dining out

We still haven't unpacked the kitchen.

Which means we've been dining out or ordering delivery every single day for the past week. Not exactly ideal -- it's an expensive way to live (especially after a move), and you can only eat pizza so many times before you find yourself never wanting to look at a pepperoni again.

But our situation does allow us to justify trying a number of restaurants we've been curious about.

Tonight we finally made it to Le Bistro. We've heard nothing but raves about this restaurant; Yelpers love it, our co-workers love it, even The Chron gave it a nice review.

And man, does this place deserve praise: We had a fantastic meal tonight -- an every-plate-licked-clean type of experience. The restaurant itself is a teeny-tiny space (maybe 12 tables max, plus a bar that seats five), dimly lit, with a slight European feel. While it isn't make-out-in-the-corner-booth sexy like our old favorite French place in San Francisco was (for some reason, red walls have this effect), Le Bistro is definitely romantic in its own way -- lots of candlelight, you can have a conversation without yelling across the table, the timing of the courses isn't rushed, the server doesn't hover annoyingly, etc.

Then there's the menu. It's short and it isn't quite French (no onion soup, nothing made out of liver, no coq au vin), but to me this is bistro fare in the sense that it's well-priced, no-frills but still high-quality food that you can tell is prepared by a chef who knows his stuff.

We started with the tomato and red pepper soup, which was drizzled with pesto. And while neither tomatoes nor red peppers are in season right now, the flavors in this soup were just right -- I could distinguish the tomato from the red pepper, and vice versa, but at the same time, the two were melded together very nicely. For our mains, I had the parmesan-crusted tiger prawns in a pesto Champagne sauce, and he had the special -- Mahi Mahi in a beurre blanc with capers. Both were delicious, and I can't gush enough about the prawns. The parmesan crust was such a nice touch -- created great texture and a hint of saltiness. Then for dessert, we shared the chocolate pot de creme, which was accompanied by espresso gelato. So freaking good! Perfect consistency -- thicker than mousse, but not as thick as custard and still fluffy, not weighted down at all. Loved it.