Eating Out...While We Still Can!

Thanks in no small part to my wonderful in-laws, we've had the opportunity to have quite a few nice dinners out recently.  And we've taken advantage of this to try a few new (at least to us) places in the area:

Pampas is a Brazilian steakhouse that just opened in Palo Alto.  And I mean, it just opened -- as in, it opened on Tuesday, 4/29, and we went that weekend.  Not because we're in tune with the buzz on hot new restaurants, of course.  We went because we happened to find it on Open Table; it was in the right location and had an opening at the right time, so we went.  Neither of us had ever been to a Brazilian steakhouse before, but we both enjoyed it quite a bit and thought it would be a really fun place to go for a special event.  We each ordered the rodizio and sidebar which gives you unlimited churrasco-grilled meats and trips to the sidebar.  Considering the amount of meat you can get and the huge number of offerings on the sidebar, the $44 price tag is very reasonable.  We tried a little of each of the meats since we'd never been there before, and our favorites were the picanha, maminha, sirloin filet with garlic and herbs, and the fraldinha; now that we've sampled everything, I think we'll get more of our money's worth the next time we go.  The sidebar was extensive, but I'll admit that with all that yummy meat to try, I didn't pay too much attention to it.  I couldn't tell you what I tried off it, but everything was very good (though obviously nothing was amazing enough for me to be able to remember 1.5 weeks later!).

On Friday, we had dinner with Eric's team and their spouses at Bix.  This was my first Michelin star restaurant experience (I'd have loved to have gone to one of Gordon Ramsay's while we were in London last time, but that wasn't very practical with 3-month-old Jake in tow).  I thought it was pretty amazing, though not the best meal I've ever had.  We shared the  Firecracker Shrimp with Chile Aioli and Tuna Tartare on Olive Toasts appetizers.  The shrimp were just OK, and the aioli was the only thing that saved them from complete mediocrity.  I was a bit apprehensive about the tuna tartare given that I absolutely hate olives, but it was absolutely delicious.  And, yes, I did eat raw fish (tuna, no less) while pregnant (gasp!).  Eric and I shared the arugula salad which hit the spot for me with the earthy arugula greens, tangy citrus, and roasted hazelnuts; Eric's not a huge fan of arugula or hazelnuts and really only got it because I wanted it, but he still seemed to enjoy it.  I chose the Fresh Maine Lobster Spaghetti with Lobster Cream as my entree, and I thought it was great. I was a bit wary of getting it because I usually find spaghetti to be a bit thick and heavy, but this spaghetti was actually very light and delicate and did not overpower the delicate flavor of the lobster.  And there was lots of lobster flavor in this, too, between the lobster cream sauce and the huge chunks of claw meat (which I find to be more delicate and flavorful than tail meat).  And best of all, since Eric doesn't like lobster, I didn't even have to share any with him :)  He had the Kobe "Bavette" Steak which was really good, too.  We also shared a side of the Truffle French Fries for the table.  They were amazing, and I ate so many of them that I was actually a little self-conscious about having so many when no one else was really partaking!  For dessert, Eric and I shared the sorbet of the day which was 2 scoops of strawberry and 2 scoops of mandarin orange which was a refreshing end to an otherwise very rich dinner.  The restaurant is a cool old brick building that you enter from an alley -- very old San Francisco -- and the live music was wonderful.