CoCo's Crawfish

2335 Irving Street @ 25th Street

What can be better on a first date then a big messy pile of boiled crawfish eaten out of a plastic bag? Well, probably a lot of things, but CoCo's Crawfish did not disappoint when it came to delivering an extremely tasty (although pretty pricey) meal.

When it comes to taste, CoCo has figured out a great blend of savory, sweet and spice in their crawboil mix. When we received the bag filled to the brim with several pounds of crawfish, kielbasa sausage, gulf shrimp and corn, the aroma from the combination of delectibles was in fact that... delectable. The tables are covered with white paper and diners are encouraged to make a mess and leave the shells strewn all over the tables. They even give you a plastic bib with a picture of the featured crustacean you are about to consume 20 times over.





Overall, the dinner was great. The crawfish were very tasty, although each crawfish yielded minimal edible meat for as big as they were. The shrimp were also very tasty and in my opinion, the best value since their shell to meat ratio is very favorable. Both of these shellfish can be seasoned with squirts of lime married with salt and pepper. Little dipping bowls of melted butter and garlic can be purchased for an additional $0.60 and are well worth it.

Corn and sausages are sold for $0.60 each (we see a pattern emerging) and were the perfect accompaniment to the other shellfish. One thing that CoCo's does not deliver on is fillers. With the flavorful broth, we were disappointed to hear that they did not provide any crusty bread (or any starch for that matter) to sop up the sweet and spicy nectar on the bottom of the bag. Our theory is that they leave these fillers out, forcing diners to order more of the expensive stuff.



We also did order a dozen oysters while we waited for members of EFB to show up (which they never did), which were pretty disappointing. The oysters were not very well shucked with broken meat and a lot of shell mixed with the oyster. Also, a mixture of what we believe is hot sauce and horseradish was not that satisfying and for the price, this was not a great value compared to other alternatives.

We did not try the Dungeness crab, but looking at other diners who were fortunate enough to order that dish, it looked extremely fresh and tasty.

Ambiance was very lacking at this establishment. Besides the festive bibs, there was no music, poor lighting, and the restaurant was pretty empty and quiet, amplifying any silence in the conversation. Besides consuming large quantities of messy shellfish, CoCo's is probably not the ideal location to win over members of the opposite sex.

Overall, the experience was a memorable and delicious one. The tab after three rounds of beers and a bucket load of shellfish, corn and sausage came out to $55 a person, a bit higher than we were expecting. We all decided that we would easily go back, and armed with what we know now, we figure that our tab would net out much lower than our introductory experience.

Food: Three and a half beltloops
Service: Check/Check minus (knowledgeable staff, not the friendliest and could have checked in with us more often when our beers were running low)
Ambiance: Check minus
Price: The wise man can find value here, the simpleton will leave with nothing

Bocadillos

710 Montgomery Street @ Jackson (Financial District)

As soon as we checked out the menu of Bocadillos and saw an entire section dedicated to 'Innards', we knew that we came to the right place. After a few sangrias at the bar, we dove right into the menu. The first small dish we ordered was the sorano ham and manchego cheese platter. The sorano ham was a perfect combination of sweet and salty and the cheese was earthy and peppered with crystalized buds of cheese, giving it a great texture.

We then moved to the fois gras roll, again with sorano ham, and when these two incredible ingredients were mixed together, the result was a bit too rich and salty. The lamb chops with pear apple chutney was an excellent second course, though the limited number of chops made this dish a bad choice for sharing.

We then dove into the calamari with and the patatas bravas, both spanish tapas staples served with romesco sauce. Though we all enjoyed the dish (and love anything that's fried), the romesco sauce coupled with the fried food proved to be a bit heavy and too rich when eaten side by side.

One of our final dishes was a play on the deviled egg, chilled prawns with 'huevos diablo'. This was a refreshing way to end the meal. The shrimp was perfectly cooked and quite tender, and the combination of pimento, paprika, egg yolks and seasonings proved to be light and exemplified Spanish flavor.

Food: Four beltloops
Service: Check Plus (one of the cooks was quite taken by Michi, which got us two dishes on the house)
Ambiance: Check Plus
Price: Impress your date and not go into debt, win win.

Murasaki

211 Clement St. between 3rd & 4th (Inner Richmond)

Omakase. The literal translation of this Japanese culinary term means "in the chef's hands" where the head chef creates a multi-course meal (usually between 6-12 courses) using the freshest ingredients available that day. At Murasaki, this pre-fixe meal did not disappoint. The menu of the day included ten great dishes at a premium cost of $70.

The meal started off with a simple dungeness crab salad with romaine lettuce and dressed with a tangy peanut dressing. This was a great starting dish that whet our appetites, but the task of cracking through crab legs in a salad proved to be a little troublesome.

The next course of the evening was a sashimi boat that showcased eight different types of raw seafood. The highlights were the amaebi (sweet raw shrimp) and the butterfish which were both impeccably fresh and tasty. This was closely followed by a platter of maki-sushi (sushi rolls). The maki-sushi course included a dragon roll (cucumber, unagi - freshwater eel, and avocado), tempura roll (shrimp tempura and cucumber), and tekka-maki (tuna roll). The rolls were good but nothing to write home about. And because the sashimi boat took almost twenty minutes to finish, by the time we got to the maki-sushi rolls, they had become soggy.

The next dish was a baked black bass in a cream sauce, very non-traditional Japanese. The only hint of Japanese influence was the nameko mushrooms that accompanied the fish. The dish was rich and delicious, but also a bit awkward considering the progression of the courses.

Fried shrimp heads of the amaebi sashimi came next. Though packed with flavor, we felt that the heads weren't coated with enough corn starch making the shell a too tough to eat whole. My favorite Japanese home-style dish followed - chawanmushi. This egg custard blended with dashi broth, mushrooms, seafood, and topped with tobiko (flying fish roe) was a great family style dish and was a first for many members of EFB.

The home stretch of dishes were by far the highlight of the entire meal. Starting with the Blue-Fin Toro (tuna) nigiri sush, the texture of the fatty fish was buttery and extremely tender. The entire group fell silent to savor the delicate nature of the fish. It was, by far, one of the best pieces of sushi we have eaten. This was soon followed by unagi-nigiri sushi (freshwater eel) which embodied a sweeter taste and a firmer texture than the unagi typically consumed at other sushi restaurants, a clear indicator of its quality.

The savory portion of the meal concluded with tea kettles of clear seafood soup. We were all surprised at the subtle taste of the broth and the discovery of an array of the tasty crustaceans hidden in the tea kettle itself. Although the shellfish in the kettle was a little tough, the imaculate broth more than made up for it.

Finally, a simple green tea custard capped off the evening. The custard was not sweet at all, but the bitterness of the green tea was really refreshing and a splendid way to finish the meal.

Food: Three and a half beltloops
Service: Check
Ambiance: Check Minus (a little too quiet inside)
Price: Hot date to Birthdays/Anniversaries only

Cheapeau!

1408 Clement St (@ 14th Ave.)

Nestled in the Outer Richmond, many members of the Ethnic Feedbag (EFB) walked by Cheapeau several times before realizing the hidden storefront's only sign: several pieces of computer paper scotch taped together with the name of the restaurant simply written in Sharpie. However, as soon as we entered, we were surprised to see white linen tables with a very professional and attentive wait staff. As soon as we were seated, we immediately felt comfortable in the cozy atmosphere.

The menu is a three course meal where diners can choose their own combinations of first, second, and desert courses for a fixed price of $38. Some first and second course selections would constitute an additional charge of up to $8, such as the seared fois gras on toasted brioche, paired with an aperitif, a rich and buttery way to start the meal. The spirit chosen to accompany the fois was a perfect pairing.

What struck every member of our table was the premier second course - a roasted prime rib for two served with four sauces (including a truffle sauce) and roasted bone marrow. Though this too warranted an extra $16 between two people, the dish did not disappoint. The head chef wheeled a cart with a cutting board to our table and sliced the prime rib for us table side, emulating the big silver carts of a House of Prime Rib. The bone barrow was stuffed with thyme and a bay leaf, however the herbs did not permeate much in the decadent fatty marrow.

We did not think that any desert would be able to match this deliciously glutenous meal, however, we were surprised again. Mixed diced fruit with small cubes of basil infused jello was surprisingly good and very refreshing.

With a couple of beers and bottles of wine (not forgetting the added costs of the fois gras and prime rib/bone marrow extravaganza), the total per person hovered around $100. However, Cheapeau delivered an extremely memorable meal and we would recommend it to anyone who is willing to splurge.


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Food: Four Beltloops
Service: Check Plus
Ambiance: Check Plus
Price: For Birthdays/Anniversaries only

Ethnic Feedbag

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