Dinner at Pasion

Dinner at Pasion – April 4, 2012 – San Francisco, CA.

In the cold foggy Sunset district of San Francisco lays a culinary paradise, straight from Peru. Owner Jose Calvo Perez has created this Nuevo Latino restaurant. Never have I had so many dishes that were all done to perfection, each one better then the next. With an eye for amazing presentation, and glorious blending of flavors. Passion is truly astonishing and needs to be tried by everyone!
Ceviche Quattro: tasting of four ceviches.
Ceviche De Langosta with Maine lobster, cacao fruit puree, mango, papaya, tarragon, vanilla bean oil, red onion, serrano chilies. The lobster has a floral flavor; it is so fresh with nice bits of mango and papaya that accent the floral fragrances, and the citrus tanginess. Ceviche De Atun with ahi tuna with coconut leche, red jalapeño, ginger, jicama, onion, scallion oil, honey cashews. The coconut is fantastic, and never tasted this kind of combination before. The sweetness and nuttiness of the cashews are really a treat for your palate.
Ceviche De Camarones, Ecuadorian shrimp with tomato gazpacho juice, red onion, chives, roasted garlic, plantai. The shrimp is salty, but not overly, with lots of citrus flavor.
Ceviche Limeno with local halibut, calamari, shrimp, scallop with rocoto, onion, cilantro, sweet potato, Andean corn. Traditional ceviche with very fresh fish, great lime and lemon flavors, guaranteed to perk up your taste buds. The plantain chips have just a hint of garlic and are so perfect with all the different types of ceviche.

Ensalada Verde with mixed greens, avocado tempura, tomato, currants, candied walnuts, manchego cheese, guava vinaigrette. Never had a cooked avocado, but it doesn’t lose any of its texture, and is very exciting.

Albondigas, lamb meatballs, with sherry foie gras cream, manchego cheese, green peas, Fresno chilies, black truffle essence. The lamb is very tender, and the added ingredients are very welcoming.
Conchitas, seared diver scallops with sweet plantain tostone, cilantro mojo, and black quinoa sofrito. This is a lovely savory dish, nicely appointed.

Mejillones, steamed p.e.i. mussels with Spanish chorizo, creamy tomato sofrito, grilled garlic bread. This dish Jackson insisted I try, and boy was he right, another unbelievable item.

Paella with saffron rice, pimentón sofrito, mussels, clams, shrimp, calamari, scallops, chicken and chorizo, green peas. I have tried a lot of Paella, but this one is truly remarkable. All the seafood is tender and fresh while the seasonings are blended flawlessly.

Vaca Caballo, grilled estancia farms Uruguayan rib eye steak with plantain chorizo hash, fried egg, chimichurri, cabrales demi. The best part about this Steak is the fried egg on top. The yolk adds a velvety smooth topping, and the steak is medium rare, and filled with goodness.

Arroz Con Pato with roasted maple leaf farms duck breast with duck confit cilantro rice, sweet pea sauce, tomatillo-jalapeño marmalade. The duck is good, rich, and another great achievement.

Hongos, with sautéed mushrooms, herbs, white wine. Very tasty, and a must have.

Esparragos with grilled asparagus with panca vinaigrette, manchego. cheese. The asparagus is still semi-raw, and the vinaigrette adds a unique twist.

Espinacas Catalan with sautéed spinach with garlic, butter, white wine, pine nuts, golden raisins. The spinach is sweet and crunchy, a nice addition.

Platanos with sweet plantains with aji verde aioli, salsa criolla. Very simply done with all the flavors encapsulated.

Desert:
Chocolate Coconut Bread Pudding with passion fruit sabayon, lucuma ice cream. Just what you would expect from this awesome meal, the perfect desert!

Canela Tres Leches with three milk cinnamon cake, chocolate sauce,
Chantilly cream. Rich, smooth, melts in your mouth, really a terrific ending.

Jackson, my very fun server, was really instrumental in my wine selections. The whites went well with all the lighter dishes, and of course the reds were an added bonus to the meatier dishes. I recommend them all, they were outstanding.

The Wines I Tried:
Trajadura, Trajarinho, Alvarinho ‘10, Vinho Verde, Portugal.
Abad Dom Bueno, Godello ‘09, Bodegas Del Abad, Bierzo, Spain.
Viña Alberdi Reserva, Tempranillo ‘05, La Rioja Alta, Spain.
Bodegas Atamisqsue, Malbec, Catalpa ‘09, Mendoza, Argentina.
Robledo, Merlot ‘09, Carneros, Sonoma.
Vineyard Montage, Pinot Noir Crú ‘08, Central Coast.
Dacalier, Grenache, Carignan, Syrah, ‘08, Lake County.
In a city filled with more restaurants on any given block, Pasion is one that needs to be celebrated time and time again. I just can’t say enough about the quality, the creativity, and the service. What a delightful experience.
Pasion
737 Irving Street
San Francisco, CA 94122.
(415) 424-4656
http://www.pasionsf.com

Comments

This entry was posted in Restaurant Reviews. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *