We made reservations with our good friends, Greg and Keith, to celebrate Keith’s 50th birthday at Foreign Cinema tonight … and what a treat!!  I must say, this is one of our favorite restaurants in San Francisco!  It was a pretty hip crowd tonight – young 30’something in colorful bowties; probably facebook shareholders who are enthusiastically celebrating their market debut.  It was clear…. everyone were in high spirits tonight!  We all started with a celebratory cocktail – Negroni (gin, sweet vermouth, campari bitters) and my husband had a refreshing rye whiskey Manhattan.  We proceeded with a starter — Smoked salmon, salmon caviar, ruby grapefruit, frisee, créme fraiche – so delicious!  This salad course paired nicely with the St Joseph Marsan White Rhone 2005; nice, crisp with medium alcohol.

My main course was the grilled cocoa-ajwaan kobe bavette steak, truffled potato-celery root puree, flageolet beans with Zinfandel butter.  My husband ordered the “California Mix” of lamb, squab, pork belly, couscous, confit baby eggplant, ginger raita.  The wine with the main course was a silky, mouth-filling Beaujolais Moulin à Vent 2009. We finished the evening with a melody of cheeses and coffee!

I love the food, I love the drinks, I love the ambiance, and I love the space (urban unique décor and high ceilings).  The only thing I didn’t love was the fact that we needed to flag the wait staff who gave us any eye contact for MORE wine!  My biggest pet peeve in restaurants is an empty wine glass with a full plate of food!

Otherwise, it was a top a notch dinner with great friends!  Happy birthday, Keith!