Erin and I are working on tighter budgeting, eating out less, all that good stuff. We’ve been pretty good since coming home after Christmas. Going out to eat has become something we plan and budget for; it should be an event, not an excuse to not cook on a lazy night.
To that end, for Valentine’s weekend, we booked ourselves two dining experiences.
Last fall we took my sister and her partner to the lovely restaurant Waterbar when they visited the city. It’s along the Embarcadero with a view of the bay. It was a phenomenal evening. There’s something special about taking the time to act fancy, if you will, and savor the time in a nice restaurant.
Next door is a sister restaurant, EPIC Steak, which has been high on our list to visit. Erin decided to make reservations there for Valentine’s weekend. We had an excellent experience there.
It was my first time being at a steakhouse in the modern sense, where sides are abundant and meant to be shared. We had truffled cauliflower; a scalloped potato dish called “Julia’s Potatoes”, after Julia Child; and some fantastic french fries. Erin got filet mignon, while I had a ribeye. The restaurant was gorgeous with a nighttime view of the Bay Bridge lit up in white. We spent nearly two hours there, which aligns with another longstanding goal of ours: if we eat somewhere fancy, try to stay there longer than you would an Applebee’s or something equivalent.
The night before, we did something more on a whim. I received an email from Redwood Grill down in Redwood City, about a half our from where we are. I had received my first two COVID vaccinations at a Rite-Aid there, and after the second shot we decided to eat at this restaurant. So, nine or so months later, I’m faced with a marketing email talking about their new “barrel room”, and a special event happening only two nights: a four-course menu with a paired wine tasting.
Admittedly I’m no fan of wine, but it was a cool opportunity close by, and I knew Erin would love the experience, so I bought tickets. There were only 40 available each night due to the small size of the room, and presumably COVID restrictions.
Two things stood out: I had a wine I actually enjoyed, and everyone agreed that the food portions were fair, even immense, compared to more typical wine tastings. A good beet salad; butternut squash ravioli with scallops; a healthy New York strip steak with celery root puree, 1As I learned, these are basically mashed potatoes.2 with chili prawns on texas toast as a side; and a rum chocolate cake with dark chocolate gelato, almond brittle, and cherry compote. Wow.
Although I only enjoyed a single wine out of the four, it was worth doing. The most amusing part is that, evidently, the culture around driving and probably San Francisco itself led us to be quite the set of celebrities in this restaurant. Not only were we the youngest people there by 10 or 15 years, we drove 35 minutes in from the city, which everybody working there wanted to talk to us about. We had thought nothing of it, but I guess I’m happy to make someone’s evening.
These meals confirmed how I want to shift our approach to eating out. That doesn’t mean spending hundreds of dollars if we go out, but rather focus on new restaurants, places where we can enjoy our time and the food. I want to avoid the commoditization of meal time if possible, and I think we’re on the right path.
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