It is impossible to walk into Bisou Bistro, an unimposing restaurant at
the edge of the Castro, and not notice the red velvet. A long banquette that
runs underneath the upstairs gallery is swathed in the stuff; cherry red velvet
wraps seat cushions, the wall and the lowered ceiling in its intimate embrace.
It is cozy here, nooked below the gallery, a perfect spot for canoodling.
Tables upstairs, above the swaddled alcove, are treasured for their privacy and
their bird’s-eye view of the downstairs bar and tables.
Once seated and the specifics of the local scenery
gathered, the eye wanders to the menu. Open since 2010, Bisou recently re-did
its menu but kept a keen focus on the modern bistro fare that made it a
treasured neighborhood restaurant. Executive Chef Nicolas Ronan was raised in
France, just outside Paris, and excels at extracting subtle flavors from the
freshest of ingredients, many of them sourced from his Napa Kitchen Garden in Pope
Valley.
Served on a wooden board, salade NKG had instant eye
appeal. Microfennel, kale and orange added interest but it was the crunch of
salsify chips that etched the salad into memory. Rainbow root treat salad, too,
reconsiders the familiar textures that are hallmarks of most salads. Soft baby
turnips gave way to firmer Chioggia beets and the surprise of chilled Brussels
sprouts atop a rutabaga purée. These are salads reconsidered.
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Noix de Sanit Jacques |
Though Ronan clearly relishes the challenge of engaging
a diner’s senses while recalibrating their expectations, he can easily veer
back to French bistro classics. Boeuf Bourguignon carried all the vigor of its
ancient brethren. Glistening a deep brown from its extended bath in wine and
veal demi-glace, beef cheeks were meltingly tender and richly flavored. Mashed
potatoes, served alongside, were made from fingerlings and enriched with enough
butter to be respectable. Steak frites comes with a trio of classics sauces
(Bercy, Béarnaise, and port shallot) that would make a grandmother weep.
But it is Ronan’s modern dishes that link California to
France and anchor Bisou to the present. Noix de Saint Jacques was tiny Bay
scallops seared with a hint of vadouvan but it was the golden pea shoot sauce
that elevated the dish into a fresh, new place.
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"Kobe" steak tartare |
“Kobe” steak tartare whipped
together tableside, tasted deeply of the animal and the place it was raised – clean and fresh with a distinct minerality and smooth finish – and was updated with Tabasco and a quail egg.
Desserts are served with a flourish. A simple lemon
meringue becomes a Dreamsicle in Ronan’s hands, the layers of orange, toasted
white chocolate mousse and salted caramel garnished with a spun sugar umbrella.
Brown butter spice cake becomes peach creamed, the roasted peach and ginger Chantilly
cream warming a maple whiskey glaze.
Ronan, known as the Kissing Chef (“bisou” is French for
“kiss”), recently published an eponymously titled cookbook
and is rapidly expanding the Bisou realm. In addition to the recently opened
Napa Kitchen Garden, the Bisou Group opened the Northern California Bistronomy
Center next to the garden and SNS-Café, an Italian coffee provider, and will
open Beso, a Spanish tapas restaurant in the Castro, in short order. The Bay
Area, it seems, has marked the Kissing Chef with its own imprimateur: success.
Labels: beef bourguignon, beso, bisou bistro, bisou bistronomy, chef nicolas ronan, modern french restaurants, noix de saint jacques, san francisco restaurants