Blog by: Maelynn Le
10 December 2022
All photos were taken by Maelynn Le (unless noted)
Photo by: Bhadri
LUCE is a contemporary restaurant located at the InterContenential Hotel in Downtown San Francisco, CA. It is known for serving contemporary Medditarianian cuisine with European Influences. This restaurant has been awarded one Michlin Star and has won the “Best of Award of Excellence” from Wine Spectator magazine. LUCE also has been featured in many local Bay Area and San Francisco news articles and magazines. Dennis Efthymiou, chef de cuisine, has created a brand-new six-course tasting menu. Chef Dennis focuses on obtaining products from small-production Californian vendors for his modern Mediterranean and European-inspired tasting menu. Luce (meaning “light” in Italian) possesses a legendary reputation for serving superb food and is a center for modern Mediterranean cuisine. I got to experience a 6-course tasting menu at LUCE and I have never seen dishes so beautiful as the ones here.
The 6-course (vegetArian) tasting menu includes the following:
Small Bites
Leek Spinach ricotta
Tartlet with corn and peas
Artichoke cheesecake
Butter (Comes with bread)
Seaweed
Regular
Smoked paprika
Main Courses
Daikon radish with hazel nut and white chocolate Yuzu
Farro with Caramelized onions and onion chips
Asparagus lasagna
Saffron risotto with maiatoki
Horse radish curd with Fried tapioca
Dessert
Grape and yogurt
Textures of Chocolate
Layered chocolate cake
Photo: Tartlet with corn and peas
The small bites are typically what you start with in contemporary restaurants. My favorite small bite was their artichoke cheesecake because it was sweet and creamy. There was some bitterness in that as well I most certainly enjoyed. Overall, All of the small bites were very elegant and that was a great first impression. Even the presentation for the small bites was very modern as well. I also got some bread in butter. My first impression was I didn’t even know that was butter at first because of how stylish it looked. The smoked paprika was my favorite because there was a bit of a kick to the butter. Unfortunately, I couldn’t taste the seaweed flavor of the seaweed butter as I think it needed more seaweed flavorful. I also thought that one needed to have a bit more salt like the regular butter flavor. Overall, this was a great way to start the perfect dinner.
Daikon radish with hazel nut and white chocolate Yuzu
The main course dishes I have never seen before. All of the dishes were so beautiful and the presentation was very contemporary. I tend to eat with my eyes first, and first impressions are crucial. Taste-wise, the daikon radish with hazelnut and white chocolate yuzu was very lucious. The sauce was beautiful and I love the hazelnut texture. You need to taste everything in one bite to get the dish’s full experience. I also really liked the Asparagus lasagna because it was a light creamy dish that was tasty. I think this is my personal preference but I think the asparagus needed to be cooked longer as it was a bit too crunchy for me. The farro with caramelized onions and onion chips was looking like a piece of art. The farro was nicely constructed and I love the plate they chose for the dish. The texture of the farro was delightful and thick. I love the onions as well as they gave the dish color and texture. I think it could have used a bit more salt to make the dish better but overall, the execution was there.
Photo: Grape yogurt with sponge cake
Dessert was probably my favorite course of the evening. My favorite one would have to be this grape and yogurt with sponge cake! Make sure you eat it fast or else it melts right In front of you. The grape yogurt with sponge cake was so light as I don’t like heavy desserts too much. The grape had a nice sweet-tart flavor and the moose was light. The sponge cake wasn’t too heavy and the addition to the leave was perfect for texture and presentation. Normally I don’t like chocolate, however, I like the texture of chocolate. The textures of chocolate include rainier cherries, and chantilly Cream, with a nice chocolate sauce. The chocolate was surprisingly light and it was all so delicate as I liked it. If you are a chocolate fan, you probably will love the textures of chocolate. I also got a layered chocolate cake as it was my birthday.
Overall, Luce is a defined restaurant and the dishes were composed of fresh ingredients with a modern flair. The service was exceptional and the food was above and beyond. I would love to come back to Luce to try more of their seasonal menu. Thank you, Samir and the Luce tea, for making my birthday special with your great service and food.
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