Day 332: Doing Our Part

With the economy in the toilet, we've been doing the same thing many Americans have been doing - eating more at home.  In response, restaurants have had to offer incentives to drive diners through their doors and Jardiniere is no different.  For the past couple of months, they have offered a prix fix menu on Monday nights - three courses with wine pairings for $45 per person, each week focused around a different theme.

We first explored Jardiniere's Monday night menu about a month and a half ago when it was built around the arrival of spring.  We returned tonight - you know, to do our part to help improve the economy - and enjoyed their "Chinoiserie" menu (Chinese focus).

The first course was shrimp and hearts of palm dumplings with veggies in Shang Tong broth (pictured).  I looked up Shang Tong online and believe it means "superior stock/broth" but I didn't much care for it.  The dumplings and vegetables were tasty, though.

The entree was divine:  five-spice roasted duck leg with insanely crispy skin, served with green beans, spring onions, and apricot scented jus.  I absolutely love the flavor of five-spice.

Dessert was a plum tart with black sesame ice cream.  On its own the ice cream just tasted odd, but it paired well with the tart.  I was impressed that the tart was just fruit and crust - no custard or creme.  None was needed - those plums were so juicy and velvety on their own.

A Monday night splurge definitely means we have to be more economical during the week, but it was definitely worth it.  If you live in SF and are looking for a really good meal, check out Jardiniere's Monday night prix fix.  It's a great, (more) affordable way to experience a wonderful restaurant.