Aziza! When my parents asked us what we wanted for Christmas this year, we said "experiences".  They surprised us with gift certificates to a couple of restaurants in San Francisco.  On Friday night, February 13, we cashed in on one of them.  It was the perfect way to celebrate the seventh anniversary of our engagement.  We always like to go out and do something special, and this year may have topped them all with dinner at Aziza.   Sprouted Lentil Croquets with a fancy jam

Abbie and Patrick had dined at Aziza a couple of years ago and haven't been able to stop raving about it since.   We now can understand why. We took advantage of the special occasion and splurged on the Tasting Menu.  Never before had we eaten at a Michelin restaurant or participated in a tasting menu.  The combination was incredible.   The entire meal was a very memorable experience.  We were there for nearly three hours and consumed 12 impeccably presented and deliciously amazing plates.   Our evening at Aziza is one we will always remember.

Mt. Lassen Trout Souse Vide with Compressed Fennel, Horseradish Creme Fraiche with Bone Marrow We haven't been able to stop thinking about the meal.   And since I don't want to forget the details about what made this meal so unique and amazing - I'm capturing the essence of each plate here.   Feel free to stop reading at any point.   

The first three plates were "snacks".   The initial snack was a plate of crispy beet leaves flavored in garlic salt and other middle eastern/Moroccon spices.  The second was raw oysters served with compressed fennel in cilantro oil.  I do not do raw fish, especially raw oysters- but on this occasion, I did and was really surprised by how good it was.  I could have done without the oyster texture, but the flavors were unbelievable.  The third and final snack were sprouted lentil croquets served in a bowl of river stones.   Everything that came out of the kitchen was beautiful.  Our next two dishes were a "salad" and "soup".   Lee Enjoying his basteeya I think classifying them as such may be a bit of an insult...  The first was a plate with beets, hazelnut and rye crumbs and the smallest balls of asian pears I've ever seen.  The soup may have been my favorite dish of the night.  The bowl first appeared with three foie gras mousse dollops in a bowl with warm, crispy seeds of all types.  Then, the server mixed in sunchoke soup -- everything melted together and it was heavenly!  The next four plates comprised the main entrees.   The first was a Mt. Lassen trout served with compressed fennel and bone marrow and was exquisite -- this one was probably Lee's favorite.  The couscous and almonds that followed was the best couscous I've ever had.  Then there was the duck basteeya -- more or less a Moroccan pot pie, only the tasting menu served it rolled up in phyllo dough.   The last was the squab served with parsnip puree.   Matcha Sponge Cake with White Chocolate, Lime Cream and Elderberry Gel It was my first squab and nothing may ever compare.   Our meal concluded with three dessert plates.  The first of the three was my favorite -- black currant mousse served with tarragon ice cream and walnut cake.  The second was slightly more unusual -- matcha sponge cake, lime cream, elderflower gel and white chocolate.  We commented multiple times on how remarkable it is that a chef can assemble such varied ingredients and create a plate that incites so many wonderful flavors and reactions in ones mouth. The dinner concluded with three little pastries - a red tea pate de fruit, shortbread cookie with carmalized pear and a blood orange marshmallow.

It was an absolutely perfect evening.