Absinthe; 398 Hayes Street; (415) 551-1590. www.absinthe.com. This French brasserie in Hayes Valley is steeped in a retro Paris atmosphere. I felt as if I were transported to a movie set a la belle epoque, with its burgundy walls reminiscent of a bordello. I walked with my new friend, Paul, from the Herbst Theater after the American debut performance of Russian (Ukrainian) tenor, Vladimir Kuzmenko whose voice was in top form: powerful, disciplined, splendiferous. Verdi, Puccini, Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Donizetti never sounded better. He gave us an encore: O Sole Mia!
The Gallic-Med fare at Absinthe was less satisfying. As my dining companion, Paul, pointed out, you have got to be a little suspicious of a French bistro which has spaghetti on the menu. Paul is a "computer doctor" who has been dividing his time between Chicago and San Francisco for a decade. He loves the theater, as do I, and we made a date to see The Imaginary Invalid by Moliere in June at ACT.
We settled on the coq au vin. A bad choice. It was ordinary, and unfortunately left a bad taste in our mouths. Leftovers from the night before? I think so.
I love halibut but the kitchen had served its last portion at 7:00 p.m. on a Sunday night, which suggests haphazard planning in the kitchen.
Our waiter discoursed on the benefits of the digestive, Fernet Blanco, for several minutes. We tasted it in our coffee and green tea after the dessert of cantaloupe, strawberry, pineapple sorbet. Obviously, we saved the best to last.
Here's what I would recommend at Absinthe:
Oyster Shooter: Chef's choice of oyster and spicy Bloody Mary sauce: 4
French Onion Soup gratinee: 7.5
Grilled Asparagus: fresh herbs and Parmesan cheese: 8
Smoked Salmon: cucumber, fried capers, and Pernod cream: 13.75
Roasted California halibut: braised escarole and potatoes with garlic, parley, capers, and pecorino cheese: 25
Grilled California King Salmon: roasted red beet vinaigrette, grilled vegetables and fig anchoiade crostini: 25
Sorbet trio: strawberry, pineapple, cantaloupe 6.
Absinthe also does a Prix Fixe: 75. Includes caviar, oyster, grilled fish of the day, sorbet or vanilla creme brulee.
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Marlene Dietrich (1901-1992): The motto that guided her professional life was "Demand and Supply". She added her favorite saying to the preface of Marlene Dietrich's ABC (1961):
The Possible we do immediately -
The Impossible may take a little longer.
What follows is a selection from her book reflecting her beliefs and emotional experience.
Absence "Makes the heart grow fonder". The French go further: Absence is to love what the wind is to fire. It blows out the small one and lights the big one.
Books: You do not love a book necessarily because it teaches you something. You love it because you find affirmation of your thoughts or sanctions your deeds.
Car: A car is a man's best toy.
Demand and Supply: My Credo. Give what is needed. "Let them eat cake" is too easy. By the same token: It nothing is needed, give nothing.
Eating: All real men love to eat. Any man who picks at his food, breaking off little pieces with his fork, pushing one aside, picking up another, pushing bits around the plate, etc., usually has something wrong with him And I don't mean with his stomach.
Fear: A fatal surrender.
Gallows Humor: Adopted from the German: Galgenhumor. Meaning: The ability to laugh at one's own fate when directly confronted with disaster. It might seem strange that such a word should originate with the Germans, who, as a nation, are not blessed with a sense of humor. My gallows humor was Hemingway's great joy. It was one of the reasons why he made me his friend.
Hippocratic Oath: Just read it and realize that BY OATH doctors must cover up for each other's mistakes.
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