"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."
-- Mark Twain
Twain was right on the mark. The lousy weather sure compromises the pleasures of great restaurants, good people and unlikely topography.
 |
 |
|
Chef Tony Breeze's sauteed scallops are garnished with a colorful Japanese slaw. (Bill Wade, Post-Gazette) |
Several weeks ago, I found myself in a hotel room on a Sunday night at the end of a food conference. Outside, it was wet and blowing and the temperature was 55, with a 40-degree wind chill. In July, for Pete's sake. And me with no turtlenecks.
Determined to stay indoors, sort handouts and pack for home, I flipped on the television to keep me company. While surfing the dial, I clicked on a food channel. It was so refreshing to see someone besides Emeril for a change, I stayed tuned to check out what the chef was making: Beautiful brown and fancy-looking Asian marinated sea scallops with a Japanese slaw of mixed vegetables. Tremors of appetite stirred at the sight.
Then came the punchline. Chef Tony Breeze looked into the camera and said, "This entree is on the menu at Equinox, the restaurant with the 360-degree view, on the top floor right here in the Hyatt Regency Embarcadero Hotel. Enjoy." It turned out the show was on the hotel's closed-circuit channel.
Here? Upstairs? The dish sounded delicious and sampling it wouldn't require going out on this miserable night, I thought.
But I have rules. Principles. I don't eat in restaurants that revolve.
On the other hand, I was starved, as only a food professional can be starved after three days of nonstop indulgence at famous restaurants like Zuni Cafe, Postrio and Chez Panisse. Yoy, what a dilemma.
Nuts, I said. I don't care if Equinox is a merry-go-round with an organ grinder and a little brown monkey, I'm going up. And I did.
Truth be told, it wasn't so bad revolving up there on the 18th floor at all. In fact, it was delightful. I sipped champagne and watched the fog roll in down the street canyons and saw boats disappear in the fog under the Bay bridge. Charming. What was I thinking?
"I'll try that scallop dish that Chef Breeze did on the TV," I said. When the server set it before me, he said, "Enjoy." (Don't you hate that?)
The dish was worth waiting for. Big, sweet sea scallops marinated in soy sauce and ginger were threaded onto a skewer made from a stiff piece of lemon grass. They were seared in sesame oil until barely cooked through, topped with drizzles of sweet soy sauce and tangy beurre blanc. The dish was further garnished with a little pop of red caviar on each scallop, adding color, crunch and elegance. Finally everything got a shower of black sesame seeds. Beside the scallops was a confetti of slaw shredded as fine as angel hair -- shredded carrot, daikon radish, purple cabbage, red pepper and daikon sprouts, all tossed with a Japanese vinaigrette.
Chefs go overboard, of course. It 1s their job. But this dish needn't be so complicated to make. Back home, I deconstructed the recipe and losing the lemon grass skewer, beurre blanc and caviar. If you want a delicious dish for a light supper or lunch, here's how to duplicate it. If you want the plate to be more substantial, add a serving of jasmine rice. Enjoy!
Related Recipes:
Skewered Sea Scallops
Japanese Slaw
E-mail this story 
