Last night, Jay and I had the privilege of having an absolutely incredible dining experience at La Terrasse restaurant in the Presidio, San Francisco. Plate after beautiful plate kept coming to our table via the amazing customer service, and considering the sheer amount of food we were spoiled with, plus the variety of flavors and textures that met our tongues, it was hands down the most enjoyable, satisfying, and delicious dinner I’ve ever had. Thank you so much to Chef Monica for treating us to this stellar experience, it was truly an honor. She handpicked our appetizers and desserts herself, so we were forced to try flavors we might not have expected or ordered ourselves, and it was mind-opening. Because of her, I now have a knowledge and appreciation of flavors and spices that I wasn’t usually daring enough to try before, so she can take full credit for broadening my palate. I’m so excited to be doing a few paintings for this beautiful restaurant. It’s an amazing opportunity. Again, thank you to Chef Monica Lopez for everything. She’s currently working on updating the restaurant’s menu, and bringing a more contemporary new feel to it, and she’s doing a fantastic job. I’ve always thought that being a chef was an amazing universal art form that speaks to people of all cultures and walks of life, so I have great respect for them and I commend her for her incredible talent and skill at such a young age. Also, thank you to Chef Mike Fredsall for partaking in our night of nights.

Btw I was dumb enough to forget my camera for this, so I documented everything via Instagram. It doesn’t do the dishes real justice, but I hope it suffices. 

The decor and entire ambiance in the restaurant is beautiful. So honored to add some art to this place. Plus the outdoor terrace, which I didn’t photograph, is gorgeous.

Complimentary bubbly. Champagne for my campaign.

The salad she served us was gorgeous, and not on the dinner menu! She served us a total of 4 different appetizers.

White corn soup garnished with roasted corn, fried corn silk, cotija cheese, and tarragon oil. This soup had a fantastic homey flavor and was great with the house bread.

Seared scallops on lime avocado mousse and hash browns with mango salsa and orange sauce. This was a spectacular blend of flavors and textures. The hash browns had a nice crunch, the scallops were tender, and the mango salsa and orange sauce had a great tang.

62 degree egg crusted in panko, deep fried, on fried rice vermicelli, with a soy ginger broth. This was hands down the most innovative, and one of their signature dishes. Apparently when you cook an egg at 62 degrees, it cooks the egg white, but it will never cook the yolk, and it takes about an hour.  The egg was in the middle of everything, and once it’s served to you, you break it so the yolk spreads, and it becomes this crazy delicious mixture of crunchy fried goodness, and warm egg yolk.

Bacon arugula risotto, a perfect pair to our entrees. This bowl tasted like a heavenly mixture of rice, mashed potatoes, and bacon combined.

Jay’s entree. Slow cooked wild king salmon with butternut squash, melted leeks, and duck fat roasted red potatoes. This was a beautifully plated dish (as was everything else), and regardless of how large the salmon portion was, the entire thing was so tasty.

My entree. Snake River Farms kobe flat iron steak on fennel puree, with fennel confit, wild mushrooms, orange arugula salad, and bordelaise sauce. This was easily one of the best steaks I’ve ever had, and steak is my favorite food, so that’s saying a lot. Perfectly cooked, red in the middle, crispy on the outside and I’ve never liked mushrooms so much until I had this dish.

Chocolate mousse for dessert. Soft, airy, light, and absolutely delicious.

And to wrap up our fantastic meal, a serving of the most scrumptious beignets I’ve ever had. If we weren’t SO full by the time these were served, we would have inhaled them.

Thank you again Chef Monica! You definitely made our night.