Bar Tartine, Friday, January 18th

I had wanted to dine at Bar Tartine since it opened, but hadn't had the chance. My friend, Alex, also hadn't been there, so we decided to make a night of it. We had an 8:30pm reservation and were hungry when we arrived. Had I written down what I had eaten closer to when I dined, I would have retained more of the flavors, but I'll do my best. We ordered in 3 courses and shared each dish. We ordered the Westwood 2000 Hanyes Vineyard Pinot Noir, a delicious and smooth wine that complimented the meal straight through. For $55, this is one of the most delicious pinots I've maybe ever had. Our first course was a little gem salad with beets, hazelnuts, chevre & a citrus vinegarette and the grilled sardines with blood orange on a bed of frisee with a creamy dressing. Both dishes were good, but were not my favorite of the meal. I found the sardine dish to be a bit small, with only four small sardine fillets, but the blood orange pairing did provide a bright flavor to the dish. Our second course was the Marin Sun Farms Marrow and Grilled Bread with persillade (parsley & garlic, minced) and arugula salad. I had never had marrow before, and to be honest didn't have a lot of interest in trying it, but was feeling adventurous and trusted the quality of Bar Tartine's products. The plate had 4 pieces of marrow, each topped with a bit of persillade, and were served with a demitasse spoon. With the tiny spoon, you scoop out a bit of the marrow and spread it on the grilled bread. Although the flavors were rich and buttery, it was surprisingly light with a subtle beef undertone. I was only disappointed at the seemingly small amount of marrow that was in the bonees we were served. For our 3rd course we had the veal cheeks and the squid sauteed with pork belly. Both of these dishes were delicious and the portions were substantial. The cheeks were incredibly delicate and fell apart in your mouth. The squid was tender and deliciously paired with the pork belly. Despite being a little bit expensive, I had a delicious meal and great service at Bar Tartine. I would definitely consider going back, if even just to sit at the bar and share a bottle of wine and a couple appetizers.