I recently attended my first Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, in San Francisco, CA. The first night we were treated to a cocktail party (that I have yet to blog about). Then we were off to the Dine About Town. Groups of bloggers each went to a different restaurant in the SF area. Prior to this event, I did not even know any other food bloggers.
Our group was quite impressive! There was my carpooling buddy- Kara, from Kara in the Kitchen– she’s a real sweetie and we bonded over our love of a particular bread! Sara, who works for the Dairy Council of CA– I told her how I consume 2 gallons of fat-free milk a week, all by myself! I buy 4 gallons a week, 2 for me & 2 for the rest of the family. Yes, I’m a milk freak and I’m not ashamed! Caitlin, who once had over 400 comments on one of her blog posts! Coco, the soft-spoken opera singer, yes, I did say Opera Singer! Last but not least, was Cat … she has a really cool job and a blog called Cous Cous Tangerine!
After the cocktail party was over, we made our way over to our restaurant, Jardiniere.
“Jardiniere, opened in 1997, is housed in a beautiful landmark building in San Francisco’s chic Hayes Valley neighborhood. Highlights of the elegant setting, designed by Pat Kuleto, include a gorgeous bar and stunning staircase. The highly refined and sensual food of Chef/Owner Traci Des Jardins is a celebration of Northern California’s best seasonal bounty prepared with classic French technique. The J Lounge features a full list of specialty cocktails and wines, and offers a variety of creative lounge food and small plates. Its proximity to the theaters makes it an excellent place to dine before or after a show.”
The restaurant is gorgeous! Definitely someplace you’d want to take a date, or celebrate a special occasion. We were seated upstairs. Our camera-shy waiter, Aaron, was very knowledgeable and guided us in our menu selections. Everything on the menu sounded great and it took us a few minutes to make up our minds. Correction: It took a few minutes for some of us to decide, I knew immediately that I wanted the Diver Scallops. (Diver Scallops, Autumn Truffles & Potato Butter, to be exact!) The ladies all decided to order several dishes and share them. I was not in a sharing mood! I knew I wanted those scallops all to myself, so I asked them if they would be offended if I ordered for myself & did not share… they were fine with it! Here are my scallops:
Yes, they were delicious! Like butta! They melted in my mouth and left me wanting more! (The last time I ate scallops at a restaurant, I encountered a couple grains of sand, such was NOT the case at Jardiniere).
I also ordered the Rabbit, prepared three ways: Loin, Confit & Leg… with bacon & mustard. Here it is:
See that portion on the far right… my, my, my… that was my fave! It had a little piece of tasty liver in it…I was in heaven! Matter of fact, we were all in Heaven! Every last one of us was licking our lips and savoring every bite.
Here are my dining buddies. These ladies are all fantastic & I really enjoyed meeting them. Even though I was the oldest… and have been blogging for the shortest amount of time; they were all very nice to me! They know tons more than me about fine dining, and I was like a sponge soaking up everything they were sharing. I’m a very shy person, so I didn’t say much throughout the night… but I had a blast! Thanks for the wonderful night, ladies.
Back to the food! Here is my Potato Mousseline, it was a huge portion; but I was able to finish it off! I could eat this all day- talk about comfort food!
The staff at Jardiniere was very attentive to our needs and even treated us to a few tasty morsels, on the house! If you are wondering what everyone else ordered, here it is. The ladies all shared this Duck dish (Breast, Confit, with turnips and apple puree).
They also enjoyed the local White Sea Bass (with tomatoes and Shelling bean stew).
Here’s a few more pics of the culinary delights that we were treated to:
Everyone knows it’s not a meal without dessert, right?! Well, check out the dessert(s) we had at Jardiniere!
They were tiny & cute and I said I was too full to try any of them… but I managed to find a wee bit of space in my full belly and I sampled most of them! It was the perfect way to top off a magnificent dinner!
Our waiter, Aaron, shared with us that Jardiniere has it’s own cheese room…so of course we had to see it! 
How cool is that?!
I want to thank Jardiniere for a night I will not soon forget. I will definitely be back with the family! I would also like to thank DailyBuzz Food & OpenTable.com for making this amazing night possible.
Jardiniere offers a Three Course Prix Fixe Meal on Monday nights, for just $49. It’s from 5:00-9:00PM. If you have a chance, pay them a visit, you will not regret it. The food is absolutely delicious!
I hope you enjoyed my visit to Jardiniere, I know I enjoyed sharing it with you all!
(I was not compensated for this post, but if Jardiniere would like me to be their guest in the future, I will gladly accept!)
