An Evening at Chez TJ
This was going to my first visit to a Michelin two-star restaurant. When expectations are high, it is easy to be disappointed, but I am happy to say the restaurant more than lived up to its hype. Thank you, Mark & Deb for making this a memorable evening for me; while the food and wine were really nice, the company was especially so!
Only seven restaurants in the entire Bay Area have two Michelin stars or more. Chez TJ was awarded these stars in this year's updated Michelin Guide, after chef Christopher Kostow put Mountain View on the culinary map of the Bay Area. Within months of getting the award, Kostow who is young and ambitious decided to move on; he's now in charge of Meadowood in St. Helena. Who says only software engineers are mercenary!
Anyway, Chef Bruno Chemel, a Frenchman and much older than Kostow, seems intent on keeping the culinary flag flying high here. Having worked in Japan for a few years, Chemel does borrow some ideas, but the cuisine is very contemporary French.
The restaurant is located in a beautiful Victorian house on Castro Street that was built in the 1800s. Large glass windows look out on surrounding gardens, and rooms have been tastefully furnished to provide an old-world charm.
We decided to choose our own courses with wine pairings. The breads and amuse bouches arrived almost instantly. There was some cheese thing with caviar, melon sushi, and dried carrot on toast with some more caviar. Between courses, I also remember bits of sashimi in a tiny spoon that exploded with taste on the palate.
Our first course, the Hudson Valley foie gras trio set the stage for what was to come. The dish pairs foie gras pâté with leeks, summer truffles, a foie gras torchon and sautéed foie gras with small chunks of peach, carmelized morel, and candied strawberry. So buttery-soft delicious, rich and luxurious it left me quite overwhelmed. The pale gold 1998 Chateau La Grave, St. Croix Du Mont, France was like a dessert wine but paired well.
Two preparations of Day Boat Scallops were combined into the next dish: a creamy scallop mousse with asparagus puree that was topped with a lemon foam, and a seared scallop with lemon confit accompanied by fresh corn and morel mushrooms. This dish was amazing: the mousse melted instantly in the mouth and the seared scallop was squeaky fresh. Very subtle flavors but ones that will linger in my memory.
The lamb "four cuts" looked interesting and tasted even more so: the fatty striated belly, the confit on a piece of focaccia, the saddle with black olive crust, and the leg and tongue molded into a round. Alongside were three preparations of artichokes: a heap of crisply fried artichokes, a swatch of puree, and a baby heart on a small heap of fava beans and baby carrot. This dish was paired with a 2004 Dolcetto Diano D'Alba from Piedmont, Italy.
I have included pictures here of the other entrees: Deb's Meyer Angus Sirloin and Mishima Ranch Kobe Short Rib with a zucchini melange and cabernet reduction, and Mark's California Duck Salmis with roasted morels and apricot sauce.
They sent us a citrus palate cleanser before the desserts. Pastry chef Ryan Shelton's creations complemented Chemel's main courses. I had ordered the Pineapple Carpaccio, Spiced Cake, Vanilla Nougat, and Rum Gelee. However, the other desserts on the table looked even better. Especially the iced watermelon with lime cheesecake and licorice marshmallow. The orange mocha Trifle with mudpie and chocolate gelato looks amazing too, doesn't it? (Note: Hover your mouse over the pictures if you can't figure out which is which). My dessert was paired with a Kir Royal cocktail made of elderflower liquor and sparkling wine.
That was followed by a few other surprises, such as a little spoon of lychee 'sashimi' followed by bite-sized fruit tarts and sweets, which concluded the meal on a high note.
The waitstaff was prompt, friendly and helpful throughout. All in all, I must say that there indeed is a difference between the single-star restaurants I have visited and this one. I look forward to being back here again.
Dinner began with a sampling of their excellent sashimi bar: 
Next came the Corn Bisque with Lobster Tortelloni and Pesto Sauce. Creamy and mildly sweet with an occasional crunch of corn, this soup was a very good too. However, I am not a big soup person, so I was already waiting for my next course.
The Broiled Sake Marinated Black Cod in 
The dessert was pretty good too: Nectarine ' Panzanella' - pieces of crunchy bread - with caramel icecream and dried Shoyu. All of this with glasses of Chikurin 'Karayaka' sake, which was light and floral with subtle notes of cherry. Oh, I love this restaurant!
And yes, I did get to see 
The saffron flavored kakori kababs melted in my mouth. The biryani was very good too; lightly colored but very fragrant with succulent pieces of mutton and creamy raita on the side. But the best tonight was the multi-textured pista kulfi that was truly awesome! The kulfi was accompanied by the traditional falooda - both the vermicelli and the tapioca seed versions.
Singapore Airlines has taken care of my (only) pet peeve! Their 
I took some pictures from the sky before we landed in Seoul en route to San Francisco. It seemed to have rained hard here and there were pools of water everywhere. This was a 
I saw 
I 
The North Vietnamese Bun Rieu crab and egg dumpling soup was very good with crispy Vietnamese greens, tomatoes and very fresh clams. The Sambal Kampachi from the South was crisp and interesting. The pan-seared 
The dessert - again - was the highlight of this meal! I had ordered a Traditional Vietnamese Desset Sampler that had a cassava cake with pandan jelly, a Vietnamese coffee flan, and a tapioca pudding with jackfruit granita. The Mekong Martini I had ordered with my meal had kai lychee vodka, mango nectar, pandan syrup, lime, and black tea tapioca balls. Exotic!
All in all, this is a very classy restaurant. Both restaurant and bar areas have been thoughtfully designed with a contemporary but oriental ambiance. They have very friendly waiters and the service here has always been excellent. 
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And finally, 
About nine years back, when I was still unsure of accepting the job offer in Pune, my future employers offered to fly me and my wife here for a week so we could see the place. It was the rainy season and we were captivated. Coming from Delhi, the greenery, the clear blue skies, and the hills in the distance seemed like paradise. While nine years later, the skies are a little less blue, and the greenery within the city has given way to ugly buildings, we still have large tracts of forests and hills within an hour's drive in any direction.
Last weekend we drove out to the hills near the 
It was wonderful to spend the day together with our families in the fresh outdoor air (a rare commodity now for urban Indians). It kept drizzling throughout, but that only added to the charm. I even got to fly a kite after ages! Food was simple but we loved it after having worked up an appetite with the long walks. And nothing like some pakoras with hot tea on a rainy evening.
On our way back, we saw villagers planting rice in their field. We also stopped to see if we could get close to some peacocks which ran across the road and into the dense jungles. It was a lot of fun, especially for the kids! Related Posts:
