Lobster for the price of the year

It's that time of year again at the Walnut Creek Yacht Club: For the entire month of January, the Yacht Club is offering a Lobster entree: Pound and a Half Lobster, boiled or grilled, with coleslaw and French Fries...for the price of this year. There are no substitutions, but for $20.12, who can complain?

Walnut Creek Yacht Club serves the freshest and tastiest seafood that I can find in most of the Bay Area.

For those who want lobster, you must order your lobster at least a day ahead. The Yacht Club does not have a lobster tank and needs to arrange with its supplier to deliver what they need each day.

And, if some in your party do not want lobster in January, the entire menu is being served as well.

The menu changes daily depending of what fresh fish arrives that day.

Five of us dined on lobster at the Yacht Club this weekend.



All but Mary Ann decided to have our lobsters grilled. None of us had ever had grilled lobster before...it's a bit drier and has a smokey flavor. I enjoyed mine but was frustrated that the little tentacles that have tiny morsels of meat in them were too burned to leave any meat. Those who don't dig out every drop of lobster meat actually preferred the grilled lobster.

The Yacht Club is open every day except Sunday for lunch and dinner...remember, January is half over and after that, you will be paying market price for your lobster dinner (still worth it but, this is a very special deal).

A Note on the Photos: Much as I love my iPhone, its camera does not give as good results as my "real" digital camera, particularly for photos in low light. But, that's all I had with me the other evening. My apologies for the grainyness and the greenish hue.

ANNUAL LOBSTER SPECIAL @ WC YACHT CLUB!

January is a traditionally slow month for restaurants.

For many many years (as long as I can remember and I've been a customer since they opened in 1997), the Walnut Creek Yacht Club has offered a lobster dinner for the price of the year. So, this January, a 1 1/4 lb. Lobster, with Regatta Fries (garlic fries), Cole Slaw, and Drawn Butter (no substitutions) is priced at $20.11! Your only choice is whether you want your lobster boiled or broiled.

Drinks, appetizers, other side dishes, and desserts are extra.

Every year we go and this year was no exception.

And, every year, we all have lobster and a lot of fun.





The four of us shared Fried Calamari to start (no photo) and the Commodore's Sundae for dessert.

Sharing the huge sundae for dessert was a good plan; it consists of Chocolate Ice Cream, Vanilla Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce, Caramel Sauce, Whipped Cream, Toasted Almonds, and two Cherries. Yum!



You are not required to have lobster, even in January, at the Yacht Club. In fact, if you want lobster any time of year, including January, you must request it at least a day before your meal there. All the fish at the Walnut Creek Yacht Club is fresh and the selection varies daily. It's my favorite seafood restaurant in Contra Costa County.

If you do want to take advantage of the January lobster special, you have until January 31. Reservations are a must!

Note: the Yacht Club is closed on Sunday.

Bon Appetit!

AN EVENING AT S F SYMPHONY

We attended our last San Francisco Symphony performance for this season...Berg's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra and Schubert's Mass No. 6 in E-Flat Major, D.950. Gil Shaham was the guest violin soloist. MTT was conducting.

We started the evening with dinner at Hayes Street Grill.



We've been dining regularly at Hayes Street Grill since it opened in San Francisco 30 years ago. We've never been disappointed and whenever I am asked for a recommendation for a fish restaurant in San Francisco, I always recommend Hayes Street.

Through the years, they've kept the formula simple: several fresh grilled fish every day, served with a side of French Fries and your choice from about half a dozen sauces. Their menu also includes several other fish dishes, a nice selection of first courses, and desserts. It is at Hayes Street that I first tasted Crème Brûlée and it remains on the dessert menu to this day...try as I might, I cannot duplicate this dessert at home, but am happy to enjoy it at the restaurant.

So, we started with a shared Grilled Squid and Artichoke Salad.



Jim order Petrale Sole



and I chose Cataplana, a Portuguese Seafood Stew.



Both dishes were perfection. Even though J is watching his sugar consumption, he could not keep his eyes off the huge Hot Fudge Sundaes that kept passing by our table...while I prefer the Crème Brûlée for dessert, their sundae, made with housemade hot fudge is his weakness. He mentioned to our waiter how much he wishes he could have a sundae and the waiter took pity on him and made up a mini version for him.



Is this a happy man, or what?



Then, it was on to Davies Symphony Hall. The lobby was busy with music lovers enjoying drinks, light meals, and conversation.



At intermission, it was still light outside and I noticed how pretty City Hall across the street looked through the lobby windows.




As for the concert, I knew we were going to be musically challenged when MTT started the evening by talking about the Berg piece and its 12-tone scale. He played several examples and it all made sense, but once the piece started, I could not detect what he has described. The Schubert was more comprehensible and magnificent.

LOBSTER 2009!

Yes, that's a lobster dinner you see here. And, yes, it is 2009. What's the connection?

Once a year, Walnut Creek Yacht Club, certainly the best seafood restaurant in Contra Costa County, and maybe the entire San Francisco Bay Area, features a lobster dinner for the cost of the year. So, for $20.09, during the month of January, that's the price.



It's at least a 1 1/4 pound lobster, boiled or grilled, served with French Fries, Cole Slaw, and drawn butter. We went last week and I am sure our lobsters weighed more than a pound and a half.

Since the Yacht Club gets its fish fresh every day and does not have a lobster tank, it is essential to order your lobster at least a day ahead. Of course, if lobster is not your thing, the Yacht Club has many fresh fish selections each day...everything is wonderful here.

To start, I suggest the Clam Chowder which is the best I've tasted west of Maine.



Just another 10 days for the $20.09 lobster, so make a reservation. Remember, next year, the price will be $20.10. And, for the rest of the year, a lobster is priced at market price.

JUST FOR THE HALIBUT AT SPENGER'S IN BERKELEY

Last week we were invited to a special dinner at Spenger's Fresh Fish Grotto to celebrate the beginning of the Halibut season.



Spenger's got its start in Berkeley in 1890 as a crab stand and bar owned by Johann Spenger. The restaurant grew to be one of the San Francisco Bay Area's most popular restaurants. For many years, it had its own fishing fleet. When we arrived in the Bay Area in the 1970's, we quickly discovered Spenger's. At that time, reservations were not accepted. Many a Sunday, J and I would grab the Sunday newspaper and head over to Spenger's for a long wait to be seated. This was part of eating at Spenger's...we would hang out in the bar, reading our newspaper, sipping a beer or a glass of wine, and wait the hour or more to be seated. Once seated, often at a communal table, we were pretty much assured that within an hour, we'd have completed our meal and would be on our way home, having enjoyed the freshest seafood that any restaurant in the area served. In those "good old days," Spenger's did not serve desserts and might not have even served coffee. All I remember was that once I finished my main course, I got my check and was expected to not linger...someone else was patiently awaiting a table.

Over the years, the Fourth Street area of Berkeley, where Spenger's is located, just north of University Avenue, changed...it got redeveloped and gentrified. Spenger's carried on, always under family ownership, until 1998, when Johann's grandson, Frank "Bud" Spenger Jr., closed the family restaurant because it was losing money.

The good news is that, in 2000, McCormick & Schmick, a Portland, Oregon, chain of seafood restaurants, took over the ownership of Spenger's and reopened a slightly remodeled version of the original. Eight years later, Spenger's continues to thrive in Berkeley. The menu has been a bit updated, reservations are now accepted, and, yes, you can order dessert and coffee after your meal and are not rushed out as soon as you put your fork down. Part of the "deal" that McCormick & Schmick made in their acquisition of Spenger's was that Bud Spenger and his wife Millie could continue to live in their home above the restaurant. Bud Spenger passed away in 2003. I am not certain, but I think some Spenger family members still reside above the restaurant.



Now, back to the Halibut dinner. Our four-course meal was paired with a different Clos du Bois wine for each course.

The first course was a Halibut Medallion topped with Smoked Prawn Mousse.



It was garnished with the chef's special Lemon Garmalade, Vanilla Bean, and Pimento. The wine was a 2006 Sauvignon Blanc.

Next came a Roulade of Poached Halibut, Prosciutto, and Basil, which was served chilled.



Notice how incredibly white the poached Halibut is. The plate was garnished with a Baby Arugula salad dressed with a Cassis dressing. A Goat Cheese Crouton finished off the plate. We sipped the Clos du Bois 2005 Reserve Pinot Noir with this course.

Our final Halibut course was Halibut Cheek au Poivre Noir. Yes, this really is the cheek of the Halibut...it is a bit more stringy than the other cuts of Halibut, but, for my taste, this was the most flavorful of the three Halibut dishes. The addition of black pepper provided some added spice.



This dish was garnished with Grilled Portabella mushrooms, Fingerling potatoes, and Creamed Leeks. The wine selection was a 2004 Marlstone.

This delightful meal ended with a very traditional dessert: Cherries Jubilee served over Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. The chef flambéed an entire pan of Bourbon-Soaked Sun-Dried Cherries, enough for the 40 or 50 people who attended the dinner, in the center of the dining room...very impressive and a wonderful throwback to the time when most fancy "Continental Cuisine" restaurants featured this dessert on their menu. The wine to accompany dessert was the 2004 Briarcrest Cabernet Sauvignon.

I don't get to Spenger's as often as I used to when there were few restaurants that served truly fresh fish. I've never been to one of their special wine dinners until this Halibut dinner last week. After, this enjoyable meal, I know I will be returning soon.

The regular menu continues to feature many of the traditional dishes that made Spenger's the famous restaurant that it is..My old favorites, the Shrimp Scatter, Fried Shrimp with French Fries, Cole Slaw, and Tartar Sauce, and the Captain's Platter with its assortment of Fried Fish, along with the Cole Slaw, Fries, and Tartar Sauce, are still being served. As is the Griddled Calamari Steak "Dore Style." The menu, which changes daily, offers about half a dozen fresh Grilled seasonal fish, Oysters on the half shell, and an excellent Seafood Cobb Salad.

Through the Halibut Season, which lasts through October, I am betting than some of the dishes I sampled last week, will be featured on the menu.

And, about Halibut, given that Salmon fishing has been canceled this year in California, why not give fresh wild Halibut a try? Could wild Halibut be the "new" wild Salmon for 2008?

Lobster Rolls with HG

Got together with HG this week while she is home on Spring Break. I suggested that we lunch at the new Yankee Pier that opened in Lafayette CA in January.
I've been a fan of Yankee Pier since chef Bradley Ogden opened his first San Francisco Bay Area New England-style fish house, several years ago in Larkspur CA.
As a former New Englander, I cannot pass up the Lobster Roll...a marvelous lobster salad sandwich, made with freshly-boiled Maine Lobster. The cold salad mixture is simple...a bit of mayonnaise and chopped pickle. It is packed into a warm, just-griddled top-loading hot dog bun and served in a paper-lined basket with housemade potato chips and cole slaw. Every time I have one, I think I am back in Maine...what brings me back to reality is that the servers don't have New England accents!!!
t any rate, HG has never had a Lobster Roll and my enthusiasm convinced her that she, too, had to try one. She came to the restaurant thinking Fish and Chips...also a good choice...but was easily persuaded.

We finished off this lovely lunch with a shared order of warm fresh fruit Crisp topped with a scoop of Vanilla Bean ice cream.

In the rare instance that I don't order a Lobster Roll at Yankee Pier, I choose the Fried Ipswich Clams...another authentic New England dish.

The one down side to the Lobster Roll is its price...at $19.95, I only indulge occasionally.

Yankee Pier features a wide selection of fish, prepared numerous ways...also salads and even a burger, steak and chicken for non-fish eaters who get dragged here with people like me, who am always up for really good fresh fish.

During lunch the other day, the manager stopped by our table to chat. With this restaurant being just a few months old, he is still trying to figure out how much fish to order for each day...some days he does run out of items before the restaurant closes.

Other Yankee Pier locations are in Larkspur, San Jose at Santana Row, and in the United Terminal at San Francisco International Airport.

Dinner at Sea Salt in Berkeley

The owners of Lalime's in Berkeley, Haig and Cindy, Krikorian opened Sea Salt over two years ago, but tonight was my first time to dine here. The emphasis at Sea Salt is on fresh fish.
Located in a quiet part of San Pablo Avenue, the restaurant serves lunch weekdays, weekend brunch, and nightly dinner. The ambiance is casual, the food fresh; the menu changes daily.


To start, I ordered a salad of Roasted Baby Beets which was garnished with a tahini lemon vinaigrette, mint, yogurt and sumac. Jim's starter was a bowl of White Clam Chowder. My Beet dish could easily have been shared by two. Jim, the New England Clam Chowder expert in our family, declared his chowder to be as good at those served at his other favorite places Walnut Creek Yacht Club and Yankee Pier.
For our main courses, we both chose from the Smaller dish part of the menu. Jim's Steamed Prince Edward Island Mussels were served in a stainless steel bowl. There were at least two dozen mussels in a tasty broth with lots of toasted bread.
My Grilled California Squid

was served over Gigande Beans...delicious.
Only I ordered dessert, choosing one of the cheeses...Pantaleo, a goat cheese from Sardinia...It was served with two generous slices with toasted walnut bread, slices of poached pears, and toasted Marcona almonds...this serving also was large enough to share...Jim took a few tastes.Sweet desserts included a Meyer Lemon Tart and a Brownie Sundae.
Sea Salt is a very "Berkeley" restaurant in that most of the clientele seemed to come from the community...many most likely associated with the University.
The menu is small and I expect some less adventurous diners might feel intimidated by it and have a hard time deciding what and how to order. Even I was not ready to risk not liking the Torchon of Monkfish Liver, which our server described as a sort of foie gras of fish liver. Another time maybe. But the Seared Arctic Char, the Grilled Hawaiian Swordfish, and the Fish and Chips all were tempting offerings among the Larger dishes. I know my friend Mort will be delighted to know that they feature Fried Whole Smelts.