Classy meals served with clarity at Boulettes Larder
By: Patricia Unterman
Special to The Examiner
February 27, 2009
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| A gift to the palate: Antipasti with breaded egg is one of the exquisite options available at Boulettes Larder. (Bret Putnam/Special to the Examiner) |
SAN FRANCISCO —
"Have you seen my new purse?" asked Laurel Hood, my winemaker friend from Oregon, pointing down at her feet. Beneath the long wooden communal table at Boulettes Larder, a bath rug of gray dreadlocks covered Laurels boots.
"Oh, that’s Boulette," said our waiter, setting plates of poached partridge eggs in front of us. "She’s a puli."
The mascot, a Hungarian water dog, belongs to Amaryl Schwertner and her partner, Lori Regis. They conceived this Pandora’s pantry of artisanal foods, a showcase for unequaled local and global ingredients, transformed by Schwertner into magical dishes.
Except on Saturdays, when Ferry Plaza farmers’ market shoppers overflow the shop, Boulettes serves breakfast and lunch daily.
Those poached eggs, when broken by a fork, poured onto soft nests of string squash and chard ($15) with a crunchy golden crust. Each bite was a dream.
We couldn’t believe our good luck — eating such pure flavored and engaging food while gazing at the glittering Bay. Boulettes’ open kitchen is an island of silvery stoves, dangling copper pots and shelves filled with white china. Diners sit at a table dressed with a long Belgian linen runner and stunning bowls of flowers.
We shared a big plate of roasted marrow bones ($18), fat cylinders that yielded lots of buttery marrow for spooning onto toasted Acme bread. Vibratingly fresh parsley leaves and tiny capers sparked a warm roasted potato salad in grainy mustard dressing.
Schwertner, raised in Hungary, makes an elegant cabbage soup ($12), with double-rich pork broth garnished with a poached egg and toast heaped with warm pork rillettes, the French version of carnitas.
Dessert chef Sarah Ellsworth creates some of the best pastry in The City. A silver-dollar-sized chocolate tart ($7.50) has a miraculously crunchy, buttery, toasty crust and an intense varietal manjari chocolate filling. Chunky dried cherry and cocoa nib ice cream and sour cherry syrup pile on sensation, but the amazing crust makes it all work.
After the breakfast regulars — disgorged by the ferries — head to the office, pleasure seekers like me come in for a bowl of yogurt ($10). Yes, a bowl of yogurt. I have never tasted anything like it — expressive, creamy, house-made yogurt in a tall ceramic bowl topped with dried persimmon slices, mango, avocado and just enough caramelly Japanese sugar to balance the tartness — an edible poem.
Shaved celery, crunchy bread crumbs and aromatic celery leaves line a plate on which two plump cakes of chicken and bacon hash ($14), subtly scented with sweet spices, sit. They are creamy and dense yet fall apart at the touch of a fork. The two poached eggs on top, sprinkled with grains of sea salt, become a velvety sauce.
Little filets of house-cured local herring ($14), perfumed with coriander seeds and pickled onion — when placed on thin slices of moist, dense rye bread slathered with creme fraiche — create exciting open-face sandwiches. Small, sweet shrimp and scrambled eggs ($16), scattered with fetal spears of the first asparagus, split in half, taste like spring.
As Laurel, an agricultural prodigy and purist herself observed, the cooking has such clarity and serenity, it forces you to focus on the starting products. The flavors resonate. Boulettes Larder makes you feel that food is a gift.
Patricia Unterman is author of the San Francisco Food Lovers’ Pocket Guide and a newsletter, Unterman on Food. Contact her at pattiu@concentric.net.
Boulettes Larder
Location: 1 Ferry Building Marketplace (east side of south corridor), San Francisco
Contact: (415) 399-1155; www.bouletteslarder.com
Hours: Monday through Friday, breakfast 8 to 10:30 a.m.; lunch 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday brunch and beignets 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Price range: $7 to $18
Recommended dishes: All menus change daily but look for house-made yogurt; poached partridge eggs with chicken and bacon hash; roasted marrow bones with warm potato salad; poached eggs with vegetable gratin; all desserts
Credit cards: All major
Reservations: Accepted
