, yet serious staff. The woman that I thought was our hostess (or a manager) was actually our server. She was in a black suit (slacks, and a blazer - no apron, tray or writing pad), which fooled me. But she was very nice, and super efficient - focusing completely on us.
The menu is a bit confusing at first glance if you haven't eaten at a french restaurant. It's divided into courses - and you can choose how many courses you'd like. It's similar to Michael Mina or French Laundry.
After the first sweeping pass - all was good. Upon further inspection - not so good. All the course selections looked great.... except the main entrees. You always know you're in trouble when you read it the 4th & 5th time, and are still just not seeing anything you are excited about. At this point, I usually opt for something safe - such as a filet, or chicken - but neither of these were on the menu. After major debate, I decided on the following, and asked that they be paired:
- Chilled Maine Lobster with cherry tomatoes (excellent) they paired with
Patient Cotatt, Sauvignon Blanc, Sancerre 2005
- the Artisan Cheese Course (very nice) they paired with:
François Chidaine, "Les Tuffeaux," Montlouis, Loire Valley, 2005
- The Slow Cooked Black Cod (horrible) they paired with:
Joseph Swan, Pinot Noir, Russian River valley, 2005
- Blonede on Blonde (wonderful) they paired with:
Alvear, Pedro Ximenez, "Solera," Montilla Moriles, 1927
I was excited about everything except the Black Cod - which was my main course. And unfortunately, I was dead on. I had asked our server about it - as the only other experience I had with Black Cod was at Nobu. I LOVED it there, and wondered if it was similar (flaky in texture, with a teriyaki/sweet glaze). She assured me that was a good description.
KUMAMOTO OYSTER
Summer Tomato Sorbet, Gallia Melon Gazpacho paired with:
A.R. Lenoble, Rosé, Champagne, 2000
For me, this is just such a treat. I love to taste something that the chef has specially prepared - and it is usually something a little more exotic than I would normally order. The oyster was wonderful, as was the champagne. Things were looking pretty good so far.
I happily cruised through the lobster, and should have gotten the corn soup instead of the cheeses. Let's face it - cheese is really great, but not worth substituting over something else prepared in detail (such as the corn soup). The pairings were good, but not exceptional. Come on - you have 10,000 bottles - make me GASP! Make my dinner SING!
All in all, the dinner was a very disappointing one. It was super pricey ($500.00 for the two of us), and I hated my main course. It was actually inedible, and remained on my plate. I ate only one bite (as did my husband) and left it there. When the server came back - she saw that I wasn't eating it, but didn't ask about it. Just cleared the plate. My husband's main course (a grilled lamb) was also not to our liking - super fatty, and burnt. His went back almost untouched as well.
The wine pairings were certainly very good - but other than the amazing Port, nothing stood out as being exceptional. There is no set pairing for their menu, and the server makes the recommendations. So I couldn't help but to wonder if we were getting what was opened - as opposed to what would be the best compliment to our food.
I'm happy we went to Campton Place, as it's an old school part of San Francisco dining. The service was impeccable (other than not commenting on my uneaten dinner)., and the atmosphere very elegant. But it won't be on my calendar again. For $500.00, I'll be back at Michael Mina's - feasting on Ahi Tuna Tartare and Lobster Pot Pie.
Also - another note about the great service. The manager (Susan) was kind enough to email us our complete menu selections, and the pairings so we didn't have to write it all down. That's just an exceptional customer service. I just wish the food was as good as the people.
Email to a friend