Fable, San Francisco, California

I am in food heaven. Heaven. This week, work brings me to San Francisco, and I may accumulate enough awesome food experiences to support several weeks worth of blog posts. My mom had never been to San Francisco, so with the help of some miles, I took her with me.

Our first night we dined at Fable on Castro Street. The space is quaint and whimsical (think framed portraits of characters from various - wait for it  - fables and fairytales). The service was impeccable, and one of the co-owners checked in with us a couple of times. It was not intrusive, it was because he knew we wanted to chat with him about his amazing food.

The bread basket was simple, two crusty rolls with softened, salty butter (this scored huge points in my book). We started with the Caesar salad, which was served as a high pile of whole romaine leaves with croutons and a lemon wedge. The dressing was creamy, and the first taste was of lemon, followed by a hint of anchovy. Outstanding.

I had the crispy chicken with brussels sprouts and potato gratin. I rarely order chicken in a restaurant and felt a little guilty about doing so in this instance, but all that faded away with the first bite. The chicken was moist, and the skin perfectly crisp. The au jus around the plate dressed the brussels sprouts and complemented the cheesiness of the potatoes. My mom had the pork chop with cheddar cheese grits, and I can honestly say I have never had a pork chop that tasted like this. Our waitress explained that it was locally raised and organic, and was cooked medium. The meat melted in your mouth and had undertones of bacon.  I do not even possess the language to describe it adequately -- it was really that good.

For dessert, we got both the bittersweet chocolate mouse (complete with salted caramel whipped cream) and a slice of the parsnip walnut cake with cream cheese frosting. The mousse was excellent, but I was sidetracked by the cake, which was like a carrot cake, but better. The cake was moist and the parsnips added a certain spiciness. It was one of the most creative interpretations of a classic that I've had in some time. Unfortunately I couldn't finish it (so, so full), so I took the rest home and snacked on it for breakfast the next day. And it was still awesome.

Fable is a special place, where people from San Francisco eat. The menu is not extensive, but there is something for everyone, and the atmosphere is warm. This is a must on any San Francisco tour.